Archive for July, 2010
4 items.
Apologies for the comic being a day late. The July 4th holiday threw a monkey wrench into things for me. At what point did July 4th change from being a holiday I looked forward to and into a holiday I can only hope to survive.
Oh, yeah. When I had kids. Now I remember.
This is the last of the Toy Story 3 comics I had rattling around in my brain. Next week I plan on moving onto greener pastures. Specifically, Predators. I’m looking forward to this movie so much, it’s ridiculous. So be on the look out for that one.
Before anyone says anything about my depiction of Sid in today’s comic, let me come right out and says that – yes – I’ve heard the rumors that Sid makes a cameo in Toy Story 3 as a garbage man.
Here’s the thing, though. I’m not sure I believe it.
Pixar is known for throwing Easter eggs into their films, referencing their past and future films. But Pixar is also kind of known for promoting these Easter eggs as a way to entice and reward the hard core fans.
I’ve read a few articles that have suggested Sid’s cameo, but there aren’t any images from the movie floating around online.
Fortunately, I snagged a shot from a book that my Mother-In-Law gave Henry over the weekend. I’ve scanned it and am posting it here. Is this Sid? You be the judge.
I can see how people can think it might be Sid because, in the movie, he’s wearing headphones, banging on trash can lids and generally acting like the destructive little Ritalin money we’re familiar with from the first film.
They say he’s wearing a black shirt with a skull on it like he does in the first movie, but this shot makes it kind of hard to tell. I guess until I see the movie a second time, I feel like the jury is still out. Maybe I’m just in denial because I wanted Pixar to make a bigger deal about Sid’s return or at least be a little more obvious about it. I dunno. Maybe that would take all the fun out of guessing?
What do you guys think? I this Sid? Had you already heard the rumors or is the first you’ve been told about it? Will you see Toy Story 3 a second time to confirm?
And – real quick – what about The Last Airbender? I mentioned it on Facebook last week because it seemed like no one was talking about it. Then, there was an avalanche of bad reviews. But lo and behold, the film made over $70 million at the box office this weekend! Will terrible word of mouth kill this film in the second week or are the Airbender faithful going to keep it aloft?
Another question; Considering the large box office this weekend, is a sequel inevitable? If so, will M. Night Shyamalan be asked to return?
More grist for the mill! Thanks for your patience and leave your comments below!
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I had a chance to see Predators over the weekend, but I blew it.
As you guys may or may not recall, I’m pursuing my Master’s degree at the moment. The class I’m taking right now is this weird weekend thing that on an accelerated schedule. I go Friday’s from 5 to 10 and Saturday’s from 8 to 5 and after 3 weeks, I’m done!
Anyway, Friday was the first night of class and afterwords, I thought it might be fun to catch the late showing of Predators.
Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication and me forgetting to take my cell phone with me when I left the house that morning, I didn’t know if my in-laws (who were watching the kids) was having them spend the night at their house or if they were waiting at our house for me to come home and relieve them of duty.
It should be noted, Cami was not at home as she was attending an event that was on the calendar months in advance.
At any rate, I bypassed the theater and came home to discover… the kids were spending the night at my in-laws.
So, long story short, DON’T LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE AT HOME, PEOPLE!
There really wasn’t an opportunity for me to see Predators this weekend after that.
I’m bummed, too, because all of the feedback I’ve been reading from fans is that the movie does the franchise justice. Much better than the last two Alien Vs. Predator movies which are abysmal failures by nearly everyone’s measuring stick.
Critics are dumping on Predators, of course, claiming that it’s just another kill-o-thon where the only thing that will retain your interest is the order characters are killed in. But I don’t care because that’s not the reason I see a Predator movie anyway. I go because it’s a rare treat to see Stan Winston’s legacy living and breathing on screen again.
The character design for the Predator makes him (them?) one of the most indelible movie-monsters in history. It sounds superficial, but we root for the Predator because he’s so damn cool looking. And mysterious to boot!
I know people like to give Predator 2 static for being this awkward… thing of an action movie. But I LOVE that film for the small ways it pushed the backstory of the Predators forward.
Watching that movie, you know that the Predator wasn’t a weird one-off monster living in the Colombian jungle. He wasn’t an urban legend. He was a member of a species that hunt for sport. They have crazy Frisbees that will cut your head off and their elders will give you antique guns if you kill one of their own.
