[drewprops]

Just saw this over on ye olde Digge...

Zach Snyder, the Director of "300", discusses his next project: the loooong awaited feature film version of Alan Moore's graphic novel "Watchmen". This one ranks up with Dark Knight in anticipation by comics fans.

[Kickaha]

Gerard Butler has signed on... The Comedian?

[drewprops]

Huh, the stupid video seems to hang at 5 seconds in Shiira, switching over to FyreFoxe

[Robo]

OMG.

If the movie turns out to be decent in any way, I will be extremely suprised.

Jude Law wants to be in it. I'll leave it up to you whether that's a good or bad thing. <3 <3

[drewprops]

Update: didn't check Safari, but it runs fine under Firefox.

Jude Law could be good in it.... but you know I'm not sure as WHO as it's been an AGE since I read my copy.... really, like 10 years (or more). Can't remember any of the actors I first envisioned in any of the roles.

[drewprops]

So, like, who saw the trailer for Watchmen in front of the Batman show?

[psmith2.0]

I saw it.

Also, those who are interested: there's a "moving comic book" version of the part of a story at iTunes (see story at AintItCool.com).

I've honestly never known anything about this, except what I'm seen on a few websites the past month or so.

I downloaded the thing (free) from iTunes and will watch it.

The trailer, if you didn't know what it was, kinda comes across like a parody of big superhero movies (or, worse, a cheap, made-for-SciFi TV movie), with some of those costumes and camera angles.

But I know it's not. I need to bone up on my Watchmen knowledge if I intend to follow this (but look what happened when I followed "The Dark Knight" so closely... ). Perhaps, just this once, I should go against my initial instinct and just go into this completely cold when it opens next March?

[ezkcdude]

/Film is going to be all over this in the next few months:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/17/...-do-you-think/

[drewprops]

Paul, a parody the Watchmen is not.
And this isn't necessarily the film to see "cold". Consider going to read up on it at Wikipedia or better yet, go round to your local bookshop and buy a copy. You'll be glad that you did.

Of course, I haven't read MY dusty copy since sometime in the early 1990s... best dig that thing out again, if I still have it.

[psmith2.0]

Oh, yeah. I knew it wasn't. It just looked a bit strange in that trailer (the costumes and so forth, but I "get it" a bit more now). I came home, found it online and watched it a few times.

And I've just spent the past hour or so minutes at Wikipedia and other places, reading everything I could about it. I also downloaded that freebie from iTunes and watched it.

In less than 90 minutes, I've tripled my knowledge about it.

[Koodari]

Originally Posted by drewprops Paul, a parody the Watchmen is not. And this isn't necessarily the film to see "cold". Consider going to read up on it at Wikipedia or better yet, go round to your local bookshop and buy a copy. You'll be glad that you did.

I think this will be a good movie but can't possibly hold up to the comic, and for that reason, I'd almost want to give the opposite advice: see the movie, enjoy the good parts in it, and then read the comic and enjoy even more.

But seeing how the movie takes until next year to come out, just read the comic ASAP.

Why on earth read about it on Wikipedia or anywhere else before you have read the thing itself?

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by Koodari Why on earth read about it on Wikipedia or anywhere else before you have read the thing itself?

No kidding! In 90 minutes, you could have just *read* the damned thing.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Koodari Why on earth read about it on Wikipedia or anywhere else before you have read the thing itself?

Originally Posted by Kickaha No kidding! In 90 minutes, you could have just *read* the damned thing.

Because Wikipedia was right here (instant and free), and answered my questions and gave me a quick run-down of what was what. It's not like me to go drop money on something I don't know anything about (or have to genuine, built-in interest) without learning something about it on the front end.

Is that some sort of unheard-of thing? Am I the only person who's ever done such a thing?

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Because Wikipedia was right here (instant and free), and answered my questions and gave me a quick run-down of what was what. It's not like me to go drop money on something I don't know anything about (or have to genuine, built-in interest) without learning something about it on the front end. Is that some sort of unheard-of thing? Am I the only person who's ever done such a thing?

Yes.



Seriously, it's the Citizen Kane of comicdom, one of the landmark works in the field. Just go to Barnes & Noble and read it at the cafe.

[drewprops]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 It's not like me to go drop money on something I don't know anything about (or have to genuine, built-in interest) without learning something about it on the front end.

Oh Scates.... you don't trust us??

[ezkcdude]

Kevin Smith is on /Film FilmCast tonight. He's so into this movie. I have a feeling it's going to rock.

[psmith2.0]

Okay, that pretty much killed it for me right there.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Okay, that pretty much killed it for me right there.

I don't know if you're kidding or not. Anyway, I'm convinced I need to read the original graphic novel/series. It's not so easy to find though. There's a paperback edition coming out in August, but I don't want to wait that long.

