Shannon Wheeler has been for many years the much beloved alternative cartoonist, famous for his over-caffeinated comics, “Too Much Coffee Man.” And then he went where many cartoonists have attempted to go before but only a smidgen have been heard from since…The New Yorker!
Filed under Bob Mankoff, Book Reviews, Books, Boom! Studios, Cartoons, Comics, Shannon Wheeler, The New Yorker
Bob Mankoff, a cartoonist at work, circa 1974
“How About Never–Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons” is a very long title but it does two important things. It’s funny and it’s memorable. Just what you would expect from Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker.
Paradoxically, we all know a New Yorker cartoon when we see one but there really isn’t a typical New Yorker cartoon. It takes someone like, Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, to explain that one. And why settle for someone like Bob Mankoff when you can have the real thing in his latest book.
Filed under Bob Mankoff, Book Reviews, Books, cartoon, The New Yorker
Frank is a civil servant in Singapore by day. And he’s a Cosplayer by night. He needs more room for all of his Cosplay costumes and related items but his apartment is tiny. IKEA has just posted a solution to Frank’s problem that you can view above. It’s pretty funny and a neat little home makeover too. It will inspire your next visit to IKEA.
Jim Gaffigan as Howard Cantour
Portia Doubleday as Dakota Zearing
You know, I’m really surprised that Shia LeBeouf’s exercise in plagiarism has not been shut down and still exists as a legitimate film with its own official IMDb. So it goes, right? Well, for now. We’ll see how that turns out for Mr. LaBuff. Really, I enjoyed the Shia’s performance in 2012’s “The Company You Keep,” co-starring Robert Redford. It had a nice Hallmark Hall of Fame quality to it. Something Lindsay Lohan might have done before everything got fuzzy and weird.
Considering Shia’s new upcoming project as a sex addict, who knows, maybe things will start to get even fuzzier and weirder for him. But we don’t really want that for him. In fact, once this blows over, after wounds have healed, after some soul-searching, all could turn out quite well, no? And, if so, I’d be proud to shake Mr. LaBoof’s hand. For now, the craziness continues as you can read in this piece in The Independent from this Monday here.
So, basically, you’ve got a short film that lifts its story directly from a short work in comics by Daniel Clowes, entitled, “Justin M. Damiano.”
Hey, knock your socks off and view Shia’s little masterpiece at the YouTube right down here, just waiting for you. It might get deleted, so check it out, if you want:
Truth be told, sure, sure, sure, it’s an okay little piece but you gotta ask the original, yes “original” creator, permission, Shia, just gotta. Live and learn.
Filed under Comics, Daniel Clowes, Movie Reviews, movies, Shia LaBeouf
We have heard that Kevin Smith was going to retire from directing movies. But maybe he can still keep his hand in. His latest film, TUSK, taps into his distinctive offbeat humor. Starring Justin Long, who got to spar a bit with Smith in DIE HARD 4.0, this new film allows Smith to try out some new things in the horror genre. It’s all systems go as A24 and Demarest Films have teamed up on distribution of Kevin Smith’s TUSK.
TUSK was inspired by the real-life story of an internet message board user who advertised for a roommate willing to dress as, and act like, a walrus.
“It’s about a guy who turns another guy into a f**king human walrus,” Entertainment Weekly quotes Smith as saying.
TUSK, which stars Justin Long, Michael Parks, Genesis Rodriguez, and Haley Joel Osment, was born out of one of Kevin Smith’s immensely popular SModcasts. Currently in production, the modern-day monster movie was also written by Smith. Sam Englebardt, David Greathouse, and Shannon McIntosh are producing.
Said A24, “We had the privilege of visiting Kevin on the TUSK set and seeing some of his early footage. We can say with certainty that this movie will blow people’s minds. Truly one you’ll have to see to believe.”
“I’m as happy as the day Miramax bought Clerks back in ’94! We’re so lucky A24 fell in love with our walrus picture and jumped in the pool with us. I was a big fan of how they released The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers, so I was praying TUSK would take root there. If anyone knows how to bring this flick to the masses, it’s them!” says Smith.
Demarest’s Sam Englebardt added, “We’re thrilled that A24 has joined us in backing Kevin’s wild, deviant vision. Tusk will be a horror movie for the ages and we couldn’t imagine a better partner in bringing it to the world.
TUSK follows Wallace (Long) a journalist on a mission. He finds the story of a lifetime in Mr. Howe (Parks), a worldwide adventurer with amazing tales and a curious penchant for walruses.
Smith is as busy as ever with his SModcasts and supporting new filmmakers. In 2013, independent distributor Phase 4 and the Kevin Smith Movie Club released THE DIRTIES, a gutsy faux documentary about bullying, by Matthew Johnson.
You can listen to my interview with Matthew Johnson, the co-writer, director, and star of THE DIRTIES right here. It was a pleasure to get to chat with Matthew and I thank him for his generosity.
A24 plans for a wide release of TUSK in the third quarter of 2014.
Filed under Kevin Smith, movies
There is something very wrong about following a vengeful JFK in pursuit of his killers but Craig Frank is willing to go there in his graphic novel, “JFK: SECRET OPS.” It is dark humor to be sure. What makes it work is Frank’s unabashed commitment to stay the course. Okay then, giddy up, pardner, cause we’re on a bumpy conspiracy theory-laden crazy ride. Where do I find these unusual works? Well, it ain’t easy but it’s fun.
