Posts Tagged ‘Whiplash’
8 items.
Acceptable alternate punchlines would also include:
“Whad’da think?”
“I think that ain’t tobacco in that pipe you’re smoking.”
OR
“Whad’da think?”
“I think I’m gonna have nightmares trying to figure our where you stashed that hat this entire time.”
Thank you very much!
So here’s to another week of exploiting my nerdy obsessions. I even snuck in a little Lord of the Rings. Isn’t that nice?
So what’s next? Ah, yes. Harry Potter. I, along with the rest of the mindless drones plan on seeing The Chamber of Secrets tonight. Is it wrong to admit I like this franchise? I enjoyed about 80% of the last one. The remaining 20% sat there loathing director Christopher Columbus for unleashing the holy terror of the Home Alone movies and Bicentennial Man onto the world. What did we ever do to you, Chris?!
I never read any of the Harry Potter books before seeing the movie. But I thought the movie was good enough to make me want to start reading them. I think that’s a pretty good indication of quality.
Anyway, Harry Potter jokes here Monday. Do come back.
I ran into a spot of bad luck last night. On a tip from the crew over at Troy’s Bucket, I swung by my local Toys ‘R Us to purchase a copy of Episode II on DVD. Word on the street is that they were letting it go for a mere $9.99.
Yes, I know I’ve spoken about the sanctions on cool purchases, but this price probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer. But when you make your love ones purchase nerd artifacts as presents, they’ll be a lot less happy knowing they could have saved ten bucks two weeks earlier. I decided to save them the frustration.
Anyway, I bring the movie home tonight, unwrap it – then notice it’s the FULL SCREEN version. NOT wide screen like any cineophile with discerning taste would demand. No. It was crappy, pan-and-scan. I felt like a total chump. I’m usually more observant of these kinds of things. I guess I must have been blinded by the price tag. It just goes to show, kids. ALWAYS CHECK THE LABEL!
So of course I’m going to take it back and demand my widescreen version. Let’s hope the big, goofy giraffe is understanding.
The funny thing about this story is that my friend Nick e-mailed me earlier this week and shared a story where the exact same thing happened to him when he bought Spider-Man at Target. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re both college-educated individuals. You’d think we’d do better at simple reading. Nick was an English major, for crying-out-loud.
It is my opinion that retailers need to stick the full screen and wide screen versions of movies AS FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AS POSSIBLE. Treat them like they were just divorced. Use the VHS copies like they were kids used for leverage and stick them in the middle so we know where the dividing line is. Turn left for quality. Turn right for a version that’s just as good as anything you’ll see on TBS.
For the love of God, I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would choose the full screen version. It’s like buying beer without alcohol in it. Don’t tell me you drink it for the taste!
QUICK PLUG: I almost forgot, but everyone needs to swing by Unmentionables. Protege108th was cool enough to sneak our characters into the background of his latest strip and I promised I would give him a shout-out.
It’s a good comic. If you’re in the loop at all, you know that already.
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So there are rumors flying that Mickey Rourke is in talks to star in Iron Man 2 as the Crimson Dynamo. I don’t know how I feel about this. On the one hand, Rourke is a fine actor who does a good job of playing meat heads. But I think anyone piloting a multi-billion dollar suit of nuclear-powered armor shouldn’t be a meat head. He should be intelligent and a little bit menacing.
I like the idea of using Rourke and his comeback story (courtesy of the critical praise he’s earned from The Wrestler) as a mirror to Robert Downey Jr.’s own career resurrection. But beyond that, it feels like a novelty.
I guess there’s also been reports saying that Rourke could end up playing Whiplash and not the Crimson Dynamo. I see that as a better fit because Whiplash was always a more garish villian. But I think the odds of putting the character in the sequel are slim-to-none. Whiplash was always a second-stringer and the visual appeal of the Dynamo armor is much more interesting.
I’m also not sure what to make of the talk that Sam Rockwell is in talks to play Justin Hammer, a corporate rival to Stark Industries. I like Rockwell in nearly everything he’s been in. He can play a great villain. But I always imagined Justin Hammer to be older. Someone who was jealous of Stark for his genius and his youth. Hammer is the kind of character that felt he should be the bigger fish because he’s been around longer. He doesn’t like Stark because he’s an upstart.
Of course, if you had asked me who I would have cast for Obadiah Stane, I wouldn’t have picked Jeff Bridges, either. So maybe they know what they’re doing.
What do you think about this casting news? Does it get you excited or do you think it’s a gimmick? Or maybe you’re still trying to figure out who Whiplash is. Let me know in the comments!
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I think most of you figured out pretty early on that this little dress-up adventure was going to bring Tom, Jared and Cami into conflict with Victor dressed up like Whiplash, the newly introduced villain of Iron Man 2.
