Posts Tagged ‘remake’
16 items.
I think today’s comic illustrates fairly effectively my gripe with the release of Rob Zombie’s “reimagining” of Halloween. One would like to think the studio releasing it has some kind of strategy. But to avoid releasing the film on the holiday it shares a name with seems like a glaring oversight to me.
Maybe they’ve deluded themselves into thinking that the American movie-going public has an attention span longer than one week and they’ll continue to get repeat business on this film until said holiday. Maybe they don’t think they can compete against Saw IV – the upstart horror franchise has pretty much laid claim to the Halloween weekend since the first film came out. Maybe the movie is a big steaming turd that they want to bury in late August while kids are going back to school. Or maybe they don’t care when they release it since most horror movies are critic-proof and fans will come out to see them regardless of their quality.
However you slice it, it seems the studio could be doing a lot better for themselves if they had decided to release Halloween on Halloween. I mean, the original movie is a classic – no doubt about it. So, right there, you’ve got John Carpenter fans coming out of the woodwork to show respect. Of course, there’s always the aforementioned die-hard horror fans that will show up no matter what and I’m sure there will be a few stranglers who were fans of White Zombies throwing in their support behind the director.
But what about the rest of us who maybe aren’t into horror movies all that much? Take… well, ME, for example. I can sit and watch a horror movie if I’m in the right mood for it. But I’m really not a fan of the bogeyman style of horror films where things jump out at you. That, and excessive gore I can do without. So I’m not going to be the first in line to see Halloween when it’s released on August 31.
But let’s fast forward two months, pretend the studio was a little wiser and released Halloween on October 31. Instead of going on a haunted hay rack ride, I might give the movie a shot. I’m down for a scare, but darn it if that hay isn’t itchy. Isn’t there another option.
BLAMMO! There’s another eight bucks in your pocket you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Multiply that by whatever number of similar-minded people there are in the country. Seems like Marketing 101 to me.
Of course, the timeliness of when the movie is released really says nothing about the quality of the film itself. Even though I don’t like horror, I do like the original Halloween because it’s so damn suspenseful. In my mind, it doesn’t really need to be re-imagined. But then again, multiple sequels have pretty much watered down the legacy of the original anyway, so re-imagine away.
All things being equal, I don’t think the movie could have landed in more capable hands than Rob Zombie’s. I know he only has a few films under his belt, but the guy has a very specific visual style. He has a gift for it, frankly. And not only that, he brings a lot of passion to the material. He appreciates horror movies as a fan, has seen almost all of them and probably has encyclopedic knowledge of what works in horror and what doesn’t. A good guy to have behind the lens. I wish him the best.
I guess all I’m saying is that, if I were him, I would be giving the head of his studio’s marketing department a swift kick in the ass for overlooking the most obvious leg-up in movie release history.
Incidentally, we’ll be talking about Halloween on next Monday’s Triple Feature talkcast at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe. Horror movies will be the topic of discussion in honor of it’s release, so you’ll want to check that out.
We’ve had some success asking listeners to send in questions for us and I think we’d like to continue that tradition. So if you want to know what our panel thinks is the best movie monster ever or what makes a good horror film, send your questions to me in advance at theaterhopper@hotmail.com and we will do our best to answer them on-air.
Something else really quick about The Triple Feature talkcast. It came to my attention this week that The Triple Feature was among the Top 100 talkcasts for live participation as well as downloads at TalkShoe for the week of August 25. We ranked 51st and 67th, respectively.
Saying you ranked 51st and 67th on the list of a Top 100 is kind of a suspect thing to claim. But when you think there are literally thousands of talkcasts over at TalkShoe, things come into focus.
So thanks to everyone who has made The Triple Feature one of the most popular shows on TalkShoe! We appreciate your support!
That about does it for me. Cami’s 30th birthday is tomorrow and we’re celebrating by seeing a movie, having a steak and going gambling. Don’t worry. We’re leaving Henry in the loving arms of Cami’s parents for the evening.
Although I’m pretty sure Cami doesn’t want me telling the world that she’s turning 30, my aim is to strip the gravitas from the occasion and just have fun with it. People assign this great importance to turning 30 because you’re leaving your 20’s behind and – let’s face it – being in your 20’s is pretty much being like a teenager.
I say bollocks. Enjoy your birthday! Celebrate it! Own it! Because every year you’re here on this Earth is another opportunity to prove ’em wrong – know what I’m sayin’?
Have a good one, folks! See you on Monday!
