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Jun01

TINY PLASTIC SPIES

June 1st, 2009 | by Tom
  • Comics
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(47 votes, average: 8.30 out of 10)
TINY PLASTIC SPIES
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

The first order of business today is a call to arms. Today is June 1. That means the ranking list over at Top Web Comics has been reset. If we’re going to crack the Top 10, this is our best opportunity. So, please, for The Gipper… vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics right now.

For your trouble, you can see how Truman handles the Buzz and Woody uprising in his own inimitable style!

Today’s comic calls back to something very specific in Theater Hopper’s history. Back in 2005, Cami gave Tom an early Christmas present – Dewey, the havok-wrecking monkey. Truman and Dewey didn’t get along with each other, which is expected when a new pet is brought into the home. But things came to a head after Tom snuck Dewey into a screening of King Kong. It fill him will all sorts of terrible ideas. Of course, Truman came to the rescue the only way you can possibly hope to stop a rampaging monkey… buy flying a biplane, guns blazing.

I don’t know if you’ve seen Up yet, but if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve probably seeing Dug the talking Dog. Dug is a member of a larger pack of talking dogs and, well, long story short… at one point, three of them fly biplanes.

YOU TOTALLY STOLE MY IDEA, PIXAR!

Please note my tongue placed firmly in cheek because I TOTALLY stole the dog-flying-a-bi-plane gag from Charles Schultz, to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.

But, yeah… I have to admit it was my own comic that came to mind when I watched that scene in the movie.

Describing the dogs in biplanes scene makes me realize how completely odd Up is. Maybe even a little to idiosyncratic for its own good. But I don’t care. I love, love, LOVED this movie. Despite its flourishes, Up is probably Pixar’s most emotionally relevant film to date.

I never thought Pixar would be capable of making me care about their characters as much as they were able to hook me with Wall-E and Eve. If they can make you care about robots in love, they can do anything.

As we know, Up is the story of Carl Fredrickson, a widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies it to South America. But what we don’t know is where Carl got the idea.

In the film’s first act, we’re introduced to Carl’s childhood sweetheart, Ellie – a girl who, in all likelihood, for who the term “moxie” was invented. It is her childhood dream to build a house next to Paradise Falls. In a stirring, wordless montage, we see the couple grow old together, scrimping and saving to fund their bold adventure into the jungle. Before long, Ellie succumbs to old age, leaving Carl to fend for himself. Punctuated by Michael Giacchino’s brilliant score, both Cami and I were an emotional wreck after watching that scene. That’s when Up got its hooks into us – deep. After that, you’ll pretty much let a movie get away with anything – even a trio of talking talks flying biplanes.

I can’t stress the value of Giacchino’s score in this one, folks. Occasionally when Carl looks to the heavens and speaks to the ethereal Ellie, Giacchino’s score returns to the first act and drags up those memories of a life spent together. Carl’s pain becomes our pain as we remember alongside him. Absolutely fantastic work. That’s why I was disappointed to learn that Disney is not releasing the Up original soundtrack as a physical CD, but in digital download only.

I think what I appreciate most about Up, is that even though it is pulling your heartstrings, it never feels manipulative. It feels completely organic to the story. Carl’s quest to the Amazon is completely in service to his wife’s wishes. Love that conquers continents. The romantic in me can’t resist.

Additionally, Carl is joined by a young stowaway, Russell – a motormouth “Wilderness Explorer” seeking to collect his “Assisting the Elderly” badge so he can become a Senior Explorer. Rotund, yet hyperactive, Russell’s backstory as a child of divorce is only alluded to. But it is a powerful representation of what he hopes his obsessive collection of badges will achieve – his father’s attention and approval. Russell never says as much in such detail, but the animators make his despondency clear on his face. That’s note-perfect storytelling, folks. If nothing else, Pete Docter’s direction does a fantastic job of showing and not telling.

In addition to Up being Pixar’s more emotionally affecting film, I will also go out on a limb and say it is it’s funniest. Lots of rapid-fire jokes throughout, mainly courtesy of its animal cast introduced in the second act – Dug, the aforementioned talking dog and Kevin, an exotic 9 foot tall bird that joins them on their journey.

Things fall apart a little bit in the third act as Carl and Russell bump into the recluse adventurer Charles Muntz who has tucked himself away in the tabletop mountains seeking to capture one of Kevin’s species to bring back to the civilized world. At this point, the film becomes more of a farce than an adventure and if I were to lob any criticism toward the film, it would land here.

But as I said earlier, these details are almost incidental to the primary plot device of seeing Carl through on his epic quest. His is almost a Quixotic folly, but you believe in the love for his wife and cheer him on.

Of course, what Carl discovers after the task is complete and the lesson learned that adventure can be found in your own backyard, become profound for their simplicity. Carl traversed the globe keeping everything familiar to him within arms reach. But in order to achieve peace, Carl has to let go of everything that was keeping him locked inside a widower’s despondency. We witness his growth as a characters and as all his pain is lifted off his shoulders. It’s an amazing transformation.

