Archive for May, 2009
28 items.
May01
I had so much fun drawing Deadpool for Wednesday’s comic, I decided to toss him in to the incentive image I have posted over at Top Web Comics. And even though I know he doesn’t appear with his mask in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I don’t care. It simply looks too cool NOT to draw.
To see the incentive sketch, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics. In case you missed the announcement from the other day, I’m including a teaser in the blog post that links to the site. So you can kind of see some of the incentive sketch peeking through.
If your planning on voting at all, today is the day to do it. Since it’s May 1, the Top Web Comic counters have reset and everyone now has an equal shot of landing in the Top 10. Well, for the next few days, at least. Vote now and maybe we can take an early lead!
Now onto more serious matters…
As I am sure you are well aware, X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens in theaters today officially launching the summer blockbuster season. Reviews are starting to filter in and it’s averaging pretty low scores – 37% positive at Rotten Tomatoes as of this morning. I imagine that number will move more toward the middle once everything is said and done. Most of the reviews I’ve read seem to agree that the performances are very good and Hugh Jackman proves why people love him so much in this role.
Interesting side note, Hugh Jackman is the first actor to play a comic book hero in four consecutive films since Christopher Reeve as Superman. Thanks, IMDB!
It appears that the downside to the film appears to be that it’s overdone. Everything from the epic, century-long storyline, overabundance of mutants and lip service cameos. Jeffery Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere shared on April 28 that a ” credible Australian critic… ‘caught a screening… and the bad buzz is spot-on. Clunky script, unfocused plotting, cheesy special effects and terrible production values. Nearly everything looks like a set and what doesn’t look like a set looks like CG’.”
Personally, I think Fox always knew that it had a clunker on it’s hands. How else can you explain the marketing surrounding this thing? Everything from the awkward, snicker-inducing teaser played at San Diego Comic Con last year, to reports of reshoots, to the over-abundant and hyper-localized advertising, to (probably most damaging) the leek of the nearly-completed film to the internet a few weeks before the film opened in theaters. Fox has bungled this from the word “Go.”
Look at the leak in particular. On April 2, Fox head Tom Rothman claimed that the leak was an ‘unfinished version,’ ‘a complete misrepresentation of the film’ and months-old. By April 22, blogs figured out that the leaked version was the exact same running time as the final version and called Fox liars. Then, on April 29, Fox issued a statement saying they weren’t liars. Rothman was giving statements based on incomplete information.
Gee, how’d they ever manage to lose that work print to the internet in the first place? They seem so organized!
I have a tiny conspiracy theorist who lives in my head. I call him George and I occasionally like to feed him theories to ponder. George is starting to wonder out loud if Fox didn’t leak the film on purpose. This is not a new theory. Others have suggested it. But the more you think about it, the more it starts to make sense.
Imagine you are Tom Rothman and you have a $130 million tent-pole movie kicking off the summer blockbuster season. Early buzz is bad and your pouring untold millions into marketing it. How do you turn the tide? Leak the film to the internet. If critical response is bad and people don’t come to see the film during the opening weekend, you can cry foul and claim that the leak ate into your profits.
If critical response is good and people come to the theater in droves in opening weekend, you never have to talk about the leak again. Obviously the quality of the film rose above the controversy. It’s a win-win.
Steve Mason from Big Hollywood is predicting that the movie will pull in $92 million this weekend, the film is still tracking highly and the leak does not appear to have hurt Fox’s bottom line.
I suppose that’s why there have been no arrests or named suspects regarding the leak one full month after the crime was committed. Fox once vowed to prosecute to the full extent of the law an claimed the FBI and the MPAA had launched their own investigations. Maybe it’s not that big of a priority for them.
Of course, like most conspiracy theories, it doesn’t hold up very well against logic. Fox would be taking a HUGE risk by leaking the film themselves and the last thing a movie studio would want to attract is risk (especially in a down economy). Hollywood is all about what is safe and predictable. Find a formula and exploit it. Don’t rock the boat.
Still, considering how badly Fox has handled their response to the leak, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone ended up confirming the conspiracy theories. Stranger things have happened.
It’s just hard to overlook things like alternate endings shipped to different theaters as a way to draw in the audience. It feels like a gimmick. It feels desperate and tacked on. By that logic, handing out live-animals to every tenth customer doesn’t feel far off.
