Continuing my exploration of all things Up, today’s sketch is of Russell, of the Wilderness Adventurers. My version of Russ seems a little more awkward than what’s presented in the movie (if that’s possible). Consider this a version of Russell that’s maybe a few years older than his on-screen counterpart. I tried to stay loose with the sketch, but didn’t quite get the proportions right. To see the sketch, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.
Incidentally, Theater Hopper has been slipping down the list a little bit over at Top Web Comics and I’m wondering if it has any relation to the kind of sketches I’m doing.
In the past, I would draw sketches that were a continuation of the joke in the comic. Lately, I’ve been drawing more stand-alone pieces. Renderings of characters from movies. Is this a factor in your voting? Let me know in the comments below and be mindful of Monday, June 1 when the Top Web Comics counter resets. If we can get in the Top 10 early on, there’s a greater likelihood we can stay there! I’m going to need everyone’s help, so I’m putting the idea in your heads now.
As you know, both Up and Drag Me To Hell come out today. During Monday’s recording of The Triple Feature, Joe pointed out that the family-friendly film in competition with director Sam Raimi’s return to horror was great counter programming.
I felt like I was onto something when I commented that not only were the two movies at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their content, but also in terms of the geography they explored. Up floating among the clouds and Drag Me To Hell lurking in the depths of the Underworld.
I shared my observation to Cami and she said it was “quite profound.” She may have been humoring me, but it was enough for me to try and figure out a way I could work it into the comic.
As for the answer to Tom’s quandary in today’s comic, I don’t think it would surprise anyone that I’m more interested in seeing Up. Cami and I are seeing it tonight. But my interest has been piqued by the strong reviews Drag Me To Hell has been getting. I guess Joe from Joe Loves Crappy Movies saw an early screening of it and was over the moon about it. Critical response has been strong, too. 95% positive at Rotten Tomatoes. I guess Raimi still has the old horror touch!
I’m not a big fan of horror, but I respect Raimi a great deal. It goes without saying how awesome the Evil Dead trilogy is. But those films have a low-tech charm. I don’t know if I could stomach full-blown Raimi sitting in the middle of a booming surround-sound theater.
One thing Raimi is particularly adept at are “loud noises” scares – frightening reveals you can see a mile away, but punctuated by piercing musical shrieks. I HATE those kinds of scares. I do better with movies that employ this tactic when I’m at home and can control the volume.
I’m very curious to know what Raimi has up his sleeve, but I think this one is going to have to be a rental for me. I’m too much of a weenie otherwise.
What about you guys? Are you feeling up to the challenge of seeing Drag Me To Hell in a gigantic booming theater without peeing your pants? Or are you like me and going to chillax with Pixar and Up for two hours instead?
Leave your comments below!
Not only do we find dichotomy in their content, but in their geography as well!
DO I ASPIRE TO TRAVERSE THE HEAVENS... OR EXPLORE THE DEPTHS OF HELL?
You're about to take a one-way trip to the parking lot courtesy of MY BOOT up your ass if you don't HURRY UP!
Unfortunately for me, I’m a big fan of both Pixar and Raimi, so it’s with much anguish that I have to pick and choose this weekend. If my daughter can get through today without being too defiant (a phase that she’s embraced this week) we’ll be taking her to see Up. However, if she’s still acting up, we’ll likely get a sitter and hit Drag Me To Hell and save Up for next week. Otherwise I’ve probably got a long week’s wait ahead of me, since we’ll probably not get to see Drag Me To Hell until next week, if we hit Up this week.
Fortunately, there’s nothing I feel I need to run out and see the next 2 weeks.
The choice is easy for me since I don’t like horror films, but even if the movie going against Up were, say, an action movie or an Apatow comedy (and I really enjoy Apatow), the choice would still be an easy.
