Steve: Wow. You really have a lot of bitterness about Greek myths.
Were you forced to read the Illiad when you were six or something?
Joe: Am I wrong?
Are there warm and cuddly Greek myths not retold by Disney?
Steve: Um…
That’s like… being right and wrong at the same time
Obviously Greek myths are really dark. Most mythologies are.
But… like… are you okay?
Joe: What?
Steve: You seem personally offended by it.
Like Greek myth raped your mom or something.
Wait… are you a demigod?
Joe: I am Zoul
Steve: The minion of Gozer?
Joe: You’re the minion.
Steve: Your mom’s a minion.
Minion of Jesus.
Steve: Also, I’m going to adjust your extremely venomous post so that terrible trailer is embedded instead of linked.
Did you see the first Clash of the Titans?
Joe: Yes.
Steve: Were you with me?
That movie was BAAAAADDDDDDD.
But the kind of bad that I sometimes like to watch just to make fun of it.
Joe: I saw it at the Grove with friends.
not with me
you
Steve: …
Did you just get me confused with yourself?
Joe: Kinda.
Steve: Dammit. We all knew this day would come. I’d better grow my beard out again.
Steve: He’s good.
Bastard drank five ounces at one feeding this morning.
Joe: Joey drank that much, then he puked.
I think Joey and Johnny have one of those “can’t drink a gallon of milk in an hour” contests going.
Steve: We’re in Walnut Creek at Sarah’s parents’ house. We have Odin with us.
He’s very concerned about all these random people holding the baby.
Joe: As am I.
Why did you bring the dog?
Steve: Because.
Dogs need more attention than cats.
Joe: You just wanted an 8 hour car trip with a big dog didn’t you?
Steve: Cats and tortoises we can just have my dad stop by and feed once a day.
The dog we’d have to board if we didn’t bring him. And that costs wicked green.
Fortunately, dogs travel much better than cats too. So it works out.
Joe: Please tell me you stopped in Oakland and yelled “sic ‘em” at those Occupy Wall Street turds.
Steve: Haha.
No.
Joe: Dang.
Then it’s a wasted trip unless you do it on the way back.
Steve: Honestly, I’m a little bit on their side
Joe: I’m on their side the same way I’m on the Tea Partier’s side.
I agree with a fair amount of what they are fighting for, I just think pooping in public parks is retarded.
Steve: Have they done that?
Joe: In NY they have
Steve: Morons.
Joe: I think they will accomplish nothing.
Steve: We’ll see. Protesting almost never directly accomplishes anything, but I think a good amount of the public has gotten pissed off along with them.
Joe: Also, how can you occupy Wall Street in LA/Oakland/Chicago?
Steve: Well they change the names.
It’s called Occupy Oakland.
Joe: Well, I think the public was pissed off with them at first and is now pissed off at them.
Steve: Partly.
Joe: Yeah, well the Occupy L.A. people have been protesting buildings with no bankers in them (namely my building) and making life a mess for middle class people who are part of the “99%”
So fuck them and their idiotic need for attention.
Steve: Ha.
Morons.
I guess anyone in a tall building is fair game.
Joe: I do agree that corporations, especially banks, are evil though.
So it’s not like I’m rooting for Chase or BofA.
But when the other side is a bunch of modern day hippies, I don’t know who I’m rooting for.
Steve: Yeah.
Thing is, I’m usually the guy who defends corporations.
I was kind of nonchalant about the “corporations suck” mentality until I saw this one chart.
Steve: Someone put it on Facebook. It shows the average CEO salary vs regular worker salary in several countries.
That bugged the crap out of me.
Steve: Hey!
A Cornish hen is just a small chicken.
I call retarded on that.
Should have gone with a goose instead.
2 minutes 14 seconds later…
Steve: You know, Joe.
Some pretty amazing things happened to me today.
This morning I realized for the first time in weeks that I’m actually caught up on my work.
Later the guy at the cell phone repair place called to tell me that the part he ordered for me had come in a day early.
Then proceeded to fix my phone in under an hour.
Also, I discovered that there’s a nearly invisible comic book store two blocks from my house that’s been there for two years without me ever having seen it before.
On top of that, I watched the Expendables.
Yet for the first time all day, this YouTube video has caused me to say out loud:
Holy fucking shit.
Joe: I know.
All I’m trying to say is that that guy thinks you’re garbage and your house is garbage and your home is garbage and you’re garbage and you have never even eaten meat.
Steve: Six months from now, when my heart explodes inside my chest as a direct result of this conversation, I’m sending you the hospital bill.
Joe: Ok.
Steve: Dammit.
I’m so mad at you right now.
I should buy the turkey this weekend while they’re cheap.
Joe: Look Steve. If you can’t make that dish, it’s okay.
Really, I won’t think any less of you.
God will, but I won’t.
Steve: I can probably get the pig over at Manhattan Meats.
Joe: Your sons all will, but I won’t.
hahaha.
This is fun.
Steve: Freaking Joe.
Alright, here’s what they did wrong.
They used a chicken and a Cornish game hen.
