Archive for ‘Blog’
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You know yesterday when I posted an update about how David Byrne’s “Girls On My Mind” cam up on my iPod before I drove down to the hospital?
Okay, no lie – when I started my car this morning? Edwyn Collins “A Girl Like You.” I’m not kidding.
If John Mayer’s “Daughters” come up on my iPod Sunday morning, I’m going to pass out.
Just so long as Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” doesn’t crop up, I’ll be happy.
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The first post was running a little long, so I thought I would break thing up a little bit before talking about the fund raising campaign for Theater Hopper: Year Three.
You guys are kicking all kinds of ass with the pledges lately. Thank you so much! On Friday, we were 52% funded. Now we’re 62% funded! We making big gains, but we only have 17 days left to make goal.
Let me put this out there for you… Next week – Monday, December 21 – is my 32nd birthday. It would be a real treat if we could raise $324 by then. With that amount, we’d be up to $2,500 pledged and that would put us $1,000 away from goal with 10 days left in the campaign.
Extrapolate that… $1,000 with 10 days to go means that if we raised $100 a day after that, we’d be funded!
It’s all about the little things. Measurable goals, milestones. If we can take the next step now, we can take a few more steps after that!
Think about it! Let’s try to bump the campaign up to $2,500 in the next 7 days. We only need $324 to do it!
Thanks again to everyone who has pledged so far. I appreciate your support!
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I wanted to let everyone know I have a new Facebook page and you can check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/theaterhopper
The new profile page more effectively pushes updates to you news feed as opposed to the old Facebook group we had on there. Joining the new Facebbok page is a great way to be notified about site updates, news and random thoughts related to the site.
Check it out!
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I don’t really look at my site traffic like I used to. I used to be quite obsessed with it.
I suppose it’s a good thing that I don’t look at it much anymore because I think if you put too much emphasis on it, then you might not be doing the work for the right reasons. Clearly, after nearly 8 years in the game, it should be evident that Theater Hopper is a labor of love.
But at the same time, because I love what I do, I want other people to love what I do. I won’t deny that it’s an ego boost to know people are reading and enjoying your work.
So it bummed me out a little yesterday when I looked at my traffic statistics and read the monthly averages by year since 2002.
Theater Hopper’s boom years were 2004 – 2006. These days, I probably see a third of the traffic I saw back then. Obviously my life is much different these days. I have two kids, I’m taking night classes for my Master’s degree. I’m a pretty busy guy. I don’t have the time to promote the comic like I used to or brainstorm ideas on how to market it.
I think part of the traffic decline can also be attributed to the sheer sizes of the archives. If I were a new reader, I don’t know if I could stand to read through 1,000+ comics.
Certainly you don’t NEED to read through the archive to “get” what Theater Hopper is about. I think the topical nature of the comic sees to that. But, still… It’s daunting. So I’m always impressed when I hear from new readers who invest the time to check out the history of the comic.
But I think my biggest problem is that I don’t advertise the site. Like, at all. I’ve never been very good about advertising Theater Hopper. I’ve always relied on the relationships I’ve established with other creators and the fan base to establish word-of-mouth. So, I suppose by those standards, Theater Hopper is very successful!
I don’t think it would hurt for me to advertise the comic a little bit, though. But the reason I haven’t done it in the past is because I’m terrible at designing ads for my site and I am awful at deciding which sites to put them on.
Some of this should be obvious. “Advertise with other web comics. Advertise with movie blogs.” But when you start talking about popular web comics and movie blogs, advertising costs an arm and a leg and I psych myself out of doing it because I’m not confident that the banner ads I’ve designed will attract new readers.
I’ve been thinking about designing banner ads that parody popular movie posters. Tom holding up a piece of soap that says “Theater Hopper” instead of “Fight Club.” That kind of thing. Designing a bunch of those kind of ads would certainly keep me busy. But beyond that, I’m lost. I feel like I need to talk to a consultant, or something.
Does anyone out there have web site marketing experience? Even if you’re not a paid professional, what would you do in my situation? I need to step outside of my own head a little bit. Maybe there is a very obvious solution that I’m overlooking.
Just trying to stir up a little discussion. Please leave your comments below. Thanks
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Monday was the last recorded episode of The Triple Feature. It was kind of a bittersweet moment for me because, after a month away from the show, coming back for two more felt like someone yanked the rug out from under me. I find it weird that I won’t have a show to do next Monday.
But at any rate, it was our last show and the three of us named our picks for the Top 10 Movies of 2009. If any of you missed it, I decided to repost them here.
