Archive for June, 2006
23 items.
Today’s comic plays a little inside. Either your familiar with Joe Loves Crappy Movies and it’s creator Joe Dunn or you’re not. However, if you’re a fan of this site, I would think you would be educated in the ways of Dunn. He’s done a bajillion guest strips for us, is a friend of the site and tackles movies over at his comic with great enthusiasm.
With that said, I don’t want people thinking this comic is the start of some kind of flame war between Joe and I. It actually sprung from a real-life conversation we had about Cars on his LiveJournal. Everything Joe said in the third panel? That’s a direct quote.
Okay, okay. So Joe didn’t like Cars and I understand that. Do I think it’s as good as The Incredibles? No, of course not. Do I think it’s the worst movie they’ve ever done? No. Is it somewhere in the middle? Maybe. But then, when you’re talking Pixar, even a half-assed attempt has more craft and care in the first 5 minutes than other movies execute in two hours.
Joe and I have disagreed on movies before, so I don’t know what it is about Cars that I felt I had to defend it in a comic. Honestly, there’s not much to it. I was writing the comic backwards more than anything else. I came up with the Buzz Lightyear tattoo and needed to figure out a reason why Tom would roll up his sleeve to display it. My little conversation with Joe seemed like a good opportunity. And, frankly, I think the guy is really cool and I wanted to sent another shout out his way!
Not much more to say today. I’m writing this post kind of late and I’m drowsy. Now that the artwork for the books is at the printer, I’m kicking around ideas for a new site design. Does that grab you? Oh, well. I only have sketches at this point. I need to take some time this weekend and put together a first draft. It’ll be fun.
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Some of you guys have written in and asked me "What’s up with the spelling in panel three?" Some of you are asking "Was it intentional?"
A short preface: If you read Joe’s blogs, LiveJournal entries or forum posts, he’s… a little lax with the spelling. Hey! I’m not one to judge. I’m a terrible speller, too! But when people read Wednesday’s comic, some people wondered if I was maybe having a little fun at his expense.
The answer is "Not intentionally."
I was pretty much trying to find something for Joe to say in the third panel that would rile Tom up enough to display his tattoo in a threatening manner. I actually bounced a few ideas off of Joe because I didn’t want to write his "voice" in an incincere manner. Eventually I just decided to copy one of his posts from the LiveJournal thread I was talking about earlier and let that speak for itself.
Of course, it was so late when I was putting the comic together, I didn’t notice any of the spelling errors at all! See what I mean when I say I’m not a great speller, either?
Anyway, more and more people started to notice and Joe himself saw what he had written. Ultimately, we decided it was funnier just to leave it in. Funnier for us at least.
I know the comic plays a little inside, but if you can amuse yourself from time to time, what’s the point?
I just didn’t want you to think that it was ME who was the terrible speller. Even though I’ve been guilty of that crime many times!
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I always liked the idea of Mexican wrestlers – luchadore, if you will. They’re cultural icons and folklore heroes. I’m not a big wrestling fan. I just like the mythology, especially when it comes to the masks. I like the commitment to the tradition and to never breaking the illusion of their profession. It’s very respectable.
That’s part of the reason I can’t decide if Nacho Libre is a far-out, whack-job-but-ultimately-inspired parody of Mexico and this facet of it’s culture or if it’s borderline racist to have Jack Black play this character and the filmmakers are having a big laugh at the expense at an entire country. Then again, maybe Napoleon Dynamite was a big laugh at the expense of Idaho and Jon Heder’s performance was offensive to nerds everywhere. I don’t mean to politicize things. You’ll have to ask Jared Hess, the director of both movies.
Reviews for Nacho Libre have been skewing negative, which is odd considering it looked the movie to beat when it came to screwball laughs this summer. Analystis have cited The World Cup as the big reason you’re not seeing any tentpole films in June until the global contest. Hence, both Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest not showing up until nearly July. The road should have been clear for Nacho Libre. What happened?