So essentially they used two chickens.
I’m nixing one of those chickens in favor of a goose.
Joe: Agreed.
Steve: I should probably also work venison and ground buffalo into the meat glue.
And while the Baconator garnishes were a nice touch, I’ll probably have to replace them with bacon-wrapped buffalo chili dogs.
Joe: Yeah.
That’s seriously at least a day of cooking and probably another day of prep.
Steve: When I make turducken it takes me 2-3 days.
So yeah.
That’s a lot of cooking.
Yeah, they don’t have enough meat variety.
With everything already being bacon-wrapped, that stuffing should not be bacon-based.
Perhaps some pulled brisket or pulled pork instead.
No.
I’ve got it.
Andouille.
That stuffing needs to be made with Andouille sausage.
And tasso.
You’re helping me pay for this, you know.
Joe: Ok.
Steve: Damn it.
My only regret is that I can’t do it for a couple months at least.
Joe: My only regret is that I have bonitis.
Steve: That Guy was the greatest businessman who ever lived.
Boo-yah.
Steve: That’s what Sarah just said.
Didn’t feel it here.
Joe: I’m on the 19th floor
I felt it.
Steve: Anyway.
Joe: What’s up?
Steve: Barbecue time has come and gone again.
Which means I have to ask you a question.
Joe: Yes, I shit a burger.
Steve: No, not that question.
The question is, Joe…
How many Sierra Mists do you want when you come over on Saturday?
Joe: mother fucker
Steve: Mother.
Fucker.
Joe: I hate that shit man.
Steve: It’s a whole unopened 12-pack.
Again.
It’s like someone read our blog and brought it just to spite us.
So far nobody has owned up to it.
Joe: Dude, who brings that crap?
Steve: I actually suspect it brought itself.
I’m sure I’d know if any of my friends were… that way.
Plus, Sierra Mist is a sonovabitch.
Bringing itself to my BBQ is exactly the kind of thing it would do.
Joe: Sierra Mist just caused an earthquake.
Steve: Earlier today, Sierra Mist caused an accident on the Metro Blue Line and made 4000 people late for work.
Joe: Sierra Mist makes collect phone calls to 7-Up and never pays him back.
Steve: Sierra Mist prevented Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel from joining the cast of the Expendables.
And he cast the A-Team movie without Mr. T.
Joe: Sierra Mist optioned the rights to Airbender, only to hire a down on his luck director and a white kid to ruin it.
Steve: Sierra Mist heard some people think of Hitler as the literal antichrist and started punching llama after llama until he gradually surpassed Hitler’s evil. Just for spite.
Joe: Sierra Mist voted for the Green Party in the last six presidential elections.
Steve: Sierra Mist framed Carmen San Diego.
Joe: Sierra Mist baked three dozen cookies for Mrs. Schneider’s elementary school class and put his own pubic hairs into the batter.
Steve: Sierra Mist directed Pirates of the Caribbean 3 while Gore Verbinski was tied up in his basement.
Joe: Sierra Mist took my mother Dorothy Mantooth out for a nice seafood dinner and never called her again.
Steve: Sierra Mist had $30,000 to invest in my movie Gray, but he spent it all on Vienna sausages and Cabbge Patch Kid dolls, which he rolled into banana leaves and smoked.
Joe: Sierra Mist is on the sex offender list.
Steve: Twice.
Sierra Mist is wanted for drug smuggling in 134 countries.
It used to be 138, but he toppled a few foreign governments.
Joe: Sierra Mist built the Iron Curtain, melted it down to make scrap and then built a statue of the founder of the KKK outside Nashville.
Steve: Sierra Mist doesn’t care about black people.
Joe: Sierra Mist beat up a homeless person, blamed it on the police and then raped a bunny rabbit.
Steve: That bunny rabbit went on to get elected to Congress, where he betrayed every principal of the Democratic party, then blew his brains out on national television.
Joe: Sierra Mist is both pro and anti Prop 8.
Steve: Sierra Mist won’t help me straighten up my office, no matter how many times I ask him.
Joe: Sierra Mist invented cold sores.
Steve: Sierra Mist got David Lee Roth kicked out of Van Halen.
Joe: Sierra Mist keeps propogating the idea that KISS is a good band and that people want more reality shows based on people made famous by other reality shows.
Steve: Sierra Mist is the chief of programming for NBC.
Joe: Sierra Mist is a douche bag.
Steve: I hate Sierra Mist.
It’s like 7-Up took a whiz into some Mountain Dew, then someone spilled the Mountain Dew and had to refill it with seltzer water and poison.
Joe: We have 7-Up, Sprite and vomit, why on earth do we need Sierra Mist?
Steve: I seriously think it’s a test to see how long they can sell a competing product called “Sierra Mist” before “Mountain Dew” figures how to sue the living shit out of them.
Joe: Well, at least we got another blog post out of it.
Steve: Let me tell you something about the 80′s.
In the 80′s every pop culture icon that existed for little boys was either a violent, murdering sonovabitch, or a weepy puss from some John Hughes movie.
