Posts Tagged ‘Dustin Hoffman’
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Just so everyone is on the same page, the third panel is supposed to be Robin Williams from his Mork & Mindy days. I only bring it up because I know some of the other readers probably can’t figure out why Robin Williams would have a mullet and wear suspenders.
To be honest, back then, neither did we.
With that out of the way, I need to report that I just got done watching The Soprano’s season premier and I can’t stress enough how nice it is to have television that isn’t insulting.
Unless of course, you’re Italian-American. Certain associations claim they propagate negative stereotypes. This open letter to HBO, for example.
You know, I don’t remember any association for idiots knocking down Norm MacDonald’s door back when he had a TV show. Then again, they probably couldn’t find his house.
My point is this: I cannot for the life of me understand why any organization that would try to silence programming that is by far superior to any other piece of tripe the slap on the screen. These are the people who tell the teacher they forgot to assign homework at the end of the day. They’re ruining it for the rest of us.
Does this mean I support unfair stereotypes or generalizations? Of course not. But if I was going to do a TV show about overweight housewives, there would be certain stereotypes built into that. Conversely, a show that revolves around something as ingrained into our culture as the Mafia may have some associations already attached to it. To cut a swath too far outside the box may render the show beyond the realm of suspended belief. What? Are we supposed to assume that mob guys sit around eating fine cheese and discussing the annotated works of Shakespeare? I think finding them at a nudie bar is much closer to the truth.
For those of you who don’t get The Soprano’s, I highly recommend buying the first two seasons on DVD. You’re really missing out.
What this has to do with Robin Williams or One Hour Photo, I don’t know. Kinda got off on a rant there
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I know Tom mentioned last week that I might be blogging and I thought I’d try my hand at this today…here goes!
Tom and I saw Last Chance Harvey on Monday. Since we had a day off, and a “films we haven’t seen yet” list a mile long, we chose to see a great character piece. Although Dustin Hoffman is fantastic as Harvey Shine, a washed up advertising jingle writer who visits London for his daughter’s wedding and ends up losing his job and what’s left of his broken family; it’s Emma Thompson as Kate Walter who stole the movie for me. Like her performance in Love Actually, Thompson delivers a nuanced portrayal of a real woman. Someone whose hair doesn’t always look perfect, whose mom is slightly annoying and who shows real emotion—you really believe it when Thompson breaks down in tears a couple of times. You wonder whether her job as a Public Statistics Official is really satisfying or if it just pays the bills. Although Last Chance Harveyis probably not going to generate Oscar nominations for either Hoffman or Thompson, it’s an enjoyable movie that I highly recommend!
Yesterday at work we watched Barack Obama take the oath of office. Although we’ve been and will be completely saturated with media coverage of this historical event, and everything that can be said about this moment has been or will be written, I wanted to comment on one thing. This is one of the rare times, where I’ve been with a large group of people, and they’ve applauded at the TV. I always think it’s weird when people clap after a movie. It’s not like the actors can hear you. Most likely, the kids picking up trash pretend the applause is for them. In this case, I was clapping right along with my coworkers after Aretha sang, Yo-Yo Ma performed and especially when Barack Obama took the oath and then gave his fantastic speech. I actually felt like I was part of something bigger and better today and that’s an awesome feeling.
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Is it a cop-out to give the Benbot an On/Off switch? A little bit, yeah. But let’s be truthful: there’s no way I was going to turn this into a 15-strip story arc about a time-displaced Benbot and his dire warnings.
Also, when I stopped to consider the mystery of the Dustin Hoffman “fiasco,” the promise of that supposed tragedy was more entertaining to me.
That said, don’t expect a story line where we travel to 1982 and witness the incident first-hand.
In summation, move along now. Nothing to see here. Well, nothing to see except the incentive image I put together for you. Another illustration of the T-800 endoskeleton skull. Of the three I’ve drawn this week, I think it’s the best yet. To see it, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.
Quick sidebar about the incentive sketches… Usually I draw something that is a continuation of the joke from that day’s comic. But lately, I’ve become more interested in drawing characters or scenes from the movies I’m referencing. I’m interesting in hearing what you guys like – a tacked on joke drawn in the usual Theater Hopper style, or a more detailed illustration like the last three I’ve drawn this week?
Because here’s the other thing: I’ve been drawing these cards on the 4 X 6 card stock I take with me to conventions and use to draw the sketches I sell and they actually look like the images you see over at Top Web Comics. They have the blue border, the logo in the corner and even a little synopsis on the back of what Theater Hopper is with the URL and a box where I add my signature.
The sketches I do at conventions are open-ended. They can be whatever the customer asks for. Looking over this last batch of drawings, I’m thinking that these are illustrations I could take with me to conventions and sell out of the box. (Either sell them at conventions or here on the site.) I’m thinking that I would have a better chance at selling a stand-alone image of a movie character than a continuation of a joke from a specific comic the customer may or may not have ever read.
So I guess the other question is, of the sketches I’m drawing as incentive images, do you think you would buy them if I sold them on the site or at a convention? They’d be cheap (probably no more than $5 or so) and they’d be unique. A custom illustration that will never be reprinted anywhere else – A fun bit of Theater Hopper you can own for yourself!
Let me know what you guys think, because I believe I might be onto something here.
Back to talking about movies… As you know Terminator Salvation comes out today and I am… excited? I say “excited” with trepidation because reviews have been lukewarm.
I’m trying to go into the movie with a clean slate, but Warner Bros. isn’t making that easy. Among the myriad of movie blogs I follow, there seems to be new clips from the movie being released daily. Whenever I see a studio release a stream of clips online, I immediately become cautious. From a marketing perspective, I understand what they’re doing. They’re seeding the internet the hope that interest will spring up from it. If a clip becomes viral, even better.
But what a lot of these movie blogs do is round up these clips and put them in one spot. Trailer Addict has 7 pages of Terminator Salvation clips. 7 pages of clips, TV spots, trailers and extended trailers. So, effectively, a potential ticket buyer could watch 10 to 20 minutes of the movie before they even set foot inside a theater.
And studios are worried about piracy? Gimme a break. They’re ruining movies for fans just as much as anyone else.
The last movie that did this was X-Men Origins: Wolverine – and we all know how that turned out. That, and you can’t force something to be viral. Believe me, I’ve tried.
I’m not seeing Terminator Salvation until Sunday night and usually by then the studios can estimate the film’s weekend box office. If the film is running cool, it will probably lower my expectations to see it. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe I’ll walk out of it having been pleasantly surprised.
But this is a Terminator movie. Shouldn’t I be more excited to see it regardless of reviews and preview clips and tie-ins and promotions?
Let me know your thoughts about Terminator Salvation. Have you been doing a good job avoiding the clips online? Did you even know there was that much material out there? Do you find it excessive? Do you think movie studios are giving away the store or do you appreciate the extra content and their attempts to woo you into the theater?
Also be sure to let me know what you think about the direction of the incentive sketches: A one panel gag or a stand alone image of a famous movie character? Would you buy a 4 X 6 from the Theater Hopper store or at a convention for less than $5?
Let me know what you think and, if you’re in the US, have a safe Memorial Day weekend!
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