[ No Comments ]
Jan14
I will freely admit to stealing the “shoegazing” moniker from My Bloody Valentine’s Wikipedia page and I link to it freely to provide context that would otherwise be unrequired for certain other webcomics.
I’m no great fan of the band, but I am familiar with their work. In particular, the instrumental tracks off the Lost in Translation soundtrack which were penned by My Bloody Valentine’s lead singer Kevin Shields. I like that album a lot.
As for the movie, My Bloody Valentine 3D, it looks like pure, Grade-A shlock. I’ve been making fun of the trailer for this film since it came out last fall.
At first, I thought the trailer was a put-on. Something The Wayans Brothers cooked up for an extension of the Scary Movie franchise. But it’s 100% for real. A bunch of anonymous pretty-somethings getting hacked to death by some guy in a gas mask. Brilliant.
My favorite line in the trailer isn’t from the movie itself, but a great bit of marketing all the same: “Nothing says ‘date movie’ like a 3D ride to Hell!”
Sounds like something my wife would really like!
I guess that’s something I don’t understand about the positioning of this movie. Once again, a horror film jumps the gun by being released months in advance of the terror-filled “holiday” it shares a name with. Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween was released on August 31 of 2007 – two full months before the actual holiday. At least the remake of Black Christmas managed to get it right by being released on Christmas Day in 2006.
But if the producers of My Bloody Valentine 3D are trying to promote the film as a date movie, why not wait a month for Valentine’s Day to roll around in February?
Obviously this movie is trash. I mean, look at the teaser poster. It looks like an advertisement for a ride at Universal Studios!
But what do you guys think? Does it look like a fun time at the movies to you with the potential for a great audience experience? Does the 3D gimmick hold any value for you? In other words, do you think My Bloody Valentine 3D is a movie you would see if it weren’t in 3D?
I’m curious as to everyone’s take on this film. Leave your comments below and let’s discuss!
[ 22 Comments ]
I did a comic somewhat similar to this one back in August of 2007 when Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween hit theaters. For me, it makes no sense to release a movie CALLED “Halloween” two months before the holiday. You’d think that it was a marketing no-brainer.
Consider the thought that there are potential ticket buyers who have no idea what Halloween is about or who Michael Myers is. What are the odds that, come October, they might be standing in front of a box office somewhere, see “Halloween” on the marquee and say “Oh, we should see that because Halloween is next week.” You’d think the odds of that occurring would improve, wouldn’t you?
After the first remake of Halloween was released in 2007, it was explained to me later that the studio dropped the movie in August so they didn’t have to compete with Saw IV. They appear to be doing the same thing with Halloween II to stay out of the way of Saw VI being released on October 23. That makes sense. The Saw franchise has basically owned Halloween since 2004.
But why late August? Why not September? There are four horror movies being released in September – Carriers, Sorority Row, Jennifer’s Body and Pandorum. Each one is being released on a week separate from the other and none of them are franchise films and none of them appear to be serious contenders. It stands to reason that Halloween II could wipe the floor with any one of them.
Instead they’re going head-to-head with The Final Destination, the fourth movie of a popular franchise that decided to make their film 3D to boot.
To me it shows a real lack of faith in Zombie’s movie. If the studio had any stones at all, they’d at least slate it in the first week of October. No horror movies until Zombieland the following week (which is really more of a comedy) and maybe you stand a chance of taking the wind out of the sails of Saw VI.
If there’s something I’m missing, please explain it to me. Am I crazy? What about the rest of you guys? Any plans on seeing Halloween II this weekend? If you were forced to choose between Halloween II and The Final Destination (in 3D!!!), what would you pick? Leave your comments below!
[ 27 Comments ]
This comic stems from another one of our conversations on The Triple Feature this Monday. It’s largely a rant that I tied off with a punchline here, but went unchecked during the recording of the podcast.
I’m greatly annoyed by the remake of Fame. Not because I’m a fan of the 1980 original or even the lousy TV spin off that spawned from its success. As a matter of fact, I hate the movie Fame and pretty much cite it as the flash point of a generation deluded into thinking that they were amazing singers/dancers/actors just waiting to be discovered.
More and more, the culture seems to advocate fame and popularity by birthright rather than by hard work and talent. I don’t know if it is a uniquely American expectation or not, but I’ve noticed an upswing in the last few years. People seem to fall ass-backwords in to fame with increasing regularity. Blame YouTube, I guess.
With that in mind, will a remake of Fame even resonate with today’s audiences? Is having talent and a work ethic even attractive to a culture that is willing to accept humiliation on national television if it means they get their 15 minutes of infamy?
