Posts Tagged ‘swearing’
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I don’t know what it is about bad timing that I find so hilarious, but here’s another example for you.
What I find ironic about punch lines like this is how difficult it is to sometimes pull off a visual gag… in a visual medium. Especially when I don’t have complete faith in my abilities.
It’s really a catch 22. I become paranoid that what I’ve drawn won’t communicate with my intentions, but on the other hand, if I sit here and explain it to you, it ruins the joke.
I guess I shouldn’t dwell on it. After all, I usually get comments in the THorum like “I love so-and-so’s expression in panel three.” I didn’t even know I was capable of drawing expressions!..
By the way, if you want to see the aftermath of Jimmy and Charlie’s little run-in, vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix.
I know after reading today’s comic (the 22nd installment of a story arc that began here) some of you would try to ensnare me with a reference to this comic – the one where Jimmy explains how he doesn’t check the women’s restroom.
First of all, thank you. This means you’ve been paying attention.
Second of all, this reversal of status says less about Jimmy’s previous unwillingness and more about my need to tell a more economical storyline. Besides, if Jimmy thought someone was in trouble, OF COURSE he would come to their aid. Because that’s just the kind of stand up guy he is.
I’m over-explaining it again, aren’t I?
Hey, before I forget, be sure to place your bids on the little art auction I have going on. It ends this Friday. I’m hoping to take the profits from its sale to help pay my way to the Kansas City Planet Comicon comic book convention April 2-3. If you want to help me out and get some cool original artwork in the process… well, it’s a match made in heaven.
Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade went to Planet Comicon a few years ago. I decided to make the three hour drive from West Des Moines to Kansas City to meet them. Theater Hopper maybe had… 30 strips at the time? So I didn’t have a lot to say to them besides “Buh… guh… I like your comic. You inspired me to start my own.” Frankly, they probably get that a lot. They’ve probably stopped checking the links of sites that have cropped up in their wake.
But I guess I’ve talked to Tycho a few times since then over e-mail and he’s very generous. Not to sound like a fan-boy kiss up, but it’s very validating to exchange thoughts of an individual who was one of the crystallizing forces behind the popularity of your medium.
Anyway, Gabe and Tycho played Kansas City two years ago, so I thought it was worth it to make my own appearance.
Of course, they FLEW from Seattle to Kansas City. I’ll be driving. But why split hairs?…
That’s about it for now. Bye!
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I think it has become Billy Bob Thorton’s goal in life to take only acting roles where he gets to swear at children.
Why not? He’s kind of cultivated this skeezer persona off-screen? What with the Angelina Jolie, blood in a vial around the neck antics.
Or maybe Angelina was just a bad influence. Who can say?
I’m giving Billy Bob some crap, but actually, I’m very fond of him as an actor. By-in-large, I think he does good work. But you can’t deny the comparisons in his performance as the beer-guzzlin’ Morris Buttermaker (made famous by Walter Matthau in the original Bad News Bears) to his performance as Willie in Bad Santa.
Well, except maybe he plays Buttermaker a little less angry. But still, things don’t bode well when both movies share the same screenwriters in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. So, in that way, they’re not just remaking one movie, but two at the same time! How’s that for Hollywood efficiency?!
I really have no interest in seeing this version. From the reviews I’ve read, director Richard Linklater copied from the source material almost to the letter. Everything from the girl pitcher with the killer arm to a foul-mouthed runt on the team. Except this time, now there’s a kid in a wheelchair.
Or is there a book version of The Bad News Bears that I haven’t read and the wheelchair kid was in there? Can never be too sure these days! Hate to be called out for my ignorance!
At any rate, I’m just hoping Linklater’s quasi-animated take on Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly turns out better when it’s released next year. I was in awe of Waking Life, and the same rotoscoping animation techniques will be used here as well.
But who knows. Most Phillip K. Dick adaptations often don’t survive the translation to screen. And since Keanu Reeves is in both this movie and another Phillip K. Dick box office dud – Johnny Mnemonic – my attitude is “wait and see.”
Did you enjoy that little tangent I took you on? I hope so, because now I am tired and need to stop blogging.
Talk to you soon.
