Archive for July, 2008
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# THIS BLOG POST WAS LOST WHEN THEATER HOPPER MOVED TO WORDPRESS IN JANUARY 2009 #
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Sorry, guys. Today’s blog post will be somewhat delayed as my brain is total mush.
I’m at home right now on a “staycation” that requires me to lug furniture up several flights of stairs, rearrange rooms and clear out storage areas. Cami and I are basically JUST NOW getting around to our Spring Cleaning and it’s killing me.
It’s probably what lead me to reference a near 60 year-old Jimmy Stuart movie in today’s comic. Don’t as me why. I know for most of you, this joke is going to go right over your heads. But it’s my hope that people who know a little bit of film history will get a kick out of it.
What I would really like to do is talk in depth about The Dark Knight. Cami and I got to see it on Monday and I was blown away.
The performances were all great, as to be expected. But I was really caught off guard by the excellent questions the film presented in regard to humanity’s true nature and what one must do to battle evil – both inside and external to oneself.
Spider-Man 3 made a big deal about "the enemy within" but Sam Raimi only wishes he could conjure up a fraction of the moral quandry Christopher Nolan boxes Batman into during the course of The Dark Knight.
Anyway, like I said, my brain is mush right now, so I don’t feel like I can go much more into it. But if you’re looking for a little insight in the meantime, download Monday night’s episode of The Triple Feature podcast. The crew gets into a pretty good discussion about The Dark Knight that I think you’ll enjoy. Check it out.
Oh, and for those that wrote in Monday with suggestions about whether to see The Dark Knight in IMAX or a regular theater, thanks for you input. The vote was pretty evenly split. Cami and I decided to see it in a regular theater mostly because of the bad experience we had seeing Superman Returns in IMAX.
Plus, our regular movie theater is five minutes from our house. So convenience won out!
Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!
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Although I’ve been eagerly anticipating Step Brothers ever since I first saw the red band trailer for it back in May, I’m aware that there are people out there who are growing tired of Will Ferrell’s man-boy routine and are looking for a reason for this movie to fail.
I’ve come to terms with the reality that Will Ferrell is no longer everyone’s cup of tea. It’s only been four short years since Anchorman which remains (in my mind) his high water mark and he’s been losing some credibility ever since.
I don’t pay attention to the critics. I always have a good time when I see a Will Ferrell movie. Mostly because it seems like he’s having such a good time himself! Truthfully, I don’t know exactly what people want him to do differently? Take on more everyman roles like he did in Stranger Than Fiction? Alright, that’s fair. I mean, I loved Stranger Than Fiction. But after a while, you’d want him to go back to being the ultimate man-boy, wouldn’t you? Admit it.
Some people can’t resist complaining about everything…
I plan on seeing Step Brothers this weekend, it’s just a matter of when. Cami and I have been home on our “staycation”this week getting a bunch of home projects done. We’ve marked everything off our list and we agreed that Step Brothers would be our reward.
Then I kind of got it in my head that after a week of breaking my back installing ceiling fans, cleaning out our basement and lugging furniture upstairs that "seeing a movie" didn’t really sound like much of a reward.
Cami had the suggestion that we go to a local amusement park – one I haven’t been to in 10 years – and I immediately latched onto that. So, for as badly as I want to see Step Brothers, I currently feel a little more passionate about the amusement park. I mean, at least from the standpoint of having bragging rights.
Can you imagine me going back into work on Monday and talking to my co-workers? “So, what’d you do with your week off? Oh, cleaned out my basement and saw a movie.” I mean, at least throw in the amusement park for a little color!
We’ll see how it goes. I think it’s supposed to rain all day Friday. Go figure.
Anyway, that’s about it for me. I feel that because of the staycation I’ve been really disconnected from things. I’m really not even accessing the internet except to update the site. I know ComiCon is going on right now and there is a lot of movie news coming off the convention floor. But I can’t bother to really dig in and digest it all. I’ll be looking for some kind of recap by the end of the week.
Until then, take it easy and I’ll see you here on Monday!
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There are so many other things I could have done a comic about today.
For example, I could have talked about how I saw Step Brothers over the weekend and how much fun I had with that. Or I could have talked about something like Darren Aronofsky directing the Robocop reboot. Anything, really. My options are wide open.
But when Shia LaBeouf flips his SUV and is arrested on suspicion of D.U.I. – well, all your plans go out the window. Especially in my case when I’ve established myself as the anti-Shia guy. You expect me to say something.
Now, thankfully, Shia and the passengers in his car were not seriously hurt. Nor was anyone in the other vehicle he crashed into. LaBeouf was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was treated for injuries to his left hand and knee, as well as a minor head injury. Obviously, if things had turned out differently, I wouldn’t be poking fun in this way.
I’m still a little sketchy about the whole thing. I certainly don’t want to come off like I’m celebrating the accident or LaBeouf’s potential for a downfall. That’s why it’s important to keep this in context.
Back in November of 2007 when I kicked off this whole anti-Shia thing as a means to replace Ben Affleck as the comic’s punching bag, I established that there was just something about LaBeouf that rubbed me the wrong way. Here’s what I said at the time:
I’m here to tell you that the kid is a fraud. And I think, secretly, there are some of you out there that agree. I’m planning on tapping into the vast undercurrent of LaBeouf hatred that’s out there and riding it all the way to the bank.
I don’t know what I don’t like about the kid. I’ve just never liked him. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about him as a person when he was starring in stuff like Charlies Angels: Full Throttle or Holes, but he just seemed way too cocky. He hadn’t done anything to earn the chip on his shoulder.
He seems like one of those kids that’s been pushed into show business by an over-zealous parent and they take it REALLY SERIOUSLY as a way to earn their parent’s love. As if being a professional or some kind of mini-adult will earn them more respect. Like Dakota Fanning or Haley Joel Osment, or something.
