Posts Tagged ‘Shia LaBeouf’
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Sep17
GUEST STRIP – RYAN ESTRADA
September 17th, 2008 |- Comics »
- Comics »
- Guest Strip
(7 votes, average: 6.71 out of 10)
Do not adjust the internet. Ryan Estrada has taken over. Your regularly scheduled Theater Hopper will resume on Friday.
Hat’s off to Ryan Estrada and his wholesale hijacking of this comic and every other. I always get a kick out of seeing Ryan make his mark in this way and am more than happy to play along. Hey, it gives a night off!
So what have I been doing with my night off? Well, I was watching Speed Racer, which came out on DVD yesterday (expect a full review in the near future). I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t see this in the theater because I’m now a big fan of the visual style. But you know how it goes… They bungled the advertising on this thing – couldn’t decide if it was supposed to be a blockbuster or a kid’s movie (for the record, it’s for kids). Plus, The Wachowski’s kind of pissed away their cred after the third Matrix movie.
But, yeah… the movie is a visual feast.
Then again, I’m only half way through it… which was actually going to be my next complaint. For a movie that’s supposed to be all about speed, it’s ponderously slow with it’s pacing. So we’ll see how the second act turns out. I don’t want to give up too much of my review just yet!
Short and sweet today, guys. That’s all I have for you. I’ll see you here on Friday with a brand new comic!
Have a great day!
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Sep24
I’m kind of over my Shia hate. At least for right now I am. I dunno. Eagle Eye doesn’t look like the kind of movie I need to get worked up about. I liked it much better when it was Enemy of the State. No, scratch that. I think it was better when it was called The Game.
Talk to me next summer when Transformers 2 comes out.
I might end up seeing Eagle Eye this weekend, though. But only if Choke doesn’t end up in a theater near me. I’d much rather see that. As far as Eagle Eye is concerned, I’m down for seeing any movie that doesn’t have the where-with-all to pull a trailer featuring a vehicle doing a jack knife through an intersection after LaBeouf’s last run in with the law. Way to brush that little episode out of the corners of our collective memory bank, Dreamworks marketing department!
But hey, Shia’s stubble is starting to look really nice. A little less Trash ‘Stach for this outing, eh, Shia?
Besides, you’ve got to love a movie that uses the line “They’re hacking into the POWER GRID!”
Uh-huh. Sure they are.
Oh, golly. Would you look at that? Here I am talking about how I’m off the Shia Hate Train and all it takes is a couple of scratches to find it bubbling below the surface. What a hypocrite I am.
Oh, well. Gotta pack it in for now. I have a big presentation about Limited-Effects Theory for my Mass Communications course this evening. So I’m kind of distracted thinking about that – hoping I don’t blow the introduction. Wish me luck and be sure to come back to the site tomorrow for a review of Sex and the City, recently released on DVD. I’m switching it up for this one. I’ll be interviewing Cami and asking her what she thought of the film! So something unique for your Thursday!
Stay tuned!
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I was up late Sunday night working on today’s comic and right now I’m at home watching Henry as he’s now going to day care three times a week.
As such, I’m going to need a little bit of sleep before I dive into the blog post that will accompany this strip. I have a couple of important things to talk about and I want to be sure I have my ducks in a row mentally before I proceed.
You can expect an update to the site in the afternoon while Henry is down for his nap and I can dedicate a little concentration to what I need to say.
In the meantime, please enjoy this interview of Shia LaBeouf from last Friday’s Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Apparently, Shia was being paid each time he used the word “outrageous” because I counted 6 times his vocabulary made employ of the word.
Then again, I probably shouldn’t be surprised considering how fond he is of repeating certain words.
Enjoy. It’s outrageous!
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No incentive sketch today, guys. I’m running WAY behind and I wanted to get the comic up and running first without messing around with a sketch.
Sorry that the comic is so late. To explain myself, I offer these pictures:
It’s a huge, 12 foot long triptych that I painted for our family room that I completed and hung last night.
Of course, like an idiot, I was working for about 4 hours in my garage painting the last panel with a heat index of 110 outside. By the time I was done hanging it up, my back was killing me and I was completely drained. So I decided to take advantage of my unemployment situation, sack out early and get up in the morning to finish the comic.
So, again, sorry for the delay.
This painting is something I’ve been “working” on since January, but could never really find the time to complete until I got 8 hours back during my day a few weeks ago. It’s the perfect solution for our family room, which is ridiculously long and impossible to decorate. We’ve spent years trying to find the right configuration and I think we finally have the room the way we want it. The triptych anchors a very long and very blank wall and I know that Cami is over the moon about it.
In fact, this morning, when Henry came downstairs for breakfast, he noticed the painting right away and said “I like your paintings, Daddy.” So I think I did okay.