Now, I need to preface this list by letting you know that I am fully aware of it’s complete lack of “serious” films. The reason for that is, well, I didn’t see and serious films this year! This was not from a lack of wanting to see such films, but more a matter of circumstance.
You see, whenever there is a great film with a lot of buzz around it that both Cami and I want to see, it usually takes an Act of God for us to see it together. We need to find a babysitter, a day in the schedule that works for everyone… It can be a real pain. So if there’s a movie that both of us want to see and we can’t go together, I don’t go at all.
But if it’s a movie that is complete garbage that Cami has no interest in seeing, then I’m more likely to catch a late showing by myself after the kids are in bed. As a result, I don’t see a lot of “quality” films these days.
But I compiled a complete list of the films I did see plus the films I wanted to see and… we’ll get into that later. For now, my picks for the Top 10 Movies of 2009!
- Zombieland
I’ve made no secret of my distaste for zombie movies. I don’t like gore and a I don’t like cheap scares. But there was enough buzz around Zombieland that I felt compelled to check it out. Turns out the buzz was right as writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick turned in a sharp-witted and entertaining script that lived up to the hype. - I Love You , Man
If I never hear the word “bromance” again, it’ll be too soon. But because of I Love You , Man hopefully I never will. The film is quite possibly the nadir of the emerging genre. A sweet, likable movie about nice people and their insubstantial problems. But the movie is funny is a way that isn’t forced. It doesn’t rely on outlandish situations but rather character idiosyncrasies to find humor. Count me in for a sweet, sweet hang, Jobin. - Princess and The Frog
A grand return to form for The House of Mouse that features a strong female lead, a beautifully painterly style, upbeat musical numbers from Randy Newman and a message you can take to the bank, literally. “Wish on stars all you want, but wishing will only take you half-way. Hard work is really how you make your dreams come true!” - Inglourious Basterds
I admired (but didn’t expressly enjoy) Quentin Tarantino’s hyper-violent “What If?…” version of World War II the first time I saw it. But the film has grown on me with time. Watching it again on DVD, I was impressed by how well the three main set pieces slowly build the tension and keep it suspended until it breaks. Christoph Waltz devours the screen as Colonel Hans Landa in the best supporting performance of the year - Avatar
Despite its weak plot and somewhat uninspired dialogue, director James Cameron did an exceptional job with the visuals of this film and showing audiences something they’ve never seen before. In film, it is always better to show than to tell and Cameron over-delivers with Avatar. With over a billion dollars at the box office in 4 week’s time, he’s obviously done something right. - Star Trek
Star Trek defined the summer for me. Big, loud and a little bit dumb – but damn if I didn’t have a good time. J.J. Abrams reboot not only makes the franchise accessible to a new generation, but it does a good job placating the existing fan base – no easy task. A tip of the hat to the casting department. Nearly every actor is note-perfect in the role. Considering the potential for this film to land flat on it’s face, the fact that it soars is a testament to the enduring legacy of Star Trek. - The Hangover
The highest grossing comedy of all time is a modern comedy classic. That sounds like boilerplate critical hyperbole, but trust me. People will continue to watch and rewatch Hangover for years and years to come. Part of it is due to the outrageous situations of three heroes find themselves in, but mostly it’s because I think every guy either has (or wishes they had) a story like theirs to tell to their buddies. - Taken
I don’t think anyone expected Liam Neeson to kick ass an take names as well as he did in Taken, but the movie was a left-field home run for me. Sure, it’s hard-boiled Eurotrash cheese, but if Qui-Gon Jin had been this badass in The Phantom Menace, it would have been a whole new ballgame. - Up
The only reason Up isn’t number one on this list is because it becomes a little too much of a madcap adventure that gets lost within itself near the end. I mean, dogs with special collars that allow them to talk… I’m on board with that. Dogs that can fly biplanes? That’s where I draw the line (present company excepted). Up finds exceptional human truth in the opening montage that captures the marriage of Carl and his wife Ellie. In what results as the most raw and emotional scene of any children’s movie in recent memory, that truth is what carries the movie aloft. - Fantastic Mr. Fox
For me, Fantastic Mr. Fox was simply the right movie at the right time. I was charmed by it’s hand-made sensibility and lo-fi approach. I was swayed by director Wes Anderson’s trademark dry snark and obsessive attention to detail. I admired the film for taking it’s time, going at it’s own pace and presenting us with something joyfully different than the barrage of digital 3D wonders that have saturated movies right now. I’m all for the progression of technology. But sometimes tried and true techniques in the hands of a visionary that cares about craft and attention to detail the medium requires is the perfect little love letter to film goers.
