Archive for February, 2010
16 items.
I agonized for a little while whether or not I would have any dialogue in the last panel. While putting the comic together, I found the visual of Tom having a psychotic breakdown almost funny enough on its own. But I thought, “Why leave things to chance?” and added the oft-repeated phrase originally spoken by Will Ferrell as fashion designer/international assassin Mugatu in Zoolander.
I felt a little guilty lifting the phrase because I don’t want people to think that I’m in the habit of stealing jokes. That’s why I give credit where credit is due.
While a more creative writer might have been able to conjure up his own humorous phrase expressing disbelief, I also felt like the “crazy pills” line felt natural coming out of Tom’s mouth. It sounds like something he would say because it’s something that I say from time to time.
People do that. They adopt words or phrases they hear in popular culture and repeat them. That’s how they become sayings.
I’ll give you another example that involves Will Ferrell. “Strategery.” Who would have thought that a made-up word satirizing George W. Bush’s speech patterns would become so popular? It’s practically in the Oxford Dictionary.
Anyway, I’m just saying that “crazy pills” isn’t so much joke stealing as it is “joke referencing.” If you find it uninspired or it offends you… Well, I’ll try better next time.
It is factual that Cami has no interest in seeing Shutter Island. Which flummoxed me up until I started to talk to other women about the movie. No other women in my life, it seemed, held any interest in seeing Martin Scorsese’s newest picture. I can kind of see why. The commercials are creepy. The tone appears to be very dark. Shutter Island doesn’t exactly look like a “feel good” movie.
Of course, this is not to say that Shutter Island is a turn off for ALL women. I’m sure there will be several women in the audience this weekend. Just not any of the women I know.
But I am undeterred. I will see the movie by myself if I have to. And I have to. The last movie I saw in the theater was It’s Complicated. I owe this to myself.
I’m very interested in watching Scorsese turn the screws. I’m picking up a distinct Hitchcock vibe from this film. Maybe it’s the 1950’s time period the movie is set in. Certainly the psychological horror aspects play into things. Ultimately, to me, this looks like Scorsese’s love letter to Psycho, or something. I can’t wait.
We’ve already talked a little bit about Shutter Island in the comment section from Wednesday’s comic, but I’m curious to get your take on why women have negative feelings toward the movie? You’d think they’d at least give Leonardo DiCaprio a cursory pass. But I guess he’s moved beyond his heart throb phase, huh?
Too bad he looks perpetually 12 years-old.
What are your theories about Shutter Island? NO SPOILERS! Leave your comments below!
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In what is quickly becoming a tradition around these parts, I wanted to take a moment to mention my son Henry. Yesterday was his birthday and he turned 3 years-old.
I don’t talk about my kids in the blog, but I like the idea of writing about them on their birthdays. I have this vision where someday my kids will Google me and read all of the dumb crap I’ve written over the years. But then they find these articles about their birthdays and think “Hmm. Maybe the old man wasn’t such a jerk after all.”
One can hope.
I’m amazed that Henry is already 3 years-old. It’s cliche, but the time slips by so fast. I imagine time will only slip away faster and faster after this.
Henry is doing well these days, but, as always, he’s a handful. He’s constantly running around, banging his shins and begging to watch one of his “shows.” These days, that either means Wow Wow Wubbzy or Chuggington.
Henry is doing very well since Pearl was added to the mix three months ago. It’s safe to say he loves his baby sister. He constantly wants to look at her, hold her and give her kisses. Sometimes we have to ask him to knock it off. Henry’s sense of personal space hasn’t really formed yet. So he thinks nothing of running up to Pearl and patting her on the head while she’s sleeping. Such is life.
The big news in our house with Henry these days is potty training. At this point, he pretty much understands the mechanics of it. He can go to the potty, drop trou, do his business, button up and wash his hands by himself. The only trick is getting his legs to listen to his brain when it tells him “Bladder full!” or “Time to poop!” Henry is often fully engaged in whatever it is that he’s doing. So asking him to stop and take a break almost always results in a tantrum.