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Horton Hears A Who was number one at the box office this weekend with over $45 million in earnings. That’s fairly substantial, but no entirely a surprise. Kids rule the box office. Parents will take then to see anything.
I’m kind of non-plused about the whole affair for reasons outlined in the comic. I recognize that Horton Hears A Who is getting good reviews, but there are just as many bad reviews and I feel like I’ve been burned before. I thought the live-action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas was grotesque and the live-action version of The Cat in the Hat completely glossed over what made the book so endearing by adding it’s own unneeded elements. I suppose you can give a tip of the hat to Horton for avoiding the temptation of live-action. I’ll admit that the CG looks good. But isn’t there some kind of emo-kid that lives in Whoville? I could have swore I saw one in the trailer. Is this what Ted Geisel had in mind?
I realize that after a certain point and author’s creation is taken out of his hands and adapted to fit the sensibilities of a modern audience. Clearly all great tales do this. Their themes may be universal, but the details are tweaked to make them modern.
At the same time, the inventive mind of Dr. Suess was so completely beyond timeless, I think any attempt to anchor it to modern sensibilities is a mistake. You should breathe life into what was on the page but not give people cell phones, or whatever. I think that’s why the Chuck Jones’s animated version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas endures year after year after year. They didn’t see a need to embellish it. The story was perfect as it was.
Quibbles, I’m sure. I doubt anyone is losing sleep over my concerns. I know there are no longer any sacred cows. But, for me, Dr. Suess is deeply entrenched in my childhood memories and those books played a major influence in my life. If you’re going to adapt them for the screen, stay faithful to them so the next generation can be equally inspired.
Just my two cents.
Be sure to tune in to The Triple Feature podcast this evening where we’ll be talking about Horton Hears A Who and its diametrical opposite, Doomsday. The show starts at 9:00 PM CST over at Talkshoe.com. Just follow this link to be taken there 15 minutes before the show starts.
See you there!
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M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie The Happening is coming out today (Friday the 13th! Ooo! Spooky!) but you wouldn’t really know it since it’s staring down the green goliath known as The Incredible Hulk.
Where as Made of Honor might have been a clever bit of counter programming when Iron Man hit theaters in early May (to the tune of a $15 million opening weekend), I don’t know anyone who is all that conflicted about making The Happening their second choice in their weekend activities.
Personally, I’ve had it out for this movie since I heard the title of it. I mean, The Happening? You might as well call it “Something Happens” or “Plot Progession – The Movie.” The Happening? Can Shyamalan not predict the torrent of terrible headlines if this movie tanks – i.e. “The Happening – Isn’t.” Yuk! Yuk! Yuk!
A league of uninventive critics thanks you, Mr. Shyamalan.
There’s been a lot of talk about Shyamalan’s career being on the line with this movie. I don’t know if The Happening is really all that make-or-break for him, but he’s certainly not the wunderkind we all thought he was when The Sixth Sense came out almost a decade ago.
Morea and more, people are looking for the infamous Shyamalan twist ending. He’s painted himself into a corner with it, to a degree. Because if there isn’t some big awe-inspiring twist, people feel cheated. If there is a twist, audiences spend the whole time trying to spot it before the big reveal.
Personally, I think Shyamalan needs to step outside of himself and try adapting someone else’s material for a change. So far, all of his movies have been written by him. And don’t forget those clever cameos he give himself in every movie! I wouldn’t find it so narcissistic is Shyamalan didn’t believe his own hype. Famously, after the success of The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan declared himself the next Hitchcock with the visual flair of Spielberg. One could probably chalk a dunderheaded statement like that to youthful inexperience. Except he seems to be immune to the progressive decline of his film’s box office success. It’s not humbled him at all. Time to shake things up.
Incidentally, have you seen the commercials touting The Happening as Shyamalan’s FIRST “R” rated movie? As I illustrated in the comic, I have no idea why this is a selling point and they’ve really been pushing it hard. The red band trailer was certainly more graphic than I expected, but I don’t anticipate the film being a series of hangings, neck punctures and old men laying down in front of riding lawn mowers. If anything, that red band trailer is probably the “greatest hits” in the movie. The rest of it will be lingering shots of Mark Wahlberg looking confused.
