First things first. TODAY IS YOUR LAST DAY TO PRE-ORDER APPAREL! If you want to pre-order a shirt, baby doll or hoodie – MIDNIGHT TONIGHT IS THE DEADLINE! After that, I send the artwork and the order into the printer and we go about the task of getting you your shirts.
Orders have been strong, but if we can make one, final push, it will position me closer toward my goal of having a standing inventory from which I can send you the shirts directly upon receipt instead of having to arrange a pre-order and making you guys wait.
Many thanks to those of who have purchased shirts already. I appreciate your support! Hopefully in the future I will be able to maintain the store more long-term than opening and closing it based off inventory.
Now, regarding that pesky web comic!…
I felt kind of bad of making you guys wait for the punch line that should have rightly been included in Friday’s comic. So today I’ve treated you to twice the tattoo action for one low price!
I’m pretty happy with how this arc turned out – especially revealing that Judge Cann is a Star Wars nerd. People wondered why he wouldn’t understand the reference Tom made to his name back on May 9. All along it was because he was a Star Wars nerd and not a Star Trek nerd! See how it all comes together?!
At any rate, while the “nerd justice” storyline has concluded, I plan on talking about Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith for a good long while, so buckle up for that. Clearly, there is a lot of content to mine out of what will probably be the biggest blockbuster this year. Can you believe it’ll actually be in theaters in less than 3 days?
Jared and I went to Iowa’s largest non-Imax theater this weekend to purchase tickets in an advanced pre-sale for the midnight showing of Episode III this weekend. I didn’t want to see this movie in some generic multiplex. I wanted an honest-to-goodness MOVIE experience.
This theater is great. It doesn’t share screens, there’s only the one and it’s huge. The auditorium seats 800 and there’s not a bad seat in the house. At this point in history, it’s almost a throwback!
Makes me kind of sad that there aren’t more big screens like this anymore. There really should be. Don’t you think people would pay MORE for an honest movie-going experience? You’d think with the rise of DVD and satellite televisions, theaters would make a return to form and create an immersive experience. What about those old movie houses in the 50’s that had those great themes? Jungle movie house! Egyptian movie house! There’s an audience for this kind of thing, I swear. If I had the money to put behind an idea like this, I totally would.
Anyway, Wednesday night Jared and I are going to stand in line after work with our reserved ticket and tough it out with our nerd brethren for the last midnight showing I will likely subject myself to for a long time. Honestly, there isn’t another franchise that I can think of where I would do the same thing. It’s going to be a real treat to sit in a theater with 800 other people and know we’re all like-minded and ready to devote our whole attention to whatever flashes across the screen.
When you think about it, that’s what the movie-going experience SHOULD be. But instead you get cell-phones and crying babies and a girls volleyball team sitting behind you giggling like idiots for two hours. No respect at all. But when the lights go down on Episode III, I know the 800 of us are leaving all that disrespect at the door.
Just wanted to take a minute to point out an advertiser that recently came back to us. May I reintroduce yourself to Eejits?
Our good friend George Mackay advertised with us a couple of weeks ago and decided to do so again after the turnout was so strong.
If you didn’t visit George’s site in the week or so his ad wasn’t running, then you’ve already missed out on a bunch of updates. George posts new full-color illustrations of his humorous creatures every day.
I think what he’s come up with is pretty interesting. Eejits kind of look like a cross between a dinosaur and a Muppet and they’re totally original. Maybe you can adopt one to use as your THorum avatar? Just a thought. Check it out!
While we’re on the subject of advertisements, I’ve started to experiment with GoogleAds (as you can see clearly to the right). I’ve also placed them inside the THorum and I’m trying to figure out if they’re going to be a good fit.
I don’t know if I should be drawing attention to this or not, but if you have a web site and have experience with GoogleAds, send me an e-mail. I’d like to collect your thoughts.
Thanks!
