Fanboys

TheCentralScrutinizer · 25 Jul 08 :: 23:13

Larry, you're simply not following our line of thinking here. No one is questioning or doubting you. Period. OK? What we doubt is that we're finally getting our movie. It's been too long a road, too much of an uphill battle for us to suddenly leap for joy just because once again TWC has issued a release date. Big whoop. As you said, they could change their minds tomorrow. So please stop making this personal. It's not about you. It's about how many times we've already been disappointed. And how much we do not want to go through this song and dance again.

larry-411 · 25 Jul 08 :: 23:33

Samsy-Marie made an ambiguous comment. I simply asked what she meant. Thank you for making it clear.

Last edited by larry-411 (25 Jul 08 :: 23:46)

TheCentralScrutinizer · 26 Jul 08 :: 20:20

Our first post Comic-Con review, from Cinematical...

SDCC '08 Review: Fanboys
by Scott Weinberg Jul 26th 2008 // 1:02PM
Filed under: Comedy, Theatrical Reviews, Fandom, ComicCon
Considering how much trouble Kyle Newman's Fanboys has withstood in its travels to the multiplexes, I pretty much expected the flick to be an amiable mess. It's been widely reported that the comedy was plagued by multiple reshoots, numerous release date changes, and a producer who (at least temporarily) wanted to suck the heart and soul right out of the flick. So as I walked into an early preview of Fanboys at San Diego Comic-Con, I was hopeful -- but frankly I wasn't expecting a big winner. But hey, aside from a few flat stretches here and there, Fanboys actually has a lot to offer: Strong chemistry among four funny young actors, a "road trip" conceit that flows along quite smoothly, and more Star Wars references than you hardcore geeks will know what to do with. So what I expected to be a big fat mess of a movie turned out to be pretty dang fun -- quadruply so if you happen to be a Star Wars fanatic.
The story is as simple as a road movie needs: Inspired by the unfortunate news that one of their pals is dying of cancer, three hardcore Star Wars geeks decide to travel from Ohio to California, break into Skywalker Ranch, and steal an early print of The Phantom Menace, which isn't due to hit theaters for another six months. (Yes, Fanboys is a period piece: It takes place in 1998.) Sure, that's a pretty broad and silly idea on which to hang a whole movie -- but Fanboys isn't really about logical actions and realistic adventures: It's about four Lucas disciples who get into a series of odd misadventures as they trek* across the country to steal themselves some Star Wars.
(* One of the movie's funniest subplots involves an ongoing war between our Star Wars fanboys, and a nasty group of mega-Trekkies -- the most obnoxious one played by a nearly unrecognizable Seth Rogen. As usual, Rogen steals a handful of scenes without breaking a sweat.)
If Fanboys suffers from a few of the more conventional trappings of the road movie sub-genre -- do we really need another accidental trip into a gay bar? -- it succeeds quite highly on the backs of its lead actors. Jay Baruchel (the awkward one), Dan Fogler (the sloppy one), Chris Marquette (the dying one), and Sam Huntington (the mature one) strike a really smooth and affable chemistry together, especially when they're busy debating the most moronic Star Wars minutiae you can possibly imagine.
Plus the flick is populated by almost a dozen clever little cameos from the likes of Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Danny McBride, Christopher McDonald, David Denman, Bill Heder, Ethan Supplee, Ray Park, Danny Trejo, and the immortal William Shatner. (And Shatner is always good for a few laughs.) The highlight of the cast is probably the lovable geekette Kristen Bell, who bails our heroes out of a scrape, tags along for the road trip, and adds a good deal of class and cuteness to a mostly boy-laden affair. (Plus, wow, Ms. Bell in a Slave Leia costume? Might be worth the price of admission right there.)
Basically, it's a scrappy little comedy, and some of its production woes may seep onto the screen a couple of times -- but if you're judging a movie based on how well it speaks to its target audience, I'd say Fanboys succeeds quite strongly. It's a basic enough story populated by colorful characters who play off one another quite humorously, and for a movie like this, that's more than enough. It was written and directed by guys who clearly love Star Wars a lot, but can also poke a little fun at The Saga at the same time. Considering how much trouble this movie had in getting to the screen, the fact that it doesn't straight-out suck is cause for fanboy celebration, but the fact that it's actually quite a solid little movie is, frankly, pretty darn shocking.