As for the “let’s make Shia a bad-ass conspiracy,” obviously it doesn’t hold water. But he was really on a bender this time last year, getting arrested at a Walgreen’s and kind of flirting with the law. I always kept the idea tucked away in the most cynical corner of my brain that it was all orchestrated on purpose to distance LaBeouf from his Disney past. But, again, I’m just playing it up for laughs.
I mean, smashing someone’s hand with a hammer? Funny, right?! I’m chuckling about it even now. Thank you, Tom & Jerry cartoons for warping my sense of humor.
Not much else to talk about today except that I’m off to see a 12:00 PM showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Once again, taking advantage of the unemployment situation. But don’t worry. I’m also looking for jobs during this downtime as well.
I just figured that since my hopes weren’t all that high for Transformers, it would be better for me to see it during a matinee rather than try to fight the crowds on Friday. Why make an unpleasant situation more unpleasant, right?
Originally, I was going to go to the theater that’s 5 minutes from my house. But as I was looking up show times, I saw the movie is also playing at the only IMAX theater in central Iowa. So, despite my reservations, I think I’m going to drive the extra 20 minutes in the car and shell out the extra three bucks at the ticket counter to see it on the big, big, big screen. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Anyone else planning on seeing the show in IMAX? What are your expectations for the movie? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Oh, and thanks for being patient with me today!…
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First I just want to say thanks to everyone who wrote a comment or sent an e-mail expressing support or concern after I shared the story of my hand injury last week. I’ve always maintained that Theater Hopper fans are some of the most courteous, supportive and understanding fans in all webcomics and your words encouraged me to get back on the horse that much faster.
That said, a few of you were teasing me a little bit when it came to my hand injury being similar to that of Shia LaBeouf’s while he was filming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A bit of karma played against me for giving the actor such a hard time in the past.
It’s cool, it’s cool. While my injury was nowhere near as serious as LaBeouf’s, turnabout is fair play, I suppose. I gotta give LaBeouf credit, though. He showed up for work with his injury. I don’t know if I would have done the same.
Then again, if a $200 million action sequel were resting on my shoulders and Michael Bay could provide a kevlar cast that looked like skin, I’d probably find the proper motivation to go back to work.
A few of you suggested that I write my injury into the comic. While I recognized that it would be therapeutic to do so, I wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. Then I got an e-mail from one CP Newcombe who gave me a nugget of a great idea. Immediately upon reading it, I could think of at least five different directions to take the storyline. So you have CP to thank for this next little story arc that not only bring Shia LaBeouf back into the Theater Hopper, but another long-lost character once thought dead. Who could it be? You have to wait to find out!
I things that are not hand-related, Cami and I saw Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince over the weekend. Cami didn’t like it because she felt the film took too many liberties with the book and was hard to follow. She recognizes that certain changes had to be made to adapt the book to the screen, but was ultimately disappointing.
I, on the other hand, was perfectly happy with the movie and I attribute much of that to the fact that I’ve never read a single Harry Potter book.
I tried reading the first book before the first movie came out, but I found Rowling’s use of language too impenetrable and annoying to bother to continue. It’s all the made up words. They distracted me.
So, as a result, my exposure to Harry Potter has occurred exclusively in the domain of film. Aside from the fourth movie (which I thought was horrid), I’ve enjoyed them all so far.
I suppose now that I’ve had some time to get away from the movie a little bit, there were some things about The Half-Blood Prince that bothered me. Certain revelations that should have a large impact simply don’t shock the way they should and there’s a little too much hemming and hawing over the multiple romantic subplots to keep the tension going.
Something I’ve noticed about the last few films is that their visual tone has become darker and darker, but the plot elements don’t always match up to this. Things should be getting deadlier and more serious for Harry, but the films seem to force this balance with the light stuff which then feels out of place.
I know Joe had some pretty strong opinions on the movie, so I’m sure we’ll debate these issues and more on tonight’s episode of The Triple Feature. I strongly encourage you to listen live at 9:00 PM CST. You can participate in the chat field with the other listeners and we always have a lot of fun. Plus, you get to the listen to the behind-the-scenes stuff before and after we record the show. I’ve been told by some it’s the sole reason they listen to the live broadcast.
Hope you can fit us in tonight and that everyone has a great week. Thanks again for all your support and I’ll talk to you soon!
[ 8 Comments ]
Sorry, guys. Today’s blog post is very short. I was up late last night working on the comic and had to be out the door early to go have my car worked on.
In the meantime, here’s a link to the comic where Jared – not Tom – smashed Shia LaBeouf’s hand with a hammer.