At this point, I would have to say my expectations for X-Men Origins: Wolverine are as low as they can possibly be. So maybe I will walk out of the theater pleasantly surprised. But what do you think? Does the conspiracy theater hold water? Has Fox bungled the marketing for this film? How do you feel about the alternate endings? Will you try to see the movie in different theaters in hopes of catching both of them, or will you wait a week for them to show up on the internet?
Leave your comments below!
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Oh, and before my mailbox fills up with e-mails on the subject, I’m already keenly aware of the first official photo to emerge from the set of Iron Man 2. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:
You’ve got to hand it to Paramount releasing this image on the same day Fox is going to theaters with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Way to undercut ’em, boys.
Man, waiting another year for this movie is going to be torture.
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May04
How cheesed off am I about the producers of X-Men Origins: Wolverine giving Cyclops heat vision? It’s totally infested my incentive sketch! Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics and see how distracted I’ve become by this.
Before I get to far into things, I need you to know up front that this review is spoiler-heavy. “Spoiler-dependent” might be a better term for me to use. It’s the only way I can justify breaking the 4th wall the way I did in today’s comic.
So, for those of you who haven’t seen X-Men Origins: Wolverine yet (and judging by the film’s $87 million box office take this weekend, that leaves very few of you), here is my spoiler-FREE review.
As a standard action/revenge flick, X-Men Origins: Wolverine does quite well. It establishes Wolverine’s past as compelling and easy to follow. Hugh Jackman continues to earn his paycheck by infusing Logan with the kind of grit usually reserved for characters played by Clint Eastwood. Liev Schreiber is also effective as Wolverine’s brother Sabretooth. In fact, all the performances are pretty good. Save for Danny Huston as William Stryker, spitting lines like “What’s your plan, Captain?! You can’t beat him, Logan! You know you can’t!” with the kind of forced emphasis that made me think more of a user car salesman than an evil scientific genius. Brian Cox did much more with much less in X2 from a few years back.
Where the movie falls down is in the details. And yesssss these are fanboy gripes. BUT! I have some very good reasons for making these complaints worth more than the average poly-bagging comic nerd. So stick with me and I’ll make my case.
To whit… SPOILERS AHEAD!
As I was saying, where X-Men Origins: Wolverine is in the execution of the details. None more egregious than replacing Cyclops’s signature optic blasts with heat vision of some sort.
In a scene where Sabretooth is hunting down Cyclops inside his school, the clawed mutant catches up with the mono-ocular one who performs some kind of spin move, unleashes his power and slices his school nearly in half.
After being subdued, one can see in the aftermath that where the blast cut through the walls, there is fire and burning embers.
Later, in Wolverine’s confrontation with Deadpool/Weapon XI – who has been given a combination of different powers, including Cyclops’s optic blasts – gives Logan an eyeful which he blocks with his adamantium claws. After Sabretooth flanks him and breaks Deadpool’s deadly gaze, we see Wolverine’s claws are glowing white hot.
Here’s the thing. Any nerd worth his salt can tell you that Cyclops’s optic blasts are not heat-based. They’re not lasers. They produce concussive force.
Now, if the movies want to define Cyclops’s powers differently than they do in the comics, that’s fine. Certainly not everything that is cannon in print needs to be translated on screen. Nearly EVERY comic book movie takes liberties in this regard. I’m fine with there being changes if it makes sense in context and serves the overall plot.
HOWEVER! There are THREE. PREVIOUS. MOVIES. that have established Cyclops’s power as intended – a concussive blast. Not heat vision. Think about Cyclops blowing the roof off the train station in the original X-Men, the showdown between him and Jean Grey in X2 or when he fired a blast into the lake in X-Men: The Last Stand. To me, it demonstrates willful ignorance on behalf of 20th Century Fox to change his powers in this way. Did they forget the audience they were dealing with?
It’s very possible that I am focusing too much on this. Cyclops’s appearance in the movie is a cameo. His contribution to the plot is minimal. I’m sure there are those of you who are probably more upset with what they did to Deadpool. And while I agree that it’s unfortunate they chose to make Deadpool the mutant equivalent to DC’s Amazo, at least those changes made sense within the context of the movie. This business with Cyclops is just plain insulting.
I mean, you’d think at some point someone would ask “Hey, did Cyclops’s blast heat things up in the other movies?” Like, maybe someone working in the special effects shop. Anyone!
They probably got shut down. “We need the blasts to catch things on fire because, later in the movie, we’ll use ’em to heat up Wolverine’s claws and that looks really cool.”
