November 26, 2019
Watchmen (series)
I am in awe of the new Watchmen series on HBO. Every episode takes me deeper into the intrigue and masterful story-telling.
I truly loved the original comic series upon which it was based. But I was skeptical that a series based on the comic could tap into it’s beautiful layered symmetry. I remembered how the Watchmen film although aesthetically rising to the occasion, missed the mark with the substance, and the depth of context that would only seem possible on the printed page.
I also loved Lindelof’s previous work on the HBO series Leftovers. That show, particularly the first season, was something incredible and new. It was addicting. Nevertheless, a spin-off show on such a challenging story seemed like a moonshot attempt, and yet it seems to be doing exactly that.
Lindelof’s Watchmen has what Snyder’s Watchmen did not - timing, synchronicity, the deeper meanings reverberating across timelines that is the very soul of the original comic - it is beautiful to behold.
Labels: Watchmen
March 6, 2009
"Who watches the Watchmen?" I just did!
I've just seen the film version of Watchmen, something I've been looking forward to for quite a while. The graphic novel Watchmen is amazing work of art and literature – Time Magazine lists it as one of the top 100 modern English novels.If you can find a fault with the movie Watchmen, then you're really finding fault with the original graphic novel upon which it's based because the movie is a spot-on perfect 'representation' of the original work. The acting, the special effects, the settings, every nuance of the film is a repectful homage to the graphic novel. I had read that before Zach Snyder was signed to direct the film, the producers were looking at Darren Arranofsky as a potential director and that Arranofsky wanted to significantly update the settings and circumstances in which the film takes place—that would have been terrible! In my view, the most remarkable aspect of this film, is how accurately it recreates that alternate 1980s world where the main story in the graphic novel takes place.
(Okay beware, spoilers below) Certain elements were shortened (like the encounters between Rorschach and his court appointed therapist), left out (such as the fate of the original Night Owl), or changed (the encounter of Rorschach with the kidnapper which begins his career as a Crime Fighter, and of course the ending), but I can certainly see how these changes make sense for a film version. As for the ending, I actually liked it better than graphic novel's ending. One thing stuck me about the ending of the graphic novel was how bizarre it seemed, and the film version just makes more sense, and accomplishes the same.
This was the director Snyder's third major film. His first two were the remake of Dawn of the Dead, which was followed by 300 (also a graphic novel) – Both were excellent. Watchmen is brilliant. I see an obvious comparison between Watchmen the film and the Lord of the Rings films. Both are excellent representations of the original works upon which they are based. Both have some changes that are justified when you consider transferring their stories from the page to the screen. Both are based on works that represent the very best of their genres (LoTR of fantasy literature, Watchmen of graphic novels). There will probably be a lot of opinions about which aspects should have stayed the same or changed or been left in and so forth, but I think this film is extraordinary companion to the original graphic novel, which itself is an amazing work.
Labels: Watchmen
January 8, 2009
Watchmen production diary
There is still a while before we can feast our eyes on the Watchmen (IMDb). In the meantime I've discovered video production diaries at apple (also on the official blog) and an official flicker page with stills.Labels: Watchmen
December 22, 2008
Holiday (and Upcoming) Movies
One of my favorite things about the Holidays is the many movie possibilities usually available. It was great the few years when there was either a Lord of the Rings or a Harry Potter film to choose from.
Right now there are a few options: You can save your money on The Day The Earth Stood Still (see below for reasons why). If you can find a theater showing RocknRolla (IMDb) and you've enjoyed past Guy Ritchie British gangster movies I would recommend seeing it. Quantum of Solace (IMDb) is a direct sequel to Casino Royal and second film to cast Danial Craig as 007. Although not as excellent as Casino Royal, it was still worth watching, especially if you liked Casino Royal.
I was really looking forward to the reincarnation of Star Trek that originally was set to release Christmas day 2008. Alas, it has been pushed back to May 9th. This will be either a total restart of the original, or at least a prequel to the original television series. Aside from awesome looking special effects, one aspect this project that excited me is the casting of Simon Pegg as the character Scotty who you would recognize as Shaun from the excellent Shaun of the Dead. Also, while all of the characters are cast with younger actors for obvious reasons, Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as an aged Spock (perhaps by way of a flashback or other plot devise).