I can’t recommend Up highly enough. It is far and away my favorite film of 2009.

What about you? Did you see Up this weekend? Did you succumb to it’s emotional right hook or did the film’s eccentricities get in the way? Leave your comments below!

└ Tags: bi-plane, Buzz Lightyear, Dewey, dogs, Pixar, rescue, spying, Toy Story, Up, Woody
[ 18 Comments ]
Jul05

HE’S BEEN BETTER

July 5th, 2010 | by Tom
  • Comics
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
(27 votes, average: 8.81 out of 10)
HE’S BEEN BETTER

Apologies for the comic being a day late. The July 4th holiday threw a monkey wrench into things for me. At what point did July 4th change from being a holiday I looked forward to and into a holiday I can only hope to survive.

Oh, yeah. When I had kids. Now I remember.

This is the last of the Toy Story 3 comics I had rattling around in my brain. Next week I plan on moving onto greener pastures. Specifically, Predators. I’m looking forward to this movie so much, it’s ridiculous. So be on the look out for that one.

Before anyone says anything about my depiction of Sid in today’s comic, let me come right out and says that – yes – I’ve heard the rumors that Sid makes a cameo in Toy Story 3 as a garbage man.

Here’s the thing, though. I’m not sure I believe it.

Pixar is known for throwing Easter eggs into their films, referencing their past and future films. But Pixar is also kind of known for promoting these Easter eggs as a way to entice and reward the hard core fans.

I’ve read a few articles that have suggested Sid’s cameo, but there aren’t any images from the movie floating around online.

Fortunately, I snagged a shot from a book that my Mother-In-Law gave Henry over the weekend. I’ve scanned it and am posting it here. Is this Sid? You be the judge.

Is this the grown up Sid from Toy Story?

I can see how people can think it might be Sid because, in the movie, he’s wearing headphones, banging on trash can lids and generally acting like the destructive little Ritalin money we’re familiar with from the first film.

They say he’s wearing a black shirt with a skull on it like he does in the first movie, but this shot makes it kind of hard to tell. I guess until I see the movie a second time, I feel like the jury is still out. Maybe I’m just in denial because I wanted Pixar to make a bigger deal about Sid’s return or at least be a little more obvious about it. I dunno. Maybe that would take all the fun out of guessing?

What do you guys think? I this Sid? Had you already heard the rumors or is the first you’ve been told about it? Will you see Toy Story 3 a second time to confirm?

And – real quick – what about The Last Airbender? I mentioned it on Facebook last week because it seemed like no one was talking about it. Then, there was an avalanche of bad reviews. But lo and behold, the film made over $70 million at the box office this weekend! Will terrible word of mouth kill this film in the second week or are the Airbender faithful going to keep it aloft?

Another question; Considering the large box office this weekend, is a sequel inevitable? If so, will M. Night Shyamalan be asked to return?

More grist for the mill! Thanks for your patience and leave your comments below!

└ Tags: Andy, mental patient, Pixar, Sid, Toy Story, Toy Story 3
[ 29 Comments ]

PLASTIC SUNBURN

March 2nd, 2011 | by Tom
Posted In: Bonus Materials

As you may have heard, a new Toy Story short is supposed to appear in front of Cars 2 this summer. If you haven’t already seen it, here’s a short clip.

As you can see, Ken thinks that he’s in Hawaii, when he’s really just in Bonnie’s room. But unable to deal with Ken’s disappointment, the rest of the toys recreate Hawaii in the room for him. One will assume hilarity will ensue.

Normally it bugs the crap out of me when people cast doubt over Pixar’s efforts. It’s usually a case of sour grapes or people being tired of Pixar being awesome all the time. So it pains me to admit that I think it’s a little too soon to see Buzz, Woody and the gang again.

I mean, I’m sure the short will be hilarious. Heck. If it was were seven minutes of Ken throwing poses and saying “Why, hello there…” it would be hilarious. Michael Keaton OWNS that character.

All I’m saying is… give us a chance to miss you.

Right?

What are your thoughts about the new short? Leave your comments below!

└ Tags: Cars 2, Michael Keaton, Toy Story
[ 6 Comments ]

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MORE TOY STORY GOODNESS

November 14th, 2011 | by Tom
Posted In: Bonus Materials

As if you needed another reason to check out The Muppets when it lands in theaters next week – but it will be prefaced by a NEW Toy Story short called “Small Fry.” From the synopsis…

Buzz Lightyear is left behind at a fast food restaurant when a kids’ meal toy version of Buzz takes his place. While Bonnie’s toys are stuck with the annoying three-inch-tall Buzz impersonator, the real Buzz is trapped in therestaurant at a support group for discarded toys. As Woody and the gang devise a way to rescue their friend, Buzz tries to escape the toy psychotherapy meeting.

Check out a clip here:

└ Tags: Buzz Lightyear, Pixar, The Muppets, Toy Story
[ 1 Comment ]

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