When I was around a year old my aunt Paula moved in with my mom to help take care of me. My sperm donor was never much of a parent, even then, and between me, her job, and a little sister on the way, she needed the help. To this day, my aunt has been a huge influence on me, both in the things I like and the way I see the world.
One thing that was always a special thing between me and my aunt Paula was toys. She had a job too, but almost every pay day she would try and bring home a new toy for me and, later, my sister. With me it was mostly action figures -- Toxic Avengers, Batman, Ghostbusters, and Ninja Turtles. The thing is, it was never my father who would play with these things with me, it was always her. My aunt Paula was the one who would watch the cartoons with me, see the movies, play and laugh and make the silly sound effects.
What this means is that I grew up in a household where even action figures, arguably one of the more boy-oriented toys around, was something I did with a girl. I know what you're thinking, too: it was all just her humoring a child, a young relative she cared for. Well, maybe, but at the same time it couldn't be said that she'd do the same with my sister and Barbies or other dolls, and even after she stopped staying with us she kept up with many of our joint pastimes on her own.
When the new Ninja Turtles movie came out a few years ago I was indisposed. My aunt, however, was very excited, and went to the theater to see the movie on her own: something I've never known her to do for any other film. As soon as it was available on DVD she rented it and brought it to my parents', and even though I'd read plenty of negative reviews and seen so many people badmouth the film, between the miraculous combination of an innate ability to formulate my own opinions on a subject despite negative press and my aunt's own giddy joy when watching the film, I found it a lot of fun too. As soon as the trailers for the new one came out, her eyes lit up, and for weeks she's been talking excitedly about going to see it.
Tonight, me and my aunt are on our own. We have a handful of cash, and half a tank of gas. We're going to see Ninja Turtles, and gender bias be damned because my aunt will be there in her Michaelangelo snuggie, the happiest person in the audience.
Melanie E.
Comments
Ha!
Yeah, despite the flaws, I enjoyed the last Ninja Turtles movie and plan on seeing this one.
I have an odd connection to the Turtles. When Eastman and Laird were thinking of putting out their own first comic, one of the ones I worked on had just come out. They looked at ARC and said, "If those guys can do it, so can we." :) They were a lot more successful than we were.
The Turtles have an odd sort of success, though. Most of their fans never realize that the original intent was satire of the comic industry as it existed in the early 80s when the most successful comics were about teenagers, mutants, ninjas or guys named after animals. :D It was a great joke but only people in the industry really got it. And E&L had a good story to go with the satire, hence their continuing success.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Satire!
Satire, and other hidden, or not so hidden familiar bits, add to the connections our brain makes, and therefore our enjoyment. So I think the satirical content adds to the success, even if people don't actually recognize the satire directly.
Just my thought on the matter.
~Hypatia >i< ..:::
PS. I still watch ALL the new Full Length Cartoons.
I don't always catch them in the theater tho.
PPS. Turtle Power!
And, PixZie Powa! *giggles*
I think you're right
The denser the information in a content stream, the more valuable that stream becomes.
This is why I provide hidden or subtle ties and bits in all my stories. There are always several things going on and my current serial Bian includes pop culture, historical, science fiction, fantasy, romance, linguistic, scientific, mythological and other sorts of references in an attempt to thicken the content stream. Necessary to make this work is to still provide a clear and understandable main current to the story, which is why I usually write this kind of thing in first person as a filter on how much I can show the reader at once.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
They did what they could to honor the old story.
Most movies based on 80's and early 90's era cartoons flop, but the ninja turtles movie did what they could to hold to the story of old and modernize it not an easy or simple thing to do. The first movie was not great but it was good enough and I liked it. I was an odd little boy growing up when I had my birthday party I actually invited the girl in my class who was a tomboy through and though she was as ruff and tumble as any boy and would prove it. She was a great friend till her family moved, alas this was long before e-mail and cell phones for all. So i lost contact.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Nice to see there are others
Nice to see there are others out there.
I was a turtle nut growing up to the point that I knew the first two seasons of the 80s cartoon by heart. This was all thanks to my sisters who started watching the show before they discovered they liked playing sports more. My niece knows the new show by heart and is dragging me to see the new movie next weekend.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Still own those old comics...
Still own about the first 20 issues. Not sure how much they are worth, they are well used (so it can't be much) but I'm keeping them.
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