Archive for June 22nd, 2007
3 items.
Jun22
I have to be honest with you. I had no idea what I was going to do for a sketch today. Evan Almighty failed to inspire and the only other quasi-high profile movie this week is 1408 – which seems to be on NO ONE’S radar screens.
So, I came up with this!
He’s the movie ninja and, as you can see, instead of throwing shuriken, he throws movie reels. DANGEROUS! It was an idea I had for a shirt that I would probably polish up if was actually going to produce it. As things stand, I’m still waiting for Movie Law #948 to come back from the printer. So we’ll see how that one sells before I introduce a new design.
By the way, you can still place an order for Movie Law #948. The pre-order is complete, but it gave me a sense of what the demand will be. So I should have enough in all sizes.
Actually, I have another idea in mind to produce before this one. But if you think it might fly, tell me what you think of the movie ninja in the comments below!
I don’t really have a lot of movie stuff to talk about today, so I thought I would tip you off to a great contest surrounding the DVD release of the movie 300 on July 31. I know that’s a ways off for the DVD, but I wanted to give everyone first crack at the contest.
Visit the website http://www.JoinThe300.com and enter for a chance to win a trip to the San Diego Comic Con to compete for a chance to visit the set of 300’s director Zach Snyder’s next big project – Watchmen!
If you’re a comic book nerd like I am, this is a big deal. So toss your hat into the ring. Even if you don’t win the grand prize, there are other giveaways including signed mini-posters, iPod shuffles and 300 copies of the DVD.
I’m working right now on getting a review copy of 300 so I can tell you guys all about the special features of the two-disc collectors edition. If there was a movie ripe for extra content, 300 would be it. This will probably be the biggest DVD release of the summer, so I’m really looking forward to it.
That about does it for me. But check back later in the day. I want to share with you some artwork I’ve created for my good friends over at Juice – where Theater Hopper is run in regional syndication each week. It’s art for a coloring contest! That doesn’t happen every day! I’m really proud of how it turned out and I want to share it with you.
Stay tuned for more!
[ No Comments ]
I posted the first blog last night, so when I said “come back later in the day,” I think I was running on a different timetable. Either that, or I’m just impatient. Or, potentially fearful that I will forget to update the site with the art I promised you.
So here it is. Here’s the artwork I did for a recent local coloring contest!
I probably have to explain what this is about.
Y’see, my editor over at Juice – a weekly publication created by writers of The Des Moines Register and aimed at the 20-something set – asked me if I would be interested in producing some artwork for a coloring contest they were running called “Summer Fun in Des Moines.” I jumped at the chance. I would have done it just to have something to do. But it didn’t hurt that they were paying me extra for it.
I was stuck for ideas for the longest time, though. See, even though it’s a coloring contest, IT’S NOT FOR KIDS! So I had to think of something appropriately “adult” without crossing the line into anything vulgar. I asked my editor for suggestions and he said, “People socializing. You know, drinking.” This is not an unreasonable request for Juice. They often go around to all the social events in the city and take pictures of people out having a good time. Then they post them on their web site.
I felt a little funny about drawing cartoons of people drinking, but I think what I came up with is open to interpretation. I really like how the girl turned out in this one. I tried something different with how I draw eyes and it worked. I also went a little more cartoony for the man’s jaw line. You see that kind of style a lot now, but it’s hard to get my brain to tell my hand to do that. So I thought that was a minor accomplishment.
The land marks in the background are the Simon Estes Amphitheater and the state Capitol. The Simon Estes Amphitheater is basically this metal arch over a concrete pavilion next to the Des Moines River where they have a lot of concert performances in the summer. Simon Estes is an opera singer and probably the most cultured celebrity we have, so they trot him out for all kinds of stuff.
The Capitol building is, well, a Capitol building. But I think it’s an amazing piece of architecture. I’ve been to a few other state capitals and they don’t inspire anything in me like this building does. The domes are gold leaf!
Anyway, that’s probably more Iowa history than you care about. I just wanted to show you guys some artwork I was proud of. Hope you liked it!
[ No Comments ]
I have to let everyone know right off the bat that the following content is not mine, but stolen from this post over at BestWeekEver.tv and I think it’s brilliant. It’s an excellent bit of satire poking fun at the ridiculousness of the AFI Top 100 list and the utter stupidity of their recently revised list.
Read and enjoy!
Citizen Kane Has Not Magically Become Terrible In The Last Nine Years
This week, The American Film Institute announced its updated list of the 100 Greatest Films of All Time, and while “Citizen Kane held down the top spot, I was surprised to see how many 40 and 50 year old movies are a lot greater now than they were in 1998. Here are some of the notable leaps from the 1998 List to the 2007 List and my explanations for how they happened:
“Raging Bull – 1998: #24, 2007: #4
2007 Oscar wins for “The Departed made critics go back and take a look at spunky, talented kid named “Marty Scorcese.
“The Searchers – 1998: #96, 2007: #12
Overwhelming gayness of “Brokeback Mountain has critics longing for the days of the John Wayne western, when gay sex was merely implied.
“The Godfather – 1998: #3, 2007: #2
(passing up “Casablanca)Critics were so happy the ending didn’t just go to silent black, they were able to disregard existence of both World War II and love.
“The Jazz Singer – 1998: #90, 2007: Not in Top 100
America is still just as racist as it was in 1998, we’re just not voting racistly anymore.
“The General – 1998: Not in Top 100, 2007: #18
Massive success of recent crappy sequels have made people realize they’d much rather pay to see Buster Keaton run around on top of a train and fall a lot.
“On The Waterfront – 1998: #8, 2007: #19
Critics agree that it’s becoming exponentially harder each year to not imagine that every time Marlon Brando speaks, he’s asking for butter.
“Vertigo – 1998: #61, 2007: #9
Grammy voters’ neverending U2 orgy somehow spills over to AFI list; Bob Dylan’s most recent album also named #85 greatest film ever made.
“Schindler’s List – 1998: #9, 2007: #8
Historians have discovered that the Holocaust was, in fact, about 1% more horrible than originally believed.
[ No Comments ]