Obviously, we all wanted to be tough guys.
Like Rambo or He-Man.
We all wanted guns and fighting.
Because really, that’s what all boys want.
Now I had good parents.
They made sure I knew that it wasn’t cool to start fights and I needed to eat my vegetables.
But some kids didn’t.
Some parents were fools.
And that’s why God created Mr. T.
What other hero could we look to who was an icon of masculinity, but would also look right into the camera and tell us to stay in school, don’t do drugs, drink our milk and respect our mommas?
Nobody else, that’s who.
Only the toughest man in the world could get away with that.
And because he was the toughest man in the world, they gave him a TV show.
That show was called “The A-Team,” but it could easily have been called “Mr. T and his Three Friends.”
Because that’s what it was.
Joe: True.
Steve: And through that show and his other platforms, Mr. T raised an entire generation of young boys to stay in school, drink their milk, not do drugs, and love their mommas.
He was a father figure.
Or at least an older brother figure.
Hulk Hogan had a similar message, but for Hogan it was a persona.
For Mr. T, it’s who he really was, and we know that for sure now.
Now it’s 20 years later and they’ve remade the A-Team as a feature film.
Mr. T hated the movie.
He said it was too violent, too graphc, too much sex.
He didn’t like that people died in it.
He said it was nothing like the show they used to put out every week.
Earlier today someone told me he thinks Mr. T is out of touch or hyperspiritual.
Because he can’t enjoy a movie with too much violence.
Well, I like violent movies as much as the next guy.
But Mr. T’s my big brother.
And he’s helluva tough.
So when Mr. T tells me not to go see the movie based on his own show…
You’d better believe I’m gonna listen.
I pity the fool who don’t.
Joe: Who said he’s hyperspiritual/out of touch?
Steve: A guy you don’t know, but he’s a little too old.
He wasn’t raised by Mr. T.
Plus he grew up in Kenya.
So he has no clue.
Joe: Dude, Americans are too violent. Violence is not a “good” thing and someone who doesn’t like violence is a good person.
Violence means people die or get hurt, and Jesus wasn’t a violent dude. I appreciate good violence, but that’s a part of me that isn’t all that righteous.
Steve: Well, we could debate about that for a long time.
But in short, yes. Someone who doesn’t like violence is right not to.
Joe: Agreed, but saying a person is “out of touch” because they don’t like violence is dumb.
Steve: Exactly.
And saying someone is hyperspiritual because they don’t like it when Hollywood rapes their beloved franchise is even stupider.
Joe: Dude, it’s quite possibly the lamest thing this summer. And this is a particularly bad summer.
Steve: I think the worst part is either when Rampage puts on the tu-tu and prances around singing “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” or when Liam Neeson puts on the full Revolutionary War-era redcoat outift and tattoos “Screw America” across his forehead.
Joe: No, the worst part is where they destroy the A-Team van. Which actually happens.
I mean, it’s like they know they’re crapping on the A-Team, so they crap on themselves since they are the fake A-Team.
It’s just wrong.
Steve: Oh yeah.
Unbelievable.
Mr. T made the right call not doing a cameo alongside Face and Murdoch.
He was obviously too helluva tough to be fooled by the jibba-jabba.
Joe: When Mr. T doesn’t like something – something specifically related to him – you should just follow his lead.
Rampage can suck it.
He’s not Mr. T.
Steve: No. He definitely is not.
Joe: I’d rather go see Sex in the City 2.
Steve: Nor is Liam Neeson George Peppard.
Joe: I’d rather go to see Sex in the City 2 and then go see Shrek 4
Steve: And in case anyone didn’t notice, LIAM NEESON ISN’T EVEN AMERICAN!
His American accent is worse than Arnold’s,
They may as well have just pissed on our childhood.
Rampage’s acting ability makes Mr.T look like Marlon freaking Brando.
Joe: Last summer I had to pretend that the Wayans brother I like the least didn’t take a dump on GI Joe, now I have to do the same thing with the A-Team. Hollywood can get cancer and die.
Steve: Seriously.
Hey remember how great life was back when the A-Team was an awesome show from the 1980′s starring one of the greatest men who ever lived?
Now it’s a crappy action movie that rapes the memory of said show.
Way too much CG. Way too many attempts at sly references to the original show.
When in fact they’re just destroying it.
Oh yeah, and lest anyone forget: http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=504325&Gt1=28101
That A-Team movie helluva sucks.
Joe: When Ralph Macchio dogged the new Karate Kid I thought “maybe he’s just bitter, I mean, it does have Jackie Chan who is entertaining every fourth movie he does.”
Steve: Macchio didn’t dog it.
He liked it.
He took his son to see the premiere with him.
Joe: But, when Mr. T tears apart a film that either never should have been made or should have starred him, original Face and original Murdoch avenging Hannibal, I know Satan just produced a film.
Steve: Pretty much.
I’ve been waiting twenty years for an A-Team movie and when they finally make one, Peppard is dead and Mr. T’s been replaced by a freaking nobody from idiotsville.