Pixar simply doesn’t miss. I don’t think that they have yet to put out a bad movie, and they now have the reputation and critical equity to take chances with artsy movies like Wall-E (which, btw, should absolutely have received a Best Picture nomination). They’re taking another small chance with 3-D, but I have yet to see any reason that-
SQUIRREL! …
-to see any reason that they won’t knock this one out of the park yet either.
I got to see an early showing of Drag Me to Hell this past Tuesday and it was by far one of the funniest horror movies I have ever seen. Maybe I’ve seen too many horror movies, or im just really good at predicting what might happen, but this movie didn’t scare me at all, and in the theater people were making fun of it during the movie.
I’ve been waiting rather excitedly to see both, and it only recently dawned on me that they opened on the same day. Then I realized I would be out of town on said day anyway, so I wouldn’t be seeing either opening night. I suppose it’s just a matter of which to see first, and since the next time I go to the theaters it will be with my parents, it will probably be Up first.
I’m very excited by both. Why couldn’t one or the other come out last weekend and given us something worth going out for during Memorial Day?
We wait till cheap theater Tuesdays to see movies so Up is slated for first because we have a group going and I’ll save Drag Me To Hell for the next Tuesday. Nobody does funny horror like Raimi. I don’t think the Drag is going to be very gorey as it received a PG-13 rating.
For some reason, and I don’t know why, UP doesn’t really appeal to me. I enjoy Pixar, and Wall-E was a great movie… GREAT… but UP might just be a rental for me.
As for Drag Me to Hell, I’m a Bruce Campbell fan, therefor I became a Sam Raimi fan, but I’m not into horror either. I’m with you Tom about the Evil Dead series having a low-tech, campy charm. Maybe I’ll just get to see Drag Me with my guy friends when it comes out on DVD.
As for your questions about the incentive pieces, I will admit that I haven’t been checking them out. Here are my thoughts on it: When it’s a detached, stand-alone sketch of some movie character or something, eh whatever. Who cares, right? But when it’s an extension of the joke in the strip, then the strip is like a teaser for the intensive piece. When someone likes something, more is always good eh? That’s why the wait between seasons of your favorite show is so hard… so when you would start off your blog with something like “vote for Theater Hopper to see what happens when so-n-so really does do such-n-such… related to the strip”. Of course, you would word it better and more specifically than that, but when I read those little teasers in the blog and I really liked the day’s strip, I GOTTA see it. Anyways, my 2cents on possible reason for declined votes.
Hey Tom, I find the comic strips you have been doing in the last little very amusing. I like the new stipis is what I am saying. But I also do not vote for comics but since it seems to mean alot for you (and I want to keep seeing these types of comics) I will start voting on monday.
BTW I love the new strip as its exactly my dilemma for tonight :p
I stopped voting after your comment that the Bible is fiction. You’re entitled to your opinion, obviously, but then so am I.
When did I say the Bible was fiction? That seems like a pretty harsh statement, even for someone who likes to generalize as much as I do.
I certainly didn’t mean to offend, if that was the case. My apologies.
I still like the comic, BTW.
I took a chance and saw Drag Me To Hell earlier today, and it is up their as one of the better horror movies you could see.This is Raimi at his best, but (maybe spoiler alert?) no gore. I have no problem with that, so again, this is a must see if you are a Raimi fan. Whoever saw UP plz give a heads up? Want to see it very bad but I want to hear from the regular people on how it is. kthxbai
I vote for joke continuation. or KSNSFW Which stands for Kinda Sorta Not Safe For Work. Plus when you know its just a sketch of some old guy or some kid it’s not really motivating to vote for it
For me it is definitely UP, because how many imes have we heard the snipet “Don’t look down!”
Seriously, not a fan of horror.
I have been voting a lot less since Top Web Comics changed the format.
I now have a page that comes up that tells me I have to figure out which way the image is facing (upside down, on it’s right etc) before I can see the comic. This confused me in the first instance because it also came with the line
Hello, thank you for visiting. Each IP Address is allowed to vote once per 24 hours. Which made me think that maybe I had already voted.