For his big day, Cami and decided to take Henry to Chuck E. Cheese and we couldn’t have been more thrilled with his behavior. It was fun to watch him wander around and take in all the sites. He was fascinated by every game, but had no idea how any of them worked. When we asked him if he wanted to play, he’d say “No!” in a sad tone that inferred “I don’t want to miss looking around at other things.” It wasn’t until about hour 3 that he kind of settled in and started playing on all the games and rides.
Late in the evening, exhausted after playing all night, Henry looked up at me and said sweetly, “Dad? Thank you for taking me to Chwuckee Cheeze.”
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Happy birthday, Henry. I love you, buddy.
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I was fortunate to see Shutter Island on Saturday night. It almost didn’t happen as we celebrated Henry’s birthday with family that day and he was amped up beyond measure. Believe me, after hosting both sides of your family and catering to a sugar-powered 3 year-old who doesn’t want to take a nap… you don’t want to do anything.
But I knew if I didn’t see Shutter Island on Saturday night, I wasn’t going to see it at all. So, droopy-eyed and exhausted, I went. It didn’t disappoint.
There isn’t a lot I can say about Shutter Island without spoiling the details. But I have read a few reviews and the fan reaction online and I have to say I don’t understand where some of the critics are coming from.
Some have complained that the ending is too predictable or that Martin Scorsese has given in to his inner M. Night Shamalyan. These people, I think, have missed the point.
Yes, Shutter Island is rife with twists, turns and red herrings. But the point is not to figure out “the twist.” The point is that Scorsese is leading you down a rabbit hole. He’s trying to make YOU feel crazy. He does a good job of it, too. Thundering orchestral notes in the score communicate a foreboding, paranoid mood almost instantly. Scorsese directs the pants off this thing.
People looking for the twist are only doing so because they want to feel smarter than the movie. And when the ending is revealed not to be as potent a brain-scrambler as they had anticipated, they claim the rest of the film to be faulty.
I will admit that I spent a good part of the second act trying to to stay a step ahead of the movie. I kept anticipating something dramatic would happen to Mark Ruffalo’s character and convinced myself there was some significance to the Band-Aid Leonard DiCaprio’s character wears on his forehead for the majority of the film.
Ultimately, these details don’t matter. But the film makes you question if they are. This is what I mean when I say Scorsese is trying to give you the feeling of insanity. You examine the details, your mind loops over the facts again and again. You can never really trust what you’re seeing, but you feel self-righteous in your focus and concentration.
As New York Times critic A.O. Scott puts it in his review, “Mr. Scorsese in effect forces you to study the threads on the rug he is preparing, with lugubrious deliberateness, to pull out from under you.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Scott saw this as a negative. He panned the film as he continued “As the final revelations approach, the stakes diminish precipitously, and the sense that the whole movie has been a strained and pointless contrivance starts to take hold.”
What A.O. Scott found to be a strained and pointless contrivance, I found to be an expertly executed trip down the darkened mineshaft of one man’s deteriorating mental state.
There are one or two conclusions to draw from this. Either I am an extremely simple man who requires uncomplicated entertainment or critics like A.O. Scott are off-base in their assumption that Scorsese needs to be tackling more “serious” material.
Could there be a little hero worship mixed in with my support for Shutter Island? Sure. I think the last few comics here on the site have revealed that.
But is there also the potential for critics like A.O. Scott to trying and buff some of the shine of Scorsese’s career to counteract the esteem he’s been given in his career? Absolutely.
Even if you don’t like the film, I think there has to be something wrong with you to give it an outright pan. Shutter Island is not a case of lost potential and there are certainly worse ways to spend 2 hours in a movie theater.
That sounds like faint praise. But the point is, compared to what is usually in theaters this time of year, Shutter Island is like a sumptuous feast to a starving man. I think curious, respectful film fans owe it to themselves to see it – if for no other reason than to watch Scorsese do what he does best.
Did you see Shutter Island this weekend? If so, what did you think? Leave your comments below!
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It was important to me to make Tom look as cherubic as possible in the third panel to offset the twisted imagery of him chasing his Mother with a pitchfork and setting all of her underwear on fire.
For the record, this comic is not based on real life. 😉
I will maintain, however, that I think “the crazies” still sounds cute to my ears. Like “bedbugs,” or something. A gentle way of describing something disgusting or worrisome.