Filed under Comics, Craig Frank, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Reviews, Satire
There’s a high level of cool playing off a serious case of regret in the always engaging graphic novel, “Pretentious Record Store Guy,” by Carlos Gabriel Ruiz. As a fellow traveler in cartooning as well as hipster preoccupations, I can say that Ruiz has concocted something pretty special. It’s like he’s willed to life a particular view with all its quirky faults. Once the shark stops, he is doomed. Ruiz finds a way to keep that shark moving.
Filed under Carlos Gabriel Ruiz, Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Music
There’s a very cool, even flawless, indie movie, inside of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” This is a major motion picture, so the beautiful moments in this film must allow for the tentpole to go up and lure in the biggest audience. The CGI effects are great but they can get carried away as in one extended scene involving Walter Mitty and his boss duking it out, moving as if powered by jets, down midtown Manhattan. CGI is notorious for providing mixed results or downright duds in the humor department. There’s also a crowd pleaser daydream sequence involving a parody of “Benjamin Button” that, while funny, is jarring in its being out of place. But not to worry because, at its heart, this is a movie full of exquisite comedic timing, led by Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty, the ultimate daydreamer, and Kristen Wig as Cheryl Melhoff, his coworker and the object of his affection.
The secret to this movie’s success is in all its fine understated moments. There are many of them. And they’re very funny and touching. Those first opening shots of Walter at the subway platform on the phone with a rep from eHarmony are some of the best moments of comedy you’ll find anywhere. Audiences have already seen them in trailers and laugh each time they see them. And when they see them again in the movie, they laugh that hearty laugh from anticipating something they know to be good. By the time we reach the conflict between Walter and his boss, Ted Hendricks (played by Adam Scott), the plot has tightened up and has to ride out some unfunny edge. Mitty has been a longtime employee at Life Magazine. But the venerable magazine has reached its last print issue. The cover will be graced by a photo from its most legendary photographer, the mysterious Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn). That is if Mitty can find the missing negative.
At this point, once the chase is on to find the missing negative, the movie is entering its most dangerous territory, predictability. Based on James Thurber’s classic short story, the script by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) leans heavily in the feel good camp but there are ways to have your cake and eat it too. Cake, now that I mention it, plays an important role in this movie. It’s Walter’s mom, played by Shirley MacLaine, that makes the best pineapple upside-down cake in the world. It’s so good that it can charm Afghan warlords. If that sounds like a plot out of an old Flintstones cartoon, that would be a fair assessment. But as syrupy as this hero’s journey can get, the actors can ride out those rough spots. Stiller and Wig together carry this comedy in for a safe and funny landing.
As with any worthwhile comedy, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has a meaningful core, once you pare away the big budget excess. Stiller is compelling as a man trying to find himself. On his journey of self-discovery, he must track down a larger-than-life enigma in order to find the answers he seeks. If Stiller and company had wanted to edit down their way to a more precise expression of what Walter Mitty meant to them, they could have done it. For a movie that takes a more substantial route with a somewhat similar plot, you’ll want to check out Steeve Coogan and Judi Dench in “Philomena.” But that’s comparing apples to oranges. Mr. Coogan made exactly the sort of movie he was after. And Mr. Stiller made exactly the sort of movie he was after.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty goes into wide release on Christmas Day.
Filed under Comedy, Humor, Movie Reviews, movies
There are a number of reasons why you might be curious about this show. The main reason to see it is because it’s funny. Politics and humor go hand in hand but they don’t always add up to something really funny. Sometimes, it is sent to us by the Gods. What else explains Tina Fey as Sarah Palin? Sometimes, it is sent to us by Garry Trudeau. Yes, that Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist of “Doonesbury” fame. His humor is recognized as rather wry and dry. But for this series, he’s eased up a bit on the drollness. He allows his characters to breathe and, in doing so, has established a good extended rhythm for the small screen.
Filed under Amazon, Amazon Originals, Amazon Studios, Jeff Bezos, Television, Web Content, Webisodes
The holiday season is upon us and what better way to rebel than with the right dose of sarcasm and wit? Well then, look no further than the latest issue of the quarterly humor magazine, The Devastator. Issue 9 is devoted to the theme, Toys & Games! Ah, what fun! Get it here.
In an issue chock full of comics, prose, and all sorts of jolly manipulation of other content, you start out with the one-page comic, “In Jail,” by K.C. Green, that sets the tone for funny.
“Mastermind,” spoofs the beloved board game and is brought to you by Comedian Greg Proops (The Smartest Man In World, Whose Line Is it Anyway?), well in the tradition of hilarious photo-comics from The National Lampoon.
Or perhaps your refined taste for offbeat humor runs toward more complex satire? No problem there, sport. You will be thrilled by such involved work as “Bye-Bye, Miss American Girl,” by Patrick Baker, with art by Grace Levine. There’s even a fully formed new board game, “ClueMates: The Passive Agressive Roommate Detective Game,” illustrated by BOOM! Studio’s Yehudi Mercado (Adventure Time comics, Pantalones, TX).
The Devastator is a Los Angeles comedy magazine, founded by writers Geoffrey Golden and Amanda Meadows. Each issue features original comics and writing by some of the funniest people alive: from The Daily Show, The Onion, Adult Swim, Marvel, DC Comics, and more! Check out devastatorquarterly.com.
Filed under Comics, Humor, Satire, The Devastator