NOTE: The fact that the cast includes Ethan Suplee means that they kept the Brill-directed version of the scene with Harry Knowles.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 27 Jul 08 :: 04:07

Cute video Kyle & Ernie created for Comic-Con (unfortunately filmed off the screen):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cSAoXeGc7as

Susanna · 27 Jul 08 :: 06:15

Oh great, so caution is still recommended before getting excited about this movie? Of course.

Oh well, I suppose it's on the right track. Right?

TheCentralScrutinizer · 27 Jul 08 :: 07:11

I'm not recommending caution, no. Not exactly anyway. I'm just saying I've gotten so geeked up for this movie so many times, only to have it ripped out from under us that I, personally, can't get too enthused about it until I know it's for real this time, that they won't change their minds again and shelve it. Also, I heard today that they might be only giving it a limited release --- something like 250 theaters, instead of the 1500 they'd originally planned. I'm sorry but if that's true, it sucks copious amounts of ass. So Harvey The Hutt can still get bent as far as I'm concerned. I do not speak for chris-marquette.com when I say this, but I remain incredibly skeptical at this point.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 27 Jul 08 :: 09:16

I thought it would be released worldwide instead of independently. Why do they have to keep on torturing us?! Stupid darth Weinstein. I wish I could strangle him! :fedup: :witsend:

Susanna · 27 Jul 08 :: 09:37

Sisterdebmac wrote:

I'm not recommending caution, no. Not exactly anyway. I'm just saying I've gotten so geeked up for this movie so many times, only to have it ripped out from under us that I, personally, can't get too enthused about it until I know it's for real this time, that they won't change their minds again and shelve it. Also, I heard today that they might be only giving it a limited release --- something like 250 theaters, instead of the 1500 they'd originally planned. I'm sorry but if that's true, it sucks copious amounts of ass. So Harvey The Hutt can still get bent as far as I'm concerned. I do not speak for chris-marquette.com when I say this, but I remain incredibly skeptical at this point.

Fair enough. I usually pull away from getting to excited until a movie is actually released since it takes so long til I can actually see it anyway. Turns out it's a strategy that pays in more than one way.

Chnyst · 28 Jul 08 :: 10:39

Kyle has a new photo album on his Myspace entitled Fanboys at Skywalker Ranch. Worth checking out when ya have a chance.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Jul 08 :: 15:44

Cool, Sean. Thanks for the heads-up. Where the heck ya been?

Chnyst · 28 Jul 08 :: 18:53

Life's been kicking my butt lately.
But I still try and check in when I can to see what you guys have been up to.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Jul 08 :: 19:18

I know what that's like. Hope things settle dow for you soon. We miss you! :hug:

larry-411 · 28 Jul 08 :: 21:02

Variety has reviewed Fanboys:

