I love mockumentaries. Mostly because, as a teacher, I relish spreading disinformation on a daily basis. I can watch films like "Incident at Loch Ness" or "Best in Show" ad nauseum and never grow weary of their rigmarole. However, I suppose every domain of film has its turkeys, and "Comic Book: The Movie" is a veritable bird big enough to feed the entire Zulu nation. Written, produced, directed, and starring Mark Hamill, the low-budget project follows a high school teacher obsessed with comic books on a whirlwind tour straight into the San Diego comic con. He's been sent as a studio liaison promoting the big-screen adaptation/abomination of his favorite comic book hero, Commander Courage. If you think the basic premise sounds contrived, then we're on the same page already.
I watched the film in hopes that live footage at the comic con would be exploited to its fullest potential, but, regrettably, it was not. In fact, the con is scarcely a focus at all, and the viewer is merely teased with glimpses of eccentric characters or panning shots of the dealer room, leaving you wishing that you were there instead of being forced to watch Hamill chew the scenery and regurgitate it out with his nasal-voiced geek schtick. This was a real disappointment to me. The very idea of filming a mockumentary surreptitiously in such an environment is a brilliant concept filled with potential. Regrettably, Hamill was more focused on showing off how funny he thought he and his friends were rather than taking advantage of his surroundings.
God, I can't believe it took me three tries to get through this. The whole time I was watching it, i could imaging Hamill siting next to me, laughing his ass off at his own antics, ribbing me in the side constantly in an effort to muster forth a laugh or two. The guy probably goes around to bars, picks up women by drugging their drinks and takes them back to his place where he forces them to watch his movie. And you know there's nothing more obnoxious that someone who goads you into listening to their new CD or watching their latest, crappy film. Speaking of which, did you know I completed my second length film last December? Trailers can be watched here and here.
Watch the Trailer
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