Beyond that, there were other aspects of the script that I thought were just plain lazy. Gambit felt tacked on because he’s a fan-favorite, Silver Fox and Emma Frost being sisters feels about as authentic as me and Wil.I.Am being brothers and adamantium bullets to “put Wolverine down?” C’mon, guys. He’s not the Wolfman.
I know there are some of you that will say that I should judge the film on its own merits. As I admitted to earlier, as an action/revenge film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine delivers.
The problem is, X-Men Origins: Wolverine isn’t a standard action/revenge movie. It’s not like Dirty Harry where we’re meeting the character for the first time. I didn’t watch a trailer for John McStabbyhands and say “Hmm! That’s new! I might have to check that out!” The movie is based on characters that have existed for more than 30 years. And even if I was only a fan of the movies and not the comics, it’s my affinity for and prior knowledge of these characters that is bringing me to the theater in the first place.
Like it or not, this movie is a part of a series and should abide by the “rules” established in that universe. You can’t take a character who has been on screen for the last 10 years, prop up a film that says “Here is his secret origin!” and not have it line up with the other movies. To say the film should be judged on it’s own merit is wrong.
I wanted to like X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It certainly has its moments and was, at times, genuinely thrilling. But the film pisses away most of it’s credibility over small, easily managed details. Things they should have paid attention to, but didn’t. Either 20th Century Fox cares about catering to the fanboys, or they don’t.
I’m not saying ANY studio should bend over backwards to meet the demands of this notoriously fickle audience. But the inclusion of so many cameos makes me think that they were trying to score points here. If that was their goal, then they should have made absolutely certain that what they were doing made sense. Otherwise, it’s completely distracting if not a little insulting.
I know most of you who have seen the movie left your thoughts in the comments section of Friday’s blog, but if you have anything you’d like to add, feel free.
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Something I wanted to mention in my review, but couldn’t find a way to fit in was the opening credit sequence and first 20 minutes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This was the best part of the movie.
In a credit sequence that shows Wolverine and Sabertooth fighting in nearly every war from the last 100 years, we get a sense of their camaraderie as well as Wolverine’s concern and condemnation of Sabretooth’s growing blood lust and violence. Fast forward a few years to when the two are part of William Stryker’s elite mutant black ops team, they’ve done a good job of setting the stage for conflict while succinctly introducing a lot of supporting characters.
It should be mentioned that Ryan Reynolds steals the show in these opening scenes and it’s positively criminal he wasn’t given more to do.
At any rate, before I de-evolve into more criticism, I wanted to make mention of the curious phenomenon going on with 20th Century Fox’s super hero movies. It seems like they’re able to knock it out of the part in the first 20 minutes, but totally lose traction after that. Exhibit B? Watchmen.
Another film with a brilliant opening credit sequence and strong opening scenes. Then, a handful of screwed up details later and you’re left with a big steaming pile of “Oh, well.”
What’s going on over at Fox that creates this? Are the executives so busy they only have time to watch the first 20 minutes of their films and the crew knows they can phone it in after that? Or maybe the just have EXTREMELY unfocused editors who only have enough stamina to maintain the narrative in the first reel? In any case, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Something else worth mentioning is The Triple Feature, the movie podcast I host with Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies and Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex.
There’s no doubt we’ll be talking about X-Men Origins: Wolverine tonight. But we’ll also be talking about something else…
Joe issued an interesting challenge last week – To predict the Top 10 Box Office earners between now and the end of August. The victor will be judged not only by how many correct movies he has on his list, but by how many movies he correctly places within the Top 10.
All three of us have put together our lists and will be sharing them on the show tonight. So be sure to tune in at 9PM CST so you can listen live and chat with us in real time.
If you need a reminder, follow my Twitter account. I usually send out a notice 15 minutes before we start recording.
Be there!
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Something I’ve found very interesting since instituting it last week are the comic ranking results that are being returned for the individual strips.
I know a lot of comic creators who don’t feel comfortable opening up their work to this kind of scrutiny, but I appreciate it because it let’s me know how you guys feel in an environment where you might otherwise be uncomfortable telling me directly.
For instance, Monday’s comic about how they changed Cyclops’s optic blasts in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s the highest ranked comic on the site with the 3rd largest number of votes. That tells me a lot, so I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been voting.
Incidentally, if Monday’s comic was something you enjoyed, feel free to share it with others by using the ShareThis application that’s linked directly above the voting tool.