Related Posts ¬
Feb 18, 2005 | CELEBRATE THE ADVERTISERS |
Mar 12, 2004 | ADVERTISERS, LINKS AND WHATNOT |
May 2, 2005 | NEW ADVERTISERS |
If somehow I could nominate the entire Theater Hopper audience for Sainthood, I would. Because you guys are super nice to wait for a blog after I stayed up real late finishing the comic.
I need one o’ them clones like they had in Episode II to type up the blogs while I do the artwork. Do you think the Kaminioians can genetically code those talents into my clone like the would an Arc Trooper or the like?
“Bohemian Cinema Know-It-All Trooper!” The action figure would come with a bunch of wadded up movie tickets!
Anyway, more soon. Although I might leave this little missive from the annals of sleep deprivation for posterity…
Related Posts ¬
Jun 15, 2005 | BLOG SOON |
May 12, 2003 | I’M A BAD MAN |
May 9, 2003 | WOO HOO |
Oct 31, 2005 | SO LITTLE WORDS |
Came to the site this morning and noticed that things were loading a little slower than usual. Looks like the culprit was the Dayfree Press banner which ties back to the site. Trying to bring up the DFP site revealed that it was down, so Theater Hopper was struggling to load something that wasn’t there.
The script has been removed for the time being. I’ll slap it back up there when things are back to normal.
Sheesh. Between this and the buzzComix outtage (going on a couple of weeks now, lads!) we can’t seem to catch a break!
Star Wars-related blog coming soon…
Related Posts ¬
Nov 17, 2004 | EVEN MORE! |
Sep 1, 2004 | THE WORLD OF BUZZCOMIX |
Jul 7, 2003 | DAYFREE PRESS, SELLING ADS & MORE |
Nov 4, 2004 | IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DAYFREE |
Oct 3, 2005 | ALL ABOARD! |
So like any nerd worth my salt, I will be seeing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith later this evening at 12:01 A.M. on the dot. I have a really cool oversized commemorative ticket the theater issued to me on Saturday. I should remember to post a picture of it before I go to see the show.
I’m sure there are more practical tips one could share in regards to the brutal waiting period one must endure for these midnight showings.
For example, here in Iowa, it’s been raining most of the day. If chances are you are waiting outside, an umbrella might be appropriate.
Or, considering that you might be ricocheting from work, to home and out to the theater in a short time span, you should be mindful not to overlook dinner and bring a sandwich with you because concession prices are sure to be inflated.
These are helpful tips to be sure. But certainly not as helpful as the advice to be on guard against errant, airborne plastic lightsaber replicas.
The wait tonight will be Herculean and I’m stressing to invent ways to pass the time. I thought about bringing a couple of my own lightsaber to monkey around with, but I don’t want to be responsible for them inside the theater.
I thought it might be fun to buy one of those Darth Vader voice changer helmets they sell at Target. But again, it’s a peripheral I don’t want to tend to. Plus, if the little voice box goes off inside the theater, I’m sure angry nerds will fillet me six ways from Dagobah.
I may bring some comic books. I may bring my iPod. Who knows? Although indulging in those pastimes might be a little offensive to the people I’m seeing the movie with. So odds are we’ll partake in good ol’ fashioned face-to-face conversation instead. ∗GASP!∗
I’ve done a pretty good job so far protecting myself from spoilers to the movie. I haven’t read any reviews. Not at full-length, mind you. Mostly just snippets.
For example, the brief nugget I was exposed to visiting Hollywood Elsewhere. Writer Jeffery Wells quoted Anthony Lane, movie reviewer for The New Yorker, as saying “The general opinion of Revenge of the Sith seems to be that it marks a distinct improvement on the last two episodes, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. True, but only in the same way that dying from natural causes is preferable to crucifixion.”
That’s not a very nice thing to say about the movie, but I felt it was a pretty funny dig none-the-less. I’d like to read more of his review, but… y’know. No spoilers.
