Posts Tagged ‘transvestite’
2 items.
I’m trying to paint a picture here. The nerd judicial system is not somewhere you want to end up. The rules are harsh and Byzantine in their arrangements. If you think the nerd police are going to protect you from a random, Xena-inspired beatdown, you’re sorely mistaken, my friend.
The site redesign is pretty much cemented in place and I’ve anchored the store in place. We have TONS of t-shirts available for pre-sale until May 16. Baby doll tees and hoodies, too. Please place your orders now to assure delivery. Drop some of our new 1″ buttons into your shopping cart while you’re at it.
I wrote up a couple of paragraphs explaining the new direction of the store front and its renewed focus on customer service in yesterday’s blog. If you haven’t read it, you might want to scan over it quick so we’re all on the same page.
Something I didn’t mention yesterday was my new commissioned artwork service. If you have something you’d like me to draw for you, I’m game. Read all about what kinds of illustration and designs I can provide as well as check out a couple of samples here.
Because I’m promoting different aspects of the site like crazy, don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list over there on the right. Be the first to know all the latest information, site changes, convention appearances and whatnot. I’ll also be offering merchandise and advertising discounts for mailing list members down the road.
Speaking of conventions, I just added a new information to the page detailing my appearance at Wizard World Chicago August 5-7. You can get all the details about that here.
And lastly, it’s Friday, so that can only mean one thing: The Friday Five. It’s a little even we host every week in the THorum. We ask 5 questions, you answer them. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to the community as well as get to know other members. Sign up today and join in the fun.
More movie stuff later if I think about it. I feel kind of bad that I haven’t offered any new commentary lately. But it’s pretty late right now, so I think I’m going to bed.
[ No Comments ]
I know I kind of covered a little ground already in regards to Semi-Pro, but I decided to revisit that territory after having the chance to sit down and watch the film over the weekend.
How was it? In a word – “terrible.”
You have no idea what the weight of that lone word means coming out of my mouth. I’m a huge Will Ferrell fan. How huge? How about “A Night at the Roxbury wasn’t that bad” huge? I’m willing to forgive a lot when it comes to Ferrell’s misfires.
I’ve never been able to fully explain what it is about Ferrell I find so interesting. I think the majority of it has to do with his delivery. Just the way he’ll put emphasis on a certain word in a sentance hit me just right.
For example, there’s a scene in the trailer where a woman suspiciously asks Ferrell’s minor-league basketball lethario Jackie Moon if he’s ever been to an orgy…
“I just GOT BACK from an orgy!” he responds, incredulously.
On paper… not funny. But Ferrell makes it funny.
Incidentally, that scene is nowhere NEAR the final cut of the movie. Actually, there are a lot of scenes in the trailer that aren’t in the movie. The thing is, even if you tossed them back in, I don’t think it would have made a lick of difference.
That’s the problem with this train wreck – it has no direction from an editorial standpoint. So the jokes that are mixed in to the plot have no anchor to the events happening inside said plot. Everything feels very random or loosely tethered together at best. You could have swapped out any of those missing scenes from the trailers with the final cut and not gained anything.
If you’re unaware, Semi-Pro is about a minor-league 1970’s basketball team – the Flint, Michigan Tropics – who have a chance to be absorbed into the NBA after a franchise merger. They’re lead by owner / coach / power-forward Jackie Moon, who cami into posession of the team with the earnings of his #1 hit single “Love Me Sexy” – which really only exists to give Ferrell the opportunity to sing a goofy disco-era sex ballad. It works. The song is damn catchy.
The movie does a good job establishing Moon and a tireless, inventive and somewhat reckless promoter who will do anything for his team. But when shallow stunts fail to draw in the crowds Moon needs to be considered for the merger, he brings in former NBA Champion Ed Monix, played by Woody Harrelson. And it’s at this point that the movie comes completely off the rails.
Narratively, it wouldn’t be interesting to watch an entire movie of endless promotional schemes cooked up by Ferrell’s character. Actual basketball has to come into play. So Harrelson as Monix attempts to whip the team into shape in order to win a few games. Traded for a washing machine, the real reason he accepted the gig is to be closer to a former flame played by Maura Tierney who happens to be dating Monix’s biggest fan played by Rob Corddry.
These are all distraction that subtract focus away from Ferrell. Not that Ferrell can’t be an effective ensemble player. His tenure on Saturday Night Live and his apperances in Anchorman and Old School prove that.
The problem is that you have two divergent storylines going on. Monix’s attempt to rekindle his relationship has nothing to do with the Tropics winning “the big game” or anything else, for that matter. What’s worse is that Harrelson appears to be playing the role completely straight. We’ve al seen what Harrelson can do in a movie like Kingpin. It’s a shame he didn’t bring a little more of that to the table.
Someone who also plays it straight is Andrew Daly, who plays the Tropics play-by-play commentator – and he gets more laughs doing it. In fact, I’d say he stole the picture right out from under everyone else. No small feat considering the level of (supposed) comedic talent available in this movie.
Semi-Pro ranks as one of Ferrell’s worst. It’s right up there with Kicking and Screaming and Bewitched, if you ask me. What makes it that much more of a dissapointment is the potential lost. Considering this film seems to mix the two obscure genre’s Ferrell has mined some of his best gags from – 70’s kitched and weird sports – you’d think it would be a home run. Instead it comes off like a desperate, garbled mess.
In fact, you can instantly see how desperate the film is considering the high number of obscenities in the picture. I’m all for a comedy reaching for the hard “R” rating is what’s being offered is shocking or outrageous. But in Semi-Pro, they’re just throwing it around casually. And, believe me, you’ve never noticed how much Will Ferrell DOESN’T swear in his movies until you sit through a film where he does almost NOTHING BUT swear through the entire running time.
If you’re a Ferrell fan like me, stay far, far away from Semi-Pro. Instead, watch this trailer for his next movie, Step Brothers with John C. Reily – which looks much more promising.
That said, I’m sure that we’ll have LOTS to go over tonight during our LIVE broadcast of The Triple Feature podcast over at TalkShoe.com. Be sure to join us at 9:00PM CST with your comments and opinions! We’d be happy to take your calls!
BE THERE!
[ No Comments ]