The film I'm most interested in this Christmas is The Spirit (IMDb). The trailer for The Spirit sort of caught me off guard since all my attention has been focused on The Watchmen. The Spirit is directed by, although not originally written by, talented graphic novelist Frank Miller -- who wrote the graphic novels which have become the films Sin City and 300. From a comic series from the 1940s, the film's style looks very similar to the animated style of Sin City. I don't know much about the story, but I imagine it will have all the traditional hard-boiled crime story themes, and film noir elements...a conflicted love story, a hero with an unyielding and confusing sense of justice, etc. (Scarlett Johansson as a bad-girl is also quite intriguing.)Miller's 300 was directed by Zach Snyder who is behind the lens in the much-anticipated The Watchmen (IMDb), which is set for a March 6th 2009 opening. One of the more amazing aspects of The Watchmen is that now that its finally being created for the screen (there have been several prior attempts) the film makers are not only striving to recreate an authentic 1980s atmosphere, which itself is would be challenging, but an alternative one at that, where superheros are real and as such all other facets of that time are skewed, with odd historical similarities (I remember noticing when I read The Watchmen somewhere a sign for “RR for President,” but instead of being for the actor Ronald Reagan, it was for actor Robert Redford). Interestingly, one of the two writer/artists behind Watchmen, Moore has argued that graphic novels are not meant for the cinematic medium because it takes in-depth examination of each cell in the story to fully interpret all of its details and meanings. To Snyder's credit, from the trailers it appears that he has done as well as could be expected in replicating the elements within Watchmen. After Watchmen, according to the IMDb, Snyder has a few interesting projects on the way...including: a sequel/remake to the animated cult hit Heavy Metal in 2010, and a film version of the comic series Cobalt-60. Although, since story elements of the comic Cobalt-60 were incorporated into the Heavy Metal magazine, perhaps these separate projects are really one in the same.
Another film opening Christmas day possibly worth seeing is The Valkyrie (IMDb) -- based on a true story about an insurrection of German soldiers against their leaders during WWII. It seems a little silly to me that, judging only from the trailer, there is no attempt at having the characters use a German accent.
I'm much more excited for another WWII era film coming out soon called Defiance (IMDb) (staring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber), directed by Edward Zwick who is gifted at bringing true stories of war to the screen, such as: Glory, and The Last Samurai. Defiance is based on a true story of three Russian Jewish brothers who led a rebellion against German soldiers while taking refuge in the forest. Defiance is set to open January 16th 2008.Another movie I'm really excited about (set to open the same day as Defiance) is the new film by Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (IMDb). Imagine all the grit of a hard-ass retired Dirty Harry in front of the lens, with the refined genius of Clint Eastwood as a director behind the lens.
I just went to see The Day The Earth Stood Still (IMDb), which looked very fascinating in the trailer, but overall left me feeling disapointed and slightly bored. The story was bland and unconvincing, but what irritated me the most about about TDTESS was the extremely obvious product placement thoroughout the film – from particular brands of phones, watches, fast food, cars and so on. There was nothing subtle about it. Movie editors take note: cool it on the over-the-top painfully obvious product placement. Just because the economy is terrible and nobody is buying anything doesn't excuse your excessive assault on our subconsciousness. No one wants to sit through a two-hour action-justified infomercial. These products must exist in a realistic film, sure, but when the camera hesitates a moment to give you a close-up glimpse of the sleek new phone and watch being used by the protagonist, it's more than a little heavy-handed. Not only that, this is in a film that already has a heavy-handed message about how the excesses of consumerism and so forth having brought an alien species to destroy humanity in order to save the planet. A little contradictory, eh? So, I recommend saving your money and waiting for this film to come out on dvd. Last winter's I Am Legend was a much more thrilling and emotional film by comparison.
Look below for trailers at Apple for some of the more exciting films I'm looking forward to:
Defiance
Gran Torino
Watchmen
Star Trek
Terminator Salvation
For my list of upcoming films check my movie calendar page
Labels: Defiance, Gran Torino, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, The Spirit, Watchmen
December 8, 2008
New Watchmen Trailer
The new Watchmen trailer looks great! Check it out: http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/trailer2/QTMD.htmlLabels: Watchmen
July 25, 2008
Who watches the Watchmen...and eventually the best version?
