Archive for July, 2006
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Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be "Superman’s Pal." Let me tell you – a REAL pal would clue you in to the bubble butt issue! Maybe Jimmy just hasn’t worked up the nerve yet.
Are you like me? Do you debate the practicality of comic book storytelling methods? The whole "costume under the civilian clothes" thing never worked with me when it came to Superman. I mean, okay… the skin-tight body suit I can kind of understand. Except, how does he go to the bathroom when you’re wearing three layers of clothes? Or does Clark Kent have a super bladder to hold it all in?
Anyway, I can let the suit underneath slide… but where is that cape hanging out? Back pocket? Does he stuff it down the legs of his pants? Maybe that’s why he’s so clumsy? I had kind of forgotten about my pet theory until we went to see Superman Returns this weekend. That shot where Clark steps into the elevator and then flies straight up the elevator shaft, shedding his street clothes behind him, I started asking myself again… "Where did that cape come from?"
Another thing – is Clark just leaving clothes all over the city? In elevator shafts, phone booths, alleyways…. You’d think the Daily Planet would be reporting about a serial streaker in Metropolis! Wouldn’t he be leaving his wallet and ID behind everytime he soars into action as Superman? I imagine Clark Kent’s new clothes bill must be astronomical.
Heh, heh… I’m shattering the whole illusion for all of you, aren’t I?
Okay, enough of that crap. Onto Superman Returns. What did I think? Well, at risk of appearing lazy, I would say this recent strip from PvP sums up my opinion quite nicely. When we left the theater, I actually told Cami "I want to be Superman when I grow up." Dear God… Who doesn’t?
Something about that John Williams theme song just makes you want to leap in front of an out of control frieght train and stop it with your bare hands. All that zipping and zooming around the stratosphere makes me want to fly home.
The effects in Superman Returns were stunning. Absolutely seemless. Everything The Man of Steel did on screen was something I had been aching to see. Sure, the other Superman films showed him in flight, but not at 700 miles per hour. Amazing stuff.
Complaints? Nothing you probably haven’t read before. It’s a little long. It takes a while before we see Brandon Routh in costume. Kate Bosworth is nothing like any version of Lois Lane you’ve ever read about or seen performed by any other actress – and that’s not a compliment. Kal Penn is given NOTHING to do as Luthor’s henchman. NO SPEAKING LINES! Why is he even in the movie? He probably doesn’t care. Residuals from this flick will pay out for the rest of his life.
Good things about the movies? I felt both Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey were right at home in their respective roles. There was never a moment where I didn’t believe in Routh as Superman. He put an element of grace and calm into his portrayal that I found very comforting. Sure, he could stand to have been a little older to get that fatherly vibe that Superman exudes, but that’s a quibble. Really, excellent casting all around, except for Bosworth. Parkey Posey hits a home run as Luthor’s arm-candy, Kitty. She does a lot with a role that could have been one-note or insignificant.
The concept of a world without Superman is a great idea in terms of "re-introducing" the character, but it’s never fully explored. He went to see if Krypton was still around. It took him five years to find out it wasn’t. Bummer. They gloss over his exploration, but spend a little too much time in other areas.
The whole question about Lois’ five year old son? Probably not best for me to go into it here. But I have STRONG opinions about it. Trust me on that one.
Poor James Marsden. He should change his name to "James Marginalized." Get’s screwed over in the X-Men franchise, plays the guy that Rachel McAdams DOESN’T pick in The Notebook and he just shuffled to the side here again. The shame of it is, he continues to play increasingly more likeable characters. He just can’t end up with the girl on-screen.
Overall, I left the theater on a high note. Cami and I saw the movie on IMAX which kind of screwed up some of the composition of a handful of shots, so I wouldn’t mind going back and seeing it again on a "regular" screen so I can soak it all in a second time. Other than that, I can’t recommend the movie highly enough.
Hope you guys had a great weekend. I’ve got the day off today, so I’m going to work on a new design for Theater Hopper. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while, but it’s been difficult to find the time to take a swing at it. Wish me luck!
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By the way, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly how bulky Clark Kent’s bubble butt should be in the last panel.
Too much time, if we’re being honest.
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After drawing today’s comic, I realized that I had originally planned on doing a comic about my IMAX experience at Superman Returns. But then, in hindsight, it really would have been more of a rehash of this strip. Basically, the image takes up so much of your field of vision, you can’t hope to see everything at once. During that plane crash where Lois is being tossed around like a rag-doll (seatbelts, people!) you can’t see anything that’s going on. It’s all a blur. So instead of being wowed by the effects, you’re looking for a pause button so your eyes can settle a little bit.