[psmith2.0]

Hell no I'm not "kidding". I think Kevin Smith is a one-note, derivative, overrated and unfunny hack of a pud who believes his own press a bit too much and who got lucky with one silly movie (which doesn't even hold up that well, a decade-plus later) and who has sucked that particular well dry 2-3 times over. His opinion on something means exactly zero to me; in fact, I would imagine - knowing what I know and have seen - his views on "what's cool" (or funny, clever, etc.) are going to be a solid 180-degrees from mine. Thank God.

And before you ask: I've sat through all his movies - all of them - read his site, blog, interviews, etc. I'm quite familiar with everything in the "View Askew" world, so it's not like I caught the last 25 minutes of "Chasing Amy" a few years ago while drunk and formed this opinion. I come by it honestly and 100% legit.



I wasn't kidding at all. I'll need something a bit more than a Kevin Smith "thumbs-up" or stamp-of-approval before I get excited about it.

[ezkcdude]

The only thing is that he knows a shit ton about comics - remember Stan Lee's cameo in Mallrats? (Still my favorite movie of his.)

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, that's true. He's big into that. More than I'll ever be (or have been). No argument there. I still can't stand him, but maybe his insight into this is working on a different plane altogether, and I just have to accept that.

[Moogs]

I'll need to brush up more on the history behind this but the preview I saw this weekend looked pretty amazing in some respects. Don't know much about the story but I think I might be in attendance when this one comes around. Looks ominous. I like ominous.

[Moogs]

BTW, who does the music for this trailer? Almost sounds like a psycho mix of NIN and Billy Corigan or something.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/hd/

[709]

It's the Pumpkins: linkage

[Moogs]

Thanks dude. Just found that out myself... sort of a tangent: since that's not really their traditional sound, any recommendations for instrumental music of that sort besides the usual Portishead type stuff? Not having much luck these days surfing iTunes using genre and song popularity as a method.

I like stuff that's dark like that but not psychotic in its tempo or super-angry in its tone... hard to find. I'd call it smoke-a-joint-dark, as opposed to wacked-out-on-meth-and-PCP dark. Or, as we used to know it back in the day... Pink Floyd.

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Hell no I'm not "kidding". I think Kevin Smith is a one-note, derivative, overrated and unfunny hack of a pud who believes his own press a bit too much and who got lucky with one silly movie (which doesn't even hold up that well, a decade-plus later) and who has sucked that particular well dry 2-3 times over. His opinion on something means exactly zero to me; in fact, I would imagine - knowing what I know and have seen - his views on "what's cool" (or funny, clever, etc.) are going to be a solid 180-degrees from mine. Thank God. And before you ask: I've sat through all his movies - all of them - read his site, blog, interviews, etc. I'm quite familiar with everything in the "View Askew" world, so it's not like I caught the last 25 minutes of "Chasing Amy" a few years ago while drunk and formed this opinion. I come by it honestly and 100% legit. I wasn't kidding at all. I'll need something a bit more than a Kevin Smith "thumbs-up" or stamp-of-approval before I get excited about it.

<tangent>
You've watched his talk about Superman? Hilarious.

Watching some animation recently (Superman Doomsday) with a Kevin smith looking and sounding cartoon cameo riffing on the same joke... sure enough, in the credits.

Other than that joke, not as interesting a piece of animation as 'Batman - Gotham Knight', which has its own internal pastiche of artistic styles. P2P or rent recommended for the illustrated batfans.

</tangent>

But trailers often give too much away, so I'm avoiding the Watchmen one to preserve awesomeness.

[Moogs]

Originally Posted by curiousuburb But trailers often give too much away, so I'm avoiding the Watchmen one to preserve awesomeness.

You know... it's occurred to me that trailers have become an art-form unto themselves. Especially dramatic trailers like this one, LotR, etc. The music and timing of film bits is perfected in such a way as to basically asplode your mind and make your jaw hit the floor. You're smart not to watch this trailer; it's pretty f-ing cool. The audio and clips play off each other extremely well. Anxious now? BTW, Iron Man did the same thing. Parts of the trailer were so cool and you go looking for this big elaborate story and then it ends up being kind of short and you're sitting there at the end going "WTF... that's it?"

I believe they even do film takes with soundbites for the trailer specifically in mind. You always notice this; the famous bites from the trailers that made you go "whoa" are very rarely the same bites heard in the same scene during the movie.

The trailers themselves are like mini-productions now and sadly, sometimes build up SO much hype that letdown is almost inevitable. I think Hollywood almost does itself a disservice in a way....

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by curiousuburb But trailers often give too much away, so I'm avoiding the Watchmen one to preserve awesomeness.

Well, uh, I hate to tell you this, but the *graphic novel* kind of gives it all away. Just sayin'.

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Well, uh, I hate to tell you this, but the *graphic novel* kind of gives it all away. Just sayin'.

Knowing the original Casino Royale book (and first film) didn't spoil the new one.

Enjoyed the graphic novel, but it's been years since I read it, so it'll still seem fresh.

[Kickaha]

Actually, if the trailer and interviews are anything to go by, it'll just seem familiar. It's almost panel for panel.