That’s fine. I appreciate an actor who is serious about their craft. But all of these actors started out as CHILD actors. And in order to perform at the level they do, you have to lobotomize a part of your childhood to do it. Let’s face it: That never turns out well.
I think what makes Shia particularly annoying is that he’s a sanctimonious hypocrite. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he derided the party-hard actors and actresses of his generation by saying that he isn’t a big partier and stays home with his friends instead of getting into trouble. Not two months later and Us Weekly reports a story about him gallivanting around Hollywood trying to pick up chicks.
Don’t get me wrong. If I was his age and making millions of dollars, I’d probably succumb to the temptation. But what I WOULDN’T do is go to the press and talk about how committed I am to acting and how stupid everyone else is for partying. Dumb, dumb, dumb Shia.
Now, this morning, The Chicago Tribune is reporting that LaBeouf was arrested in Chicago for trespassing after he refused to leave a Walgreens drug store! It doesn’t get any better than this! (Thanks to Josh Anderson for forwarding me the link).
I’ve got the whole week to make my case against Shia, but I have to admit that last news item couldn’t have come at a better time. Mark my words, kids – LaBeouf is going down!
Now, at lot of this was tongue-in-cheek and I really don’t wish the kid any harm. But, you gotta admit, I kind of called it.
Shia is 22 years-old. He’s still young and he’s gonna make mistakes. I kind of equate these last few run-in’s with the law to a kid going to college for the first time and completely running off the chain. I hope whatever is going on isn’t symptomatic of larger problems like alcoholism or anything else. I hope it’s just an overblown case of immaturity and the unfortunate glare of the media spotlight.
I think LaBeouf is within his right to go out and night and get crazy. If I was 22, loaded with cash and starred in some of the biggest franchise films of the century, I’d probably feel like celebrating, too. Heck, we can even overlook the hypocrisy of that EW interview where he claimed he was better than the rest of young Hollywood. Whatever.
Just… next time, man? Call a cab.
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Jul30
Before I launch into the blog post discussing today’s comic (and since I’m already getting e-mails about it), I wanted to talk about the recent controversy surrounding the DUI arrest of Shia LaBeouf on Sunday. If you were at all offended by Monday’s comic, you’ll want to continue reading.
First, I am aware that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department cleared LaBeouf of any fault in the accident that sent him to the hospital with head, knee, foot and hand injuries. Apparently another drive ran a red light colliding with LaBeouf’s truck and rolling it over.
That said, LaBeouf was still driving around drunk at three in the morning. So I don’t think this new information completely absolves him of the criticism I’ve lobbed his way in the past. Chalk it up to inexperience with the media on LaBeouf’s part, but you don’t give interviews bragging about how you’re not part of the Hollywood night life and then make headlines for drunk driving. I take a pretty hard line on drunk drivers and, the fact of the matter is, the kid has more than enough money and more than enough resources to call a cab or even hire a limo driver for the night if he wants to go out drinking.
Now, switching gears back to Monday’s comic, I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize.
I don’t do this often because it’s always a catch-22 when you apologize for a joke or something objective. There’s a good chance that there is someone out there who really liked the comic and thought it was funny. By apologizing for it, you’re kind of leaving them out to dry.
But hindsight is 20/20 and looking back on Monday’s comic, I feel I went about the situation in an entirely inappropriate way.
Back in the days when I used to have Ben Affleck for a punching bag, it was all in good fun, clearly over-the-top and had no bearing in the real world. I mean, “Benbots” C’mon!
My mistake with the Shia situation was trying to mine real-life tragedy for laughs and I really had no business trying to incorporate it into the comic as well. There should be a Theater Hopper version of Shia that is a gross caricature, but not a real life version of Shia that I poke with a stick and laugh at his misfortune.
I’m not trying to make excuses, but just so you understand the situation, I literally found out about Shia’s accident probably 30 minutes before I sat down to write the comic. So, in a hurry and under the impression that there was some kind of invisible expectation for me to comment about it, I wrote Monday’s comic. It was poorly conceived and, given the chance to do it again, I would have written it completely differently.
Actually, given a second chance, I’m wondering if I would have even bothered. Truthfully I’m starting to wonder if the abject “hatred” of any celebrity played for laughs is something I should be doing anymore.
Again, it goes back to the subjectivity of the issue. I’ve talked to many people who loved the strips that bash Ben Affleck and Shia LaBeouf. It taps into something they admit feeling themselves, but could not fully articulate. Some people I’ve talked to tell me they never really realized how much those actors annoyed them until I shined this spotlight on them.
On the other hand, I’ve heard from just as many people who feel those comics are harsh and unfair. They find it a turn off and I can see where they’re coming from.
Considering Theater Hopper is a semi-autobiographical comic, people can’t see the line between parody and reality. They ask me “Why do YOU hate Shia so much?”Truth be told, I’m kind of indifferent to the guy. He’s an okay actor, he tries hard. I think he’s a little too concerned about establishing a legacy for himself at a young age and I think the media is partly responsible by labeling him the next Tom Hanks. If you were to boil it down. basically I would say he hasn’t earned his dues. But, hey – in 5 years time, I could totally be eating crow. I recognize that.
But when people read the comics and think I have a personal agenda against the guy, things are being lost in translation. A lot of what’s in the comic is exaggerated for comedic effect. If people aren’t picking up on that, either I’m not doing a very good job communicating the tongue-in-cheek aspect of things or it may be time to move off the subject completely.
I would certainly say for the time being that I consider any Shia comics radioactive. Probably not going to attempt another one for a while. We’ll see if they come back, but my enthusiasm for them has certainly been diminished. I have only my own lack of foresight to blame.
Apologies to anyone offended by Monday’s comic. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
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