Posts Tagged ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
6 items.
If you think the gold teeth reference in today’s comic is bollocks, do some research. There are interviews with Johnny Depp everywhere and the rumor that he actually went to a dentist to have gold caps put on his teeth is positively true.
SO true, in fact, producer Jerry Bruckheimer asked him to go back and remove a few of them because he felt they were distracting. That Jerry. Always ruining Johnny’s fun.
If you’re reading any of the interviews that discuss the gold teeth, then no doubt you’re also picking up information on how Johnny Deep put such an indelible mark on the character of Jack Sparrow.
Reasoning that pirates were the rock stars of their day, Depp modeled Sparrow after Rolling Stone ax man (and possible candidate for the undead) Keith Richards. He nails it – down to the misplaced center of gravity and slurred speech. Brilliant.
This is what I love about Johnny Depp. He finds the small nuances in characters, explores them and then flaunts them freely. Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, for example. It was never included in the script that the character was squeamish. That was Depp’s innovation and it added a neat layer to his idiosyncratic behavior. I swear the man is a revelation.
I saw Pirates of the Caribbean on opening night this Wednesday. I don’t know how much I need to go into it because I’m considering writing up a full review.
I will say that I haven’t seen a movie yet this year that is generating the kind of positive word of mouth that this movie has. Everywhere I go, people ask if I’ve seen it. When I tell them I have, they light up. Everyone wants to talk about it. This is the kind of reaction The Matrix Reloaded and Terminator 3 wish wish they had.
It’s kind of an interesting phenomenon to watch. If any of you have seen Mouse Hunt or The Mexican, I don’t think anyone would have picked director Gore Verbinski as the next big thing. But following up The Ring with Pirates cements it for me. This guy has a great visual style. His art direction is top shelf.
I’m seeing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen tonight with Cami, my sister-in-law and her friend. I’m a little scared to go. I want it to be good, but I’m not holding my breath. I guess if it’s dead on arrival, I’ll just catch a late show of Pirates to restore my faith in movies. This thing is going to be huge – mark my words.
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Well, it’s moving day in Jaredandpattiland. The movers have completed their duties and we are left whith piles of stuff. Now we just have to figure out where to put everything. That’s the fun part, but I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can relax and start living a “normal” life again.
Last night I was cleaning red paint rollers in the bathtub and red water began creeping up from the basement drain. I was a bit crazed as I ran through K-Mart at 9:55, trying to locate shop towels and a plunger. The old man I asked to assist me in procuring these items tried to show me some sort of super plunger, but I just grabbed the cheap kind, said “thanks”, and rushed to make my purchases. Back at home, the red water had receeded, but moral was at an all time low.
I hope to catch Pirates of the Caribbean this weekend, but I’m not sure it will happen.
P.S. I am a big Johnny Depp fan, so I especially dig this strip!
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Real quick: It looks like Top Web Comics have sorted out whatever problems they were having this week, so if you could pass along some vote love, that would be great.
Johnny Depp says that pirates were the rock stars of their day. I say with all the hair, trinkets and eye-liner, they were something else.
Just kiddin’, y’all. Only having a little fun.
I’m continuing to talk about Pirates of the Caribbean despite the fact I saw it nearly a week ago because the less said about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the better.
I saw the movie on Friday and (unlike some other people) hated, hated, hated it. At some point I really need to sit down and hammer out a review of both films, actually. But LXG ESPECIALLY.
The movie was wrong on so many levels. The editing was disjointed and distracting. No one had motivation to do anything! I’m sure there is a cohesive effort buried in there somewhere, it just didn’t make it to the screen.
Reportedly Sean Connery had a lot of influence over the editing after his falling out with Steven Norrington. If that’s the case, he botched it. I’m very interested in how they plan to compile the DVD commentary track.
I promise I’ll produce a more in-depth review. From the looks of the new releases this week, I’ll have some time on my hands. Bad Boys II, How to Deal, and Johnny English? Blech.
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Would Johnny Depp be any less attractive if he had the words “PUPPY KICKER” tattooed across his forehead? I dunno. You tell me.
I have to admit that I was a little bit terrified to do today’s comic. I’ve been suffering a wicked bout of writers block. I think it’s because I’m so preoccupied with the house and the move right now.
We’ve tied up most of the loose ends. Our new refrigerator was delivered today (we sold the old one with the old house), so now we can store food and eat properly again. Yay!