Yesterday I caught an interview with Zach Snyder, director of Watchmen, on G4 where he seems to indicate that an animated version of The Black Freighter (a separate sub story within the Watchmen story) is in the works but will likely not be included as part of the theatrical release, but as part of a special directors edition, or something of that sort, released eventually. Thats both reassuring that it will be included, and somewhat disappointing knowing fans will have to wait a while to see the best version of Watchmen not on the big screen. Watch the interview below.
click here for permalink of interview
Labels: Watchmen
July 24, 2008
A Dark Summer
The Dark Knight (IMDb) will likely be the biggest blockbuster of the summer. I went to see it last Friday, just barely able to get tickets by going to get them early in the day. I checked online before the show and tickets for every show that night were sold-out. So I'm not surprised that it destroyed at the Box Office. This film, I believe, is not just the best since Tim Burton's 1989 Batman (IMDb), its actually better.The Dark Knight follows director Nolan's previous re-ignition of the Batman franchise with Batman Begins (2005) (IMDb), which while being great itself was purposefully a vehicle to reestablish the Batman universe and build up to The Dark Knight, a longer and more dynamic masterpiece. Which sets Nolan's movies apart from previous Batman films is the accuracy and appreciation the screenwriters have for the world Batman inhabits in the comics. The Dark Knight continues to develop the characters from Begins, firmly establishing the character Commissioner Gordon as Batman's best ally.
There are similarities to draw between this Batman film and Burton's. In particular, both films' plots revolve primarily around a conflict with Batman and his arch nemesis The Joker. In these films the quality of acting by the actors portraying The Joker is a large part of what makes them great. Jack Nicholson played the part masterfully, and so has Ledger. I think he ought to be seriously considered for the best supporting actor Oscar nomination (tragically posthumously). His performance is every bit as terrifying as the role Javier Bardem won for in No Country For Old Men last year.
As might be expected there were several intriguing trailers shown with The Dark Knight. Three that stood out in my mind were: Terminator Salvation, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and most especially The Watchmen (or watch it here at apple).
Trailer notes: After Terminator 3 I wasn't that interested in any more sequels, but this trailer has restored my curiosity. The Day the Earth Stood Still is aparently a remake and looks to be a dramatic special effects update of the original. Casting Reeves as an emotionless ambassador from another world seems a logical choice.
Having seen the trailer for The Watchmen, the concerns I may have for the ability for anyone to bring it to the big screen are decreasing. The details are perfect, from the costumes, to the sets...from the grit to the posh lifestyles, and the even the Smashing Pumpkins song works well to accentuate the feeling within a watch of a winding down, epitomizing the overriding theme of the story. But even though the trailer looks perfect, its still going to be quite a challenge to recreate all the nuances of the story on a screen. I wonder even if it is articulated perfectly on screen, will be as well received as a film as it has been as a graphic novel? I hope so, I'm looking forward to it.
Labels: The Dark Knight, Watchmen
June 9, 2008
Summer Reading, Movies, Music...
One of the best parts of summer is taking time to enjoy great movies, books, music etc...
BOOKS
I just finished reading a graphic novel called WATCHMEN. Its the first graphic novel I've read (although I've seen a few film translations of other graphic novels: Sin City, 300) so I can't honestly presuppose about what in Watchmen might set it apart from other graphic novels. But for me, what would set it apart from super hero stories is the idea of masked heroes in a more realistic world. To some extent you are taking a suspension of disbelief you read a typical comic story but in this world the characters are meant to be inspired by the world of comics, and so it comes across as more realistic. Watchmen is a What If masked heroes actually fought against crime and injustice. Its a darker more emotional version of a world with masked heroes.
By today's super hero standards, the stories in Watchmen might seem underwhelming. Most of the characters do not have super powers other than their intelligence (with the exception of the character Doctor Manhattan). But they do have very real emotional problems which is what really drives the plot.
Watchmen is a amazingly illustrated. Much of what happens is metaphorically tied together by the imagery and the interrelated story lines. Reading a graphic novel is like observing a collection of stills from a movie. There is probably no other medium more prime for being recreated as a film. Which is interesting, because I first heard about Watchmen when a friend told me about a movie version (IMDb) (official page with blog) (official youtube page) in production a while ago. The director of the film is Zach Snyder, who has some experience transitioning graphic novels to film, as he previously did for Frank Miller's 300 (IMDb) about the 300 Spartans who defended against the Persian empire. But perhaps the biggest obstacle for Watchmen making a successful transition to the big screen is how hard it would be for anyone to tell this story better than has already. The nuances of the characters captured in ink is so perfect it would be surely impossible for actors to perfectly duplicate as film, as would be to convey the metaphors between the past and present stories that are woven together and as a whole tell a much deeper story. But from what I've seen on their website, it looks like they are taking the task seriously; so I'm looking forward to it coming out March '09.