Also, if you’re somewhat new to the strip (or simply don’t remember the character) start here to get acquainted with David. He was introduced and killed off rather quickly. So if his appearance doesn’t ring any bells, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Beyond that, trust that this storyline is actually going somewhere and I might be back later in the day with some more updates.
Cheers!
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I knew at some point I wanted Tom’s fantastic story to be uncovered as a lie. In terms of bringing David “back,” it was really the best of both worlds. I got to dust off an old character without actually keeping him in continuity.
It was also a great way to cover any gaps in logic there might be. People asked pretty early on how Shia could possibly mistake Tom for Jared when they’ve never even met. Frankly, I never thought that was something that would come up. I should have my characters lie more often! It’s the perfect catch-all solution!
I realize that the punchline to today’s comic is kind of “hur-hur,” but the great thing about it is that it was something literally said by real-life Jared after I posted to my Facebook page about my adventures in the ER. At the time, I kind of groaned at the pun. But now I appreciate it for what it is. Thanks, good buddy!
Not much else for me to talk about today except if you’re trying to find Monday’s recording of The Triple Feature, we had to scrap the show. Joe had to back out for personal reasons and that left us at a disadvantage. Joe and Gordon were going to talk about 500 Days of Summer but I haven’t seen it yet because it doesn’t come out in theaters here until Friday. No offense to Gordon, but it would be kind of a boring show if he was the only one talking about the movie (and I think he’d be the first to agree with me on that point.)
The other thing I’ll mention is that my good friend Zach Miller from Joe and Monkey found the floor map for Chicago Comic Con so now you’ll know where to find us on Artist Alley. Zach and I will be sharing table #3414 and we’ll be standing right next to our friend Joe Dunn and the rest of the Digital Pimp Crew at table #3416.
If you’d like to view the map, you can do so here.
Chicago Comic Con is being held at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL August 6 – 9. If you’re in the area, please stop by our booth. It would be a thrill to meet you and I’m giving out free buttons!
Until then, stay frosty!
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I kind of got more than I bargained for with this little arc about my hand injury, Tom’s grand lie and whatnot. I really didn’t expect it to last two weeks, but I’m very satisfied with the conclusion. I hope you are, too.
Incidentally, if the last panel of today’s comic looks a little familiar, that was intentional. I parodied my own work – Jared’s first encounter with Shia LaBeouf – which you can find here. Ah, memories… Memories and poorly drawn caricatures of Harrison Ford.
Not much else to mention today. Cami is going out of town this weekend with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law so I’m on full-time Henry duty starting today. I’m trying to think of things we can do that will keep him away from television. He’s become very demanding as of late. His hunger for Wow Wow Wubzy and Go, Diego Go know no bounds.
Depending on the weather we might hit up a local wading pool or maybe the zoo. But if it’s not warm enough or if it rains, we’ll be trapped in the house. I don’t know if I have enough Play-Doh to last us the entire weekend.
From a movie standpoint, it’s kind of bad timing that Cami is leaving town. 500 Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker and Funny People all open here today. I don’t know if we’ll have any time to see them together before I leave for Chicago Comic Con on Thursday.
G.I. Joe opens August 7 and will probably be the movie Zach, Gordon, the Digital Pimp crew and I end up seeing (as is our annual tradition). So I don’t know when I’m going to get caught up on the others.
Oh, well. More important things to worry about at the moment. Now where did I leave that Play-Doh?…
Have a great weekend, everyone!
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Hey, guys. Sorry for the late comic. This is the second deadline in two weeks that I’ve missed and I am NOT PLEASED with myself. Part of doing the comic once a week was to help take the burden of production off my shoulders. It hasn’t worked out that way.
Please understand, however, that these are unusual circumstances. Right now, my life is a maelstrom of activity with a dollop of crazy on top. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that we recently closed on our new home and will be moving on Wednesday. Why I even attempted a comic this weekend is kind of beyond me, especially considering I had a weekend class for my Masters degree on Friday and Saturday. Shoot me?
I’m still not 100% certain that I will be able to bring you a comic NEXT Sunday because I’m not too sure how long it’s going to take to set up the rest of the house once we get there. Obviously the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen are first. After that, I don’t know what comes next. I imagine the office falls somewhere in the middle of the priority list.
So I guess you can take that admission as an opportunity to submit a guest comic if you like? I haven’t really reached out to anyone about it, but I would happily run one or two in order to give me a little breathing room. I would think – at the latest – I would be able to provide you with a new comic by Wednesday. Let’s just play it by ear. If you have a guest comic for me, you can send it to theaterhopper@hotmail.com, okay? Thanks!
Truthfully, this move couldn’t have come at a worse time. Between Ben Affleck’s The Town being number one at the box office last weekend and Shia LaBeouf’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps coming out THIS weekend, it’s like the perfect storm for me.