I wonder if it’s because critics are looking for an out-of-the-box cult phenomenon on par with Napoleon Dynamite. I don’t think it’s going to happen. Even though MTV crammed commercials for Hess’s first film down the throats of the teen set for months, it’s cult status developed somewhat organically. People really started to adopt it as their own. I think the Hot Topicization of the film has since corrupted it, but that’s a post for another time.
My point is that I don’t think lightning is going to strike twice in that regard.
I still want to see the movie. If for no other reason than to watch Jack Black do his manic genious thing. One of the screenwriters on the movie was Mike White and he and Black seemed to get along pretty well the last time they collaborated on The School of Rock.
Even though the reviews for Nacho Libre aren’t setting the world en el fuego, I think my expectations have been appropriately lowered and I actually think that will help me to appreciate the movie more. Or at least for what it is… instead of what I want it to be.
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Cami and I didn’t see Nacho Libre this weekend mostly because we were busy doing errands and getting things ready for Father’s Day. We had both my folks and Cami’s folks over to the house for a bar-b-que. It was a good time. I hope you and yours had a great weekend celebrating the old man as well.
I don’t really know if I have much to say about Jack Black playing a Mexican in Nacho Libre. Some people recognize it as very poltically incorrect, but not culturally insensitive. Other people find it kind of offensive. Much like Charlie, since I haven’t seen the movie, I can’t put the performance into context. But if you want to see a truly offensive caucasian portrayal of a Mexican, rent Orson Welle’s Touch of Evil with Charlton Heston playing the latino in question. Don’t blame Welles, though. The studio pressured him into casting Heston in the role. Still a good pot-boiler mystery, though. Check it out. Just ignore Heston if you can. Amazing what they thought they could get away with in 1958.
Charlie hasn’t made an appearance in a while and I thought this was kind of a good opportunity to indirectly address the race question in Nacho Libre. Often I dangle the carrot of Charlie’s true ethnenticity, but I intentionally do not reveal it. I’ve had some people say that she’s latina, some people say that she’s Native American or even from the South Pacific. I enjoy the guessing game. It makes me think I created something more clever than I actually did and didn’t just stumble into things like I normally do.
I should mention that I received the June issue of Zoinks Magazine on my doorstep this weekend and it features my interview with the publication. I don’t know if it’s too late to grab one from them or not – although I’m sure you can backorder – but you should really check out Zoinks Magazine online and then get a subscription. I’ve been really impressed as to how they’ve been able to improve the quality of the publication in such a short amount of time!
Anyway, that’s it for me today. Talk to you soon!
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Does everyone know what I’m referring to when I talk about the "Not Gay" seat? It’s that little buffer zone between two paranoid heterosexual men that says "I’m seeing a movie with this guy, but I’m not WITH this guy. We’re not gay!"… Get it? The "Not Gay" seat.
Personally, I think is has to be one of the most ignorant things that some men do and I fail to understand it every time I see it. I’ve even been on the receiving end of the phenomenon, believe it or not!
When I was in college, sometimes a bunch of the guys from our dorm would pile into a car and see whatever blow-em-up action movie was dumbing down America at the time. We’d all buy our tickets and file into the theater. Sitting down next to each other, I was the second to last guy in the aisle. The last guy coming in behind me made a specific point not to sit directly next to me, but one seat away.
"I’m sorry," I said. "Does my breath offend you, or something? Or do you just need your space today?"
The guy was from a small farming community and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He wasn’t some loner jerk putting on a front, either. But he was cooly pragmatic when revealing his homophobia. "I don’t want people to think we’re gay."
"Dude! You’re in a group of 7 guys! We all just had dinner in the dining hall together and you sat right next to me! What is it about this theater and sitting next to me now that is going to give anyone the impression that we’re gay? Dear Lord! Get over it!"
So I basically shamed him into sitting next to me. And then, in a typical display of college-aged maturity and sensitivity, I would occassionally rub his knee during the movie just to mess with his mind. He was good people, though!
Seriously, though. If you’re a guy and you feel a compulsion to employ the "Not Gay" seat, get over yourself. Because you’re not asserting your heterosexuality. Your displaying your ignorance and weakness to everyone. In fact, you’re probably drawing more attention to yourself by NOT sitting next to the guy you came to the movie with than you would if you sat right next to him.