It makes sense. Whiplash is a muscle-bound Russian scientist who wears orange pants. Victor is a muscle-bound Ukrainian movie theater manager who wears a red bow tie. The parallels are obvious.
The big question is why does Victor’s costume appear to be a fully-functional and lethal weapon as depicted in the movie? We’ll get to that later. But, for now, dig that crazy electricity! Looks good, right?
Iron Man 2 is only 3 days away and it is getting harder and harder to ignore coverage. TV spots are in full rotation now. Most of the footage I’ve already seen from earlier spots. But once in a while they’ll throw in a shot of Iron Man swooping down out of the sky and I’ll think to myself, “Dammit! Stop looking at the screen, you idiot!”
I don’t know if it makes that much of a difference if I see 2 seconds more that I hadn’t seen previously. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be over the moon for this film regardless of how pristine I manage to keep myself before walking into the theater.
In fact, I’m seriously considering buying tickets for the midnight showing – something I probably haven’t done since Star Wars – Episode III
If I do decide to go to the midnight showing, Friday’s comic will most likely be delayed. I’ll try to work ahead on things, but it’s usually my habit to work on a comic the night before it’s due. I’m “No-Buffer Man!”
I seriously need to plan ahead better.
Switching topics, Cami sent me an interesting e-mail the other day. She said she wants to see the documentary Babies this weekend.
In case you aren’t familiar with the plot of the film, Babies follows around four, well… babies from around the world – Tokyo, Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco – essentially prompting replies of “Awwww” for 90 minutes. It’s a perfect piece of counter-programming against the hype surrounding the testosterone and AC/DC-fueled experience of Iron Man 2.
Shamefully on her part, I had to remind her, “Honey, Iron Man 2 is coming out this weekend.”
“Oh! Oh! I want to see that, too.” But you could tell she had momentarily forgotten about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to see Babies, too. The trailer for it is brilliant and it gets me every time. Watch it right now if you don’t believe me.
But here’s the thing… we have a 5 month-old at home. We’re kind of LIVING this movie right now. So finding a babysitter so we can go and watch a documentary about babies seems kind of backwards.
Although maybe I shouldn’t complain. If we manage to see two movies this weekend, that would be amazing. I should probably try to play the lottery if that happens, because I doubt I’ll ever get that lucky again.
Are you guys getting worked up for Iron Man 2? Has anyone else entered “lock down” mode? How successful have you been.
What about Babies? Is anyone else kind of excited to see it. I’m curious what the reaction to the film is between people with kids and people who don’t have kids. I probably would have rolled my eyes at a film like Babies a few years ago. But watching the trailer now actually kind of makes my heart swell with pride. I can’t tell if it’s because the trailer is well made or if it’s just pushing the Parent Button.
Leave your comments below.
Also, don’t forget about the recently reintroduced THorum! If you’re interested in having more long-term conversations and talking to other readers from the site, create an account and submit a topic! Let’s get talking!
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Every time I do a long story line, I always feel like I’m pouring a lot of effort into the artwork. I don’t know why I feel the need to experiment when these plot lines that usually attract more attention to the comic. I should be trying to sneak more of this stuff into my day-to-day work. ‘
But, then again, there usually isn’t a call for laser whips in an average comic. So “strike while the iron is hot,” I suppose.
Speaking of iron, as you know, Iron Man 2 comes out today. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of staying away from reviews and spoilers. That is, unless you count the comments I get from readers in the UK who have already seen the film telling me how great it is. I don’t really count those as spoilers, I guess. It’s good to know the fans are liking it, though.
I’ve heard through the grapevine that I need to stick around until after the credits. But considering the bomb they dropped on us with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the first one, I think that was kind of a foregone conclusion.
Still trying to figure out how we’re going to squeeze both Iron Man 2 and Babies into the same weekend that our families are supposed to get together for Mother’s Day. But Cami and I are crazy like that. We tend to stack these kinds of things.
Head’s up for next week… I have a fairly lengthy paper I need to finish for one of my college courses and it’s due on Tuesday. As a result, Monday’s comic might be late. I don’t want to do that if I don’t have to because I’m sure you guys want to read my reaction to Iron Man 2 in Monday’s blog. But this paper is supposed to be North of 25 pages long and (shamefully) I haven’t started it yet.
I’m not panicked, though. I can run off at the mouth for quite a while if I have to (which longtime followers of this blog can attest to.) I’m lucky that the paper is mostly an opinion piece. It doesn’t really have to be researched – although it does need to make some references to what I’ve learned over the semester.
Anyway, like I said, I don’t want to push off Monday’s comic if I don’t have to. But the option is on the table.
In the meantime, I’m just waiting for my opportunity to see Iron Man 2 with Cami. It’s like the calm before the storm. I don’t know what else to say. So much anticipation has built up to this point, I can scarcely believe that the sequel is actually happening. To say I’m looking forward to it would be… I think, the understatement of the year.