I used to be really annoyed by IMAX films because they are often so short. Like, 40 minutes tops. I think I understand why now. Because anything much longer than that and you risk a neck sprain. At two and a half hours, watching Superman Returns in IMAX was like watching the world’s longest tennis match. I mean, I had an inkling that we might be in for it when the opening title card came up with all that exposition explaining how Superman had been away for five years and you could see everyone in the audience turning their heads from left to right as fast as they could to absorb all the information – laughing nervously all the while. If this movie had subtitles, we would have been screwed.
So, I still have it in my head to check out SR for a second time on a more properly proportioned screen. Only problem is, I don’t know when that will be considering Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest comes out on Friday!
I don’t know if it’s me or if the film’s marketing team is doing a deft job, but Pirates is probably the one movie of the year that I’m most excited for and yet seen little or nothing about it. I’m serious. I just sat down to watch the full trailer maybe a day or two ago. I mean, I get the gist of the plot. Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow owes his soul to a octopus-like sea ghoul Davy Jones played by Bill Nighy. Adventure ensues. I’m there.
But usually this close to a movie’s premire, I’ve soaked myself in the salty brine of advance promotion. I know what all the costumes look like, I’ve read set reports, I’ve seen enough “teaser” clips combined that only 20% of the actual film will be new to me when I see it in the theater… Basically, I ruin things for myself.
But not Pirates. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of it and I think that’s a good thing. I’m really looking forward to Friday. I loved the first film so much. Stands to reason this one should be just as good. Fingers crossed!
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I don’t know if this will mean all that much to the majority of you, but I wanted to point you to an article I was interviewed for in The Des Moines Business Record. You can read it here.
As you might have guessed by the name of the periodical, it’s a local publication that focuses on the business happenings in the Greater Des Moines area. It’s significant that I was interviewed, however, because it’s a subscription-based publication that a lot of big shots in the city read. They cover a lot of what’s happening with companies like Principal Financial, Allied Insurance and Wells Fargo – who are all headquartered here. So it’s kind of interesting company I keep by being featured in their pages.
The article is about people in the Metro who have hobby web sites and have been able to turn a profit from them. I’m really proud of how it turned out and how I was represented. They even sent a photographer over to my house to take a few shots!
Anyway, I wanted to share it because it was significant to me to be taken seriously at the local level. Hopefully it’ll open a few doors when it comes time to promote the book and this is something I can use in my press kit to help me convince local retailers to pick up copies to sell in their stores.
It’s actually quite serendipitous timing because we were planning on contacting them once we had copies of the completed book in hand (which you can still order here!). We were going to make the rounds with the local media and pitch it to them as a human interest story of exactly this nature. Turns out that the author – through mutual acquaintances – found out about me first and the rest is history!
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If you’re a die-hard Will Ferrell fan like me, you can’t wait for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby coming out on August 4. It’s the same team that put together Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so you know it’s going to be good.
Anyway, it’s a little early yet, but I thought I would share with you this game that I found online where you – as Ricky Bobby – have to sign as many objects as you can in Victory Row after winning a big race. It’s pretty funny to check out just for the stuff they put in front of you to sign.
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As to why Tom might have a soul debt to Twinkie the Kid, I have no idea. It’s just one of those absurd ideas that come to me at the end of the week and there you have it. I suppose I could have done something a little more in tune with a pirate theme to celebrate the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest… but that would have been too easy!
Reviews from critics are coming back mostly negative, which is surprising considering how many of them rallied around the first film. Their complaints seem to echo their thoughts about Superman Returns. Primarily, it’s too long. Personally, I think that’s the weakest cop-out excuse in the critical handbag. I mean, when you’re in a movie you don’t like, extra length can feel like torture. But if you can put yourself in the shoes of the average audience member who’s really into this kind of stuff, how could MORE ever be a bad thing?
Roger Ebert once said something about the length of movies never being a detriment. I can’t find the exact quote, though. By the way, Rog – get well soon.
At any rate, early audience reaction seems to be very favorable. I’ve talked to a few people who have been to midnight screenings or are friends with theater managers and they love the flick up and down. So it sounds like the perfect summer popcorn flick. Personally, I can’t wait to see it.
A little site news. Don’t forget about the $9.99 t-shirt sale we’ve got going on right now. It lasts until the end of the month. I’m trying to clear out a little inventory before I go to Wizard World Chicago on August 4 – 6.so I won’t feel guilty about not bringing the full bredth of my schwag.
By the way, if you still want to order a copy of "Theater Hopper: Year One," I’m still accepting them. Place your order now. That way, it’s one less book I have to lug to Chicago. Who knows? I might not have very many when I come back! I’ve already pre-sold about half of the first printing. If you get your order in now, I’ll be sure to set a copy aside for you before I hit The Windy City!
Not much else for the moment. Talk to you soon!
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I know I should probably be talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Chest’s incredibly record-shattering $132 million weekend, but I saw this press release about Dakota Fanning being offered membership into The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and had to comment on it before it was no longer news-worthy.