So, there you have it! My picks for the Top 10 Movies of 2009! Stay tuned for my complete list of films watched in 2008 (ranked in order) as well as the movies I WANTED to see, but haven’t.
Please feel free to leave your feedback in the comments below!
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I kind of had a hard time compiling my list for the Top 10 Movies of 2009 because 2009 was kind of a lackluster year and very few movies stuck out to me.
So, as I was going month-by-month through 2009’s releases on IMDB, I decided to write down ALL of the movies I saw this year and rank them accordingly. I ended up seeing 37 movies this year – not bad for a guy with a 2 year-old. For your entertainment, I am posting 11 – 37 here. Enjoy!
- District 9
I admired the movie for it’s craft and inventiveness. But the squalor of a South African shanty town was so oppressively authentic, it’s not a place I ever want to visit again. - Adventureland
A very relaxed and personal “coming of age” movie that isn’t strictly about getting laid. I mean, that’s part of the movie. Just not the only part. Killer soundtrack, too. - Away We Go
Sam Mendes, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph aren’t names you would see billed together under normal circumstances, but this isn’t normal romantic comedy. More of a road movie than chick flick, its simple lessons about family and maturity stay with you long after the credits roll. - Crank: High Voltage
In all honesty, this film is straight up garbage. Grossly violent, racist and sexist. But I admired the film for what it laid on the line. It’s pretty much daring you to hate it and doesn’t care if you do. - Public Enemies
An oasis in the middle of the summer – a smart film for adults! Another charming rouge from Johnny Depp. If only Michael Mann hadn’t chosen to shoot it in digital video! - Angels and Demons
The addition of Ewan McGregor and the subtraction of Tom Hanks’s mullet make this follow up to 2006’s The DaVinci Code more enjoyable than the original. - Whip It
Another boilerplate story about an awkward girl trying to shake off the shackles of her dusty, boring town. But first-time director Drew Barrymore gets points for bringing something new to table – the culture surrounding roller derby leagues. Who knew I would find it so interesting!. - It’s Complicated
Normally I avoid Nancy Meyers and her films about cavernous kitchens, stocked high with copper kettles like the plague. But the combined charms of Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin made this one a winner. - Watchmen
One of 2009’s most hotly anticipated movies. Zack Snyder brought impeccable attention to detail and solved the squid problem from the original graphic novel. Yet, at the same time, I felt strangely disconnected from the experience. - Where The Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze’s love letter to childhood packs an emotional wallop with it’s ending, but the rest of it feels like a hazy dream. - Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci deliver fascinating performances as Julia and Paul Child that make them feel like historical characters of importance. Amy Adams is shamefully wasted, forced to turn off her effervescence to play a damp dishrag of a character. - Monsters Vs. Aliens
Monsters, aliens and animation. My inner 6 year-old thanks you, Dreamworks. - Ponyo
The layered fluidity of the animation in Hayao Miyazaki’s modern reinterpretation of The Little Mermaid was astonishing. But damn if I could follow the plot. - Earth
Granted, this is basically repackaged footage from the excellent BBC/Discovery Channel documentary Planet Earth. But it looked amazing on the big screen and was a fairly optimistic cinematic journey about the nature of things. - The Proposal
A romantic comedy done right. Likable stars, a large and easily recognizable supporting cast and just enough quirks to make it cute. - Funny People
I wanted this movie to be better than it was. The first half about Seth Rogen and his ascent as a struggling comedian in Los Angeles is intriguing. The second half about Adam Sandler’s comedy superstar – despite having recovered from a bout with cancer – is depressing. The movie’s major failing is that it’s basically asks you to root for Sandler as he tries to break up the marriage of a former girlfriend. - The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
This film wanted to be the next Anchorman or Walk Hard, but is sunk under the weight of Jeremy Piven’s bloated ego. If this movie had been made before Entourage, maybe we would have had something. Instead, watch this movie for the cavalcade of comedy stars in their supporting roles. - A Christmas Carol
A fine retelling of the Dicken’s classic. But the trappings of Zemeckis’s motion-capture animation was distracting. I was more interested in Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Gary Oldman performing in the flesh. - Ninja Assassin
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a straight-up ninja movie. This one is serviceable if you ignore Rain’s terrible acting. Even if it does insist on making these ancient warriors more like supernatural shadow-crawling boogeymen. - The Time Traveler’s Wife
This weepy chick flick leaves you questioning Eric Bana’s time-traveling ability than it does resolving any of the emotional subtext. - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I’ve seen all 6 Harry Potter movies and not one of them is memorable. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince continues this tradition. - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