And if you’re interested to see how some of the other comics stack up, I’ve created a ratings page that shows you the 25 most popular comics, the 10 least popular comics and the 10 comics with the most votes.
If you think a comic is being represented either fairly or unfairly, feel free to vote and change things! The more people who vote, the more valuable the ratings become!
Thanks again!
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Would anyone be surprised to find out that Captain Kirk was a Viagra fiend? Not me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’d go on some elaborate adventure and time-travel back to the 20th century to make sure it’s been invented.
He’s a horn dog, is what I’m saying.
But what will Viagra be like in the 23rd Century? Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics for an incentive sketch that explores this vital issue!
Star Trek comes out this weekend and I’d say I’m excited for it. I was never that big of a fan of the original series, though. I mean, I liked the actors and I LOVE the characters. But the low production value of those shows from the 60’s leaves me cold. I liked the movies a lot, though. Obviously Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is everyone’s favorite (“KHHHHHAAAAAAAAAN!”). But I also really like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Despite the fact that I’ve seen nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, probably 85% of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and most of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise, I don’t really consider myself “a trekker.” I really think of myself more as a Star Wars nerd.
I think it depends on which franchise got to you first. I was born in 1977. I’m in the sweet-spot when it comes to the influence of Star Wars. I wasn’t introduced to Star Trek until I was in high school and was looking for an excuse to stay up late while waiting for Late Night with Conan O’Brien to come on. Where I lived, The Next Generation was running in syndication at 10:30 at night. It worked out perfectly because it got me hooked.
I know that there are some hard-core trekkers who are concerned about this reboot with a younger cast. I can understand why. I mean, the first Star Trek probably had a perfect cast. Certainly Shatner and Nimoy were a pairing for the ages.
But of all the franchises that have been rebooted in the last few years – Batman, James Bond, Hulk, Punisher – it was probably Star Trek that needed it most of all.
I think this film is probably the antithesis of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in terms of building positive buzz and anticipation. Whereas X-Men Origins: Wolverine was like a awkward teenager trying desperately to get you to like them (advertising for more than a year, a million clips and commercials, gimmicky alternate endings shipped to different theaters), Star Trek has been playing it close to the vest.
Whereas I felt I knew everything about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I feel like I know next to nothing about what Star Trek is going to give us.
From the trailers, I can tell that this version of James T. Kirk is more cocky than the original. Maybe even somewhat of a problem child. I know the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise looks like an Apple store and I know Eric Bana’s character is bald. Beyond that, all I know is that there appears to be a lot of lens flares in space.
But plot-wise? No idea. And I like it that way.
I’ll probably have more to say about Star Trek with Friday’s comic. So, to keep you entertained in the meantime, please enjoy these video remixes from Star Trek: The Next Generation. There’s a guy on YouTube who has put together nearly two dozen of these and they’re hilarious! Enjoy!
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Sometimes being a nerd is hard. You get made fun of a lot, you’re usually kind of pasty and there are swirlies involved.
But if you’re lucky enough to land a hot wife who indulges your nerd tendencies? Well, you’ve just hit the jackpot, tiger. Just try not to be a jerk about it like Tom is in the most recent incentive sketch. To see what I’m talking about, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.
I like drawing the comics where Cami geeks out with Tom from time to time. I’ve done a few of them in the past and I think it helps to move their relationship beyond the loudmouth protagonist and the long-suffering wife. Not to say there isn’t some of that to be found in Theater Hopper, but that Everyone Loves Raymond dynamic gets a little tired after a while.
Hopefully it’s clear that Cami is dressed up as an Orion slave girl from the original Star Trek. I never know if I’m in safe territory when I’m making visual references from 40 years ago.
It was… interesting doing photo research for the Orion slave girl’s “look.” I found a bunch of images from when they made an appearance on Enterprise a few years ago. It was as if someone had sprayed them down with industrial strength whore. Guess I missed that episode.
Of course, there are the ubiquitous images of everyday fans dressed up as Orion slave girls. Ladies, I love you. But take my word for it when I suggest that there aren’t many of you who can pull off the green skin and tattered rags look. I’m just trying to be a friend.
So, as you know, Star Trek is in theaters today and it’s been really interesting getting e-mails and reading the feedback of people who’ve seen it. Pretty much all of them are saying it’s awesome. My expectations were already a little high, but I’m starting to worry that if I don’t see this movie soon, my expectations will be TOO high and it’s going to disappoint me in some way.
