Archive for April, 2004
16 items.
If you saw Kill Bill this weekend, no doubt you immediately became enamored with the Cruel Master Pai Mei.
I have no idea where today’s comic comes from. Probably from the fact that Cami and I did – in fact – see Kill Bill Vol. 2 on Saturday night and then spent most of Sunday afternoon cleaning up the house. I guess I thought it would be funny if Cami was treating me like a 5 year old “playing ninja” by shooing me out of the house with a broom. I dunno!
My opinions on Vol. 2 are pretty consistent with the majority. I thought it was a great film. Tons of wonderful movie moments dotted all throughout the film. “OH MY GOD!” moments, as I like to call them. Mostly because it’s been quite a while since I have exclaimed that phrase out loud in a public theater for quite some time. That’s how well Kill Bill Vol. 2 grabs your lapels and shakes you until you hand over your undivided attention.
I enjoyed the pacing of this film much better than the last. There were several slow, drawn out dialogue pieces – but I never felt they weighed the production down. The film is all about tying up loose ends – and the story works in such a circular manner, it’s fun making the mental leap from the last outing to the first outing.
In retrospect, I can see why Tarantino opted to split his movie into two volumes instead of risking the possibility of delivering a single, watered down version. Make no mistake, this IS one movie. It just took a little extra time to tell.
Uma Thurman is a revelation in this movie, but you don’t realize it as you watch it. She inhabits The Bride so thoroughly, you forget that this is – in reality – a pampered actress that is flying around on screen, emoting and screaming her heart out, crying and heaving and on fire with passion. And when she draws a bead on you, she stares through you. It’s a thoroughly convincing performance, all the more astounding considering it’s an action movie.
I could go on and on about KBv2, but I’ll leave it for you to see for yourself. You OWE it to yourself. Don’t have this movie spoiled by me or anyone else. Go to the theater and see it now.
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So I was sitting around the house trying to think up a premise for today’s comic when it dawned on me that I haven’t yet talked about the brand new Spider-Man 2 trailer.
Cami and I were away in Vegas when it was given it’s world premier during the finale of The Apprentice. And like true losers, we were in our hotel room that night watching. Thank goodness for room service!
Anyway, it’s almost two weeks later and I’ve yet to bring it up. I figured it was time to address the oversight.
Like any dyed-in-the-wool comic book geek, I loved every second of the trailer. It shows a lot without showing a lot… if that makes sense. I was particularly impressed with the CG Spidey this time around. He seemed more fluid. Faster. Almost as if they’re depicting him as having greater control over his powers. That small snipped of him leaping into the subway car and hanging sideways off that handrail spoke VOLUMES to me.
At first I was worried that they had cast Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, but after watching the trailers, I have faith. I think it’s important that they continue to cast actors who can convey actual menace instead of some kind of gimmick casting (Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, anyone?)
I remember reading that Sam Raimi wanted to spend as much time, money and effort as possible in making Doc Ock’s mechanical arms an actual working apparatus instead of a CG effect. You can really tell where the money is being sunk into this thing. Those arms look DARN good.
Anyway, that’s enough geeking out for the moment. Remember that time is running out on placing your pre-order for Theater Hopper t-shirts. Be sure to submit your order now so I can mail you a shirt when the first batch comes in! Click the link above for all the latest information!
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Apr23
I don’t really have a lot to say about Jennifer Garner’s latest movie 13 Going On 30. It seems like a pretty mindless diversion. I guess it’s getting pretty good reviews. A fairly positive one from our own resident movie-reviewer Nick Caster. He had the good fortune of catching a sneak preview last weekend and decided to share his thoughts. You should swing over to the Bonus Materials page and read it for yourself…
I’ll admit the comparison to Big is a cheap one. Cami pointed out to me that a reviewer in Vanity Fair came to the same glib conclusion. I don’t read Vanity Fair, so I’m excused from plagiarism. But that doesn’t mean the common perception isn’t out there.
Oh, well. My joke is more about a studio executive being so captivated by the concept of giant breasts that he wouldn’t notice a couple of lowly screen writers stealing his checkbook to make a hack movie. Call it a reflection of the male condition. It makes it sound more educated.
With that of the way, I have a bunch of site related business to mention.
First off, I want to give a big welcome to Jeph Jacques whose excellent indie-themed comic Questionable Content was brought into the fold over at Dayfree Press. Jeph has a great thing going. Wonderfully characters and richly developed story lines. You should check it out.
