Archive for August, 2011
8 items.
Quick bit of business to take care of this morning and then I can tell you the story behind today’s comic.
Remember my Captain America comic last week? I talked about having an alternative punchline in my back pocket and talked about producing a second comic for it?
Well, I was getting ready for Wizard World Chicago last week, so it kind of got away from me. But yesterday evening I had a little extra time to throw something together. So here you go! Check it out and enjoy!
I’m actually kind of shocked that I was able to produce that comic along with today’s comic. I don’t know if in 9 years I’ve ever done two comics on the same day or not.
That’s something to take note of… on Friday, August 5, Theater Hopper will celebrate it’s 9th anniversary. That’s nuts! 9 years? I’ve had this comic longer than any FULL TIME job I’ve ever had.
Kind of says a lot about my generation, doesn’t it?
I don’t know if I have anything special planned to mark the celebration other than I have a script for Cowboys and Aliens kicking around in my head that I would like to get to before it becomes untimely. Considering James Bond and Han Solo broke even with The Smurfs this weekend, I don’t know that it’s going to be around much longer. I haven’t heard very much in terms of word-of-mouth.
One movie I DID see this weekend was Crazy Stupid Love. And the exchange in today’s comic was 100% for real. That’s right. I actually walked up to the ticket booth and asked for two tickets for “Crazy SEXY Love.” Which, when you think about it, kind of sounds like a 1960’s comedy starring Michael Caine.
However, unlike Comic Tom who knew he tripped up and tried to correct himself, I stood in front of the box office confident that “Crazy SEXY Love” was the correct title of the movie. I had to wait for the attendant to correct me. Not embarrassing at all!
Tickets retrieved, Cami threw me a wink and asked me what I was thinking about and – at that point – I figured it was best just to own it.
100% verbatim, folks! Sometimes these things just write themselves!
So… how was the movie? I had several people ask me that question after I tweeted “Am I the only dude here?” shortly before the movie started.
I can tell you this: Crazy Stupid Love certainly has a lot on its mind for the first two act. It’s juggling a lot of characters and has a lot to say about the nature of relationships. Everything from one-night-stands to high school sweethearts with long-term relationships.
As someone who married his high school sweetheart, the movie really spoke to me and gave me an interesting outside perspective from a couple maybe 10 years ahead of us.
I’m not saying Cami and I are anything like the couple played by Steve Carrel and Julianne Moore. I’m just saying that when it comes two couples who kind of started out at the same place, it’s interesting to compare and contrast where things might diverge.
I’m not explaining that very well, so I’ll drop it.
I can say definitively that Ryan Gosling walks away with this movie. A very tight, controlled performance of a character that is by his nature a very loose and improvisational. Watching him on screen, I became convinced of two things: 1.) I need to start lifting weights and 2.) I need to find a reputable tailor.
For some additional insights about Gosling’s performance, read Owen Gleiberman’s article over at Entertainment Weekly. He pretty much hits it right on the head.
Gosling’s scenes with Emma Stone’s are some of the movie’s best and I wish they spent more time exploring their relationship rather than hopping around from couple to couple. I found Gosling and Stone to be very relaxed and authentic around each other and it was a joy to watch.
This said, I will confess that the movie completely falls apart for me in the third act. There’s a dramatic shift in tone near the end and the movie practically becomes an outright farce. Coupled with some truly befuddling choices that force the characters to behave in a manner that no human being would actually behave… well, it left me a little cold.
The film salvages itself slightly in the final scene. But most of that third act is a real dog and borderline insulting considering how much I had invested in the characters up to that point.
I will say that Cami loved the movie outright. Considering I loved roughly 2/3rds of the movie, I still think it’s probably worth your time to check out. Despite its flaws, Crazy Stupid Love feels like the first “adult” movie I’ve seen in ages. It’s certainly the most adult film so far this summer.
Your mileage may vary, of course. Part of me kind of wonders if you have to recognize something in the relationships depicted in the film to get the most out of it. Married 10 years, a father of two, I’m certainly in a different place with my relationship than, say, someone in their 20’s is. But maybe there’s a little something for everyone here.
As long as you have your radar up for the curve ball in the third act, you’ll probably be fine.
Did anyone else see Crazy Stupid Love this weekend? What were your thoughts? Leave your comments below!