And don’t get me wrong, I love Liam Neeson.
He’s one of the best actors alive today.
But casting a Brit as Hannibal – especially a Brit who can’t do an American accent to save his life…
It’s no different than casting a Brit as Captain America.
We may as well just sign the colonies back over to the freaking Queen.
Joe: Right. They cast a Brit as Hannibal, a South African as Murdoch and a retard as Mr. T.
I’m just appalled on so many levels.
What’s worse is that I think the film will make money because of how bad this summer has been for movies.
Steve: You know what it reminds me of?
Seriously?
Joe: What?
Steve: It plays exactly like one of those stupid comic book fan films.
Like some guys with a camera and a few extra bucks for Final Cut just grabbed the best actors they could get for the weekend and shot a fake concept trailer.
It’s exactly that level of quality.
Only instead of a fake trailer, they actually made the whole movie.
With the wrong actors and CG in place of anything that might actually be cool.
Just like that Mortal Kombat trailer that looks really cool at first until you suddenly stop and go… wait… a Mortal Kombat trailer?
Joe: I know this hasn’t gone on too long, but I think I can’t talk about this any longer. It’s an abomination. Too painful.
Steve: Abomination is exactly the right word.
The toughest man in the world is so disappointed in our culture.
And that makes me sad.
Steve: Yeah.
There’s still one in my fridge.
I’m going back for several pounds worth.
Gonna use them at the BBQ.
Joe: Are they good?
Or just cheap?
Steve: They are awesome.
No, anything but cheap.
They’re $6.99/lb.
But they’re worth it.
Whole Foods is selling them.
I bought the Whole Foods vegetable-fed all-beef hot dogs and the buffalo hot dogs.
Had one of each to compare.
Buffalo dogs blow the beef ones out of the water.
Joe: Sweet.
Steve: Now if I can just find some bear, some alligator and some venison…
This will be the greatest meatfest ever.
Joe: Ha.
Steve: Quite.
Bryan’s telling me he once had bear hot dogs at his uncle’s house.
And deer.
I’ve got him trying to find out where they came from.
I’ve actually found deer hot dogs and gator sausages online.
But I can’t find the bear ones.
Joe: Bear is tough since some bears are endangered.
Plus, I hear women attract bears. They’re attracted to the menstruation.
Steve: Black bear seems to be what most people sell.
But I’ve only found bear burgers.
And we may be out of luck because nobody ships bear to California.
Some grass-smoking hippie probably thinks it’s mean to eat bears and got himself elected to the state senate.
But I figure it’s definitely time to start diversifying my meat sources.
This is year five. Gotta start eating things that could eat us back.
Joe: I’m not sure why we don’t start with those meats.
I know we’re already at the top of the food chain, but those gosh darn lions are getting upity.
Steve: I think it’s easier to raise cows than lions.
Probably because you’d have to raise cows in order to feed the lions anyway.
So we figure, “Why not just eat the cows ourselves and the lions can go screw themselves?”
Joe: Yeah, freaking lions.
You know who hates humans?
Steve: Who?
Doug?
Joe: Sierra Mist.
Steve: Damn Sierra Mist!
You can’t even eat one out of revenge.
Because it’s a liquid.
And a gross one at that.
Joe: Sierra Mist tried to blow up a van in Times Square and then blamed it on a Pakistani.
Steve: Sierra Mist once gave birth to a baby. The baby turned out to be smallpox and it killed millions of people.
Joe: Sierra Mist encouraged Abraham Lincoln to select Andrew Johnson as vice president, then convinced John Wilkes Booth that Lincoln’s head was made of popcorn and thus impervious to bullets.
Steve: Sierra Mist is the reason why communism doesn’t work.
Joe: Sierra Mist invented polytheism.
Steve: Sierra Mist is keeping me from finding bear hot dogs.
Joe: Sierra Mist bought all the bear hot dogs and fed them to the buffalo. He then shot the buffalo.
Also, there are some eagles under the floor boards.
Wait, wrong bit.
Steve: Sierra Mist invented the gun just so millions of people could be killed by it.
Then it invented gun control to make sure only innocent people were hurt.
Joe: Sierra Mist raped 7-Up.
Steve: Sierra Mist gave my cat herpes.
Joe: Sierra Mist is going to give Greece $600 billion in debt in order for Greece to pay off its current debt, only to further their debt problems.
Yes, Steve. Sierra Mist is Europe.
Joe: You know what would be great about killing Batman in the third film?
If they kill Batman there’s no chance Warner Brothers can create the League of Justice with an Alien superman, a dude with an alien ring, several other supernatural heroes and one REALLY rich dude.
And I sort of do expect some talk of a League of Justice movie if Avengers does really well.
Someone will say “yeah, and we’ll get the Native American audience with that giant Indian dude, and the general audience with Superman and faggot audience with Green Arrow…”
And so forth.
Steve: “Expect some talk?”
Justice League has been in development hell for longer than Avengers or the Nolan films have been around.
I definitely think a Justice League movie would be sweet if done right.
