Posts Tagged ‘Back to the Future’
5 items.
Back on the clock again. Hope everyone is well.
Drawing today’s strip was weird. I was thrown all off my schedule. My wife was having this party Tuesday night at our house. And since Tuesday night is usually when I draw Wednesday’s strip, I need to put it together a day earlier.
It’s got me all messed up. I feel like this week is moving in reverse.
If there has every been a weird point of pride to being an Iowan, knowing someone like Ashton Kutcher can make it in Hollywood makes me feel a little better about being from The Hawkeye State.
I mean, you can kind of tell by looking at him that this is the kind of guy who probably coasted through high school on his looks and maybe isn’t all that bright. Really not too different from the character he plays on That 70’s Show. I mean, he dropped out of college to be an actor and was sweeping Cherrio’s dust at the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids before being discovered. And this to me makes it all the more marvelous.
Keep in mind that Elijah Wood is also from Iowa. In fact, I think he came from Cedar Rapids, too. The talent scouts in that town must have it going on!
Regardless, you may be some backwater tyke with freaky big eyes and a disproportionate head, but one day, you could be the bearer of THE ONE RING. Something to think about.
I’m stepping out early on the blog today. Take it easy, everyone.
[ No Comments ]
On Sunday I read the news that there was a huge fire on the Universal Studios backlot and my heart sank. I was shaken by it; I don’t know why. And then I felt ashamed by it because it doesn’t seem like there is a year that goes by that huge wildfires rip through the state of Califorinia, decimating homes and leaving families with nothing… but the thought of a movie studio burning to the ground! *GASP!*… It just felt very selfish in comparison. Nevermind the other natural disasters that seem to be happening with greater and greater frequency all around the world. The earthquake in China — even the F5 tornadoes that recently hit here in Iowa. And I’m worried about a movie studo?
I seem to have lost my perspective. Have I bummed you out yet?
All the same, the events on Sunday (ignighted by workers using a blowtorch, incidentally) inspired this comic. So art is born again! Can you see The Circle of Life? I have a few other comics that will be posted in a short storyline, so I hope you appreciate them over the next few days. It’s not often one gets an excuse to do a Back to the Future parody, so I’m taking this flux capacitor and running with it.
I remember going to Universal Studios in Hollywood almost over 20 years ago – and in no way is that depressing. I believe I was 13 years old. My parents and I had gone to Arizona to visit relatives for Thanksgiving and then we hopped a flight to L.A. as part of an extended vacation.
I remember L.A. being very plastic and very fake. And this was during the early 90’s, pre-grunge. So everything was awash in bright neon green and pink. It was like some kind of Revlon candy land. It didn’t help that we were there over the weekend the Santa Ana winds blew into town. We didn’t know anything about it and were almost trapped outside of our hotel with sand and debris whipping down the street. They had locked up the glass doors in front to keep the vaccum of the high winds from blowing them out. We had to get inside through a service entrance. It was like our own mini disaster movie!
I’ve not had a strong desire to return to L.A. since, but if I *were* to go there, Universal Studios would be the main draw. We went there first-thing when we arrived in the city and I loved it.
Going to Universal Studios – Hollywood is a much more stratifying experience than going to the one in Florida or even MGM Studios (re: Disney Hollywood Studios) because it’s so much more authentic and so much less of a theme park experience (despite the theme park elements). We didn’t run into any filming productions when we were on the back lot tour, but several of the outdoor sets were immediately recognizable from other films. I remember when our tram turned the corner into Clocktower Square from Back to the Future and the spectacle of fantasy colliding with reality was almost too much for a young nerd to handle. It was so cool.
I feel kind of lame admitting it. I mean, I’ve since traveled the world and I’ve seen amazing, indelible, historical structures. But I speak with such effusive praise for a movie set? For a facade? I have no excuse for it. Seeing Clocktower Square from Back to the Future had as much impact on me as when I was standing 10 inches away from “Sunflowers” by Vincent Van Gogh at The National Gallery in London. I felt like I was face-to-face with history.
Kind of says a lot about the truncated American time line when a movie set from 30 years ago blows your mind.
That’s about all I have to say for today. Be sure to check back on Friday for the next installment of this Back to the Future mini-arc.
Have a great day!
[ No Comments ]
I got a lot of really good feedback from Wednesday’s Back to the Future twist, so I thought I would press on with the mini-arc that unfolded in front of my eyes after hearing about the Universal Studios backlot fire from last Sunday.
I was pretty confident that I was in safe waters making a Back to the Future reference. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love at least one of those movies.
It’s funny, though… Considering the current spoiler-drenched, I-have-a-LiveJournal-account-so-my-opinion-counts-more-than-yours culture the internet has spawned, I wonder how well the Back to the Future franchise would have fared with movie fans today.
As far as I can remember, they were one of the first franchises to film their second and third installments back-to-back. Something that the last two Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean movies did as well. I suppose you could say the same about the Lord of the Rings films, but they knew out of the gate there was too much story to film for one movie.
Would fans have been patient with the several paradoxes in the second movie? Would they appreciate the hard left turn the franchise takes when it skips into 1885 and the old west? Part of me thinks fans would not be as kind today… and that kind of depresses me.