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Apologies for the delay this week. This comic about Cowboys and Aliens was originally supposed to go up last week when it was perhaps a little more timely. That didn’t happen and now I’m wondering if anyone cares.
I’ve not yet seen Cowboys and Aliens, but no one I know seems to be talking about it – good or bad. The few reviews I’ve read basically say the film is competent, but unspectacular. All of the positive buzz that was surrounding it before its release seems to have died on the vine. Tying for first place at the box office with The Smurfs probably didn’t help.
I’ll probably end up seeing Cowboys and Aliens sometime this weekend while I am attending the Chicago Comic Con as the Rosemont Convention Center. I’m really looking forward to attending this year. I skipped out last year because I decided to go to C2E2 instead. I decided to come back to the Chicago Comic Con because, frankly, C2E2 was too expensive.
There will always be a special place in my heart for the Chicago Comic Con. It was the first big show I ever went to back in 2004. Since then, I’ve steadily progressed and learned how to operate and one of these big shows and it’s been a treat to hang out with the fans every year.
If I could do more big shows, I would. Unfortunately, I’m kind of limited to the shows I can drive to. So that means I’m pretty much stuck in the Midwest. But it’s nice having a show of this size relatively in my backyard.
If you’re attending Chicago Comic Con this weekend, you can find me in Artist Alley, table #3314. I’ll be easy to spot because my table is right next to Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex. It’ll be great to see him again.
Not sure what else to say except that I managed to somehow see both Captain America AND The Change-Up this weekend. I’d like to talk about them, but I’m kind of distracted because I’m focusing on Chicago Comic Con.
I’ll say this regarding Captain America – Chris Evans made me forget that he ever played the Human Torch.
Probably the less said about The Change-Up, the better.
But, hey! If you saw either of these movies (or Cowboys and Aliens) and want to talk about them, feel free to fire up the comments area! I’d be interested to read your thoughts. Maybe if we can prompt a conversation, I can go into more depth on both those films.
Sorry for running and gunning it this week. Please come see me at table #3314 this weekend at Chicago Comic Con! Otherwise, I’ll catch up with you next week!
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I’m having a little trouble writing today’s blog because I freely admit that today’s comic is the hackiest of hacky hack jokes I’ve probably ever written.
This is what happens when you force me into a corner, people.
I’m still recovering somewhat from Chicago Comic Con this weekend and I had a hell of a time coming up with an idea. Typically I write a comic about a movie I see with friends. But that wasn’t really an option this time around because this year we went to see Captain America. And I’ve already seen Captain America. And it was awesome, but I already did, like, two comics about it. So I had to figure out something else.
For the record, I went to the movie with Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex, David Willis from Shortpacked, Justin Pierce from Wonderella, Eric Johnson from Radioactive Panda and my good friend Adam – who doesn’t have a comic – but wanted to join me on the trip to Chicago. A good time was had by all.
And let me just say, after going to this convention by myself for the last 7 years, it was FANTASTIC to have Adam as my helper monkey. He more than pulled his weight. So, major props to my buddy Adam.
I also gotta say that this year at Chicago Comic Con was my best convention ever. The comic book buttons I created sold like hotcakes. I think I sold more books than I ever have at any convention and I did a TON of sketches that I will soon be adding to a gallery on the Theater Hopper Facebook page.
I suppose in this respect that I’m talking about the financial side of going to conventions – which is important, because making money makes going to future conventions possible. But it’s about more than money for me. I always have fun going to conventions primarily because I get to meet awesome fans. I mentioned it on Facebook over the weekend, but a couple I drew a sketch for at C2E2 last year told me they used my drawing of them as Han and Leia in their wedding invitations. How cool is that? Then they came back and asked for TWO MORE sketches!
I had several people come up to me who I talk to on Twitter that were eager to introduce themselves and it was great putting a face to a name. I had one gentleman shake my hand emphatically and said “I love the comic. Keep up the great work and don’t quit. DON’T. QUIT.” It charges my batteries. It makes me want to do better because I don’t want to let you guys down.
Of course, I’ve written a completely hacky comic from sheer exhaustion this week. But I feel ready to deliver again next week. So thanks to all of you who came out to say hello this weekend. I’m extraordinarily lucky to have fans as generous as you!