All the same, it felt good to draw again. I’m not as rusty as I feared. I kind of like how it turned out, even if the posing of the characters is a bit pedestrian.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was one of the two movies I saw last weekend. And what can I say, except that I left the theater a little underwhelmed.
It’s disapointing because I’m a big fan of both Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, but this pairing just didn’t do it for me. Depp’s version of Wonka is probably the least interesting thing in the movie. That’s not to say his performance was ∗bad∗, mind you. Just that there is so many visually appealing things in the film, Depp’s performance seems perfunctory. He’s competing against the scenery, and that’s not a good thing.
It probably isn’t a good thing either that I found the scenes with Freddie Highmore’s Charlie and his family outside the factory much more interesting than what was going on inside the factory.
I’ll give points to Burton for adding depth and dimension to the Bucket family when their appearance was something I hated most about the original film. But the movie isn’t called “Charlie and His Four Grandparents Who Share A Bed” for a reason.
Some of the things the movie did right were the Oompa Loompas – here digitally replicated from the single performance of Deep Roy. I also enjoyed seeing what happens to the bratty kids AFTER they leave the factory. It’s good to see their comeuppance extended whereas in the original they were sort of whisked away, never to be heard from again.
However, something I didn’t like about the film was it’s over-reliance on CGI – especially during the boat ride. The main garden of the factory looked good. Tactile and approachable. But at the same time, oddly striped of any kind of fantastic charm. Instead, it seemed to communicate “Look what our big budget could buy!” but maybe that’s just me.
Overall, I felt there was very little reason to remake the film beyond the fact that the spoiled children who seem to think they know everything and are given everything they demand are perhaps more relevant with todays generation raised by Grand Theft Auto. Otherwise, there’s nothing much it adds to the table. Watching these children be dispatched one after the other holds no surprise. Veruca Salt’s exit being the only one that even slightly differs from the original. Instead of wanting a Golden Goose, she demands a nut-cracking, highly trained Squirrel. Way to go out on a limb there, Burton.
At any rate, I have hopes for The Corpse Bride when it comes out in September. Obviously it plays stronger to Burton’s visual sense. And it’s refreshing to see him return to original material rather than remaking things.
I’ll have another blog later thanking everyone who contributed to this last round of guest strips. In the meantime, be sure to swing by Alien Loves Predator. I did a guest strip of my own for Bernie as he and his wife are celebrating the July 7 birth of their twins. Wish them your best!
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Much like Chris Tucker seems only able to perform in Rush Hour movies, Orlando Bloom seems only capable of taking a role where the brandishing of antiquated weaponry is a requirement. Be it longbow, sword or musket – Bloom is your man!
It’s a fairly commonplace assertion that Bloom has cast himself in the mold of a modern Errol Flynn – having taken roles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean and it’s sequels, Troy and Kingdom of Heaven. I don’t think is a totally negative thing to aspire to. Quite frankly, the movies are sorely lacking in brave adventure and derring-do. If someone were to come along and revitalize the persona, why not Bloom?
Okay, he’s a little bit pretty. Alright, not just pretty – but MAN pretty. Not the kind of rakish rouge you would expect to swing in from a rope and save you. But I suppose you take what you get.
I’ve been very interested in seeing Elizabethtown since I first saw the trailers. This is one of those movies where I thought it came out two weeks ago and then was really disapointed when it didn’t. Then I thought it came out again last week and was disapointed again. I really need to read the one-sheet posters for release dates much closer.
I’m excited pretty much because any movie with Cameron Crowe’s name on it is a "must-see" in my book. Between Say Anything…, Singles and Almost Famous, the man’s bitter-sweet storytelling hits me right where I live. I can do without Jerry Maguire and Vanilla Sky, but that’s why pencils have erasers, right?
I found it curious to learn that Crowe had Bloom in mind from the onset as his protagonist. When it looked like Bloom couldn’t do the role, he brought on another man pretty up-and-comer Ashton Kutcher to fill the role. I think this would have made the movie much less interesting for me. Good think Crowe thought Kutcher didn’t have any chemistry with Kirsten Dunst and fired him. Then again, cardboard boxes have more chemistry than Kirsten Dunst, so maybe it was just wish fulfillment on Crowe’s part to dump Kutcher when Bloom became available.
Elizabethtown is interesting in that I think it provides Bloom an opportunity to prove something he hasn’t tried before. That’s always exciting.
:: switching gears ::
I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to again mention that I will stop selling all t-shirts, hoodies and baby doll tees from the store on October 31. Leave a note here now means that it will stay up until Monday. That’s what they call "saturation," kids.