I don’t know why I’ve been so on guard against spoilers this time around. For both Episode I and Episode II, I devoured every last nugget of information I could get my hands on. I even started down that path for Episode III in the beginning.
For example, that web page that culled together images from advanced magazine articles and the trailers to piece together the plot of the film. Yeah, I saw that. But beyond that – I’ve imposed myself into exile when it comes to all things Sith-related.
I suppose it has something to do with protecting myself from any dashed expectations. This is the last chapter, folks. Well, “last” in the sense that Grand Poobah Lucas won’t be bringing us any more celluloid adventures from a galaxy far, far away. There will always be comic books, video games, television shows and whatever else Skywalker ranch pumps out for the next 20 years.
But in terms of pure movie magic, this is the curtain call for the franchise. This is the last time you’ll gladly suffer a midnight showing. This is the last time you can be in a room with 800 people who feel the same way you do. This is the last time you’re going to see this… thing, this mythology that you fell in love with plastered across the big screen and it will still be fresh to you. This is the last time.
So why not be selfish? Withdraw yourself from the know-it-all posturing that avid spoiler consumption positions you toward? Why not go in clean. Honest. Take in the movie for what it is. Clunky dialogue, wooden acting, Jar Jar… the works.
Be a fan again.
As depicted in the comic, I did my nerdy duty and attended a midnight showing of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. And, as a result, only got three hours of sleep before I had to be up for work the next day.
What was really interesting about coming into work on Thursday was having everyone ask me “So, how was Star Wars?” when I don’t recall advertising that I would be at the midnight showing. Either my co-workers we able to take one look at me and could tell I was shot or they just expected this kind of devotion to the franchise. Probably a little bit of both.
As far as attending the “event” goes, I had mixed feelings. It was great that I got to see people waiting in line that I hadn’t seen in a while. Ironically, both of the people I had gone without seeing in a few months told me that they were soon having kids. That was kind of weird.
But the event was somewhat sad as well. I’m not anticipating any further opportunities to stand in a movie theater parking lot, loiter about the premises for another 4 hours, and then soak in a midnight showing. If my body’s inability to bounce back faster than it did for The Phantom Menace (or even Attack of the Clones) is any indication, my fortitude against this time-honored tradition is dwindling.
At any rate, standing in line and waiting for the movie to start invoked an odd sense of nostalgia – even before the evenings festivities had concluded.
Our theater started letting people in around 7:30. We were kind of toward the back of the line, but we still got okay seats. We were sitting to the right of the screen when I would have preferred sitting in the middle of the auditorium, but that’s the obsessive compulsive in me talking.
The theater hired this kind of multimedia entertainment group to distract us from the 4 hour wait by engaging the audience in trivia contests, door prizes and costume contests. The trivia sessions were a hoot because our M.C. totally sucked. He was reading questions from the cards they packaged with the Trivial Pursuit edition of Star Wars and was screwing up the pronunciation of every alien race, planet and name. He was heckled mercilessly.
Intercut between these sessions, we were treated to a handful of Star Wars fan films. We would watch them in clusters of three or four. By the end of the night, I’m sure we watched two hours of fan films.
This is a kind of “special torture” because many of these fan films are of varying quality. For example “Pink Five” was well written, acted and shot. “Imperial Chopper” on the other hand… was not.
And while these films are an entertaining diversion when you’re surfing online and looking to waste some time, bundled together in a giant package is a little overbearing.
It’s also a little insulting to a degree. It’s kind of like saying “We know what you’re REALLY here for, but endure the impostors for a while instead.” How cool would it have been for them to show a triple feature with The Phantom Menace, followed by Attack of the Clones leading into Revenge of the Sith at midnight? A MUCH better use of our time. The theater probably would have tripled their concessions.
Awkward “merry-making” aside, what were my thoughts on the film itself?
I really don’t want to say too much, mostly because I think even if you felt burned by the last two movies, you still owe it to yourself to see how things end.
