July 17th, 2011
Rock Ness Mess part 6
My friend Steve Manale thought I shouldn’t have even drawn Roger into this comic. I like that he provides a size clue to Fungus Khan. On a Khan related note, I finally watched Wrath of Khan a couple of months ago. It was the only movie I can remember falling asleep during as a kid. At least in the theatre. As an adult I can see how boring it could be to a youngin. Also, Kirk’s Khan yell was way less impressive than all the parodies of it I’ve seen in the past decade. That’s why I’m kind of afraid to finally watch the Godfather. I feel like most of the movie’s powerful scenes will have their bite taken away from them. Are there any movies you’ve seen that fell a little flat because of their cultural over exposure?
July 17th, 2011 at 11:42 am
hmmm…. nope. 😛
July 17th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I think you did this just right. You made Roger quite subtle so I didn’t even notice him the first time.
You’re too right about the hype aversion.. nothing’s ever quite as impressive as your expectations.. but then I’ll be sad the day I stop expecting awesome things.. Sometimes you can turn expectations into your own fiction if you were off-the-mark enough to be legally distinct!
July 17th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
As for movies falling flat, I tend to take the attitude that a good story cannot be ruined by spoilers. If something relies solely on a surprise ending or twist just to make it enjoyable, it doesn’t have much to offer.
As for the Godfather, I think it holds up. It’s one of the few where I read the book after seeing the movie and really appreciated what they were able to do on film. The Godfather is so powerful, for me, because it really depicts in miniature what happens in the economy and society at large.
Fungus Khan rocks! The genre does tend to force characters into epic confrontations, while the strengths of many characters lie precisely in not confronting. Kudos for depicting it in a fun way (because certainly the appeal of the direct conflict is how well it visualizes over the alternatives).
July 17th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Got me on this one. I was sitting there all Durr durr, huh?
Then I looked at the ceiling, realized what was going on and felt like the guy who gets the joke 3 days later. ;^)
July 18th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Thanks guys, I’m glad to read that the humongous fungus worked for you!
Michael – I’ve heard from other people that the Godfather will stand up. Now I just have to find the 3 hours to watch it. I keep seeing it’s on TV, but with commercials added in and swearing edited out, I keep thinking it won’t be the best experience. I’ll have to rent/borrow it.
I agree that one spoiler shouldn’t destroy a whole story, but knowing how a story ends really changes the way you watch it. I find trailers today jump all over the place, ruining several moments from what’s only an hour and a half of story. The issue I was bringing up here, is that some things become part of the popular culture so much so, that if you haven’t seen them, and then do seem them, they may not have the power that the originally did. I just watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind for the first time recently, and I felt after having seen X-Files, ET, Torchwood, Doctor Who, The Arrival, Communion, Signs etc, that the movie had very little to offer. It was very well done, and I could see how it was completely ground-breaking at the time, but I just didn’t get caught up in the majesty of the moment the way original audiences would.
With that said, I will try to get to the Godfather soon!
July 19th, 2011 at 4:36 am
One word, Rosebud.
I must admit that Citizen Kane was quite interesting despite the spoiler, but knowing the end the whole movie is building up too? Kinda irritating.
I remember thinking “Huh, this would have boggled my mind and tugged my heart string clean of if I hadn’t known about it”
Now that i think about it the same thing happened for me with King Kong…
May 24th, 2014 at 2:30 am
Most of the kind of story I prefer tend not to end with a single story arc, so one spoiler can’t ruin much even if they were relying on twist endings, which they generally don’t.