I was thinking some more about the studio fire and how the Clocktower Square set had been damaged. Immiediately my mind went to business and I mocked up this t-shirt:
It’s nothing special. I doubt I would put it into production. Nevermind that Snorg Tees has one of their own – one that didn’t outright steal the design and layout from the flyer prop in the movie.
But it made me feel better to make it.
Now, if you want to talk REALLY geeky, check out what the fine folks at ThinkGeek.com have put together for you – Your OWN Flux Capacitor!
Only $249.99 – a giveaway!
Man, I seriously gotta watch these movies this weekend!
That’s about it for me. I’ll see you back here on Monday with more Back to the Future action!
[ No Comments ]
I realize that I’ve probably run my course with these Back to the Future comics. After all, there’s only so many times I can substitute a reference for a punchline. But I just had to bring things full circle after Friday’s comic. After all, who doesn’t want to see Doc Brown crash through a window? Now if only my Christopher Llyod caricature could have been better…
Cami and I saw You Don’t Mess With The Zohan yesterday afternoon and I had a pretty good time. I was surprised because Cami didn’t like the movie much. Typically she’s all over Adam Sandler films. But I think this one was too juvenile and weird even for her!
You have to expect a certain level of mental handicap when walking into an Adam Sandler movie, but I had a much better time with this one than most because I think Sandler really lets the thing run it’s course and he looks like he,himself is having fun for once.. He’s not reaching for THE BIG MESSAGE – which is weird, considering how the plot is primarilly centered around the conflict between Israel and Palistine.
Typically Sandler’s protagonists are about finding their way to maturity. Whether it’s the slacker who becomes a Dad in Big Daddy or the hectic family man who realizes what’s truly important in life in Click. But in this film, Sandler’s Israeli counter terrorist (an apparently super hero?) Zohan is a character who is TOO mature – a warrior who has seen too much and wants to escape all the fighting by becoming a hair dresser in America.
Considering just how complicated the conflict between Israel and Palistine has become, I thinkZohan does the right thing by making a complete mockery of it. Any attempt to frame it within a real world context would have fallen flat on it’s face. Although, in fairness, the movie tens to make the Palistinian side a little more ludicris than the Israeli side. In fact, any scene featuring Rob Schneider as a cab driver / wannabe terrorist is cringe-inducing in more than the typical Schneider-esque way. Some of it borders on complete cultural insensitivity.
But I don’t know if it’s fair to weighZohan in these terms. The film iscompletely stupid with no long term geo-political ramifications. Just… just go with it, will you? You’ll have more fun if you do.
If you saw Zohan over the weekend and want to talk about it, be sure to tune in LIVE to The Triple Feature podcast tonight at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe. We’ll be talking about You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Kung Fu Panda and Sex and the City.
I know I promised we’d talk about Sex and the City last week (and we did, a little bit), but none of us had actually seen the movie. Well, I saw it last week and I know for a fact that Joe did as well. So we’ll have a little more to talk about this week. Be sure to tun in and listen to my anecdote about the parade of gay guys who joined us in the screening we took part in!
Also, we’ll probably take a little time to talk about The Incredible Hulk coming out this weekend. Personally, I wasn’t that amped up to see the movie until just the last week or so. Early reviews from press screenings are coming back strong. Some are saying it’s just as good as Iron Man. There’s even a rumored cameo from Captain America. Is this Marvel setting the stage for an Avengers movie down the road? It sure looks like it!
I’m psyched because I have a friend of a friend that has the hook-up at a local theater. He’s going to let us in for a special midnight screening on Thursday and I’m really looking forward to it.
Heck – even without all of that extra stuff, there’s still this to consider:
Geeks have known about the Iron Man cameo for months. It’s damn-near marketinggenius to confirm it in the television advertising. Watch out. This weekend will be all about HULK!! SMASH!!
Join us this evening on The Triple Feature podcast to discuss it. See you at 9:00 PM CST!
[ No Comments ]
Dec27
GUEST STRIP – JESSE GUIHER
December 27th, 2012 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(4 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)
I know that the comic is ending in less than a week and maybe now seems like an odd time to share some fan art. But, c’mon. Did you look at that thing up there? I HAD to share it.
The above piece of art comes from Jesse Guiher. You can learn more about him at his web site – Tiger Tail Art.
Jesse actually wrote me a few months ago asking me about some of my favorite movies. Bi-polar as I am, I remember suggesting both Vertigo and Anchorman. Little did I know that inquiry would result in this piece of fantastic art!
I don’t know if there’s more that I can say about it other than I am very appreciative to have fans like Jesse who pour their heart and their talent into pieces like this.
Jesse was very complimentary to me in his e-mail. “I am sorry to see Theater Hopper going away, it was one of a handful of comic sites that influenced me to try my own hand at starting a comic on the web after sending countless submissions to syndicates over the years,” he said.
My reaction to that kind of praise is to almost shy away from it. I’ve had people over the years tell me I’ve been an influence to them – which I appreciate – but I’ve never doubted for a second that these talented individuals couldn’t have made their dreams real on their own.
But then you look at a piece like this and it’s kind of hard to ignore.
And I am humbled further.
Thanks, Jesse. And thanks to all of the fans that have kept me humble over the years. Cheers.
[ 1 Comment ]