Personally, I was very pleased with how things laid out. All of the action scenes were expertly staged. The opening siege to rescue Chancellor Palpatine was gripping. The scenes with the spider droids and those in the elevator shaft were very taught action pieces.
The elements of the film that don’t work shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who is familiar with the franchise. The dialogue is as D.O.A. as ever and the acting very stiff. Hayden Christensen shows some glimmer of charm in the opening scenes, but it is eschewed by his need to scowl and look sweaty through the rest of the film.
There are some problems with logic, especially concerning the heart of Anakin’s worries and rage. I felt there was a disconnect between what Obi Wan lead us to believe was Anakin’s downfall in the later chapters versus what we’re exposed to on screen.
In the later movies, we’re told Anakin’s lust for power is what drove him to the Dark Side. When really, it was his Mommy issues and his fear of loss. There’s one line of dialogue at the end of the movie after Anakin is transformed into Darth Vader that rings very false in this context. All along we were led to believe that Darth Vader was the apex of pure evil. When it turns out his genesis was a very pedestrian (if misguided) fear – the fear of losing those close to us.
That said, I think there are some very fine performances in the movie. Ewan McGregor owns the movie with his light, clipped impersonation of Sir Alex Guinness as Obi Wan. Ditching that chucklehead mullet from Episode II was a good start in the right direction.
Sir Ian McDiarmid also hits one out of the park as Chancellor Palpatine. You really get that reptile vibe off of him as he manipulates the powers that be. When he reveals himself as Darth Sidious, things slide a little – only because the script requires him to play the character’s malevolence so over the top.
I think the strength of the movie is that Lucas and company must have REALLY listened to what fans wanted to see because a lot of awesome visuals are crammed into this movie. I can think of about a half dozen things that R2-D2 does in the course of the film and I kept thinking to myself “Now why couldn’t he do that in Episodes IV, V and VI?”
I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of General Grievous. I think watching the Star Wars: Clone Wars mini-series on Cartoon Network has spoiled me. There’s stuff Grievous does in those cartoons (especially Volume 2) that would have been great to seen animated for the big screen.
The one thing after the movie that I wondered was how quickly crap garage bands all around the nation changed their name to “Order 66” after a chilling scene in the film’s final act. That sequence hits with especially brutal potency. You’ll have to see the movie to know what I’m talking about. I won’t spill the beans as to what it is.
Overall, there’s certainly a lot to look at in the film. I read a figure that the movie only took 55 days to shoot, but had over 2,200 effects shots. It shows. There’s a lot of ILM blood, sweat and tears in the celluloid. That’s the big reason to go.
I’ll probably see the film again this weekend. Cami is actually asking me to take her. I think her curiosity may have gotten the best of her. And since reviews have been generally kind, it won’t feel like a total sell-out, I’m sure. I’m looking forward to it – at least so I can soak in all the little details I missed.
Episode III is definitely the best of the prequels, both visually and story-wise. I was very entertained. That being said, here it what bothered me:
5) R2-D2’s Acrobatics – Most awesome, but it left we wondering why didn’t he use any of those skills in IV, V, or VI. This one is forgiveable though, because of the height of the X-Wings compared to the ships in III and the fact that R2 has always done enough to save himself and others. Why show off if it isn’t needed? Though Yoda and Obi Wan’s age progression explains the reason they are less acrobatic, this one is less obvious.
4) Dialogue – I am lying a little here, because the dialogue didn’t bother me that much. Some of the catch phrases stood out a little too much maybe, with the actors practically winking at the camera during the lines “I have a bad feeling about this!” but again, forgivable. The dialogue was fairly in league with the rest of the series.
3) Acting – Improved from Episode II. Still not great in many aspects, with the exceptions Tom mentioned above.