Feel free to post your reactions to Iron Man 2 in the comments below. I might stay away until after I have a chance to see the movie myself. But I’ll be checking in over the course of the weekend to discuss things. Try to stay away from spoilers if you can.
Thanks – and have an Iron-riffic weekend!
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You have to be practical about these things, people. You’re just NOT going to be able to fit cardboard leggings into a closed cardboard suitcase armor. You’re just NOT, okay? Trust me, I’ve tried.
You can get the gauntlets in there. You can get the sleeves and the helmet. But if you want leggings, you’re S.O.L.
Okay, fine. I just wanted to draw another comic with Tom in his underwear. Are you happy?!
I know I promised you guys a review of Iron Man 2, but, well… as you can see… that hasn’t happened yet. There are a couple of reasons why.
First, you guys have been leaving GREAT comments after each of the blogs since Monday. I’ve been reading and I want to participate. But I also don’t want what you guys are saying to color too much of my opinion surrounding the movie.
Second, it’s almost been a week since I’ve seen the film and my memory is shot these days. That’s because I can only retain about 30 seconds of information before I’m dealing with some sort of crisis involving crayons or stained furniture.
To combat this, I’m thinking about seeing Iron Man 2 again this evening. Cami’s cool with it once the kids are asleep. She doesn’t feel a need to see the movie a second time, but I do.
Another reason I want to see Iron Man 2 again is just so I can sit back and appreciate it a little bit more. Maybe let my eye wander and soak in a few of the details. Or – since I know where the action is going be on screen – train my eye to those areas in anticipation so I can download as much information as possible.
Dialogue? Oh, yeah. I guess I’ll listen more closely to some of that, too.
In the meantime, I have several links to keep you busy. A couple of these are a little old and I feel terrible about not informing you sooner.
First things first, I sat in for a round of discussion with The F.I.L.M. Army crew on May 1 to discuss the bumper crop of Summer movies. I had a great time with these guys and they really knew their stuff. Talking with them reminded me of the good times we had recording The Triple Feature. Each of us were pulling weird references out of nowhere and laughing our heads off about it. I’d love to record another show with them in the future. I think they left an offer on the table. I’ll have to take them up on it sometime.
Second, the guys over at TGT Webcomics did an interview with me while I was attending C2E2 last month and recently posted it to their site. I think I did a pretty good job of answering Kurt “VertigoX” Sasso’s questions. But watching the video, one quote kept ringing in my head…
“Suck in the gut, guys – We’re the Ghostbusters?…”
Yeah, I gotta start working out.
THIRDLY, did you know that my good buddy Zach Miller has started producing new Joe and Monkey comics again? Better git while the gittin’s good. Zach is like Haley’s Comet. He comes around once every 76 years. But every time he makes an appearance, he puts on quite a show! Welcome Zach back to webcomics with your patronage, won’t you?
So that’s my good karma for today. I appreciate everyone coming back and checking out the new comic (ON TIME, I might add… *sigh*). I’m bringing the story line to it’s zenith. You should see it wrapping up around this time next week. Until then, more Iron Man goodness to sink your teeth into.
Thanks again for reading the comic and – if you’re so inclined – don’t be afraid to spread the word using those handy social media buttons to the right of the comic. It doesn’t have to be today’s comic. It can be ANY COMIC IN THE ARCHIVE! Pick out a favorite and share it with someone today! Every little bit helps.
Have a great weekend!
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Hey, guys. Sorry for another late comic. I know that this has been happening more and more frequently, but I feel like it’s a by-product of the time that I’m putting in on this story line.
I’m pretty far out of my comfort zone on this one. I’ve been coming up with new character designs, trying new panel arrangements and posing the characters differently. I’ve been doing a lot of effects work and generally trying to make the action pop off the page. I know the last few comics have been kind of light on the jokes, but I hope you at least appreciate the effort that’s going into the art.
That said, I think I’m about ready to wrap things up on this story line. It’s just taking too much out of me and throwing me way off schedule. I hate being late with the comic. It’s my number one rule and I keep breaking it over and over again. I want to get back on track.
I should mention that I was able to see Iron Man 2 again over the weekend and I think I had a better time watching it for a second time than I did the first time around.
I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy the movie the first time around. I think I was just trying to soak it all in. Watching it for a second time, I could relax and let it unfold in front of me a little more.
I’m in the middle of writing my review right now and I hope to have it posted to the site soon. Maybe Tuesday, we’ll see. The review is not 100% positive, which might surprise some of you. But I think I’m being fair about the films plot holes and shortcomings (of which there are a few).
In any case, it will be my definitive statement on the matter and hopefully we can move on to greener pastures soon.