But “done right” would mean using a very different version of Batman than Nolan’s.
Joe: Right.
I just think putting Batman into a Justice League movie would be a horrible mistake.
Steve: What?
Joe: Avengers can sorta make sense, Justice League doesn’t.
Steve: You can’t do Justice League without Batman.
Joe: Yes you can.
Steve: Oh here we go with your irrational Marvel love coming through.
You’re the polar opposite of Cloribel.
Joe: I …agree with that?
Steve: Cloribel won’t take anything Marvel does seriously because he’s now become a DC fan.
Joe: I’m not saying Marvel is necessarily better than DC. I’m just saying I feel like the Marvel characters mesh better with each other than the DC characters.
Steve: No way.
The Marvel characters aren’t even in the same genre as each other.
Joe: I love when you choose to be a dickhead.
You just choose to be an irrational douche for no reason.
DC blows dude, total joke.
Completely cartoonish in my opinion.
Steve: Dude, chill your rage wagon for a second and listen to reason.
Joe: If it weren’t for Green Lantern I’d have nothing to do with DC shittiness.
Steve: The Avengers are totally different genres.
Thor’s high fantasy, Hulk’s a monster movie, and Captain America’s a war hero.
Iron Man’s the only one that’s a true superhero.
In Justice League you’ve got Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Wonder Woman.
All superheroes.
Green Lantern could be interpreted as a sci-fi space opera thing, but the others are all solidly in the same genre.
Joe: You’re saying I’m biased?
Steve: Yes.
Because you argue merit based solely on your personal preference.
Example: I remember a conversation with you where you swore Spider-Man could beat the Flash in a fight.
You argued that the guy who jumps around and spins webs can beat the dude who moves at the speed of light.
And every such conversation ends with “DC blows.”
Joe: Okay, I try to be nice to DC, but DC does blow.
It’s fact, it’s in the book of Hebrews
Hebrews 16:11 – DC blows horses.
Steve: You’re nuts.
Right now I’m a DC guy.
Last decade I was a Marvel guy.
You know why?
Writing.
Comic books are exactly as good as the stories being told in them.
That’s all it comes down to.
I should say in movies, I’m actually pro-Marvel right now.
Because Marvel is clearly kicking ass in that department.
But in the actual comics, DC is blowing them out of the water.
Joe: Stop talking and watch this.
Steve: Not until you tell me what your problem with DC is.
Joe: You need to watch the dude excited about his fish.
Steve: I am watching it.
Is this the coolest thing that’s happened to him all day or something?
His town is underwater and he’s happy he caught a big fish?
Joe: Kind of amazing.
In the end, and you can view this opinion for what it’s worth, my ultimate problem with DC is Superman. It’s not that I dislike Superman, it’s that they’ve painted themselves into a wall with his character.
He has to weaken himself to every accomplish anything. When, in the end, he should never be defeated by any enemy. I know his weakness is his love for mankind but I still get annoyed by all of the lore surrounding him.
To me, Superman is DC and I’m just not sold on Superman at all.
Steve: See, that’s always the opinion of people who don’t actually read Superman comics.
This goes back to the same thing I just said.
If Superman is well-written he’s a good character and if he’s badly written, he’s a bad character.
Problem is, most people only care enough to watch the movies and they’ve all been horribly written.
This is kind of my problem with how Hollywood treats comic books in general.
Superman is the most powerful superhero, so in these movies he’s godlike.
Which is not the case at all in the comics.
There’s a long list of ways you can kill him and a long list of enemies that can take him in a fight at full strength.
But that’s not the point.
Even if that wasn’t true, that’s only a flaw if you’re writing a certain kind of story.
But Hollywood cranks out these movies that treat the source material like it’s a joke.
Or that respect the source material, but don’t respect how hard it is to apply it in a different medium.
Only very rarely do we get a movie that manages to respect the source material AND construct a movie competently.
One of those movies was Iron Man.
And the day after it came out, my MOTHER went to the comic book store to check out Iron Man.
Joe: I feel like there is an inherent flaw with the character.
But I’m not just talking about movies, I’m talking about the characters. As a kid, I never related to Superman because he was perfect. Superman’s world is flawd, Superman isn’t. I can’t relate to that, so I never cared.
That’s ultimately the problem I have with him as a character.
DC never interested me at all. Batman was cool, but I wanted nothing to do with Robin. I read Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk and a few others because I related.
Steve: Well then you were reading something that was badly written.
Joe: It’s not just writing, regardless of the writing the characters have inherent traits that don’t necessarily change.
Superman doesn’t interest me as a character at all.
I’d love to see something done with him that’s quality, but even if I did, I don’t care enough about him to jump up and down.
Steve: Dude, no one’s saying you have to love Superman, but what you’re saying about him is totally innaccurate.
Captain America and Superman have the same exact personality.
The only difference is their powers.
Joe: Exactly!
Captain American can be killed on earth, Superman can’t.
Steve: That’s not true!
That hasn’t been true since the 70′s.
Unless you only know him from movieland.
Joe: Except for the retarded Kryptonite bullshit that is a ridiculous concept.