It doesn’t allow the vote to go through automatically and expects you to jump through hoops to cast a vote. Don’t know if other users have found this as discouraging as I have.
Actually, Bec, I agree with you. I don’t know what they’re doing with their voting system, but I think it’s to give promotion to comics that might never see the light of day in the Top 100.
The fact of the matter is, I’ve never once visited a comic based on the little rotating image promotion thing they have. Not once.
I agree they have voters jumping through hoops.
just voted for the first time not sure y i never did before. o well
also saw Up last week and i think im the only person who didnt really enjoy it.
yea it had its moment but i never really found there to be that moment of wonder.
also the kid got annoying.
but now i seem like i hated it which i didn’t.
too me it just wasnt pixars best.
kevin was hilarious, dug had his moments, carl was awesome tho best part about the movie! and well russell was just ugh…
i guess in the end it just felt more like a kids movie, then the other pixar movie.
im a 23 year old male so i guess im not really the demographic for this movie
o well.
heres to Toy Story 3! (which btw my theatre didnt play the teaser for!! but whoop-di-doo we get the trailer for Shorts. ugh robert just make sin city 2 plz)
i have gone on way too long cant wait for tomorrows comic!
keep up the good work
I recall the comment “frequent reader” is referring too and found it a little off-putting as well.
If it wasn’t for wanting to see an incentive image, I wouldn’t vote at all (for any comic). That’s why I gave you my thoughts on the incentive images, because that’s how you get my vote… because really, I’m not voting at all, just trying to see the picture at the end of the process. š
Wow. I seriously don’t remember every saying that.
I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone!
Oh, wait! The comic about Angels & Demons and the Catholic church commenting on works of fiction?
Okay… yeah. That one was a little bit off sides. Sorry, guys. I meant no disrespect.
Hopefully you’re not basing your thoughts on the Bible solely on the Catholic church’s actions. I’m putting myself at risk here possibly making someone else feel insulted, but the Catholic church is FAR from representing Christ & the Bible.
I’m sure if we talked about the Catholic organization, or even some recent “Christian” church movements, we’d agree on many things… but to take that as far as saying the Bible is fiction…
I 100% accept and appreciate your apology, but by saying such a thing you’ve now subject yourself to a little smidgen of my opinion. š Out of love man, not spite! I’m certainly not one for starting arguments or debates online… Actually, I probably comment on your website more than any other place on the internet! So that will give you an idea of my forum behavior, haha.
Basically all I would say is that there is a lot of misrepresentation out there, because we are people and love to indulge ourselves and our motives, and there are a lot of people out there these days slanting the title of ‘Christian’ to their motives, which at their root are selfish and not Christian at all.
So we should come to our thoughts on the Bible solely from it’s message alone, and all the better if someone who has a humble and correct perspective can study it with you.
It’s amazing the archeological finds that support the historical events in the Bible, so at the least we have to realize how powerful a record of history it is for the nation of Israel. The whole Bible is an amazing story of people (humans), a nation (Israel, and then Christ’s people), and loving redemption from the God who was rejected.
I’m sure I’ve already gone long enough, but I could keep on going! I hope that no one would take offense to this post or try using it as a spring-board for argument, because I would not reply as it would be fruitless, and it is not my goal. I only post this as conversation with Tom, our host here at Theater Hopper. If I could make it a PM or something like that, I probably would have. But maybe by being posted as a public comment, someone else will be encouraged by this.
Bless you all! And thanks Tom for the comics and taking part with your readers.
Steve,
I appreciate your insight. Truly my comments were off the cuff and not reflective of any specific bias against the Catholic church.
As to my personal beliefs (since I’ve already tipped my hand), I take a quote from the movie in question – Angels & Demons.
“I am an academic, and my mind tells me I will never understand God.”
“And your heart?”
“It tells me I’m not meant to. Faith is a gift that I’ve yet to receive.”