Honestly, if you’re not going to sit nex to the guy, why allude to the fact that you arrived at the theater together at all. Why don’t you sit in the back row and he can sit in the front row? Then NO ONE will be able to put two and two together! I mean, so long as we’re forging totally skewed social behaviors…
At any rate, the "Not Gay" seat was a comic that I wanted to do for a really long time and the desire to do so was refueled when I saw a couple of high school guys pull this stunt when we went to see Cars a few weeks ago. The problem with doing the comic was that I really didn’t have an ending for it. My commentary was more of a rant than anything humorous. Thank goodness for Brandon J Carr for providing me with the finest twist of a character’s motivation that I could ever hoped for. I’ve been milking the gag for a while now. But really, does it ever get old?
I’ll have some site stuff I’ll want to talk about later in the day, so be sure to visit us again this afternoon for an update!
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It’s been interesting to read some of the e-mails and reactions to today’s comic. I must say, I don’t think there’s anything I’ve ever done that’s generated as much response as the "Not Gay" seat.
I’m not complaining, mind you. The fact that people are talking about it and e-mailing me shows that you care!
A lot of people have written in to tell me that I am only exposing one side of the story. "There is another reason men aren’t sitting next to each other!" they say. Over the course of the day, these arguments have formed into what I like to call "The Double Armrest Theory."
Some people say that if they go to a movie with their buddies and the theater is packed, they have no problem pulling up a chair next to them. But if there is room to spread out, why not take advantage of it? You get two armrests and you’re not squished together.
I can understand this line of logic. I certainly wouldn’t begrudge anyone their personal space. But, like everything in life, it’s all about context. Through m y particular filter – and based partially off the experience I shared earlier – if one was to go to the effort of going to a movie with a friend and then sitting away from that person during said activity… Well, it just seems kind of rude to me. Sort of like going to lunch with somone, but sitting at another table. In the "Not Gay" movie theater example, I think the fact that it’s only one chair that separates people who clearly arrived together only further emphasises the situation. If you REALLY valued your personal space, you’d sit two or three rows back. Or, more resourcefully, not arrived with anyone at all.
Some of the feedback I’ve gotten has been somewhat defensive. I should probably mention that all of it has come from guys. Look, fellas. I didn’t mean to put any of you on the spot. I certainly didn’t mean to suggest that because you appreciate a little elbow room that you might be a homophobe. So if it makes you feel any better, look at my explaination as a critique on manners and not on the paranoia of sexual orientation. Tossing in the whole "Not Gay" moniker was just a clever spin on what seems to be an otherwise everyday occurance in movie theaters around the globe. Maybe if you framed it within the context of Dave Barry’s essay about the Every Other Urinal Rule will the concept come into clearer focus.
Whatever your opinion, it’s clear that I’ve touched a nerve with today’s comic and of that I’m proud. If I can find universal themes within the context of the movie-going experience for you guys to enjoy, then I feel I’ve really done my job. Thanks for your letters and keep sending them in!
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A quick post this morning before I come back with more.
Before you ask, yes the bi-plane in the background is a direct reference to Homestar Runner.
Don’t ask me why I threw it in there. I just thought it would be funny, I guess.
I’ll be back later in the afternoon with more!
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Hey, guys. I’m back. But first, I gotta take care of some site business.
In case you didn’t see the ad in the upper right, I am currently running a sale on all t-shirts and baby doll tees. All clothing in the store is $9.99 until July 31. I’m trying to burn off some inventory to raise money for my trip to Wizard World Chicago on August 4 – 6.
Incidentally, if you order a t-shirt or baby doll tee during this period, you get a free 11 x 17" poster. It’s a pretty sweet deal, so order today!
I should probably also mention that I got the proofs for Theater Hopper: Year One back from the printer the other day. I poured over them and gave them my stamp of approval, so that means the books will go into production starting next week! We’re still on time for our end of July deadline, so those of you who pre-ordered a book will probably see your copy sometime in early August.