Steve: That is also not true!
There’s a hundred ways to kill him in the comics.
When he actually died, he was beaten to death.
And that’s come close to happening a number of times.
Joe: He wasn’t beaten to death by a human was he?
He was beaten to death by some other retarded alien.
Steve: Dude, it’s comic book land. Half the population of earth has superpowers or crazy advanced technology.
Joe: And besides, with all your arguments, we’re discussing preference.
I don’t care about Superman. Not because of the writing, it’s because I don’t care.
I PREFER marvel’s world
Steve: FUCK YOU!
Joe: Spider-Man was flawed, Wolverine was flawed, etc. Batman was flawed, but creaking creepy.
I prefer Spider-Man to the rest.
So, DC Blows and Marvel is awesome.
And Cloribel is retarded.
Steve: That’s fine.
I just don’t understand why you keep saying Superman is perfect or isn’t flawed.
That can only be the opinion of someone who hasn’t read a Superman comic since 1970.
Joe: Okay, give me a Superman flaw.
Steve: Superman has control issues.
Superman fights like a retard.
Superman can’t solve a mystery to save his life unless he has something to punch.
Superman thinks he should be able to be everywhere at once and he can’t.
This is stupid.
We could go on like this forever.
Just quit dissing Superman or I’ll cut your eyeballs in half.
Joe: I like Green Lantern.
Steve: Green Lantern is cool.
Joe: Maybe it’s because I’m more of a Sci-Fi guy than a fantasy guy?
Steve: Yeah, I’ll buy that.
Though Superman is technically sci-fi.
Joe: Marvel seems a bit more scifi-ish. Lots of characters who were experimented on.
Wolverine, Spiderman, Hulk were all science experiments gone wrong.
Steve: Here’s my analysis of the two.
As long as we’re talking about their flagship characters and not the less known ones.
Joe: Right.
Steve: So Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Cap, Iron Man on one side and Supes, Bats, Wonder Woman, Flash on the other side, etc.
DC characters were all created to be big, iconic symbols of something pure and direct.
While Marvel characters were high-concept ideas and then had superhero images wrapped around them.
For example, Flash: The Fastest Man Alive.
Hulk: Frankenstein meets Jekyl and Hyde.
Superman: Paragon of power and virute.
Spider-Man: Nerd gets superpowers, let’s see what happens.
Captain America is the only exception. He’s the one Marvel hero that should be a DC hero.
People say the reverse about Batman, but I disagree.
Because Batman also represents something very iconic and straightforward, which to me makes him clearly a DC guy.
Joe: Maybe the Green Arrow is such a terrible character that I turned on DC altogether?
Steve: Could be.
Although Green Arrow’s actually been really great to read a lot of the time.
The fact that he dresses like an idiot, fights crime in the stupidest way possible and is an infuriating bleeding heart liberal have all been folded into his character to make him the guy you love to hate.
And recently he straight murdered a dude.
Which for some reason had never happened before even though he fights crime by FIRING FUCKING ARROWS AT PEOPLE.
Joe: Well, in the end, I’m just a Marvel guy. Except for Batman who I think is the lone DC guy (major DC guy) who has no alien/supernatural powers.
He’s the one bitter/angry/vengeful/semi-righteous dude who’s also rich and motivated.
Steve: Yeah, and I lean toward Superman because I like the ideal he stands for.
I like that he fights evil not because he’s got severe mental problems or childhood issues, but just because it’s the right thing to do.
Not to take anything away from Spider-Man or Batman.
But Superman didn’t need a loved one to get shot to know that with great power comes great responsibility.
That’s what I like about him.
Steve: Yeah, I think the Jonah Hex movie looks like it might be really cool.
But that whole giving him a superpower thing scares me.
It implies that they think comic book fans won’t come see it if he doesn’t have a superpower.
Which will have the exact opposite effect, because those are the very people who will know they just twisted the whole concept of the character.
<Gasp> Not all comics are superhero comics. It’s just a western comic. So make a western movie.
That’s not so hard.
Joe: Right, I think it’s a grab at the general audience who may not know the comic but who will go see comic book movies.
I think Brolin will be good, the rest won’t.
Steve: Malkovitch will too.
And I don’t mind Megan Fox, but it depends on how they use her.
If they use her the way most movies use her, it’ll be terrible.
But it looks like they might actually be letting her wear clothes part of the time.
Joe: We’ll see.
I think that’s a comic that should be left alone when it comes to movies, but Hollywood never met an idea they didn’t want to destroy and put Megan Fox’s boobs into.
Seriously, can she just turn 40 and pose in Playboy already?
Steve: I disagree. I think Jonah Hex is perfect movie adaptation material, but they’d be better off not advertising it as a comic book movie.
Joe: It’s not that I think Hex is bad movie material, just that I think Hollywood can’t adapt stuff like that without destroying it. Can you imagine LOTR produced/directed/shot in Hollywood, or anywhere near America?
Steve: Yeah, true.
And I agree about Megan Fox.
