Cheap Comic Book - The Movie (DVD) (Mark Hamill) Price

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Customer Reviews of Comic Book - The Movie

In this the era of the pure genius of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and their improvisational masterpieces Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, Comic Book: The Movie sings sweetly the song of our fandom. Some performances are a little flat, but Mark Hamill could esily hold his own with the likes of improv masters like Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Catherine O'Hara. His depth and attention to detail with evey aspect of his character is stunning. For those of you who can't seem to get beyond his living legend in the days of 'space operas', this is your chance to see Hamill break out. He produces, directs and stars in this absolute gem of a film.

Of course going in, the only downside is the overall appeal of this production. To fans like me, this will be a treasure... and to those looking for a more polished mockumentary style film like Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap, you may feel a little disappointed. This is intended for a select audience and not for mass consumption... and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Brilliant work, Mark... please give us more!!

Mark Hamill's Love Letter to Comic Books and Comic Book Fans
Fanboy legend Mark Hamill has gathered the finest animation voice talent in Hollywood to create a magnificent and heartfelt tribute to the comic book art form and its fans in the shape of, "Comic Book: The Movie." In the film, Mark plays high school history teacher Don Swan, a man who, like more of us than society admits, is completely obsessed with comic books and pop culture. Don's favorite character is one Commander Courage, a patriotic superhero from the 1930s that has been revamped over the years into his current incarnation, a terrorist fighting secret agent known as Codename: C.O.U.R.A.G.E., much to Don's dismay. The Commander's faithful sidekick/nephew, Liberty Lad, has been replaced with the ultra-sexy Liberty Lass, no relation, and now a movie is going to be made using this completely distorted new version of Don's heroes. It's all too much for the humble history teacher to take, but the "powers that be" seem to have given him one chance to swing things his way. The major movie studio that is planning to make the big-budget blockbuster, Codename: COURAGE, has hired Don, known as the "go-to guy" for Commander Courage, to make a brief documentary; a little something to give their film credibility with the oldschool fans, as well as a future DVD extra. Don sees this as his opportunity to convince the studio that they should change their plans completely, or at least, as much as possible.
So, our hero sets forth with his new sidekick, studio provided cameraman and self-professed chick-lover Ricky, on a quest to interview anyone and everyone who MIGHT be in his corner. Don's little documentary, which was supposed to be a brief background on the roots of Codename: COURAGE , quickly becomes an all out petition to make Commander Courage: The Movie! But his first interviewee, Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner, seems to support the Codename COURAGE idea. Big surprise, what with Liberty Lass and all. He fares somewhat better with Kevin Smith, who seems to take the middle ground. And finally, Don finds a true crusader in B-Movie Legend, Bruce Campbell. Unfortunately, Bruce's choice to side in with Don only manages to get him dropped from consideration for the starring role, and also clues the studio in on the danger of Don's influence. Now, Don, Ricky, and their new pal, the clueless Leo (newly discovered grandson of the Commander's creator), must thwart the efforts of studio execs while continuing to make their documentary and spread the gospel of the Commander at the San Diego Comic-Con, the world's largest sci-fi and comic book convention. Leo doesn't turn out to be much help though. He knows absolutely nothing about comics, and didn't even know who his grandfather was! The studio execs see his weakness, and quickly attempt to turn him over to the dark side. Ricky is a little too preoccupied with chicks, and the Incredible Hulk, AND his hilarious efforts to teach Leo to be a chick-magnet like himself. And even Don's hometown friend and fellow Commander fanatic, Derek, is too busy struggling with his frustrated wife and exhausted little son, who had no idea he was dragging them out of Wisconsin just to see a comic book convention. It seems that it's all up to Don Swan to save the day, and when he gets his hands on a copy of the secret script on the eve of the studio's big Codename: COURAGE publicity launch, our hero finally snaps! Only Commander Courage can help now!

Comic Book: The Movie, is a wonderful gift from the mind of Mark Hamill, a true and knowledgeable fan. Filmed in mockumentary style, but without mocking the subject at all, it is a tribute to the creators and readers of this overlooked art form, as well as a showcase for some of the greatest untapped (onscreen anyway) acting talent in show business, the voice actor. Filled to the brim with legends, not just from the comic world but other areas too, emotions run from nostalgic, to hilarious, to downright tear-jerking. There's something in it for every type of comic fan. Mr. Hamill even manages to mention my personal favorite comic legend, Carl "the Duck-man" Barks, creator of Disney's Uncle Scrooge. And there's plenty of eye-candy too, not just in the form of laughter and drool inducing Donna D'errico as Liberty Lass, but also from various comic con fan-girls in even more delectable costumes. So THIS is where you meet cute girls who actually LIKE comics and cartoons (and don't mind wearing costumes, *ahem*)! In fact, the real star of this film is the San Diego Comic Con itself, and all its participants! It definitely left me with a strong desire to visit the annual event someday! It must be great to be surrounded with so many folks, of all types (and both sexes), who are as obsessed with comics, movies, and toys as you are!
This DVD is a gem for all it has on it. The audio commentary is great, especially for a wannabe voice actor and cartoonist like me, not to mention another of Hamill's Star Wars junkie fans. And the 2nd disc practically has a feature of its own in "Behind the Voices," a great interview session at the Comic Con with several current cartoon greats, from Jim Cummings to Billy West (who plays Leo). The complete interviews run the gamut from informative to hilarious! Bruce Campbell's is a real treat! Everything that supplements Comic Book: the Movie is worthy of a thorough look, and the movie itself can be rewatched over and over. In fact, I'm not even sure how many times I've seen it by now. If you love comics, collecting, or anything even vaguely associated with the subject matter in this film, do yourself a favor and pick it up! And anytime Jess Harnell's "Ricky" character is onscreen, keep your eyes and ears at attention! That guy is hilarious!

Comic yet bittersweet in a low-budget way
After watching "Comic Book - The Movie" on DVD I wasn't completely sure completely sure what to think. Yes, Mark Hamill was trying to do another "Spinal Tap" / "Best In Show" / "Trekkies" mockumentary, and he does star in it - but between the high-profile "Directed By Mark Hamill!" tags and the shot-on-video low budgetness of it all it seems like he just wanted to get a directing debut at any cost and could probably self-finance this one.

The plot is actually pretty good, and true to the heart of comic-book collector fandom; in fact, there's a lot of well-researched backstory behind the made-up story of "Captain Courage" and the phony Hollywooders trying to remake a golden-era pseudo comic into a "GI JOE 2004" doomfest. There's also an attempt to play the comic-book fans with heart too, but in the end it's not enough heart - like "The Cable Guy", Mark's quixotic quest doesn't overcome the "Trekkies"-type mocking atmosphere of the film. I'd give it 2 stars - though Donna D'errico (as "Papaya Smith") is still superbly cute. Knowing what I know about Donna from Motley Crue's "The Dirt", I wonder how she could actually keep a straight face with a name like that!