A lumbering, stupid summer action flick summed up perfectly in the slack-jawed gaze of it’s star – Channing Tatum. But it manages to keep a little bit of the wonder from the 1980’s cartoon by being a cartoon itself. - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
After 3 X-Men films, Hugh Jackman has Wolverine down cold. It’s the rest of the movie that lets him down. Too many characters, several continuity editors, the bastardization of fan-favorite Deadpool and Wil.I.Am added to the cast makes this movie one of the biggest misfires of the year. - Terminator Salvation
A bleak – if slick – post-apocalyptic trek deeper into the Terminator mythology Someone needs to tell Christian Bale to knock it off with the gravely Batman voice. Cool to see a T-800 in up close and extended combat during the film’s climax. But I left the theater with an overwhelming feeling of “so what?” - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
It’s hard to be overly critical about a movie meant for kids. But why does a movie about The Smithsonian make me feel dumber after having watched it? - Brüno
Sacha Baron Cohen tries to expose the ignorance of homophobia with his over-the-top fashionista character Brüno but instead makes homophobia look justifiable when Brüno tries to dry-hump Ron Paul or walks into a redneck’s tent buck naked on a hunting trip. The film’s contempt for its audience is palpable. Worst of all, it’s simply not funny. - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay takes everything I hated about the original Transformers and multiplies it by 10. Louder, dumber and less comprehensible. This movie would be completely forgettable if it weren’t for the racist caricatures applied to new additions Skids and Mudflaps. Worst movie of the year. How bad? Not only am I angry that I saw it, I’m annoyed that I have to write a recap of it.
So, there you have it! Every movie I saw this year packaged up in a bow.
Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below!
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Hey, guys. I’m trying to make a push for Theater Hopper through Reddit and wanted to let you know that a link to Monday’s comic can be found here. If you have a Reddit account, please give the link a few thumbs up or a comment to help it move up the list a little bit.
In the past, I would submit to Reddit’s main area with very little luck. But this time I’m testing out links to Reddit’s sub-category for comics under http://www.reddit.com/r/comics/. I think it will help to actually target people who WANT to read comics for a change.
By the way, if you submit one of Theater Hopper’s comics to Reddit’s Comics category, please let me know so I can promote the link here.
I would submit my own links to Reddit, but they’re pretty savvy about people who try to self-promote. I feel this approach kind of splits the difference between an authentic representation of word-of-mouth on your part and callous marketing on my part.
Whatever works, right?
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Back in the day (which was about two years ago on the internet time-line) I had a Facebook fan page. It was great, but I recently decided that I should take the Facebook thing a little more seriously. So I established a Facebook “business” page instead…
http://www.facebook.com/theaterhopper/
I’m still trying to kind of figure out the difference between the two. But the biggest difference I can determine is that status updates from this page will appear in your feed if you make yourself a fan. So it’s a really great way to stay connected to the comic and reminded of it when it updates.
I’ve been investing some time into making my new Facebook page a little more than just a bookmark on the site. So I’ve added tabs for Cast information as well as popular Story lines. I’ve gotten great feedback on these – people have been asking how I added them, so I assume people are looking at them.
The Cast information is a rehash of what’s already on the site. But the Story lines page is all new content. In fact, I plan on adding to it in the near future! So if you have any suggestions as to what story lines represent Theater Hopper the best, I would love to hear your suggestions! Feel free to leave them in the comments area below.
Of course, if you’d like to become a fan of the new Theater Hopper Facebook page, that would be cool, too.
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Something I almost forgot to mention were a pair of interviews I recently conducted for two different web sites.
The first interview I did for Comic Related took place a while ago and was held up in the publication schedule, but it’s out there now and I encourage you to check it out. It’s a podcast and my segment comes in around the :15 minute mark.
The second interview I did for Comic Attack and it’s your standard Q&A. However, I thought the interviewer – Eli Anthony – asked a lot of really good questions. Not just about Theater Hopper but about webcomics in general. So if you want my opinion about how to establish yourself in this crazy business, swing over to Comic Attack and enjoy the interview!
I just wanted to say thanks to both Comic Related and Comic Attack for getting in touch with me to conduct these interviews. I love to hear myself talk, so if you have a web site or podcast that you’d like me to contribute an interview to, I’d be happy to help. Just send me an e-mail at theaterhopper@hotmail.com and we can work out the details!
For a list of my previous press appearances, be sure to check out the Press page under the About section here on the site.
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