Watchmen

Tleilax Master B · Post by **Tleilax Master B** » 01 Aug 2008 15:59

Robspierre wrote:
orald wrote:
And yes, the mediterenian contigent is so extra loony.
I blame all that heat It affects the brain we get that here in the southwest too

Rob

It doesn't affect me Rob!! (There's nothing crazy about pretending to be a genetically altered little gray Master with pointy teeth and an unnatural obsession with visits to the Selamlik! Nope, nothing crazy about that at all.)

Post by **Omphalos** » 01 Aug 2008 17:12

Hey, who's pretending?????

Seraphan · Post by **Seraphan** » 02 Aug 2008 06:47

SandChigger wrote:(Nice almost-garden-path sentence there, Robbo. Until you hit "are", that last reads like an adverbial participial phrase.)

Hollywood sucks.

That just about sums it up all pretty well.

Ampoliros · Post by **Ampoliros** » 03 Aug 2008 11:20

Live Action Cowboy Bebop?

Who gets to play Ein?

Seraphan · Post by **Seraphan** » 03 Aug 2008 12:15

Ampoliros wrote:Live Action Cowboy Bebop?

Who gets to play Ein?

Brian Herbert?

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 15 Mar 2009 19:15

Watchmen was okay. Better than you'd think, but not as good as you'd hoped.
The execution of the script was daring and bold for a film adaptation, though stumbled in some key places. Snyder and Co. definitely remained faithful both to the literal interpretation of the book and the spirit of the material. The effects were great, soundtrack was solid and the movie was perfectly paced. The problem was some of the actors. Malin Akerman as the Silk Spectre and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian were terrible. Their poor performances sucked so much out of the film. Each awfully delivered line was a punch in the gut and sadly, so many scenes depended upon them anchoring the emotional moment. They were not up to the task. As a result, Patrick Wilson and Billy Crudup were only partially successful in their roles, since many of the best scenes required acting against Akerman and Morgan. Oh, and the sex scenes: Akerman totally sucked all the outrage from her sequence with Dr. Manhattan, the first Dan/Laurie sex scene was brilliantly done with all the awkwardness that there should have been but the final sex scene between Dan/Laurie was a full blown disaster (aside from the fan service). I think Akerman is now up there with Jessica Alba as the worst actors of their generation and pay grade. Oh, and fire whoever the hell they got to play Nixon. What a hack!

It's so sad, because with a better cast, a script doctor and better actor direction, Watchmen would have been a great film. Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, Billy Crudup as Dr Manhattan and Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt were solid (and I admit, I was feeling negative about Wilson before I saw the film). Carla Gugino ate up her scenes as Sally and Jackie Earl Haley stole the show as Rorschach. The CGI for Dr. Manhattan (based on Billy's performance) is perhaps some of the best CGI acting ever put on film.

Oh, and "blue wang" has become the new detestable geek meme of the internet, officially displacing the contemptible "raped my childhood" war cry.

Overall, 3 out of 5. Like Franz Ferdinand sing, "You could have it so much better".

Robspierre · Post by **Robspierre** » 15 Mar 2009 19:19

GP, listen to the Creative ScreenWriting Q&A with the screenwriters, it answers some of the complaints I had about the screenplay including a bit that was cut that would of made the change to the ending work! I'm gona wait for the director's cut before giving final judgement

Rob

Ampoliros · Post by **Ampoliros** » 15 Mar 2009 20:19

NIEN! DAS ENDING VAS KAPUT!

no i don't speak german...

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 15 Mar 2009 21:11

Explanation not needed.

Blue Wang? Is that like this Blue Dick?

(It's that idiot TAZ, in case you don't recognize him.

)

Ampoliros · Post by **Ampoliros** » 15 Mar 2009 21:16

i never had any direct contact with him on any board, and already i think he's candidate #1 for biggest douche of the year.

Ye Gods! What Ego! No wonder he blows KJA.

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 16 Mar 2009 14:02

Robspierre wrote:GP, listen to the Creative ScreenWriting Q&A with the screenwriters, it answers some of the complaints I had about the screenplay including a bit that was cut that would of made the change to the ending work! I'm gona wait for the director's cut before giving final judgement

Rob

The ending was fine and worked much better than the book ending would have, for a live action film adaptation made in 2009. In fact, the whole screenplay was very well done and bold for a studio film. As a film, the Watchmen movie is generally constructed to be every bit as engaging and interesting as it should be.