In other Dayfree news, congratulations for Brian Carroll of Instant Classic for reaching 100 strips! Brian lead into his crescendo with a bang – literally! He took the comic in a narrative and artistic direction that really raised the bar. It needs to be see to be believed!
I also wanted to give a shout out to two of our newest advertisers – InfamousGreen.com , a site that will host a film makers short films for free. A great resource for you Spielberg’s-in-training.
We’re also advertising a new comic called The Munchies . It’s ripe with adventures about food products. Get it? RIPE?! Oh, wow!…
The last thing I’ll mention is to check out the forums for a fun game we play every week called The Friday Five . The concept is very simple. I pose five questions to the community at large, and they answer them. You can, too! It’s a great jumping on point to the forums and you can learn a lot about the people who already post there with minimal research. Check it out!
I hope everyone has a good weekend. I know I’m looking forward to it. The weather is getting nicer every day!
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Apr26
REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED AS AN INSIDE JOKE
April 26th, 2004 |
(10 votes, average: 7.90 out of 10)
Revenge seems to be the genre du jour at the moment with Man of Fire taking the number one spot at the box office this weekend with Kill Bill Vol. 2 and The Punisher trailing closely behind. How Jennifer Garner and her toothpaste commercial of a movie – 13 Going On 30 – snuck into the number 2 spot is surprising. Especially considering America’s apparent bloodlust at the moment.
I’ve read a few articles about this new trend in cinema. The popular theory is that American’s are looking for some kind of antagonist “them” to destroy since 9/11. We can’t exact our revenge in the streets and most people aren’t going to hope the next flight to Afghanistan, so this is the next best thing.
What I wonder is “Where have these essayists been for the last 30 years?” Revenge has always been a central device in storytelling – and not just cinema, but literature and songwriting as well. I wish I could come up with some good examples, but I’m wiped out after putting today’s comic together.
By the way, this is the LAST WEEK we’re taking pre-orders on t-shirts. If you want to sleep better at night knowing that you’ll have one of the VERY FIRST THEATER HOPPER T-SHIRTS, then you need to visit the store right now and put down some cash. Because once the 30th comes and goes, I can’t take any more orders. I’m sorry. It’s a legal thing. The lawyers made me say that.
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Apr28
It IS true that long time Star Trek producer Rick Berman is looking into filming an eleventh Star Trek movie. But since the cast of The Next Generation announced (in unison, I presume) that the Gawd-awful Nemesis would be their swan song, Berman has had to rely on his wits to get by.
His answer? A prequel!
Yes, Rick Berman isn’t satisfied until he’s ruined everything Gene Roddenberry hoped to accomplish with his franchise.
You’ll have to apologize for the lame Khan joke that kicks off today’s strip. It’s been done before and by better comics. But I felt it was a necessary device to get to the William Shatner underwear-stealing gag I had saved for the last panel.
Not much else to report for the moment, but if you have a webcam and are looking for new portals on which to slap your mug, it should be known that the Theater Hopper forums has a portal of its very own! All you have to do is sign up for an account in the forums, include the URL path to your cam image and you’re set!
Also, don’t forget that pre-orders for the very first Theater Hopper t-shirt end this Friday. Be sure to check out the store to find out how to order one!
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Shall we talk about movies for a minute? Let’s shall.
Laws of Attraction looked like a pretty good movie to me when I saw a trailer for it in front of The Ladykillers a few weeks ago. It has Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore – probably two of my most favorite contemporary actors. Pierce has always been good as James Bond, but I thought he did a really good job in both The Thomas Crown Affair and The Tailor of Panama – admittedly, they were Bond-like characters. But I’ll forgive any performer that exudes that much effortless confidence. Callin Sean Connery, anyone?
Of course Julianne Moore turns every performance into gold. I don’t think I need to list her credentials. She’s awesome. No two ways about it.
That’s why I have a lot of hope for this flick, even though its aspirations to be a battle-of-the-sexes romp in the Tracy/Hepburn style is utterly transparent. Is this such a bad thing? Can we tolerate a little derivative storytelling if it means enjoying an adult (if light) romantic comedy? Most rom-coms these days are either sickly sweet, or their protagonists display some borderline psychotic behavior (stalking, obsessiveness, etc.) I just want to watch two well-trained actors trade witty barbs for two hours. Is that so much to ask?
Cami and I will probably see Laws of Attraction sometime tonight. We’re both taking the day off from work so we can go furniture shopping at Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha (don’t ask). It’s like, the biggest furniture store in 5 states, or something. And they give you free cookies at the door!
Pray for me.
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