The fans have spoken: In response to pressure from the online community, the cancer subplot prevails in "Fanboys," a raunchy, rough-around-the-edges comedy about five "Star Wars" nuts who fulfill a childhood pact by breaking into Skywalker Ranch for an early look at "Episode I." It's a qualified victory for a project with nearly as many alternate edits as "Blade Runner," since the version set to open in September may satisfy the peanut gallery and preserve director Kyle Newman's vision, but exploits a less-than-solid storytelling device. Still, the resulting publicity should attract a decent geek-centric audience.
Over the course of its topsy-turvy production, "Fanboys" has become as much a cause as an actual film, an offscreen David-vs.-Goliath story pitting a handful of amateur filmmakers against the reshoot-inclined Weinstein Co. End result feels like an uneven cross between an amateur "Project Greenlight" pic and such recent comedies as "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express," in which indie directors brought a certain edge to material that might once have felt more at home under the National Lampoon label.
"Fanboys" fits squarely into the zany road-trip category, briskly introducing the five key characters while setting their Ohio-to-California pilgrimage in motion: Eric (Sam Huntington) doesn't have the nerve to tell his car-dealing dad that he wants to ditch the family business and draw comicbooks; loudmouth Hutch (Dan Fogler) hopes to move out of his mother's carriage house; socially awkward Windows (Jay Baruchel) can't wait to meet an online girlfriend who calls herself "Rogue Leader"; tomboy goddess Zoe (Kristen Bell) can't seem to get her soulmate's attention; and terminally ill Linus (Christopher Marquette) is living with the possibility that he may not be around when "The Phantom Menace" opens.
With Linus' death hanging over their heads, the friends hit the road in Hutch's old van, which he has customized with such features as a nitrous oxide tank (for those unexpected jumps to light speed) and a roof-mounted R2-D2 model. The gang's plan sends them ping-ponging all over the country, first to Iowa, where they pick a fight with a group of "Star Trek" fans led by a barely recognizable Seth Rogen, then south to Austin, Texas, where uber-fanboy Harry Knowles (played by "My Name Is Earl's" Ethan Suplee) roughs them up a bit, then to Vegas to meet a man with blueprints to Skywalker Ranch.
Cameos from such geek idols as William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams and Ray Park spice up the group's adventures, which otherwise lean toward the predictable: mistaking a session with two Sin City escorts for getting lucky, tripping on Native American herb beneath the desert stars and landing in the slammer for trying to outrun a police officer.
Their life-changing trek marks a spiritual journey of sorts, one governed by a form of pop-culture worship in which George Lucas' "Star Wars" mythology serves as the prevailing religion. It's a generational thing, but a tactic that should play well to twenty- and thirtysomethings who define themselves by such touchstones as "Scooby-Doo," "Back to the Future," "Dirty Dancing" and Super Nintendo, all of which are freely referenced here.
Above all else, "Fanboys" remains an enthusiastic attempt to pay tribute to the film that sparked countless fans' love for the movies. Still, Newman and company have stiff competition in this sector: "Fanboys" arrives on the heels of much funnier made-for-TV "Star Wars" homages by "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy." It helps that Lucas gave the film his blessing, allowing key sound effects to be used (light-saber whooshes accompany the Weinstein Co. logo that opens the film), although bursts of John Williams' score would have gone a lot further than Mark Mothersbaugh's next-best-thing music.
Though not as dirty-minded as, say, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, who pop up for a bad-taste bit part here, screenwriters Ernest Cline and Adam Goldberg provide an awful lot of bodily-function humor for a film in which no actual sex takes place.
In the version screened for fans at Comic-Con, said to be the final cut agreed upon for theatrical release, pic is set in motion by the cancer plot device but avoids lingering on sentimental scenes toward the end. Soundtrack contains fewer Rush songs than Hutch's character may have wanted, and things go a little haywire when Danny McBride shows up as Lucas' lead "THX-1138"-costumed security guard, but tech credits are more than adequate despite the relative inexperience of those involved.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117937 … id=31&cs=1

There is also a picture with Chris in it:

Last edited by larry-411 (28 Jul 08 :: 21:05)

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Jul 08 :: 21:38

What Variety doesn't know is that most of the dirty stuff was the crap shot by Brill that, as part of the compromise, was kept in to make the movie "more accessible" to general audiences who are not Star Wars fans. So you really cannot blame Ernie and Adam for that. But whatever.

domesticelefant · 29 Jul 08 :: 21:10

I can see a reference to Back To The Future, but Dirty Dancing? Now I am curious to see the movie. LOL

TeeJay · 31 Jul 08 :: 20:17

Did anyone post the link to www.disturbancesintheforce.com yet (if so, I might have missed it)? It's Andrew Gallery who's behind it. He uploaded the behind the scenes video that was on IESB in better quality (QuickTime MOV file). I can grab new screencaps off of it if anyone is interested.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Jul 08 :: 21:01

Didn't know there was a new link. Caps would be sweet!

TeeJay · 31 Jul 08 :: 22:55

http://www.chris-marquette.com/gallery/ … ?album=179

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:06

Why is it asking for an album password?

TeeJay · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:07

What? Let me go fix that.

EDIT: Fixed now. Sorry about that.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:26

:rofl:

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:30

One of my faves: BUSTED!

What's he, um, "reading"?

magicalturkey · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:33

Looks like a Playboy or Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition. Dirty boy!

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Jul 08 :: 23:56

Hey at least he's still got his underwear on --- apparently black briefs.

magicalturkey · 01 Aug 08 :: 03:49

"At least"? Here I thought you'd be following my line of thinking... that it's a bit unfortunate :D

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