I will admit to a cursory interest in seeing 30 Minutes or Less. But I immediately soured to the idea when Sony Pictures denied any similarity to their movie and the death of Brian Wells, “the 46-year-old pizza delivery driver who was killed when a metal bomb collar he was forced to wear while robbing a bank exploded in Pennsylvania eight years ago.” [ABC News]. In the movie, Jesse Eisenberg’s character is a pizza delivery man forced to rob a bank under similar circumstances. I don’t know that ADMITTING that the movie was inspired by the Wells case would have made things any better. But denying it certainly made it worse.
As for Nick Swardson and Danny McBride? I can handle McBride in small doses. There’s no one else in Hollywood that places a self-centered toolbag better than him. But Swardson is like this generation’s Rob Schneider. He’s absolutely shameless and not in a good way. He’s like the guy that will eat a pile of dirt for money because he thinks it’ll make him popular. Nick… we’re laughing AT you, not with you. I cringe every time I see that guy on screen anywhere.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I guess I found him funny once when he played Terry Bernadino on Reno 911! But ever since he hooked up with Adam Sandler, the Rob Schneider comparison has become more pronounced in my mind.
Anyway, enough about that. I’ve poo-pooed the movie enough. Time to put a lid on it.
Don’t forget to check out the Theater Hopper Facebook page later this week for photos from Chicago Comic Con as well as all of the sketches I did at the show. I’m really excited to share those with you guys.
Until then, have a great week!
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I’m not particularly a fan of horror movies, but I do love a good ghost story. Daniel Radcliffe’s first post-Harry Potter role appears to deliver in this adaptation of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. Take a look at the trailer below.
Sure, creepy dolls and photos with crossed out eyes are cheap horror movie tropes. The child’s narration is a little overdone, too. But I like the creeping menace in this film. That last shot in the trailer seals the deal.
Also, I never noticed until now how much Daniel Radcliffe without glasses looks like Patrick Dempsey. Is it me?
What do you think of this BONE CHILLING trailer? Leave your comments below. The Woman in Black hits theaters on February 13, 2012.
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I saw the title on this trailer and I immediately thought it was a goof. I had a good zinger in mind, too.
“So, apparently the producers of Machine Gun Preacher saw Hobo With A Shotgun and thought they could do one better.”
Y’see. Kinda snazzy.
Then I watched the trailer. Pure pulp shlock like Hobo With A Shotgun this is not…
I have no doubt that this movie will make people who do mission work feel good about themselves. But I am decidedly not the audience for this picture.
I’m also skeptical how much of this “true story” holds water. What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know that the original Ghost Rider was clown shoes. And, yes, we all know that Nicholas Cage is probably the LAST guy to deservedly play Johnny Blaze. That said… I’m kind of digging the first trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence.
I like the way they’ve tweaked Ghost Rider’s look. He kind of looks like a charcoal briquette. Plus, keep in mind that this outing is being lensed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor – the same guys who directed Crank and Crank: High Voltage.
I know that those films have their critics – and rightfully so. But at least we know Ghost Rider won’t be boring this time.
…
Coulda used with out the pee-napalm, though.
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There was another version of this comic that I think was a little more pedestrian. In the original version, it was going to be Charlie asking Cami to see Our Idiot Brother with her. Cami abstains, telling Charlie she can save $8.00 and watch Tom do something stupid instead. Cut to Tom looking down the barrel of a shotgun for a Cheeto he dropped, or something. Maybe it would have been funnier. The world will never know.
Truthfully, I thought it was a little more disparaging of Tom and Cami’s relationship than I would have liked. That Cami would sit idly by while Tom put a gun to his face seemed needlessly callous to me. But if there wasn’t threat of bodily harm, it wouldn’t have been funny. Stalemate. So I went this route instead.
I don’t know about you, but I enjoy dialogue where characters backtrack away from outlandish statements when confronted with withering glances. I know it’s a trope, but it’s a trope because it works. So I wanted to try a little bit of it here. That said, I feel a little bad that I didn’t actually give Charlie a chance to say anything. Hey! Remember when I used to do story lines that used to last a month? Remember character development? Man, I miss those days.
I’m getting a little down on myself. Let’s switch tracks, shall we?
I’m still kind of recovering from the Chicago Comic Con, but in a good way. Basically just taking time to reassess things and figuring out what I can do to improve. Conventions always do that for me. They’re exhausting work, but also very energizing creatively. You see all of these other artists around you and – even if you don’t like their style – it’s easy to be humbled by their techniques… their view of the world. The challenge is to learn from that exposure and figure out a way to incorporate what you observe into your own workflow. Considering the amount of inspiration I find at conventions, it’s a shame I don’t go to more of them!