You can stand in line for 18 hours to sing for Simon Cowell. If you’re good enough, you might get to go to Hollywood. But even if you’re a piss-poor singer, maybe they’ll throw you onto the highlight reel of all the dismal failures so America can have a good laugh at your expense. So what, right? As long as someone is paying attention. William Hung took that lack of self-awareness all the way to the bank.
One could argue that this comic is its own desperate plea for attention. I would be hard pressed to argue with them. Am I proud of the success I’ve found with Theater Hopper? Of course. Could I do with a little more exposure? Well, sure. I mean, who wouldn’t want that? So I’m just as guilty as everyone else.
But then, I’m not exactly the audience this remake of Fame is shooting for.
So if you’re a teenage girl with aspirations to become a great singer, are you going to watch a movie like Fame that promotes the concept of hard work and sacrifice or are you going to tune in to American Idol three times a week an nurture the fantasy that maybe you too can be America’s most popular karaoke singer?
Food for thought, I guess.
What about the rest of you? Any aspirations to see Fame this weekend? Are you a fan of the original movie?Do you think a remake can possibly bring anything new to the table? Leave your comments below!
[ 17 Comments ]
Jul16
GUEST STRIP – NEIL BRYER
July 16th, 2012 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(3 votes, average: 8.67 out of 10)
Remember last week when I was all, “I’m gonna turn up the heat on producin’ these them thar comics and it’s gonna be awesome!”
Then remember when I didn’t do it?
Thank goodness for Neil Bryer’s excellent guest strip. I think he really hit it out of the park with this one. Not only did he throw in a great callback to the dream sequence punchlines I use from time to time, but he made it as sweet and heartfelt as all get out.
I think what I love most about the comic is that Truman makes an appearance in the fourth panel. Good to know he’ll still be with us in the future…
I’ve had the good fortune to meet Neil a couple of times while attending conventions in Chicago. He’s always very cool and polite. We talk shop for a little while and then he always let’s me get back to selling. Never intrusive. Always plays it just right.
Neil has a comic of his own called Wombat Comic that I encourage all of you to check out. It’s obvious to me that Neil put a lot of thought into his guest strip and I think you guys should reward him for that with a few clicks, don’t you?
Need proof that Neil put a lot of thought into his comic, check out his commentary, which he included with the image file he sent to me!
I’ve known Tom and “Theater Hopper for a few years now. I was late to the show, sure, but I quickly became a fan and jumped on each new strip as they were posted. So when Tom announced a few months ago that he was ending the strip, it of course made me sad. I mean…it’s one less webcomic for me to compete with, so sure, I wasn’t too sad…but still. You know? Anyway, when Tom said he was accepting submissions for guest strips, I knew I had to jump on this. It took me a while to come up with a concept that fit both the current storyline and stayed true to the tone of the strip overall, but hopefully I’ve managed to do just that. So without further ado, I present “The Dream”.
Panel 1: Why does Jared have a beard?…and a wife?…AND KIDS? Oh, it must be some time in the future. That would also explain why Tom has a receding hair line, a bit of a gut, and looks just generally worn out. I imagine this is taking place about 10 years out from where we are right now.
Panel 2: Henry and Pearl are the names of Tom’s real life children. I figured since the characters in the strip are based on Tom and his wife, then his kids should also be based on reality. I asked Tom if it was cool to include their names and he said it was alright.
Panel 3: In 2016, right on the heels of the highly successful “Jones 5: The Adventures of Mutt”, Shia was tapped to play Atticus Finch in a remake of the classic film “To Kill a Mockingbird”. To the surprise of everyone, this instantly became Jared’s favorite movie. Also, in the future, movies are shown on little metal cubes (Actually, the cube is just the player. The files are stored on tiny crystals, but they’re so small that they often get lost when you try to transport them, so most people just bring the whole player along with them when they go anywhere).
Panel 4: Why the heck did I put so many characters in this story?! By the time I was done drawing in the kids, my hand was ready to fall off.
Panel 5: The reveal, it was all just a dream. I guess Tom is more ready to start a family than even he realized. And, of course, who hasn’t had the Scarlett Johansson “initiation” dream?
Panel 6: Cami has good reason for the look of concern on her face…I mean, better than the Scarlett Johansson dream? Her mind reels with the possibilities.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this flight of fancy of mine. It was fun to play in someone else’s sandbox for a bit, but I should get back to work on my own comic (http://www.wombatcomic.com (shameless self promotion)). Pleasant dreams!