No, my problems with the script only extend as far as the way certain scenes were poorly written and acted even worse. The Laurie and Dr. Manhattan bed/lab sequence, the Comedian shoots his girlfriend sequence, Nite Owl/Comedian crowd control scene, Dan/Laurie sex scene#2, the Comedian's confessional scene, basically almost anything with Morgan or Akerman "acting". Each of these scenes felt flat due to both poor writing choices and poor acting. Sadly, these poorly done smaller scenes were simply too numerous to ignore and one or two were some of my favorite sequences from the book. Dan/Laurie's second sex scene in particular was robbed of a point and was instead relegated to unnecessary fan service. It was supposed to comment strongly that these are two fucked up vigilantes that need to dress up in latex cotumes to feel sexually empowered. Instead, the sequence just became EXTREME Hollywood cheese of the worst kind.

If only one or two scenes didn't work, I would have rated this film much higher. But too many sequences just sucked that it lessened the film. Should have casted just a bit better and probably stuck with Aronofsky or Greengrass in the director's seat.

SandChigger wrote:Blue Wang? Is that like this Blue Dick?

(It's that idiot TAZ, in case you don't recognize him. )

LOL! Yeah, something like that

Drunken Idaho · Post by **Drunken Idaho** » 16 Mar 2009 15:17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w

This made me laugh... "John can give you cancer, and he'll turn into a car!"

Well I saw the movie and I loved it. Never read the book, but it seems to me that those who have read it hate the movie. I thought it was damned good. Beats the hell out of Iron Man or The Hulk, in my opinion. Kick-ass soundtrack too! Philip Glass's theme from Koyaanisqatsi?! Can you get any more obscure?! If you haven't seen Koyaanisqatsi, I recommend you do. Beautiful film. Here's a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwR1c-cdFw

7:08 - 7:22 is probably the best shot in the film. Fucking amazing.

moreh_yeladim · Post by **moreh_yeladim** » 17 Mar 2009 16:50

Drunken Idaho wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w

This made me laugh... "John can give you cancer, and he'll turn into a car!"

Well I saw the movie and I loved it. Never read the book, but it seems to me that those who have read it hate the movie. I thought it was damned good. Beats the hell out of Iron Man or The Hulk, in my opinion. Kick-ass soundtrack too! Philip Glass's theme from Koyaanisqatsi?! Can you get any more obscure?! If you haven't seen Koyaanisqatsi, I recommend you do. Beautiful film. Here's a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwR1c-cdFw

7:08 - 7:22 is probably the best shot in the film. Fucking amazing.

I read the book, and I loved the movie. Also, that first YouTube movie fucking scares the shit out of me. WAS THAT REAL!?

Ampoliros · Post by **Ampoliros** » 18 Mar 2009 00:32

doesn't belong in the Dune Demotivators, or here really...but

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Mar 2009 01:16

I like.

That should go up on Facebook.

orald · Post by **orald** » 18 Mar 2009 10:16

That Koyaanisqatsi bit stole several minutes off my life for nothing.

Drunken Idaho · Post by **Drunken Idaho** » 18 Mar 2009 11:56

orald wrote:That Koyaanisqatsi bit stole several minutes off my life for nothing.

Watch the full two hours

It's probably my favourite documentary. No dialogue, no narration, but that's not to say there's no story. The movie makes some really awesome observations and makes a great point, via dozens of amazing shots. And the music is the icing on the cake. Has no one else seen it?

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 18 Mar 2009 12:31

Oh, sorry about that Drunken Idaho. I have seen and very much enjoyed Koyaanisqatsi. I've also seen Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi. Ironically, these films are likely more effective at questioning the way we live than a thousand heavy-handed, enviro-Nazi propaganda films. But I guess there's no market for subtlety in our brave new fundamentalist world.

Of the films, I still think Koyaanisqatsi is the best of the trilogy. Sadly, the film remains as relevant today as it did back in 1982. Maybe that's just being cynical, but we are still living out of balance. Of course, it could be argued that living out of balance is mankind's existential dilemma (not just now, but always has been). I do believe mankind's natural state of being has never been achieved because mankind has never been in balance at any time since the beginning of it's existence. But regardless of my own personal beliefs on humanity and progress, Koyaanisqatsi remains a brilliant call to reason about society, industry and our race. Perhaps living in balance is not the issue so much as living within reason.

Hunchback Jack · Post by **Hunchback Jack** » 18 Mar 2009 13:12

I've seen Powaqqatsi and Koyaanisqatsi, both in the theater when they came out. I liked them - it was a completely new movie-going experience for me - but I must admit I kind of phased in and out a bit. Hard to keep concentrating on so much thought-provoking images and sounds for the whole movie.

I wouldn't mind seeing them again, though.

Edited to add: actually, I saw them in the late '80s, so it must have been a few years after they came out.

HBJ

GamePlayer · Post by **GamePlayer** » 18 Mar 2009 13:33

I'd actually really like to see Koyaanisqatsi again. I should have purchased that movie on DVD. The cinematography is astounding and each shot feels amazing. That's easily a film I could watch over and over again. It's weird that I don't own it by now

orald · Post by **orald** » 19 Mar 2009 00:35

Let me put it this way- that Kobayashi thing is boring.