Clearly, this is a move by the A.M.P.A.S. to counteract criticisms that it’s an old-fogey club. If you check the roster of other invitees, you’ll see younger actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley and Joaquin Phoenix we extended membership. But it’s Fanning’s name that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Dakota Fanning is 12 YEARS OLD. She can’t vote in an acutual election, but she can throw in her two cents on next year’s Best Picture nominees. Granted, helping to figure out who 2007’s Best Sound Effects award should go to is less imperitive than choosing who should be the next person to sit in the Oval Office, but can a 12 year-old objectively judge this kind of stuff? Or, more likely, was Fanning’s name tossed into the mix as a shrewd publicity move to get the media outlets to notice their larger initiative of proving that the Oscars are young! The Oscars are hip!
Truthfully, the name on the membership invitation list that REALLY caught my eye was Werner Herzog. If you need ANY proof that the A.M.P.A.S. is out of touch – even with their own constituents – you need look no futher than Herzog’s name on the invitation list. Outside of perhaps Tony Kaye, I can think of no other director who is more PURPOSEFULLY outside of the mainstream than Herzog. Obviously, it’s either some kind of makeup gesture for excluding Grizzly Man from the Best Documentary category last year or – barring that – Herzog’s more public profile as of late probably woke someone up and they said "Hey, that guy makes movies arty people like! Let’s invite him."
It’s my hope that Herzog tells them to take a long walk off a short pier. But that’s just me.
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I kind of felt like I was shirking my duty not talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest incredible first weekend at the box office. When you stop to think about it, the accomplishment is pretty crazy.
I mean, sure, there’s always going to be debate about box office records. What with inflation and the increased number of theaters across the American strip-mall landscape. But when you frame Pirates three day take of $132 million against Superman Returns take of $52 million (ignore the bloated numbers from the extended 4th of July "holiday weekend)… well, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction – we’re not in the same ballpark, the same league or even the same sport. I mean, Superman Returns had one of the largest domestic releases ever – 4,065 screens. Now Pirates sweeps through and everyone is like "Superman, who?" Just goes to show how fickle we can be, I suppose.
I know Pirates 2 has its detractors, but I’m just glad that the numbers were better than X-Men 3’s Memorial Day weekend take of $102 million. Superman Returns was supposed to knock it off it’s throne as *the* summer blockbuster. When it didn’t, it gave validity to the Brett Ratner’s of the world at the expense of what I felt was a sincere and thoughtful adaptation of The Man of Steel. Superman Returns at least had something on it’s mind and it was being punished for it. Meanwhile, I disorganized noise-fest like X-Men 3 takes home all the cash? Not fair.
If a balls-out action/adventure movie is going to take the brass ring this summer, I would rather it be Pirates 2 than X-Men 3. That’s all I’m saying.
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Hey, guys. I want to try something really quick. I found this site called TagBlitz. It’s basically a promotion tool for web sites that gathers up links to all the social networking sites out there. I present the Tag Blitz link to you and then you go and catologue Theater Hopper among as many of the social networking sites out there as you please. You don’t have to be a member of TagBlitz or sign up for anything to participate. It’s free to use. But some of the social networking sites in it’s roster require you to have accounts with them before you can tag Theater Hopper in their system. Sites like Technorati, Del.icio.us and Furl are all in the mix.
Anyway, give it a try and see if you can help spread the word about Theater Hopper. I want to give this service a dry run to see how effective it is.
Thanks for your help!
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I spent a lot of time on today’s comic – maybe more time than I should have.
I don’t know. Sometimes I slip into this talking head thing where it’s just a two of the characters spitting out one-liners to each other and when I finally notice it, I’m compelled to switch it up a little.
That’s why I was hyper aware of the composition, what props Cami and Jared had in their hands – what they were doing with them. Having Tom talk more with his hands. That kind of stuff.
Maybe it’s important only to me?
As far as You, Me and Dupree is concerned, it looks like a real sitcom-y kind of set up. Immature friend loses his job and home after going to a friend’s wedding. Friend feels guilty, let’s him stay at his house, ruining honeymoon. Friend overstays welcome, Goldie Hawn’s daughter is forced to play a screaming harpie and, by the end, everyone has learned something about friendship.
But, truth is, we’ll probably see it. Why? Because we noticed Seth Rogen is in some of the sceens from the commercials and we’ve been fans of his for ages. Nice to see he’s getting some work outside the Apatow realm. The 40 Year-Old Virgin must have given him some clout.
It would probably be a better use of our time to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest a second time since the first time we had to sit in the front row and endure the movie walleye-vision style. But at 2 and a half hours, it’s hard to committ to that again. I told Cami after our experience with Priates and the IMAX frame blow outs in Superman Returns that it would be nice to see a movie that no one really cares about so we can hang back and relax for a few hours. You, Me and Dupree might be that movie.
THERE’S a ringing endorsement for ya’!
Come back later today. I have some news about my attendance at Wizard World Chicago on August 4 – 6.
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