Dare I say I love that movie more than the original Predator? Well, maybe not. Predator 2 doesn’t have classic lines like “If it bleeds, we can kill it,” “Stick around,” “I ain’t got time to bleed” and “GET TO DA CHOPPA!”
Then again, “You can’t see the eyes of the demon, until him come callin'” is pretty good, too.
Not really. But, hey, GARY BUSEY was in it!
Anyway, whether or not Preadtors builds on the legacy of the first two films, I don’t know – but I’m optimistic.
What I DO know is that I have to squeeze it in sometime before Inception comes out. Because THAT is something I simply cannot allow myself to miss.
Did you guys see Preadtors this weekend? If so, what did you think? Does it hold a candle to the first two films or does it make you want to detonate your forearm mounted nuclear device? Leave your comments below!
In the meantime, enjoy this video. It’s about the best day of Adrien Brody’s life. And since Adrien Brody is in Predators, I’m sure you can see the connection.
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I think the reason Inception went over so well this weekend (to the tune of $61 million) is because it works on multiple levels. And if you’ve seen the movie, no – that is not a pun.
Inception has both visceral and intellectual thrills. I think you can figure out that comic-Tom is probably responding to the former rather than the latter. But for real-life Tom, I found myself thoroughly engrossed by all of the film’s many facets.
Inception is the rare Hollywood blockbuster that rewards you for having an attention span longer than 5 minutes. There’s a lot going on in this movie – some high-concept stuff. But it never treats the audience like idiots and leaves a pretty clear trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow as it establishes the rules at play in its universe.
At it’s core, Inception is a heist movie and I love how they gave each of the players a specific role – The Point Man, The Chemist, The Architect, etc. Everyone is sharply dressed in elegant suits and form-fitting vests as they trot around the globe on personal jets for high-profile and dangerous clients.
Incidentally, Christopher Nolan has expressed an interest in directing a James Bond movie. After watching Inception, I say LET HIM!
A few things that crossed my mind while watching Inception:
- The weightless fight sequence in the hotel hallway succinctly and authoritatively spit in the eye of Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski and everything they accomplished with The Matrix.
- The physical prowess Joseph Gordon-Levitt displays in that sequence puts his Donald O’Connor homage from hosting Saturday Night Live last year in a completely different context. If I could find a clip right now, I’d be sharing it.
- Between Inception and Shutter Island, Leonard DiCaprio (or “Leo-Dio,” as I like to call him) has delivered two fascinating portraits of broken family men wrestling with their subconscious. Maybe it was the suits, but for some reason, I kept thinking of Jimmy Stewart’s performance in Vertigo while watching DiCaprio in Inception. I think when The Academy puts together his inevitable lifetime achievement reel, people are going to look back to this time as the height of his power.
- Lastly, I don’t want to say too much about the ending. But I have to share it was probably one of the best audience reactions I’ve heard in theater in a long time.
So, what about you guys? Did you see Inception over the weekend? What did you think? Leave your comments below and let’s see if we can untangle the Christmas lights this movie left behind in our brains, shall we?
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Originally I was going to do a comic about San Diego Comic-Con. But at this point, I think if I read one more tweet, blog post or status update about Panel “X” or Celebrity Sighting “Y” I’m going to scream.
Good job, internet. You’ve covered San Diego Comic-Con so thoroughly I have no interest in talking about it with anyone else.
Salt hit theaters this weekend and raked in $36 million at the box office. Certainly a very respectable opening. But the big story is that Inception only slid 31% in its second week, earning $43 million in ticket sales. For a cerebral thriller like Inception to have that kind of staying power in its second week is a testament to how good the film is and how strong word of mouth was.
The reviews for Salt have been 50/50. Critical reaction to Knight and Day was practically the same.
This kind of surprised me because I don’t know anyone who saw Knight and Day. Meanwhile, I have several friends that went to see Salt and raved about it. I’d had heard it favorably compared to The Bourne Supremacy and films of that ilk This left me with the assumption that Cruise picked the wrong horse.
I suppose the only way to be sure is to wait around a couple of weeks and see if anyone is still talking about Salt. Although, if it couldn’t unseat Inception in its second week, I find the prospects of that unlikely.
Then again, with Dinner for Schmucks, Charlie St. Cloud and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore as Salt’s only competition this weekend, maybe it’s got a chance!
What do you guys think? Did you see Salt this weekend? Was it any good? How many of you went back for a second helping of Inception? Leave your comments below!
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