People keep saying that the film is like this year’s Iron Man. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I think I might have seen a commercial for Star Trek that says the same thing. So who knows if that’s their real opinion or if they’re just parroting something they’ve heard elsewhere (like I have).
I assume people make the comparison for the fact that it sounds like Star Trek simply gets a lot of things right and puts the characters to the fore with a healthy dose of the science fiction elements that support them. I think the biggest thing Star Trek has going for it is that people are starting to remember that it was the characters – specifically the relationship between Kirk and Spock – that made the show so much fun to watch.
I mean, let’s be frank. By the time they got around to making Star Trek VI, it was more about the novelty of seeing these actors we had grown to love on screen together one. last. time. I mean, look at the way people treat Shatner these days. He’s like a Goofball Grandfather God. But I think audiences forgot why they fell in love with them in the first place.
I’m hoping to see the film tonight. Probably a late showing. Cami has no interest in it, of course. That’s okay. I can nerd it up all the more flying solo. I’ll let you know what I think on Monday. Or, if you want to know before then, I’m sure I’ll tweet about it at some point over the weekend. Maybe come back here for the more in depth review…
Anyone else ready to be beamed up? What are your expectations for the film? What elements do you think they have to include to keep the die-hard fans happy? What’s something new you’d like to see contributed to the franchise? Leave your thoughts below!
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As some of you know, I’m in the middle of pursuing my Master’s degree. Y’know, because a full-time job, a two year-old and a comic I’m updating three times a week isn’t enough to keep me busy.
As part of my degree, I am taking a research class. For our final paper, we can write about any subject that we find interesting so long as we support it with research.
I’m writing a paper about the decline of print publication and the rise of online news sources – specifically as it pertains to film criticism. Within that larger topic, I am trying to uncover the value opinion leaders place on film criticism – do they turn to it as a resource and how to they regard print versus online?
The survey is 4 pages and about 30 questions long. Mostly “yes” or “no” questions. Nothing complicated.
It would really mean a lot to me if you would participate in this survey. I’m hoping to use you guys as a resource, not only as opinion leaders but as the means to wow my professor with by returning big numbers in the survey results.
If you’d like to take the survey, you can do so by clicking here.
To provide you with incentive, I will be choosing one survey participant at random to win a FREE t-shirt and FREE book. All you have to do is submit your e-mail address at the end if you want a chance to win. If you don’t want to give me your e-mail address. That’s fine, too. It’s totally voluntary and you can remain anonymous if you wish.
What’s important to me is that you take five minutes to fill it out. I would be very grateful.
Thank you.
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Before seeing Star Trek on Friday, I poked my head into my movie theater’s arcade and played Guitar Hero. (Did you know they made Guitar Hero for arcades? I didn’t.)
Anyway, on a goof, I picked Deftones, “Hole in the Earth.”
It didn’t dawn on me until later how appropriate that song is for what Nero does to Vulcan in Star Trek. It’s perfect, really.
Happy accidents!
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Before we get started today, I want to take a moment to ask everyone a favor. I posted about it on Friday, but this is quick reminder.
I am taking a research class for my Master’s degree and am writing a paper on the value of film criticism to opinion leaders – people like yourselves who enjoy movies and whose friends approach for advice and knowledge on the subject.
I have written a quick, 30 question survey that I am using to support my research and I need a lot of people to fill it out. If the subject matter of my paper doesn’t impress my professor, I’m hoping the amount of data I’ve collected will.
If you have 5 to 10 minutes, please help me out by taking the survey. To sweeten the deal, I’m collecting e-mail addresses at the end of the survey to be entered into a drawing for a free t-shirt and free book. You don’t have to give me your e-mail if you don’t want. It’s completely optional. But I wanted to put that out there to sway anyone that might be on the fence!
I’m closing the survey tonight at midnight, so if you can take it before then, I would appreciate it! For those of you who have already taken the survey, thank you for your help!
Now, onto business.
I freely admit that today’s comic was an excuse to steal one of my favorite jokes from The Simpsons – the episode where Milhouse is cast in the big screen adaptation of his and Bart’s favorite superhero, Radioactive Man. As you recall, in the movie, the character is played by action hero stereotype (and Arnold Schwarzenegger knock-off) Rainier Wolfcastle. It’s Milhouse’s job as his sidekick Fall Out Boy to rescue him from a tidal wave of acid that is headed toward the captured hero. For realism, the director uses REAL ACID and encourages the crew to remember to wear their goggles for protection. Nervous, Rainier wears his goggles, but Milhouse doesn’t show up in time. The wave crashes into Rainer and as he is being carried away, utters the famous line, “My eyes! The goggles do nothing!”