The Crazies comes out this weekend and I guess you could say I’m not impressed. Since the film is supposedly set in Ogden Marsh, Iowa, I guess I’m supposed to feel some cultural affinity for it. Unfortunately, there’s no such town by that name anywhere in the state. SORRY TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE, OGDEN MARSH FANS!
While it is true that the movie shot some scenes in Winterset and Lenox, Iowa (REAL towns, mind you), it doesn’t exactly trump the sense of déjà vu I get from this movie. A mysterious toxin in the water supply turns the citizens into violent psychopaths. It’s a subtle spin on the zombie genre and one I’m not really interested in seeing.
Timothy Olyphant is a draw, though. I’ve always found him to be an interesting actor and he’s pretty much earned a free pass from me after his work in Deadwood. But otherwise? The Crazies looks like another genre yawner.
Of course, take my opinion with a HUGE grain of salt because I didn’t even know that The Crazies is a remake of a 1973 George Romero flick. Clearly I am not the target audience. I think, by now, you guys know about my aversion to horror movies.
Not much else for me to say today other than I’m glad it’s Wednesday. Thanks for swinging by the site and I’ll see you here on Friday!
If you have an opinion about The Crazies or just want to yell at me for not knowing the Romero connection, fire it up in the comments section below!
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Hey, guys. Real quick – I wanted to make you guys aware of a new promotion I’m running.
If you are the proud owner of ANY piece of Theater Hopper merchandise – and that can be shirts, books, posters, whatever (past and present) – take a picture of yourself and send it to me at theaterhopper@hotmail.com. If you do, I will give you a coupon code good for 25% off your next purchase in the Theater Hopper store.
I want to take the pictures and build a gallery of satisfied customers on the Theater Hopper Facebook page. I believe that if people see others enjoying their purchases, it might encourage them to shop in our store as well. Also, the 25% discount is a nice way to say “thank you” to the people who have supported the site over the years.
Incidentally, you can post your pictures directly to our Facebook page and save me a step. But either way is fine.
Thanks again for your support!
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Feb26
TALENT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAY GRADES
February 26th, 2010 |
(41 votes, average: 7.88 out of 10)
This comic is many thinks. It is scatological, it re-enforces gender stereotypes and it throws stones at giants.
I mean no disrespect to Kevin Smith. I just couldn’t avoid a good poop joke. I’m sure he understands. After all, he included The Golgothan in Dogma.
I also wasn’t particularly crazy about falling into the trope of the put-upon wife who tolerates the slovenly antics of the layabout husband. But like I said… poop joke.
I DO IT FOR THE COMEDY, PEOPLE!
As for the movie itself, I think it’s kind of weird that Kevin Smith is being billed as the director of Cop Out when he didn’t write it. Like I said in the strip, he’s not exactly known for his dynamic camera work and I think he’d be the first to admit it. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty SURE he’s admitted it on the commentary tracks of several of his movies.
Doesn’t mean the dude can’t grow as an artist. I just don’t think it’s where his strength lies. Personally, I’d love to read a kick-ass script and have him hand it off to… I dunno… Wes Anderson, or something. See what happens.
Actually, I think I would probably rather watch him act in a movie than direct at this point. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought Smith was pretty good in Catch and Release. I’m being serious!
I don’t know what to think of Cop Out. If Smith’s name weren’t attached, I would have absolutely no interest. As someone pointed out to me, Cop Out looks like the kind of movie Tracy Morgan’s character from 30 Rock would do for a quick paycheck. Not a compliment.
Bruce Willis? I have no idea what Bruce Willis is supposed to be doing in this thing other than throw a wink and a nod to his hard-boiled action hero roles from his past. “John McClane is in this?! I gotta see it!” Well, not exactly and… no you don’t.
What do you guys think of Cop Out? It could be fun, but I’m on the fence. I guess, to me, it looks like a fun rental. I’m wondering if anyone out there has been anticipating this movie at all. How much does Kevin Smith’s involvement motivate you to see the film? Do you think he lent more to the production than lens work? Maybe he helped the actors with a few funny ad libs? The mind boggles, so leave your comments below!
In the meantime, I have a fun idea. Let’s all send a link to this comic to Kevin Smith’s Twitter account and see what happens!!
Cheers, y’all.
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