I will say this… I got a great e-mail from someone I met at Chicago Comic Con. Someone who had never heard of Theater Hopper before that weekend. He picked up one of my sampler booklets, read it and loved it so much that he came back to the site and bought a copy of Theater Hopper: Year Two and Theater Hopper: Year Three.
I’ve been writing and drawing Theater Hopper now for 9 years. So it’s not often that I hear from people who are new to the comic. Let’s face it. The archive is… daunting. Not very many people want to sit and read 1,000+ comics. So, now more than ever, I’m only as good as my last comic. My work is timely, but also transient. If I attract a new reader at all, I presume they don’t feel as compelled to stick around as long if a particular comic doesn’t strike them as funny.
Anyway, back on point… this person’s order along with their complimentary letter was a really nice surprise – because I didn’t know my work could continue to make an impact like that.
Just an observation. Nothing more.
Switching gears again, I invite you guys to check out the Bonus Materials blog. I know updates have been spotty, but I’m trying to do better about that. For the most part, it’s me linking to newly-released trailers and talking about them. But if I get my hooks into anything meatier from a movie news standpoint, I’ll be sure to post that as well.
I just wanted to remind you that the blog is out there and I update it during the week. So if you want to strike up a conversation, that’s a good place to do it.
That’s all for right now. Cheers and have a good week!
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If you think about it, it’s only a matter of time before The Discovery Channel does something like this during Shark Week. “Shark Orgy 3D?” Just think of the ratings!
Every year, after the glut of summer blockbusters has eroded from theaters, I’m left with the same problem: A lack of worthwhile movies to lampoon. You’d think it would be easier to make fun of movies as poorly conceived as Shark Night 3D, but you’d be wrong. These movies are already ridiculous enough. It’s like putting a clown nose on a jester. You’re only going to enhance the ridiculousness by a micron or two.
Do you guys even KNOW the plot for Shark Night 3D? Yeah, there’s the obvious: A bunch of hot-bodies played by no-name actors go up to a lake somewhere to have sex and then be eaten by “rare, fresh water” sharks. But do you know what the wrinkle to the plot is? The lake that the hot-bodies are wake boarding on has be STOCKED with sharks by a group that apparently “controls” them somehow.
So it’s not good enough that we have to push the same primeval fear response that Jaws and it’s glut of sequels pushed over a generation a go… and it’s not good enough that we mimic the same exploitation vibe of Piranha 3D from last year… but let’s throw in a little bit of a little bit of Deep Blue Sea and the threat of INTELLIGENT predators, just to be sure!
I look at a movie like Shark Night 3D and I’m immediately reminded of the monster movies and gimmick flicks of the 1950s. Films like THEM and Tarantula come to mind. It makes me wonder if audiences then felt insulted by a low rent premise like most discerning audiences do today?
Or maybe they were just on board for the spectacle of it? Special effects were still kind of a new thing in that era and they wanted to see something different. Does that excuse a movie like Shark Night 3D today? Look at the technology at the disposal of these filmmakers and THIS is what they use it for?
Maybe everyone just needs to get off my lawn.
Meanwhile, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy looks kind of interesting to me – and not for the obvious reasons. Actually, I’ve heard there’s very little sex in the movie and that it’s mostly a character piece with solid performances. To me, it kind of looks like The Big Chill meets Wet, Hot American Summer. But maybe that’s just me.
All I know is that I like Jason Sudeikis and I like Will Forte and I like Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte together. So this goes in the automatic “win” pile for me.
Thinking about Sudeikis’s track record this year – Hall Pass, Horrible Bosses and now A Good Old Fashioned Orgy – it’s clear he’s trying to make a push into leading-man territory. But I don’t know if that’s really his bag. I always end up laughing whenever he shows up somewhere, but something tells me he needs to hang around on Saturday Night Live a little longer to raise his profile. I don’t think the movies are cutting it for him.
What do you guys think? Is anyone interested in seeing Shark Night 3D? What’s the appeal for you? How about A Good Old Fashioned Orgy? Was it even on your radar? Because, I gotta admit, I hadn’t even HEARD of it until just this weekend.
Leave your comments below!
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