At any rate, three of the designs will be retired forever. So if you want "Under Construction," "Emerging" or "Truman in a Purse" now is the time to get them. After the 31st, the won’t be available ever again!
As for the other shirts – they’ll come back at some point, I just don’t know when. So maybe you’re thinking someone might enjoy a "Spoiler" t-shirt for a November birthday or maybe for the holidays. Best to grab them now because I don’t know if I can make them available by then.
I need to let you know that part of the reason I’m closing off this section of the store is so I can get caught up on orders. But the bigger reason is so I can begin work on a new book collecting the first year of Theater Hopper strips.
I’m having some trouble trying to decide how to distribute the information. Whether it’s one large book about 180 pages and retailing for $20 or splitting the content into two volumes of 90 pages each with the release dates spaced apart and retailing for $10.
There has been some debate about it in the THorum with more specifics than I can get into here. There is also a poll attached. I’d love to hear your feedback if you consider yourself someone interested in buying a Theater Hopper book. If you’re not comfortable posting in the THorum, I am also receptive to e-mails.
Thanks.
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May25
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I think Bill Nighy’s performance as Davy Jones is probably one of the most indellible character creations in the last 10 years. By far one of the most interesting screen villians we’ve had in a long time. Part of that is due to the arresting visual design, but my affinity is moreso for Nighy’s brilliant vocal affectations and tics. He makes Jones menacing but unique and it’s a treat to watch him cut loose.
Although I’m aware that the movie suffers an “everything AND the kitchen sink” mentality, Nighy and Jones is the big reason I’m excited about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Early reviews are split down the middle. Most critics complaining about the film’s wanderlust and overall length. It’s not as though these complaints will keep people from the theater. Personally, I’m not paying much attention to it. The complaint that a movie is “too long” has never made sense to me. Anyone who has watched a movie before 1950 knows most of them were 2 and a half hours plus. Producers wanted to give you your money’s worth. Now that ticket prices are upwards of $10.00, why wouldn’t you want more entertainment for your dollar.
I mean, I understand if you think a movie blows, being forced to sit there for an extended period is no fun. But believe it – SOMEONE out there is going to be really into it and appreciate the greater length. The only movie I can think of where they should have dropped the curtain early was A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. The minute you think the movie is over, walk out of the room. Seriously. You’ll thank me for it. That version is a MUCH better film.
But I digress. Big blockbusters that are all about the visuals? If you’re complaining it’s too long, your atttention span is too short. I think we all know that Spider-Man 3 didn’t make it on my all-time favorites list. But it was also an exceptionally long movie and it didn’t bother me. My complaints were about characterization and my close affinity for the characters. But the visuals never dissapointed. This will likely be the mentality I carry into At World’s End and I think it’s a prudent one.
Do you guys like today’s sketch? It’s kind of a departure for me. I found a great reference photo to work from and actually kind of surprised myself with this one. It was one of those times where you just kind of nestle into the pocket and you don’t want to stop drawing because you’re afraid you’ll ruin it if you come back to it later. That’s a good feeling.
Not much news to report. The site is still suffering a bit from all the Threadless controversy. I’ve been monitoring the referral links and the places people are coming to the site from are more far flung than I originally imagined. I think it’s great! Welcome everyone! Things will probably be back to normal in a week or so.
All this t-shirt hullaballo has really gotten me thinking about new t-shirt designs. I’ve had a bunch of ideas for a while, but can’t seem to get motivated about any of them. I think I had a mental barrier because I kind of had my sights on producing the Theater Hopper Year: Three book. I think I’m taking that off the table for now. I jumped through a lot of hoops to get Year One and Year Two off the ground last summer. I think I’m going to take a break from that and concentrate on t-shirt designs. I think if I can zero in on a few good ideas, it might actually help my push the remaining copies of the books that I have – which is probably a greater priority than taking up more real estate in my closet with a new book.
I have an idea for a Spider-Man 3 shirt that I don’t think will get me in trouble with any copyright infringement. If I’m lucky, it won’t piss off the fans of the movie, either. It’s a little sarcastic, but it comes from a good place. The reference is obscure enough, I think people will get a kick out of it. Anyway, hopefully I’ll be able to take advantage of the holiday weekend and have some new designs for you on Monday. Fingers crossed!
Hey, why don’t you leave some feedback on the comments page. With all the site outtages, I feel like I haven’t had a chance to talk to any of you guys!
Have a great weekend!
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