Time will tell if The Happening will give Shyamalan’s career a lift. Early reviews appear encouraging. But for me, it’s a pass.
By the way, I went to a midnight showing of The Incredible Hulk last night. I didn’t get into bed until 2:30 in the morning and I’m dragging now. But as for the movie – it’s pretty good! I had read some reviews that said it was as good as Iron Man. I wouldn’t go that far. Iron Man had the good fortune of a bouncy and pithy Robert Downey Jr. so the dialogue had a lot more pop and swagger. There are LONG periods of time in The Incredible Hulk where no one says nuthin’!
Of course, if you are worried the movie will suck like the Ang Lee original, we’re in safe territory there. The movie features three great action sequences with the Hulk in full play and he shows up a lot earlier in this one than he does in the first movie. Director Louis Leterrier was smart to progressively show more and more of the Hulk and what he can do as the movie goes on.
The CG is good and the climatic battle at the end was expertly staged, but it felt like a cheat to have it take place at night. It obscured some of the action. Jeffery Wells had a good line about that last sequence although he called the fight “boring.” Said Wells, “Heavy-duty fights between powerful monsters are completely boring unless one of the combatants has some kind of advantage over the other. It’s like watching a battle of bad heavy-metal bands.”
But I happen to know that some people really, really like bad heavy metal bands. And if you do, you’re going to LOVE The Incredible Hulk.
That about does it for me. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll see you here on Monday!
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So first things first… About Friday’s comic.
I know, I know. I totally dropped the ball and I feel terrible about it. Basically, I had a conflict at work with a last minute project that soaked up all of my time Thursday and Friday that prevented me from getting a comic online. But the time I had any free time left, it was practically Saturday and I thought I was just better off shelving the comic until today. I should have been in closer communication with you guys and I’m sorry.
If you’ve been following Theater Hopper for any length of time, you know I take this kind of thing pretty seriously. I’m not one of those guys who is going to flake out on your an update “whenever I get around to it.” I treat this gig seriously and I take it as a serious commitment.
With that said, let’s talk about today’s comic.
I might be getting myself in trouble again trying to tackle racial content (even after apologizing for making lame attempts in the past). But I don’t think I’m picking up on anything outlined in the plot synopsis of Lakeview Terrace that the producers of the film didn’t want us to discuss. They pretty much announce it in the trailer when Patrick Wilson’s uptight white neighbor character talks to his lawyer about what he can do to protect his family from the increasingly aggressive neighbor played by Samuel L. Jackson.
“There’s not much you can do,” says the lawyer. “Plus, he has the color issue on his side. And that color… happens to be… BLUE!”
*GASP!* He’s a cop!
The fact of the matter is, this movie would lose half of it’s steam if the cop played by Jackson were of any other ethnicity BUT black. If it was an Asian actor in the role, it would have been just another lame home-invasion thriller.
I’m not saying that the race card being thrown into the mix makes the movie better. I’m just saying… “Buyer Beware.” This film was directed by Neil LaBute who – as a screenwriter – never found a painful social hypocrisy he didn’t feel like shining a great big spotlight on. If you’ve seen In The Company of Men, you know what I’m talking about.
Some people might find LaBute’s predilection for highlighting these issues commendable. I find them exploitative. Not that I expect LaBute to spoon feed us any kind of resolution, but his movies have a habit of parading the most ugly aspects of human beings in front of us and he lets them sit there for us to make a judgment about them. I think the passivity he displaces toward these characters reflects a greater indifference to their attitudes and behavior, which is just as much of an endorsement as anything else. To put it another way, “If you don’t condemn it, you must endorse it.”
Maybe I take LaBute’s work a little too personally because of how uncomfortable it makes me feel. Again, one could argue that his tactics are working. Because what would I have to feel uncomfortable about otherwise?
But I counter that I think his work is not there to evolve any level of discourse. I think his work exists to provoke. I think his work represents a need to hide something ugly within himself, so he uses characters with far more vile traits to hide behind.
Just my two cents. For what it’s worth.
We’ll likely get into these discussions and more at 9:00 PM CST during our weekly recording of The Triple Feature podcast – which you can now access through http://www.thetriplefeature.com
Keep in mind that we are also accepting questions from listeners about anything and everything. You can send us questions about this week’s movies, films we’re looking forward to or even questions about our comics. Send your inquiries to group@thetriplefeature.com and we’ll do our best to answer them on-air.