2) and 1) Blown Secrets – Okay, now for what really bothered me and the reason I am posting today. The last fifteen minutes of the movie blew at least two secrets from the original trilogy. Episode III seems to assume that everyone has seen IV, V, and VI. Of course, today, most people have. But future generations watching the films in numerical order are going to think that IV, V, and VI are lame because Episode III: Blew the secret that #2) Vader is the Father of Luke and #1) Luke and Leia are twin siblings. I think this would have been best left shrouded in mystery – We could have heard a baby crying and fans would know without having two of the bigger plot revelations screwed up.
Plus, couldn’t at least one of the Jedi sense the twins? Maybe that is getting too personal?
Related Posts ¬
Jan 27, 2009 | SLUMMING |
Is it weird that I had to employ the internet to uncover the lyrics to the Ewok celebration song from Return of the Jedi? I wasn’t sure if it was “Nub, nub!” or “Nuv, nuv!”
I suppose if it was “Nub, nub” the phrase “celebrate the love” would take on an entirely different meaning!
Family comic! Family comic! Bad artist! Bad!
We didn’t get a chance to see Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith over the weekend. Part of it was due to a busy schedule, but part of it was just good sense to stay away. We knew the theaters would be packed, and since I saw the movie on Wednesday, there was no need to torture ourselves. We’ll probably see it tonight when there will be less people in the theaters.
Anyway, instead of combating the nerd hordes, Cami and I instituted a little counter-programming this weekend and saw Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. It’s a documentary adapted from the book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind.
What can I say about the film? It’s not a real heart-warmer, obviously. I guess while watching it, I kept thinking of that old saying “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” There’s plenty that Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andrew Fastow perpetrated to be outraged over.
I won’t go into the details because I know reading about white collar corporate greed is just about as exciting as writing about it, but for your own edification, you should see this movie.
Co-author Bethany McLean hits the nail on the head very early in the film when she comments (and I’m paraphrasing) that the Enron scandal seems to have become this obtuse construct in the minds of the average American. Most people think that the scandal revolves around complicated transaction and the pocketing of hidden assets. That the money trail is too complicated to follow and therefore not worth attempting to understand.
In reality, the story of Enron is more about people. The hubris over the over-competitive and a compulsory need to prove superiority above authority. Their theories as to the personal motivations of Skilling in particular could be a wonderful psychological case study.
The movie touches lightly on a Republican conspiracy to oust California’s Democratic Governor Gray Davis by tracing the responsibilities of the rolling blackouts his state suffered back to Enron. This isn’t the focus of the film by any means. Ultimately, Enron was responsible for the blackouts, but money was their prime motivation. Still, it’s hard to deny their association to the Bush administration considering Enron was the largest corporate backer of that campaign.
But I’m getting off track. I don’t mean to politicize things and I don’t want to give the wrong impression. Ultimately, the movie takes what most perceive to be a very complicated issue and walks you through it step-by-step. After watching it, the puzzle pieces fit together much more easily and for that, I think it’s worth your movie going dollar.
Okay, so everyone understands the reference here? I don’t have to over explain it, do I?
Sometimes I get nervous when I do a comic that isn’t as formulaic as “set-up, explanation, beat, punch line.” But then again, maybe I’m over-estimating myself.
All I know is that waddle under George Lucas’ chin is pretty friggin’ distracting. He looks like he’s been cross-bred with a great African toad. That beard he sports isn’t so much a grooming choice any more, but a necessary device to indicate where his face ends and neck begins!
I know. That’s mean. But you like it when I’m snarky, don’t you? Don’t you?!
It’s kind of insane that Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith made $50 million on it’s opening day and another $108 million in the Friday to Sunday period immediately after. It’s especially insane when you compare it against the opening weekend tallys of it’s predecessors. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace did $65 million and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones did $80 million.
Of course there are things like inflation, ticket prices and the number of screens showing that you need to consider. For example, Revenge of the Sith showed on roughly 500 more screens than Attack of the Clones and 700 more screens than The Phantom Menace. When it’s been reported that recent years box office receipts have been in sharp decline, you have to wonder where are these other theaters are coming from.