In days of yore, this would have been a PERFECT jumping off point for a new storyline that I could have stretched into a 6-comic arc easily. But, now, updating once a week has kind of left me neutered. If I weren’t moving to a new house, I totally would have bucked the system and cranked out a bunch of new comics for you guys.
I don’t know. We’ll see. This confluence of events has given me lots of great ideas. It’s the perfect opportunity to shake off the late-summer doldrums. We’ll see if I can’t play a little catch-up once things settle down.
Frankly, I was so excited by this Affleck/LaBeouf box office sandwich, that I couldn’t decide what to do at first. That’s why I want to extend a tip of the hat to Mike Brinkman who gave me the EXCELLENT idea on Facebook to have Affleck and LaBeouf LITERALLY face off before throwing a certain cardboard Avenger into the mix…
Mike’s original idea was to have “Tom swoop in, in his Iron Man costume and kick the crap out of both of them,” which was good. But it ignored Jared’s mutual dislike for both actors. So I made a last minute switch. Y’know, for continuity’s sake. But thanks to Mike for getting the ball rolling when I’m under so much stress.
Last thing I’ll mention, the movie sale that was going on in the Theater Hopper store has been concluded. The store has currently been disabled to allow me to catch up on orders and reset prices.
If you have an outstanding order, it will most likely be sent out next week. I tried to get as many of them out the door as possible before packing up, but life gets in the way. But you’ll get your orders soon, I promise.
I have to take a moment to thank EVERYONE who either purchased or helped promote the sale. The response was phenomenal and it really helped me to get rid of a lot of merchandise that was weighing me down. I still have a lot of inventory left over (and it’s very, very heavy) but we’re better off now than where we were before.
When the store returns, there will be a few new options – including Artist Editions of each of the three books and a few bundling options to help you save a few extra bucks on pre-packaged items. The holiday season isn’t far away! So if you’re looking for a unique gift in the coming months, keep us in mind.
Once again, thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy your books and t-shirts!
So, let’s stop talking about me for a minute and let’s talk about you. Did anyone see The Town this weekend? What did you think? I heard it was a serviceable crime thriller, but not better than Affleck’s previous directorial outing Gone Baby Gone.
Did anyone see Easy A? Cami was asking me if we could see that movie this weekend, but there was no way we were getting out of the house. I was kind of surprised that it was on her radar. Talking to a few female friends, they seemed very interested in the film as well. Personally, I’m a huge Emma Stone fan. I think she’s whip-smart and hot as hell. Her talent seems very effortless.
Easy A almost took down The Town for the top spot at the box office this weekend, so there must be something to it. If you saw it, leave your comments below!
Thanks again for everyone’s patience. I hope to be up to full-strength soon! Remember, if you have a guest comic you’d like to share, feel free to send it to theaterhopper@hotmail.com!
LATER!
[ 6 Comments ]
So as you may have heard, Shia LaBeouf got in a bar fight over the weekend. I read the headline in my Twitter feed on Sunday and immediately said “Well, there’s my comic for Monday!”
Yeah, yeah. I know it’s Tuesday. Sorry about that. I had the comic drawn and inked Sunady night, but my eyes were giving me trouble. They wouldn’t stop watering, so I had to call it early. Better late than never, right?
At any rate, LaBeouf got in a bar fight with a guy that was laughing at him and called him a gay slur. He got in the guy’s face, tried to take a swing at him and got popped in the lip. Cops showed up, cuffed both combatants but let them go when neither of them wanted to press charges.
I don’t particularly care to rake LaBeouf over the coals for the altercation. But it does stand as evidence toward every negative impression I have of the guy. The level of insecurity on this guy must be pretty high if he immediately feels the need to get in a fight because some random dude insults his masculinity. Also, I doubt LaBeouf would have been so tough if he weren’t being backup with with the dozen or so friends he brought with him that night.
I guess what I find most befuddling is why LaBeouf is hanging out in bars when he’s an admitted alcoholic?
Then again, that never stopped Charlie Sheen.
Oh, well. Just another night on the town in Young Hollywood, I suppose. He has his fun and I have mind.
Tell you what, Shia, just to make it up to you, how about I share the Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Super Bowl spot with everyone. Looks like another signature Michael Bay explode-o-thon to me. I caught the commercial during the game on Sunday and really couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It doesn’t tease anything. It doesn’t tell you much at all. It basically tells you, “Hey, this movie exists.” Oh, and “BOOOOOOOM!”
But you can make your own decisions…
So, what did you think? Why not leave your comments below? Oh, and don’t forget to keep your eye on the Bonus Materials blog for more reactions to some of the Super Bowl trailers that came out this weekend. It should be a good time.
Not a fun as a bar fight, but still a good time.
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