That does it for me! Thanks again for your patience this week and come back to the site later today for an important announcement regarding the donation drive!
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For the record, neither one of my grandmothers has an opinion about Barack Obama as President. They’re both dead.
I don’t mean to disparage their memory by being so blunt about it. But I wanted to clarify that I don’t actually have a racist grandmother. Sometimes the comic weaves in and out of autobiographical elements and this is one of those cases where it’s just a joke.
Incidentally, if either of them were alive, I don’t think they would upset about an African American President.
I’m kind of getting into a bad habit where I’m referencing videos in the blog post to help sell the jokes in the comic. But for your own edification, you need to see the red band trailer for the Paul Bettany angels-gone-rogue action film Legion.
WARNING: The language is a little salty and not safe for work.
Watching this trailer reminds me of cheesy action movies from the 80s. I don’t know if it’s the remote desert diner location, but I was immediately reminded of Maximum Overdrive when I first saw this. Also, the music is vaguely reminiscent of the first Terminator to me.
Am I the only one seeing this?
Maybe it’s the abundance of guns. Dennis Quaid’s character actually calls Paul Bettany’s character “Rambo” at one point. But, yeah… The end of the world? God’s army of angels? What does this movie need?… I know! GUNS AND EXPLOSIONS!!
Even though the stringy albino frame of Paul Bettany would be the last one I would run to for protection in the Apocalypse, I believe his detached British charm and dry delivery are the only things lending credibility to this film. It’s almost if he’s communicating “Look, I know this movie is crap, but I’m going to take it seriously.” You have to respect his conviction. Never in my life did I think I would write “Paul Bettany” and “action star” anywhere in the same paragraph.
What do you guys think of Legion? Cheesy fun or bloated action cliches with a Biblical theme? Is Paul Bettany credible as an action star? Also, does anyone have a racist grandmother they want to talk about?
KIDDING! JUST KIDDING ON THAT LAST ONE!
But seriously, leave your comments about Legion below.
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I’m not as blasé about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as I present myself in today’s comic. Actually, I’m kind of excited to see it. Cami is, too. Although, admittedly, I’m not excited for the reasons I’m probably supposed to be excited.
I guess I will say – at this point – Johnny Depp’s Keith Richards impression has worn a little thin on me.
I totally recognize that Depp has created an iconic film character – one that will be imitated (poorly) at Halloween parties for years to come. But that doesn’t mean I find it either as cute or charming as I once did.
Truthfully, the big draw for me is Ian McShane as Blackbeard. I’ve heard his role in the film is not pronounced, which is a shame. I mean, the man practically looks like a pirate by default. And he makes a great villain. Actually, he makes a great protagonist, too. He’s just great, okay!
Someone has got to fill the void Sean Connery left behind and I nominate McShane. Done! Written! One for the books!
The one thing the Pirates of the Caribbean movie have been exceptional about is characterization. Capt. Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, Davy Jones… even Norrington. Great characters, each.
Of course, leave Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner out of the equation – which the fourth movie thankfully does – because they bore me to tears. I’m sure they have their fans. I’m just not one of them.
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies also have great production design. Amazing richness in detail – a stylized world I can believe in, a place I want to spend two hours in.
If the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have any failing is that they tried too hard to force continuity on the audience with the last two movies. They tried so hard to manufacture an epic legend, it ended up smothering the proceedings.
Of course it didn’t help that At World’s End devolved into a swirling cauldron of nonsensical special effects at the end. You could almost see Gore Verbinski looking at the dailies near the end and saying “I don’t know what the hell is going on anymore! THROW MORE MONEY AT IT!”
To that end, I’m glad that On Stranger Tides is more of a self-contained story. My hope is that it will recapture some of the pep of the first movie because the last two were completely exhausting to sit through!
With luck, Cami and I will be able to sneak out of the house sometime this week to check things out.
What about you? Have you already seen it? Also, why hasn’t the trailer for the new Muppet movie shown up online, yet? I demand answers!
Please feel free to leave your comments below!
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