Posts Tagged ‘censorship’
3 items.
I know emotions have been running high for some of you, so to diffuse some of the controversy, I decided to offer a very humorous incentive sketch. I won’t spoil the surprise, so vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix and have a cheap laugh on me.
So here it is. Part 2 of my little reaction piece to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. I have to admit there wasn’t as much backlash to Wednesday’s comic as I thought there would be. I don’t know what that says about you the audience or me the creator, but there you have it.
Really the comics of the last two days don’t have anything to do with Moore’s movie. They weren’t a collaboration of his political or a statement against President Bush.
My issue is censorship. Whether it be artists censoring themselves in fear of reprisal or suffering the judgement of others in a society that professes free speech as its highest virtue.
Wednesday’s comic saw me stepping into my own imaginary universe as some kind of overlord, informing the audience that we wouldn’t touch the controversy with a 10 foot pole. The joke was that I was censoring myself.
Of course, this gets thrown out the window when I call President Bush a doodie head.
Today’s comic is about the reaction to commentary such as that. My free speech is countered by another’s free speech and my characters get caught in the crossfire. Attempting to express their frustration, I alter what Cami was going to say in panel three. Censorship again.
At the end of the day, it serves no purpose to try and prevent what one person wants to express. Whether it’s Moore, myself, or a fictional character. No one has ever adopted the concept of free speech and democracy by having it forced down their throats. No one will adopt another persons idea of what is appropriate and what is not if they aren’t already looking for that answer.
I understand that you guys primarily come to the site for a cheap laugh before going about your day and you probably don’t need my opinions cluttering things up. But every once in a while, I want to make you laugh AND make you think. If I can do that, then I know I’m not some hack out here trying to perform some slight of hand to make you think I have talent. It’s no different than my commentary about the MPAA a while ago. And for those of you who don’t think it’s my place to mix politics and art, where were your criticism when I was taking Jack Valenti down a few pegs?
Ultimately, there is a nexus where art, politics, commerce and opinion intersect. And every so often my work drifts into the middle of it. If you like it, great. If not, well… content decisions around here is like Iowa weather. You don’t like it? Wait 10 minutes. It’ll get better.
Stay tuned to the comic next week for a whole new story arc profiling the biggest summer blockbuster of the year – the upcoming Spider Man 2! I’m looking forward to it! I hope you are, too!
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If you’ve been monitoring the internet at all – and if you’re here, that means you’ve nearly reached the end of the line – then you’ve probably seen the myriad of clips out there promoting Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. And, if that’s the case, then you’ve probably picked up on the euphemism that is Dewey’s last name and how it’s used for comedic effect in the film.
I’ve purposefully tried to stay away from the clips that are out there because I’m very fond of Judd Apatow and his band of merry makers and I don’t want to spoil anything for myself. Comedy is hard and if it’s going to hit you between the eyes, you get one chance to do it.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I will find 90% of the jokes in Walk Hard extremely funny. But I would rather be laughing out loud in the theater on first viewing rather than chuckling silently to myself – or worse, speaking the lines out loud before the actors do – after repeated viewings in the comfort of my own home.
I understand this weekend is going to be a crowded marketplace for new films, but I hope at some point the studio reels things in a little bit regarding the promotion. Early reviews are starting to come in and several of them are effusive to the point of embarrassment. At this point, either you’re down with the Apatow love fest or you’re not. But could there be signs of backlash brewing?… (WARNING – Language NSWF)
What’s been most amazing to me is watching the comedic evolution of John C. Reily. I think anyone that watched Boogie Nights know that Reily is more than capable of playing a lovable goofball. But after Talladega Nights, he really sent the message home. And, well, here we are.
What I love about Reily is that he came from a traditional theater background and made a name for himself as a character actor. Typically you don’t see this kind of sidestep into comedy. Usually, it’s the other way around. Comedian starts out in nightclubs, graduates to a sketch comedy television show, does a few movies with his signature bits and then makes a play for legitimacy by trying drama on for size. See Jim Carrey.
Reily, on the other hand, has complete confidence in himself and saunters out of these different world’s easily. It’s not about credibility. For him, it really seems to be about having fun and I think that comes across even in his more “serious” work. He’s an everyman we can relate to. I’ve nothing but good things to say about him.
Switching gears, I hope you guys had a chance to listen to Monday night’s broadcast of The Triple Feature. We had a really good time talking about I Am Legend and the new Dark Knight trailer.
Something else we touched on was the new contest I’m running for a chance to win a free copy of the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition of National Treasure. I didn’t really give you guys much notice because I didn’t know I would be doing the giveaway until the last minute. So I posted news of it on the site late Monday night and tried to make the rounds elsewhere to promote it. But maybe it was too little, too late?
In any case, there’s still a chance to win if you download a copy of Monday night’s broadcast and listen for the first half of a two-part clue. If you’re reading this, you’re ready for the second half of the clue and that is “BELL.” Turns out Gordon guessed correctly. Who knew?
Anyway, send in the completed two-part clue to theaterhopper@hotmail.com with your name, mailing address and “CONTEST” in the subject line. One winner will be chosen at random. I probably won’t be able to ship this one out before the holidays, so don’t get upset if it doesn’t arrive in your mailbox so you can use it to hide away from your family after getting nothing but sweaters and socks for gifts.
Be sure to check back to the site on Thursday. That’s right, I said Thursday. I just finished watching The Bourne Ultimatum on DVD and I’ll be posting a review to the site on Thursday. It was a great movie. I’m really kicking myself right now for not owning The Bourne Identity or The Bourne Supremacy. Both of those films are great and combined with Ultimatum, make a nice little trilogy.
That covers it for now. See you here tomorrow!
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Hey, guys.
Not much movie related to talk about today as I have actually written this blog entry a few days ago in preparation for my attendance at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo – or C2E2 this weekend.
Typically, it’s been a tradition for several of us web comic guys to go see a movie together while we’re in town. I don’t know if we’ll get the opportunity to see Kick-Ass this weekend but I hope we do.
If you’re in The Windy City, be sure to stop by my booth in Webcomics Pavilion. I’m at table WC-N in the same area as Brat-halla, Shortpacked!, Erika Moen and Lucy Knisley.
I will be selling shirts, books (Including Theater Hopper: Year Three), buttons and original sketches.
If you aren’t able to join us in Chicago this weekend, be sure to follow my Twitter and Facebook accounts. I plan on posting several updates throughout the weekend to let you know how things are going.
That’s all for now. Like I said, I wrote this two days ago. So, right now, I need to go to bed so I don’t nod off on the road between Des Moines and Chicago. I have a 6 hour trip ahead of me. Or, had a 6 hour trip ahead of me.
…because I’m in Chicago now.
But I wrote this… two…
WISH ME LUCK!
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