Comic Book: The Movie

What do you get when you take some of the best voice-over talent in cartoon animation today, put them in the same room, and make a mockumentary film? You get a decibel level of about 1000 and you get the Mark Hamill-directed flick, Comic Book: The Movie.

I recommend this one for viewing. It's made in the Christopher Guest (re: Best in Show, This Is Spinal Tap, etc.) fashion, and it's fairly humourous. Comic Book: The Movie tells the story of the adaptation of a fictional famous comic book character named Commander Courage to a major film release called Codename: Courage. The central theme of the film is basically the character Don Swan's struggle to maintain an accurate and true-to-tradition image of Commander Courage (patriotic, wearing tights, essentially good character, etc.) in its film adaptation despite the efforts of the movie moguls to make a film that features lots of explosions, gunfights, and scantily clad women.

The film also takes place during the actual San Diego Comic-Con, so it's great to see some of the fan imagery and hijinks during the event mixed in with the film. In addition, they have mock interviews with comic figureheads like Stan Lee, and Kevin Smith interspersed throughout the story.

My personal favourite character is Ricky, a Ted Nugent-styled hippie cameraman with a penchant for The Hulk and gregariously inappropriate statements.

If you watch the DVD, you should get a kick out of some of the commentary and interviews with the guys involved in this film. YOu'll see the true result of putting too many comedians in one room.

Take a look at this film. You'll likely be surprised by what characters these guys do the voices for as well.

Ad Campaigns

If you haven't checked out the ad campaigns for the Liberal and Conservative parties nowadays, you're missing out on some interesting advertising.

I checked both the Liberal and Conservative websites, and neither of them actually have the ads that I'm thinking about, but check out these pages anyways, if you like. Maybe they'll post the ads I'm thinking of eventually.

http://www.conservative.ca/english/ads.asp
http://www.liberal.ca/ads_e.aspx

Anyhow, what ads am I exactly talking about? The Liberals have a widely televised ad that discusses the Conservative Party's stance on military involvement in Iraq. As the ad presents this idea, it depicts a gun pointed directly at the screen; by extension, at you, the viewer. Yes, nothing like rallying the people of Canada, by instilling them with the fear of being held at gunpoint. :P

In a very recent Conservative ad (likely as a reaction to comments made by an audience member at a Stephen Harper rally prior to the federal debates), the Conservative party asks you to forget Preston Manning and the Reform Party; forget Stockwell Day and the Canadian Alliance; and forget Brian Mulroney. Yes, forget...go to sleep...forget what this party stands for...vote Conservative...go back to sleep...:P