MOVIES
So far I've seen a couple pretty good summer blockbusters - Indiana Jones and Iron Man. Having low expectations to start with may have been an advantage. Iron Man (IMDb) was better that I expected, but not a great movie. I think having a pretty good cast really makes a difference when you try to take a popular comic book story and make a movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwenyth Paltrow are what made this film entertaining. What might be worth mentioning about this film is at the end, after the credits, there is an extra scene with Samuel Jackson indicating that there more lies ahead for Tony Stark's character as a member of the Avengers group. Next weekend The Incredible Hulk is released - a sequel to 2003's Hulk, but this time with Edward Norton (instead of Eric Bana) as Bruce Banner - and I noticed in the cast, Robert Downey Jr. is cast as Tony Stark. Perhaps this will further develop the potential for an Avengers spin-off.
I also went to see the fourth Indiana Jones film (IMDb), which was also less of a let-down than I expected. From what I'd read, Ford and Spielberg had to petition to have Lucas make changes to improve the script. As well, Sean Connery opted not to appear this time. His character (introduced in the previous film) added a lot to the to the Jones world, and it was kind of a disappointment that he was missing. Also missing were the familiar characters of Marcus Brody and Sallah, both of which appeared in both the first and third films. Returning in this film was the character of Marion Ravenwood, Indy's love interest from the first film. And this one introduced a new sidekick, Marion's son, played by Shea Labeouf. The story was a lot weaker than previous Indy films - involving a search for an Alien artifact. Some of the action sequences were too ridiculous to allow for a suspension of disbelief. I really enjoyed the opening sequence with the nuclear bomb test, but that had little bearing on the plot for the rest of the film. It's very impressive that Harrison Ford, at age 65 is performing those stunts. I thought Cate.Blanchett was great as the leader of the Soviets at odds with Jones and his comrades.
The next couple of films I'm looking forward to this summer are M. Night Shayamalan's The Happening (IMDb), which comes out this coming Friday, starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanal. And later on this summer the Coen Brother's have a spy movie called Burn After Reading (IMDb) with George Clooney, Brad Pit, Tilda Swinton (from Micheal Clayton) Francis McDormand. I doubt it could live up to No Country For Old Men, but the Coen brothers don't often disapoint.
MUSIC
A few weeks ago I went to see Radiohead play here in Charlotte (which was kind of an unexpected turn of events. My buddy Dave patently waited for tickets to go on-sale online and purchased as many as possible which sold out in minutes). It was a pretty memorable concert; there are not a lot of bands I think I could compare Radiohead with, and I suppose since I'm not able to understand music in the way musicians do, to accurately describe that Radioconcert would be somewhat difficult. They played most of the songs from In Rainbows, and a lot of others as well. There is a certain vagueness/ambiguity to their music and lyrics. It was certainly in the top five concerts I've ever attended. (I think my favorite of all time would be The Arcade Fire.)
Labels: Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Radiohead, Watchmen
February 11, 2008
Zombies...Super heroes
Yesterday I was listening to PRI's Fair Game with Faith Salie and she had George Romero as a special guest (you can listen to the episode here, or better yet, sign up for their podcasts here). This is the guy who practically invented the Zombie movie genre. They were discussing his latest film Diary of the Dead (IMDb) (the 4th sequel to Knight of the Living Dead (IMDb)). He seemed to come across as a pretty down to earth guy, and he understands his role in the film industry, and his opportunity to make social commentary using the niche market of zombie horror.
Diary of the Dead takes place simultaneously as the original Dead films, yet it takes advantage of today's modern technology, cellphones and the like. The plot centers around a group of film students who were filming a horror film of their own just as the Zombie outbreak takes place. Just judging from the clips played during the interview, it seems that as with Romero's previous Dead films, this one seems more of a parody of society, this time of the New-Media generation, than an attempt at being outright horror. The film is presented threw the lens of the characters' cellphones and personal camcorders, making it similar to the recent monster attack film Cloverfield (IMDb), and the horror film that pioneered this style of film making The Blair Witch Project (IMDb).
Romero also mentions although he appreciates the newer spin-off zombie films, such as 28 Days Later, and Zach Snyder's 2004 remake (IMDb) of Romero's first Dead sequel Dawn of the Dead (IMDb), he doesn't necessarily justify the newer more agile zombies who sprint after the living, preferring the slower lumbering zombies of his earlier films because, as he puts it, they are more 'realistic'. I understand Romero's reasoning, but I also was totally engaged by Snyder's take on a zombie outbreak. Its not about parodying and aspect of society, its purely survival mixed with horror.
Labels: Diary of the Dead, Watchmen