-Neil Bryer
Thanks, Neil. I loved this comic!
Incidentally, I think I figured out a simple solution to the content problem I’ve been experiencing lately.
Certainly there’s a bit of foot-dragging going on at a subconscious level. I don’t want the comic to end! But, also, I’m making the production of the comic MUCH harder than I need to.
I have it in my head that if I’m going out, I want to go out with a bang. So I’m trying to make each comic as good as possible before I post it – and it’s causing delays.
Then I remember something one of my art teachers told me: “Stop fussing with it.” Sometimes, you just gotta let these things go, you know?
The thought occurred to me when I was putting together this week’s comic. In an effort to give you “more,” I was setting myself up for an 8 panel comic. Then I realized, “This could easily be split into two comics.” Problem solved! I work faster, suffer less burn out and you get two comics this week instead of one.
So that’s the goal. Be on the lookout for two comics this week starting tomorrow. Thanks again for your patience as I cross the finish line with the comic.
See you soon!
[ No Comments ]
Aug08
GUEST STRIP – WILSON PARKER
August 8th, 2012 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(6 votes, average: 8.17 out of 10)
I gotta hand it to Wilson Parker. His guest comic today felts totally in-sync with the kind of bizarre rants that I would not only produce for the comic, but like debate in real life with friends.
I also think Wilson hit on a universal truth about the three-breasted prostitute scene from the original Total Recall. If you’re not going to at least try to improve on the original, what’s the point?
I don’t know about the rest of you, but that scene left an indelible mark on my childhood. When I was growing up, we didn’t go to the movies very often, but we would rent stuff on occasion. Christmas was a big at-home movie watching holiday for us. My Dad would rent four or five movies and after we’d open presents, we’d watch them.
One year, he rented Total Recall. Now, let’s see… Total Recall came out in 1990, so I would have been 13 or 14 years-old at the time. Kind of an important time in a young man’s development.
Lo and behold, it’s the three-breasted hooker scene and I’m watching this movie ON CHRISTMAS with my Dad… AND my Mom.
You know when you’re younger and you watch a movie with your parents with embarrassing content? You want to crawl under a rock and die. That scene was my first exposure to that. Heck, I can remember a few year’s later when Cami and I were dating. We watched the original Austin Powers with my folks and I remember being mortified during the scene at the end where Austin and Agent Kensington hook up.
Maybe I’m just sensitive.
Incidentally, Wilson has a comic of his own called Unwinder’s Tall Comics. I highly encourage you to check him out and say thanks for this fantastic guest strip. Thanks, Wilson!
Switching gears, I was actually kind of interested in seeing the remake of Total Recall. The cast looked interesting and I’m really starting to appreciate Colin Ferrell as a genre actor. But the reviews haven’t been encouraging. For the most part they say the movie just kind of sits there. Not good – especially for an action movie.
But then director Len Wiseman is no Paul Verhoeven. That’s like comparing Dear Abby to Hunter S. Thompson. It’s simply impossible to out-weird that gonzo Dutch bastard.
Switching gears again, I wanted to address something that should have happened this week… but didn’t.
Sunday was Theater Hopper’s 10th anniversary. The milestone felt pretty underwhelming to me. Frankly, I didn’t realize it was the 10th anniversary until a day later.
It’s funny, because an anniversary is something I used to make a pretty big deal about on the site. I remember the 7th anniversary coming and going with more fanfare.
Perhaps I didn’t make a big deal about it because Monday was the day the comic was supposed to end. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
I’ve outlined the reasons why in earlier blog posts. I basically miscalculated how many comics I would need to finish the story – even though I had been producing double-sized comics for several weeks. But, yeah. I blew the deadline.
I kind of wonder if it’s self-sabotage. But it’s not. It’s just poor planning. So you guys are the benefactors of my poor planning. Revel in it.
I’d say I have maybe 5 or 6 more comics until I wrap things up. When I do, I hope you guys will be there to send Theater Hopper out with a bang. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as doomsday draws closer through Facebook and Twitter.
As for this week’s comic, I’m working on it. It’s a single-panel strip. But there’s a lot of action and detail I need to build into it, so it’s taking longer.
I’ll be glad when it’s done, though. Because it means I can stop adding fire and smoke effects to everything. That stuff takes a long time!
Thanks again to Wilson for the great guest comic and tiding everyone over with teh funniez. I appreciate it!
See you all soon!
[ 2 Comments ]
