First things first: The last week has been crazy and I want to thank you guys for putting up with it. I feel bad about there not being a comic on Monday and, frankly, I should have tried to work ahead. I don’t really have the latitude to screw around with the update schedule now that I’m down to one comic a week.
I dunno. I guess I’m just paranoid that if I give you guys an excuse to stop reading the comic, you’re going to take it. But after 8 years in the game, I think Theater Hopper is at a point where the people who love it kind of love it no matter what. I’m a little long in the tooth to be attracting new readers.
That doesn’t give me the right to abuse your patience. I’m just saying maybe it’s time I stop abusing myself, too.
Anyway, THANK YOU for being patient! Now that we’re moved into the new house, hopefully we’ll be settling into a routine soon. I got my office set up earlier in the week and there’s enough room in there that I was able to drag out my old drawing table.
I’ve probably had this drawing table for close to 20 years. It was given to me by my Dad’s cousin, who used to draft topographical maps for the Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards. He gave it to me when I was in high school and I spent a lot of time with my chair pulled up to it drawing comic book characters and large-scale compositions.
When I went to college, the drawing board stayed behind in my room. I’d use it every now and again over the summers, but not like I used to.
I think we moved the drawing table to our first apartment after Cami and I got married and I used it for about a year there, but this was probably a year before Theater Hopper. We had moved to a new house in that time and there was never a good place for the drawing table. So it went into storage.
Anyway, the drawing table is back. It sits right next to my desk in my new office and I LOVE IT. Drawing on it again felt like I was reconnecting with a prolific period of my artistic past. It felt like coming home. It was SO much easier to draw on that table than it has been drawing on kitchen table and portable laptop desks over the years. My back wasn’t hurting and it was much easier to concentrate on what I was doing! I’m really looking forward to doing more work in this new environment.
Enough about my fabulous drawing table! Can we talk about The Social Network for a minute?
Reviews for this thing are through the roof (Armond White excluded) and frankly, I’m chomping at the bit to see it.
Normally, I take reviews with a grain of salt. But consensus on this thing seems to be so strong, it’s hard to ignore.
I’m not particularly interested in Mark Zuckerberg’s story. Although I am an avid Facebook user, I find him to be a detestable human being and the worst kind of hypocrite. That’s not entirely his fault. But an introvert shouldn’t be leading the charge on the largest wave of social interaction in the 21st century.
That said, I don’t think it’s important that Zuckerberg be a likable or even a relatable character for the movie to be successful. It just seems like a revolutionary concept because American audiences have been conditioned to expect clear heroes and villains in their mainstream entertainment. If anyone can subvert that notion, it’s director David Fincher.
The pedigree behind The Social Network reads like a laundry list of Things I Love. David Fincher? Check. Script from Aaron Sorkin? Check. Score by Trent Reznor? Check. Jesse Eisenberg? Ehhhh… well, three out of four ain’t bad.
All I know is that I think The Social Network looks great and I can wait to see it. Fingers crossed that my in-laws can watch the kids tomorrow so Cami and I can see it together. After living among boxes for the last week, sorting out the collected flotsam of a decade shared together (plus kids!), we could use a reprieve.
What does everyone else thing about The Social Network? Are you planning on seeing it this weekend? Are you excited? What’s the main draw for you? Fincher’s direction? Sorkin’s script? The secret origins of Facebook? Leave your comments below!
Oh, and expect a new comic on Monday. I promise!
Me, too! I heard...
Hold that thought. I'm going to update my Facebook status so people know we're going to see the movie.
LATER.
Well, we're here.
Awesome! I'm going to check in with Facebook Places!
LATER STILL.
The Social Network was amazing! I can't wait to tell all of my Facebook friends how good it was!
When you're done, update your relationship status to "single," would you?
There is one particular trailer that sold me on the film. I can’t remember the music that played, though. It looks like a good film, which surprised me. I plan to see it at some point, though maybe not in the theater (so expensive! And I kind of want to go see Red).
Was it the teaser trailer with the boy’s choir singing Radiohead’s “Creep?” You’re right – that trailer was super effective!
Wow… I’m totally listening to Creep right now. WEEIRD.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but from what I’ve seen, his story plays out like a rock star’s rise to fame:
1. Have a really cool idea with a friend and go for it.
2. Have the idea pick up speed.
3. Get tons of money, have sex, party, be a total douchebag with delusions of grandeur.
4. Alienate your friends with said douchebaggery.
I’m kind of looking forward to Jesse Eisenberg playing a total asshole and I adored Andrew Garfield in Doctor Parnassus (he’s also the new Spiderman). I also find it interesting that this is a biopic that most of us are connected to through our use of Facebook. For better or for worse, our involvement impacted the lives of these people.
One of the best movies I’ve seen this year. The writing and directing are at the level we’ve come to expect from Sorkin and Fincher, and Eisenberg’s great in a role that, sorry Tom, Michael Cera could never pull off.
I particularly liked how they avoided demonizing or worshiping Zuckerberg. Yes, he’s a jerk, and gets called on it from the start, but you can see the reasons he has for the bad decisions he makes as well as the good ones.
Possibly the best accomplishment: I actually forgot Timberlake used to be in an annoying boy band – he’s starting to develop some acting chops.
I think it’s been clear from the outset that Cera doesn’t have the emotional range to pull off a role like this.
They do kind of take the Anti-Zuckerberg stance, but it seemed to demonize Sean Parker (Napster founder played by Justin Timberlake) more. He showed up halfway through the film & was portrayed from the start as a drug-using, womanizing, scheming bastard. I found the film very entertaining though.
I spotted a Disney Channel girl in the trailer. Not sure what to think about that.
I really liked this strip, but I will admit I have very little desire to watch the movie. The extended trailer that I saw in the theater recently (with “creep” playing, of course) makes the movie look awesome but I am not fooled! I just want to watch the trailer over and over. I notice that when I see any trailer with different music it suddenly seems far less interesting. And like Chuck said above, seeing a Disney Channel actress (The character of London Tipton from The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, yeeeeaaaaahhhhh) in the movie throws me off.
When I saw the trailer in the theater I was laughing; I didn’t think they REALLY made a movie about freaking facebook. I was convinced it was like some kind of joke movie for a while.
I want to see The Social Network for one reason: Andrew Garfield. After his work in Boy A, Doctor Parnassus, and Red Riding, he’s become a big enough draw to get me to watch anything he’s in (and yes, it doesn’t hurt that he’s the new Spiderman). Granted, the trailers make it look interesting besides, but if he weren’t in it, I’d probably pass. It’ll be a rental though, definately. The movie I’m really excited for is Get Low. Gonna see it on Tuesday.
you are def. not too long in the tooth to attract new readers 🙂 i am a new reader (few months count as new yes?) just wanted you to know you still got it? oh ya? 🙂
As long as you don’t start pulling a VGCats or something, (read: update maybe once every three months), I’d say you’re doing just fine.
Saw it today. Eisenberg is excellent in it.
Didn’t come out of it thinking it was the best movie of the year or anything. It was just ‘ok’.