Blueline of Strange Shopper

Above is the second-to-the-last blueline of my latest cartoon. I wanted to make this character look quirky with an odd fashion ensemble and a pose that reflected a shopping game face. It's not a matter of IF he's going to use the product, he's just weighing the different types at this moment.

Movie Review: Bourne Legacy

Caught the restart of the Bourne saga this last Thursday. It's fairly easy to summarize The Bourne Legacy: Try to imagine one of the earlier Bourne movies crossed with a movie like … say …  Beaches. Man, way too much talking and self-reflection here; not near enough KICKING BUTT AND TAKING NAMES. Lots of guys will go to this movie and walk out shaking their heads. The plot was solid, it just suffered from chronic action deficiency. It made the 2:15 run time feel like an eternity. Jeremy Renner did what he could with the script. He has the charisma and presence to take on this mantle, he just needs better material. Rachel Weisz played her part well too and she looked surprisingly youthful at 42. So no foul in regard to the acting personnel. Nupe, the fault here lay at the feet of the guy in the director chair, Tony Gilroy (coincidentally the co-screenwriter with his brother, Dan Gilroy). My advice to the two bros: do a marathon of Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum and sprinkle in a little Rambo First Blood I and II for good measure; THEN write the script for next film. And, ooh, please omit the cheesy violin-cliff hanger riff at the end of the next movie. I groaned audibly when I heard it. I say keep the "legacy" of patootie-kicking action and let this new generation of Bourne find its own footing (and music). "B-"

Movie Review: Total Recall

Here's my brief recap of this remake of the 80s film by the same name: The futuristic earth world created was reminiscent of Blade Runner. The chase scenes and action were awesome. The actors were not easy to engage. In fact, if any character seemed somewhat interesting, it was Douglas (Colin Ferrell) Quad's villainous wife (Kate Beckinsale). She at least had a personality. Perhaps the chase plot gives us less time get to know these characters, perhaps the script and story just under use them. Either way, it seemed flat. On paper it looked like a home run; in reality, it was a double. Schwarzenegger need not fear.  "B"

Background Details

You'll notice in the rough drawing above that I originally had a group of guys running away from the scene, as if they were unwilling participants in this warped game of tag. I elected to go with a playground scene in the background for the final. I found it more funny with boys who seem oblivious to the activity down the hill. You'll also notice the tagged guy's pants and shoes are different in the final.