Yup. Nothing like explaining a joke in detail to make it funnier! Maybe I should have just linked to a clip of it.
Like most of the free world, I saw Star Trek this weekend and, like most of the free world, I enjoyed it immensely. The lens flares are a little bit out of hand, though. J.J. Abrams’ use of lens flares is not so egregious that it ruins the movies, but if you were going to complain, it would be the easiest target to shoot for.
Abrams at least admits that their overuse was a bit ridiculous, but he has a good excuse. In an interview with io9.com, Abrams shares that he wanted “…a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, ‘Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.’ But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.”
So even if the effect is overdone in places, I can certainly respect Abrams for coming into the movie with a specific visual concept in mind and running with it.
As for the movie itself, I was greatly impressed! I loved Zachary Quinto as Spock and I thought Chris Pine as Kirk was good, even though I wished that the script hadn’t made him such a persistent dick throughout the movie. We’re told early on that Kirk’s aptitude is off the charts, that he’s a genius. He doesn’t really act like one. I mean, it’s good to set up the bad boy thing at the start of the movie and I know Kirk’s rebellious nature is what makes him attractive as a character. But as the movie progresses, you almost want him to play by the rules JUST ONCE so things feel a little more justified when he assumes control of the Enterprise.
Eric Bana as the villain Nero felt a little undercooked. Basically, he’s a pissed off and vengeful space-miner who gets his hands on some incredibly destructive technology. There’s nothing regal or militaristic about him. I didn’t get the impression that he was much of a threat intellectually. He just has an advantage because he comes from the future.
It’s kind of like Biff getting his hands on Marty’s Sports Almanac in Back to the Future II. Biff isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he just exploits the scenario. You’d think after the last 8 years, I’d be more accepting of the concept of an idiot’s rise to power, but it always feels like a cheat to me.
Aside from introducing Nero as a threat, I thought the use of time travel in this movie was a very clever way to side-step the whole “reboot” scenario. It’s not just new actors with pretty faces slipping on the clothes of beloved characters. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman went so far as to create a completely alternate reality for these characters to operate in. Going forward, I see the opportunity for totally new story lines. They’ve replenished the well and I feel excited about Star Trek again for the first time in a long time.
The crowd I watched the movie with on Friday was amped up and ready for a good time. When the Paramount logo came on screen, people started to clap and cheer. Being from Iowa, there was also a unique sense of hometown pride when the film caught up to Kirk hitting on Uhura and picking fights in a bar near the Riverside Space Port. When the identified “IOWA” as the location on screen, there was a lengthy round of applause.
Hey, give us a break. It’s Iowa. Besides gay marriage and corn, we have very little else to hang our hat on.
I don’t know if I can say much more about Star Trek that hasn’t already been said elsewhere except I’ve been running around the house all weekend talking it up to the point that Cami now thinks she wants to see it. Curiously, my father-in-law kept asking me about the movie went we went to visit Cami’s parents for Mother’s Day. Maybe all three of us could go together? I’ll remember to bring goggles for everyone next time.
By the way, have you guys seen those collectible glasses promoting Star Trek at Burger King? I was thrilled when I saw the commercial for them. Not exclusively because I was excited about the movie, but it seems like ages since a fast food restaurant offered collectible glasses like these. When I was a kid, this was something McDonald’s and Burger King did all the time. I bought one last night basically as a way to communicate that this is a promotion I endorse and I hope that they continue such campaigns in the future.
Of course I got my Spock on…
I’m thinking about going back for the other glasses. Cami said she’d like to have the Uhura glass, but does anyone really want to drink out of a glass with Nero’s face on it?
Before I forget, I drew a picture of Spock for the incentive image over at Top Web Comics. To see it, vote for Theater Hopper and you too can get your Spock on.
And for more Star Trek goodness, be sure to listen to The Triple Feature tonight at 9:00 PM CST where I’m sure the movie will be the topic of choice. Call in with your questions and we’ll answer them LIVE on the air!
In the meantime, what did everyone think of Star Trek? Anyone planning to go back and see it again? I think I might. I had a blast! Leave your comments about the film below and let’s get a conversation started!
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