But whenever there’s a new chick in her place in society, there’s always a part of me that hopes things won’t end that way for her.
Like maybe this time she’ll actually have a decent career, not become an unwed mother, not get divorced six times, not pose in filthier and flithier magazines until she dies of a drug overdose…
There’s always hope.
Joe: I agree with you on hoping actresses don’t get willingly exploited, but there’s not a lot of positive history when it comes to that sort of thing.
The other path is to turn into Sharon Stone, do Basic Instinct 2 and gross out the universe.
Steve: Yeah.
One or two of them could become Sandra Bullocks.
But even she’s getting divorced now.
Joe: Well, she chose to marry a guy who was married to a porn star. You really can’t have any clearer indication of what you’re getting yourself into.
So, that’s all on her in my opinion.
Steve: I didn’t know that detail.
Joe: It’s less tragic to me than it is retarded.
Steve: Impressive.
Joe: Yeah, anyone who is shocked is also shocked that politicians hire slutty interns, bankers manipulate financial systems and premarital sex leads to unwanted consequences.
What!? Sleeping with my boyfriend lead to herpaids!? Oh my!
Steve: I have never met Tommy Lee or any member of Mötley Crüe
Joe: Ok.
Steve: Nonetheless, I just came across some pictures of them on Wikipedia.
And I can smell the beer and cigarettes from here.
Through the freaking internet.
Steve: I don’t want to disown Mel Gibson.
The Passion of the Christ and Signs alone should lock him in forever.
So he went on a racist tirade. That sucks, but look who his dad is.
Joe: I’m willing to forgive the Jewish thing, but not divorcing his wife.
Steve: That seems a little backwards to me.
Joe: That piece of shit Catholic makes his own church to be more traditional and then divorces his wife?
My point is, there are two major strikes against him, and one involves his particularly strong religious beliefs.
Steve: Him divorcing his wife is his business.
I hate divorce too, but this is the real world. People do it.
To me, it’s more about what he’s overcome.
Joe: I agree with you mostly, but not for a dude who’s more Catholic than the Pope.
Steve: Which is a lot if you consider his background.
Joe: Not for a dude who introduces the single most influentual film about Jesus, possibly ever.
Steve: I mean for a dude who’s THAT Catholic to even have anywhere near the level of revelation required to make the Passion is amazing.
He had a super racist dad and was raised in a church system that’s 99% spiritually dead.
Then he got super famous and became a well-known druggie/party animal.
Then he got saved and made the Passion.
Of course he’s got issues. He’s still cool in my book.
Joe: mmm… My frustration with anyone who wants to make their mark with their faith is that there has to be consistency. You and I are going to sin, as is any celebrity.
So I don’t have a poor expectation.
Where I have a problem is when sin is not followed by repentance.
Divorce is wrong, especially when you’re so Catholic you think the Pope isn’t Catholic enough.
You don’t get to be a publicly proud Christian who does not hold to his beliefs.
We can’t disown every Christian who makes a public mistake, but I can hold them to some level of consistency in their lives.
Steve: Well, I’m not here to defend the man’s sins, but I think disowning him as a body is exactly the wrong thing to do.
There’s never going to be a celebrity Christian that doesn’t sin.
The world needs to know that’s not what our religion is based on.
Joe: My point isn’t about sin.
It’s about repentance.
Steve: But he did repent. He had one of the most sincere repentances ever by a celebrity douchebag
Joe: For his divorce?
Steve: For his anti-semitic outburst. He doesn’t owe us a repentance for his divorce. That’s between him and his wife.
It’s got nothing to do with the public.
Joe: I disagree. If you get divorced, you don’t owe me an apology.
But a public Christian doesn’t get to sin in private and enjoy public praise.
Mel was a public Christian and made a very public film and presented his faith in a public way.
Then he gets divorced and doesn’t want to discuss it.
That’s just poor form.
Don’t bring out the faith card if you don’t want to be held to the standards.
Steve: I have so many problems with that view I don’t even know where to start.
But I think the primary thing is that I’m glad he’s actually been able to keep his life as private as he has.
If more celebrities succeeded where he has, the world would be a better place.
I don’t care why a stranger got divorced, Christian or not.
It sucks that he did, but for all we know it was really necessary for reasons that would be totally inappropriate to make public.
In fact, I can’t think of a reason for divorce that would be appropriate to make public.
Joe: My point isn’t that I’m prying, people who pry blow.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not justifying the public.
I’m criticizing anyone who wants to be in the public eye on their own terms, especially once they introduce the Christian card.
Steve: Well, a man’s family is his own business, no matter who he is.
And I think you’re misrepresenting his intentions.
It’s not like he was nobody and then walked into the room yelling “I’m so great! I’m gonna be the Christian guy from now on! Everybody watch what I do!”
Dude was already one of the most famous people on the planet, and then he got radically saved.
And then God basically ordered him to make a film that only he could make.
All he did was make a movie.
And give one or two interviews for pretty much the only time in his life.
The fact that said movie was like the hugest deal ever was much more God’s doing than Gibson’s.
