NebariNookiee
02-09-2004, 09:57 AM
COMIC BOOK: THE MOVIE – * * * out of 5 stars
Okay – first of all, this movie is Mark Hamill’s directorial debut. Those who don’t know who Mark Hamill is shouldn’t be on this board – so I won’t take up any time speaking of his great exploits. Needless to say that one thing I will mention is that he, like myself, is a comic book geek. And a die-hard one at that. And it really shows through out this film.
Mark Hamill plays Don Swan, a comic book historian, collector, comic shop owner, and grade school teacher. He is on a quest to save his favorite comic book superhero, Commander Courage (albeit a completely fake character… wait – isn’t 'fictitious comic superhero' an oxymoron?) from the clutches of Hollywood. This film stars Billy West (Ren & Stimpy and Fry from Futurama) as the grandson of Commander Courage’s creator, who knows absolutely nothing about comics or the world of Fandom, Tom Kenny (SpongBob Square Pants himself) as Don’s partner in crime, and Jess Harnell (Wakko Warner – Animaniacs) as Ricky the Cameraman, who follows Don around the San Diego ComicCon. Plus a plethora of cameo appearances by everyone from Stan Lee to Kevin Smith to Bruce Campbell to Peter David to Donna D'Errico to Hugh Hefner! All in all there's like over 80 cameos.
The basic lowdown – It all started with the recent and overwhelming success of comic book favorites being adapted for the silver screen. The studios, Timely Studios in particular, seem to think that yesterday’s comic book is tomorrow’s box office gold – but some of us fans tend to disagree. So, when the fans objected to Timely Studios’ announcement of their latest movie “Codename: Courage,” they decided to hire Don Swan to direct a DVD extra for the eventual DVD release of the movie. What they don’t realize is that he is the undisputed #1 fan of “Commander Courage,” the original golden age (1940s) comic on which “Codename: Courage” is based. So, now it’s his turn to show them what I think, by setting his satirical sights on the industry that Hollywood is turning to for their latest blockbuster films…
Comic Book: The Movie was filmed LIVE on location at the renowned comic book convention, Comic-con in San Diego. The film follows Donald Swan, and the fact that he has been hired to direct a documentary about his favorite comic book heroes of all time. He’s pretty sure that Timely Studios hired him for this documentary – they were hoping to buy his approval of “Codename: Courage.” What the studio doesn’t know is that Don has his own agenda – one that includes Leo Matuzik (Billy West) a previously unknown heir to the “Commander Courage” legacy. So, as you can imagine, Hollywood and The Fandom are about to collide.
The film was shot in the “mocumentary” style like “This is Spinal Tap” and “The Blair Witch Project” where the scene is roughly scripted, but all interaction and dialogue is improvised. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it always feels real – as if you were actually capturing real moments. The first part of the film drags a bit. But once we get to the ComicCon it’s a blast. (I’m always kicking myself cause I’ve never been to one – now I kick myself even harder!) There are so many memorable moments though out the whole thing, from Kevin Smith trying to explain to Don what a “tranie” is (transvestite) to Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh and the voice on every movie trailer seen in the last 20 years) playing a drunk at a party to a hysterical cameo from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Darth Vader), and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett).
For all of its problems, the film is fun to watch. It’s a love letter to Fandom by the fans. The only real problem with the filming is the pacing, which loses its rhythm due to the improvisational nature of the dialogue. But it never feels forced or phony. Plus, with the mindblowing number of cameo’s, you’ll be in geek heaven.
All in all, it’s a great little flick for the comic geek world, and those who aren’t could still enjoy it for what it is – a poke in the eye of the establishment.
Okay – first of all, this movie is Mark Hamill’s directorial debut. Those who don’t know who Mark Hamill is shouldn’t be on this board – so I won’t take up any time speaking of his great exploits. Needless to say that one thing I will mention is that he, like myself, is a comic book geek. And a die-hard one at that. And it really shows through out this film.
Mark Hamill plays Don Swan, a comic book historian, collector, comic shop owner, and grade school teacher. He is on a quest to save his favorite comic book superhero, Commander Courage (albeit a completely fake character… wait – isn’t 'fictitious comic superhero' an oxymoron?) from the clutches of Hollywood. This film stars Billy West (Ren & Stimpy and Fry from Futurama) as the grandson of Commander Courage’s creator, who knows absolutely nothing about comics or the world of Fandom, Tom Kenny (SpongBob Square Pants himself) as Don’s partner in crime, and Jess Harnell (Wakko Warner – Animaniacs) as Ricky the Cameraman, who follows Don around the San Diego ComicCon. Plus a plethora of cameo appearances by everyone from Stan Lee to Kevin Smith to Bruce Campbell to Peter David to Donna D'Errico to Hugh Hefner! All in all there's like over 80 cameos.
The basic lowdown – It all started with the recent and overwhelming success of comic book favorites being adapted for the silver screen. The studios, Timely Studios in particular, seem to think that yesterday’s comic book is tomorrow’s box office gold – but some of us fans tend to disagree. So, when the fans objected to Timely Studios’ announcement of their latest movie “Codename: Courage,” they decided to hire Don Swan to direct a DVD extra for the eventual DVD release of the movie. What they don’t realize is that he is the undisputed #1 fan of “Commander Courage,” the original golden age (1940s) comic on which “Codename: Courage” is based. So, now it’s his turn to show them what I think, by setting his satirical sights on the industry that Hollywood is turning to for their latest blockbuster films…
Comic Book: The Movie was filmed LIVE on location at the renowned comic book convention, Comic-con in San Diego. The film follows Donald Swan, and the fact that he has been hired to direct a documentary about his favorite comic book heroes of all time. He’s pretty sure that Timely Studios hired him for this documentary – they were hoping to buy his approval of “Codename: Courage.” What the studio doesn’t know is that Don has his own agenda – one that includes Leo Matuzik (Billy West) a previously unknown heir to the “Commander Courage” legacy. So, as you can imagine, Hollywood and The Fandom are about to collide.
The film was shot in the “mocumentary” style like “This is Spinal Tap” and “The Blair Witch Project” where the scene is roughly scripted, but all interaction and dialogue is improvised. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it always feels real – as if you were actually capturing real moments. The first part of the film drags a bit. But once we get to the ComicCon it’s a blast. (I’m always kicking myself cause I’ve never been to one – now I kick myself even harder!) There are so many memorable moments though out the whole thing, from Kevin Smith trying to explain to Don what a “tranie” is (transvestite) to Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh and the voice on every movie trailer seen in the last 20 years) playing a drunk at a party to a hysterical cameo from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Darth Vader), and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett).
For all of its problems, the film is fun to watch. It’s a love letter to Fandom by the fans. The only real problem with the filming is the pacing, which loses its rhythm due to the improvisational nature of the dialogue. But it never feels forced or phony. Plus, with the mindblowing number of cameo’s, you’ll be in geek heaven.
All in all, it’s a great little flick for the comic geek world, and those who aren’t could still enjoy it for what it is – a poke in the eye of the establishment.