Thanks again for your patience. Stay close to Twitter and Facebook for updates on the Iron Man 2 review when it’s posted!
Talk to you soon!
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I knew sooner or later that I would have to explain Victor’s functional costume. I found it funny that he used electrified whips to discipline his employees before Iron Man 2 came out. That it happened to look like Whiplash’s power suit was merely coincidence.
I don’t know if the science behind Victor’s invention is sound. Stripping the casing from extension cords probably wouldn’t produce the effect illustrated in the last few strips. But I claim Artistic License. Ya’ can’t touch me with a ten-foot pole!
I’m probably going to wrap up this story line on Friday, but I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do it. Having defeated Victor and explained his costume, there’s not much left for the crew to accomplish but actually go see the movie.
I suppose I could end the story line right here, but I have this obsessive compulsive thought that story lines need to end on a Friday so I can start fresh on Monday.
I talked about doing a “cast portrait” of everyone in their costumes in the comments section of Monday’s comic to serve as a book-end. Also as a way of saying good-bye to the story line in a way. It’s not a particularly funny solution, but I’m leaning in that direction unless something better pops into my head. We’ll see.
Not much else to say beyond that. Looking forward to maybe see MacGruber this weekend, but I have no firm plans yet.
“That’s what she said.”
Oh, Michael Scott.
GOOD DAY, EVERYONE!
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So, here it is. This is the artwork I was threatening to do a week ago. A nice little cast portrait to commemorate my Iron Man 2 storyline. Apologies for the lack of color, but I think it looks better in black and white.
Yeah, I know it kind of ended with a thud. But I’m really proud of about 95% of it and thought it was worth celebrating. Goodness knows I burned up a lot of midnight oil putting it together for you guys.
As a special treat, I filmed myself drawing the artwork last night and sped it up for you in this delightful little YouTube video:
If you find that exciting, then I have even BETTER news for you!
I have decided to auction off the original inked illustration you see in the video on eBay. You can find it here. It’s on a 9 x 12″ sheet of Bristol board with a 1″ border (so you can frame it if you want to!) I will make sure to mail it flat.
Bidding starts now and the auction will remain open for the next 5 days. I don’t sell original artwork all that often, so if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece from yours truly, now is the time to snap it up!
Now if I can get serious for a moment…
I went to this extra effort with the video and the auction because I’m afraid I have some bad news and I wanted to let you guys down gently. There isn’t a good way to say it other than to just come right out and say it…
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, I WILL BE SCALING BACK PRODUCTION OF THEATER HOPPER TO ONE DAY A WEEK.
This decision was a hard one for me but, ultimately, necessary. With the end of the Iron Man 2 story line, now seemed like the best time to make a change.
The primary motivation behind this cutback is actually very positive. A year after having been laid off, I have finally found full-time employment again! I start work in June and am very much looking forward to the opportunity.
But, as such, I recognize that I cannot continue to dedicate myself to Theater Hopper on a thrice-weekly schedule. The late nights spent staying up past midnight working on the comic have caught up with me. I don’t bounce back like I used to when I was 24 years-old and just starting the comic. Add to the mix two children with irregular sleeping schedules and, well, the end result is that I’m not 100% like I should be.
There’s been a lot that I’ve sacrificed for Theater Hopper. Primarily sleep. But my health, my attitude and my availability to my family have all suffered as a consequence. I don’t blame anyone by myself for these choices. But, at some point, one has to recognize when enough is enough. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to be effective in all the areas I need to be effective in.
Part of me wondered if it was better to end the comic completely. But I didn’t want to do a disservice to you, the fans, for supporting me. Nor did I want to perform a disservice to myself and the investment that I’ve made over the last 8 years.
Eventually, Theater Hopper will have to end – as all things do. But when it does, I want to make sure it goes out on a high note with a story that satisfies the long-term readers and appreciates them for their kindness and encouragement.
Until then, it will be business as usual content-wise. I’ll continue to make fun of the latest releases, just not as often. I’ll probably be playing around with the format a little until I strike the right balance. But from now on, you can expect a new comic here every Monday morning.
To aid the transition, I encourage you to follow Theater Hopper’s RSS feed. I also encourage to to follow Theater Hopper on Facebook and my personal account on Twitter. They will be the best places for you to receive news and updates as well as links to the most recent comics.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them either here in the comments section or in the THorum. If you’re not comfortable with that, e-mails are okay, too.
This is a large adjustment for me, as I’m sure it will be for you. I will miss updating the comic three times a week. But, in the end, I know that this is the decision that will benefit me and my family most. At this point, it’s all about realigning my priorities. I will always enjoy producing the comic and interacting with the fans. But my family, my livelihood and my personal health must come first.
As the excellent, supportive and understanding audience you have always been, I know you will appreciate my reasons.
Again, I thank you. You have been much more kind to me than I deserve.
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