For detailed analysis of the three Star Wars prequels, you can check my sources here, here and here.
Naturally, all of this box office posturing begs the question if this is information the average movie goer should even have access to.
There has been increased competitiveness between entertainment journalist outlets to report every shred of information about every production that is launched into theaters. Wrapped up in the coverage is how much the film makes. Less and less is there a question of quality. Now everyone wants to know how much a movie rakes in on it’s opening weekend. Anything less than $25 million dollars in those first three days is considered a failure. Compare that to 1977 when Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope movie did $7 in business it’s opening weekend and is widely considered to be the world’s first blockbuster – an international phenomenon!
Jeffery Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere had some interesting reflections on the topic in his “Wired” column. Spurred by Anne Thompson’s recent Hollywood Reporter column about America’s disinterest in the winners at Cannes, his focus shifted to Sith and it’s box office take.
“What does it mean when a dust storm blows across Kansas and everyone covers their faces and stays inside their home(s)?” asks Wells. “Is this something to jump up and down about, examine from this and that angle, compare statistically to previous dust storms, and talk about the various ramifications with dust-storm experts like Paul Dergarabedian? People can go to see Sith by the mega-millions and a tip of the hat to those who have shrewdly profited from this, but in a better, smarter and more spiritually focused world, editors and journalists would try to report this dispiriting phenomenon with a bit more perspective…and without quite so much of a ‘yea, team!’ cheerleader tone.”
It’s hard to find complaints in the logic, except to say that it is optimistic at best. Reporting statistical data about a movies performance plays directly to our competitive nature and Wells knows this. It’s not unlike reporting the stats of a baseball game. RBIs or errors. Utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. It is “just a game,” after all. Merely entertainment. Movies should be viewed the same way.
All this said, the box office might of the Star Wars franchise makes it empirically impossible for the series to fade into the ether once Sith leaves theaters. Sure, there is talk of a couple TV series and I’m sure these characters will live on in a thousand different variations between comic books, video games, toys and novels. But for Lucas to definitively say “That’s it. No more movies.” is laughable.
As my good friend Joe pointed out in his strip from May 20 at Joe Loves Crappy Movies, in 150 years someone will own the rights to Star Wars and it WON’T be Lucas.
Lucas may own the rights to his characters, sequels featuring said characters and the merchandising thereof, but it won’t last forever. In fact, I doubt it will even take 150 years. It wouldn’t surprise me if in the next 20 to 25 years that Lucas will turn over his outlines for Episodes VII, VIII and IX to someone else and says “Have at them. Oh… and be sure to wire me 80% of all the profits.” to ensure that not only will his children never have to work again, but the great-great-great-great grandchildren living in a colony on the moon that he will never meet will also never have need to fear manual labour.
The Star Wars franchise has netted Lucas a reported $2 BILLION in earnings. It’s too damn profitable to encase the thing in carbonite for the rest of time.
Just my two cents…
Mitch over at Nothing Nice to Say is running a week of guest strips while he gets on his feet after his move to Texas. Today’s guest comic came from Liz Prince, who draws and writes a positively adorable journal comic to her LiveJournal account.
I read through all of the comics that she’s posted and instantly fell in love with it. Reading her work is enough to inspire me to change gear and do a comic strictly on my life. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Probably ever since I stumbled onto Drew Weing’s old journal comic a few years ago. I also used to really enjoy Life With Leslie.
In many respects, Theater Hopper is a journal comic albeit with a vary narrow focus. Anything that doesn’t revolve around myself, Cami or Truman is the filler that keeps things “on topic.”
It would be nice to branch out someday and maybe do another small comic just for myself. But as things are, between my regular job, taking care of a house and being a husband, I just don’t have the time in my life to accommodate it. It feels like I barely have enough time to do Theater Hopper and that’s a damn shame.
Related Posts ¬
Sep 3, 2003 | A “SPINNING YOUR WHEELS” KIND OF MOMENT |