Joe: I have a quick question?
Steve: K.
Joe: How do you type with Mel Gibson’s dick in your mouth?
Steve: Dude, you’re lame.
Bottom line is this: Nobody in the world cares that he got divorced. Only extreme right-wingers like you care about that. That’s why nobody’s nailed him down on it in the media and THAT’S why he hasn’t discussed it.
In the end, what people will remember 100 years from now is the movie.
If he was being swarmed with reporters demanding an explanation for his divorce, he might be inclined to give one.
But he’s not. Nobody cares.
Joe: Listen, I don’t care that Tiger banged a thousand chicks, that’s his deal.
I don’t care that any professional athlete or celebrity has affairs, gets STD’s or does drugs or whatever.
I really care about professed believers not counting the cost when they make their faith public.
We look bad enough with Pat Robertson and other televangelists (and by look bad, I mean I can’t bring up Jesus’ name without people thinking about them).
To have Mel A. making anti-Semitic statements, and B. being a horrible Catholic in spite of his whole Catholic thing is embarrassing.
It’s not that I expect believers to be perfect.
I want them to be consistent, and he just isn’t, and it’s a really crappy inconsistency.
Steve: Maybe so, but what I think you’re not taking into account is that Mel Gibson getting divorced doesn’t make us look bad to anyone who’s not already a Christian.
Most non-believers don’t care about divorce.
Joe: That’s not true.
They care when it matters
Steve: Not as nearly as much. That’s why the tirade was a huge media bonanza and the divorce was a footnote.
Joe: I really think you’re wrong on this one.
Steve: I really think you’re wrong.
You’re being very judgmental about a situation you know nothing about.
Joe: I think you’re defending a situation you know very little about.
Steve: All I’m saying is it’s not our business.
And we can’t “disown” a guy for something that’s none of our business.
Joe: My point is, when you choose public life, especially with your faith, your private life doesn’t get to be out of bounds on your own choosing.
Steve: In fact, I rather prefer that there is a fallable Christian in the media.
I’d rather him than Pat Robertson any day.
Because Robertson acts like he’s infallible.
Gibson just lives his life.
Joe: I’m not criticizing his sin, Steve. I’m criticizing the fact that he’s not as open as I think he should be
If your sins aren’t as public as your accomplishments, there’s a problem.
Steve: I disagree. There’s nothing Biblical about forcing a man to strip naked in front of the world.
Joe: uh…Jesus?
Steve: In front of his covenant relationships, yes, but not in front of the camera.
Mel Gibson isn’t some preacher who took a bunch of people’s money and then slept with all his parishioners. That would require an apology to everyone he ever preached to.
He’s a filmmaker who happens to be a Christian and doesn’t like being in the spotlight, with or without his faith.
He’s always been known for that, even before the whole Passion deal.
I don’t require him to change that.
Joe: I only require believers to be consistent.
Steve: Right.
Well, we all should be.
And we’re all not.
And he isn’t either.
Big whoop.
Joe: For a public believer it’s more than a big whoop to me
Steve: So you’ve said.
But honestly, what’s he supposed to do? Hold a press conference and say he’s very sorry, but he’s got to divorce his wife because
… fill in the blank?
That’s bullshit.
Joe: Yes.
Bible says “dont’ desire to be a teacher.”
If you want the praise, you don’t get to trade the mocking.
Steve: When did he desire to be a teacher?
You’re assigning all these roles to him that he doesn’t fit.
He’s just a guy who makes movies.
Joe: Dude.
Are you seriously shrugging that off?
Steve: YES.
You’re making no sense.
Joe: I’m fairly certain “teacher” should be taken for a position of influence, and any person of influence should be aware that they will receive a double judgment.
Film maker, teacher, politician, etc.
Steve: I agree, but you’re skipping over the “desire” part.
Mel Gibson has done nothing his entire life but shun the spotlight.
He is the living epitome of the artist who’s famous against his will.
Joe: He did Lethal Weapon 4.
He Did What Women Want.
He’s a super popular actor who’s a lady’s man.
Let’s not deify him.
Steve: I’m not deifying him. You are. You’re saying that when he reached a certain level of recognition for his gifts, he should have either quit working or thrown his life open for all to see.
No sale.
I’m really not defending his sins.
Divorce sucks.
And I’d bet money his reasons for doing it were not justifiable.
But it’s still nobody’s business but the people involved.
Joe: Because he’s chosen a public life, I disagree.
But I guess that’s where we stand.
Steve: I guess so.
Joe: Last word.
Steve: GOFUCKYOURSELF!
Joe: Nope, I already got the last word.
See, it’s up there.
Last word again.
Final word.
Last word in.
I win.
Steve: Mel Gibson is standing behind you with a knife.
Joe: I wouldn’t be surprised, he’s kinda nuts.
Steve: Why are you so interested in Mel Gibson’s nuts?
Now the truth comes out.
Joe: You’re right.
Steve: You don’t want him to just expose himself to the public, you want him to EXPOSE himself.
Joe: I wanna be nuts to butts with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