I gotta thank all of you again for helping me out with the pre-sale. With the proofs in my hands this week, it all became that much more real and it has me pretty psyched. You guys are gonna LOVE this book when you get it. Of course it’s never too late to still place an order if you haven’t already. Especially now that you know the books are on their way! Think about it!
I want to make sure you guys know about the current batch of sponsors we have on the site. Be sure to check out Aoi House for fun manga action, Dribble For Kids for great comic book-style sci-fi action, Monkey Pirate Zombie for, well… really cool comics, animation and games, and finally Brinkerhoff for some really wry commentary on relationships and what happens after they end.
I was going to say some stuff about the comic, but all those links made me really tired. I suppose I can say that I was very happy with the way this one turned out – both the art and the writing. Sometimes it’s fun just to do something simple, y’know?
Will Cami and I see Click this weekend? Most likely. She is, after all, an Adam Sandler junkie. Last night she tossed Big Daddy into the DVD player. To what end, I’m not sure. Maybe to remember what it’s like to watch an Adam Sandler movie? A little mental exercise. She fell asleep watching it, if that means anything.
Have a great weekend!
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Comic Tom doesn’t spend as much time on the internet as I do in real life. Probably because that’s not a very dynamic setting in which to tell the story. Or perhaps it’s because the people he talks to are indifferent to the news he wants to share. I suppose he should give up on relaying any Superman-related missives.
And speaking of related! Yes, it is true that someone I went to high school with is the real-life cousin of the new Superman, Brandon Routh. I’ve changed his name in the comic to protect the innocent. But, as you may have heard, Brandon Routh is from right here in Central Iowa. So there have been many news stories in advance of Superman Returns hitting theaters on Wednesday and every newspaper and local news network is parading out all of his relatives for that local angle.
This, of course, means nothing to no one. Famous people tend to come from all over the country. You don’t hear Toronto bragging about how John Candy came from their town. But then again, that might just be due to the fact that Canadians are so polite.
I don’t know. For Iowa, it’s different. There’s very little going on here and for someone to take the mantle of one of the most recognizable icons in world… well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a twinge of hometown pride.
I’m trying to imagine what it must be like for Routh’s family. That’s weird bragging rights. "Yeah, my cousin? He’s Superman. Wanna go out later?"
Do you suppose Brandon will give them a cut of all that merchandizing action going on right now? Happy Meals and action figures and all that? Do you suppose he’s unloading all this crap on his extended family as a means of taking care of them for the next 10 Christmas holidays?
Imagine what it must be like for the guy. In three days, he’ll have gone from being totally unknown to being tethered to The Man of Steel forever. Kind of funny how this seems to happen with Superman but not with Batman in regards to film. I mean Christopher Reeve was unknown when they cast him in the first Superman movie back in 1978. But for Batman, it’s been a string of "known" actors under the cape and cowl – Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney. The least well known of them all is probably Christian Bale – but only because they were looking to go back to square one with the character.
My point is, chosing unknowns to tackle Superman speaks to the enormity of the character. Even established celebrity can’t overcome it. I think that’s pretty cool.
I guess Routh was in-town today, not five minutes from my house, attending a showing of Superman Returns at the Century Theaters with 300 kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Iowa. It was a private event, so I wasn’t able to get in. And even though the theater expected people to hang around to catch a glimpse of Routh, I didn’t make the effort to check things out. I don’t know if I should feel stupid about that, or not. Quite truthfully, it’s probably the closest Hollywood is ever going to get to my front porch.
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This is what I get for assuming that no one cares.
Both The Des Moines Register and News-a-rama picked up on I’M A MORON’s homecoming for the premiere of Superman Returns here in Iowa.
I’m not all that surprised that The Des Moines Register would run something on it, but I was really freaked out when News-a-rama had someone at the event and they took a bunch of pictures.
The theater they’re at – Century Theaters? I hang out there every week. That’s my home-away-from-home, kids. I feel like I total idiot for letting this opportunity slip through my fingers. But quite honestly, up to that point, the media described the event as invitation only. Who knew the guy would be glad-handing fans for over an hour on the red carpet!
STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
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