Watchmen

[TheCalvinator24]

I saw it yesterday. I never read the graphic novels, but I'm guessing the movie gave me a good sense of the milieu.

Spoiler

Just the fact that Nixon was elected to five terms as president says volumes.

The movie definitely earns its R rating; I hope parents with kids who might ordinarily enjoy comic book-inspired films take note!

Maddie read the graphic novel and wanted to see the movie. Emma wasn't interested. After some debate, we decided to let Maddie see the movie, knowing that she would be seeing a lot of the CGI blue penis and a sex scene.

I would consider the violence a bigger issue than the nudity and sex. Some of it [the violence] is very graphic.

[ghostjmf]

I grew up reading DC comics, but according to some reviewer I heard today, I am immature because of that, whereas readers of Marvel comics are so much better people because their heroes had angst. Gee, the way I saw it, their heroes had crummy artists drawing them crudely, & were a lot more given to bar-room brawl kinda scenes (or head-lopping-with-sword kinda scenes) than the DC heros with superpowers were. Supposedly Marvel comics heroes are full of philosophical angst, or something. Yeah. Thud!

At any rate, what this reviewer is building up to is that Watchman does a turn on a turn on a turn (you could throw a few more turns in there) vis a vis the superhero theme. Angst up the whazoo. OK, I admit I have not yet read the book, & would certainly give it a whirl. I also admit I have been singularly underimpressed by some Neil Gaiman illustrated novels I have read. Underimpressed by the stories, not the artwork, which is of course "real art". Real illustration anyway. No smudgey-pen stuff. I have yet to read any of Moore's. But I have liked the graphic novel segments the NY Times includes in its Sunday magazine these days, which are anything but chocked with superheroes, so that's besides the point here.

I also admit I have seen the Watchman previews with someone intoning "someone is killing off caped crusaders" & don't even supress my giggle. Sounds awful campy to me.

[Beebs52]

All right. I shall respond to the reference that SC made to my earlier remark. I was just being snarky vis a vis BB being naked like Dr. Manhattan. Something I don't care to visualize, regardless of your gloriousness, whoever you may be.

However, I'm going to be pariahed out the ass with this remark. I think animated movies, in large part, are sucky, and incarnations of comic books, something that I , too, grew up reading (Katie Keene, Millie the Model, Archie, whatever, not so much action figures), are not meant to be objects of in depth analysis and deliberation about character development.

They're comic books. Like video games. Movies made from video games are the same as movies made from comic books.

I must echo SC's "go visit with your AV club dudes/dudettes" or whatever, or your twenties something pals in a retro exhaltation of all that is mindless, and enjoy.

With that being said, I realize that the dudes' enjoyment of the comic book movies is no worse than our affinity for Top Chef or Rock of Love Bus or Project Runway. I will give you that.

But, comics are SO, well, then.

[MarleysGh0st]

Of the 21 replies in this thread so far, only one was written by a female -- Beebs, to say "Eeeww." This hereby is submitted as statistical evidence that we have discovered the ultimate Movie That Only Guys Want To See.

Yes, I know a few of you may have seen it with your wives or girlfriends, and they said that they liked it. Count yourself blessed. You indeed have found somebody who loves you enough to put up with the movies to which you drag her. She was faking it -- perhaps for the first time, perhaps not.

Just for a contrary data point, there was a young couple sitting in front of me who brought their baby with them. I presume the mother would have stayed home with the baby, had she not wanted to see the film.

[earendel]

Of the 21 replies in this thread so far, only one was written by a female -- Beebs, to say "Eeeww." This hereby is submitted as statistical evidence that we have discovered the ultimate Movie That Only Guys Want To See.

Yes, I know a few of you may have seen it with your wives or girlfriends, and they said that they liked it. Count yourself blessed. You indeed have found somebody who loves you enough to put up with the movies to which you drag her. She was faking it -- perhaps for the first time, perhaps not.

Just for a contrary data point, there was a young couple sitting in front of me who brought their baby with them. I presume the mother would have stayed home with the baby, had she not wanted to see the film.

And another...my DIL's birthday was last Saturday and when I asked her what she'd like for a gift, among her suggestions was a ticket to Watchmen. So I took her and my son.

[silverscreenselect]

Mrs. SSS did not want to see Watchmen, so I went alone. But her main complaint was when I told her that the film, with trailers, would be nearly three hours long. A bit of that stuff she can take but three hours worth (including new expaded trailers for Star Trek, Wolverine, and Terminator) is a bit much.

So Sunday we went to see Horsemen, with Dennis Quaid. Despite the similar title, this one features Quaid as a cop on the trail of a group of serial killers who have a morbid fascination with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and specialize in hanging their victims on hooks like marionettes and torturing them. It was not as graphic but it could have been but there were a couple of scenes definitely not for the squeamish.

Her comment when we left the theater (this film clocked in around 90 minutes) was that it was gory but an interesting mystery.

[SportsFan68]

I have no problem with cutting parts, just when the scriptwriter makes up a totally different storyline when there's nothing wrong with the original. Akiva Goldsman seems to be unable to merely adapt a book.

Or adds a scene where it's unnecessary or even illogical. That's my primary complaint about the last three Harry Potter movies (the secondary one is Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore). I can deal with taking out sections that don't advance the plot for time constraints, one of Jackson's rationales for some of his LOTR cuts, but then don't put things in that weren't there in the first place. The dragon-fighting scene in Goblet of Fire bugs the heck out of me for that reason.[/quote]

I am on the record as hating the dragon-fighting scene for exactly the reasons GSabc mentions. I watched Goblet of Fire again, and it was horrible, even worse than Order of the Phoenix, which also spends way too much time on Harry's Defense against the Dark Arts classes.

I also agree about Gambon and find myself longing for McKellen in the role. He would have been perfect, even better than Harris.

And I will never see Watchmen, but a LOTR and HP mention got me to post in this thread anyway.

[SportsFan68]

Mrs. SSS did not want to see Watchmen, so I went alone. But her main complaint was when I told her that the film, with trailers, would be nearly three hours long. A bit of that stuff she can take but three hours worth (including new expaded trailers for Star Trek, Wolverine, and Terminator) is a bit much.

So Sunday we went to see Horsemen, with Dennis Quaid. Despite the similar title, this one features Quaid as a cop on the trail of a group of serial killers who have a morbid fascination with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and specialize in hanging their victims on hooks like marionettes and torturing them. It was not as graphic but it could have been but there were a couple of scenes definitely not for the squeamish.

Her comment when we left the theater (this film clocked in around 90 minutes) was that it was gory but an interesting mystery.

I'll probably see Horsemen sometime because I really like Dennis Quaid and murder mysteries. I will turn away during the gory parts, same as I do with Hannibal.

[danielh41]

I'll probably see Horsemen sometime because I really like Dennis Quaid and murder mysteries. I will turn away during the gory parts, same as I do with Hannibal.

Are you talking about Hannibal Lector or the Hannibal who used llamas to cross the Alps?

[Weyoun]

Saw it last night. Gotta say, it didn't do much for me - the main storyline got lost in all the backstory, I thought. The backstory itself would have been an interesting movie.

[gsabc]

I got a good giggle from GW last night talking about the movie, the naked blue guy and the fact that the flick is in one of our IMAX theaters. With the 50-foot screen. As I said, "the mind boggles."

Mentioning the possibility of a 3-D IMAX version brought on another fit of giggles.

[kusch]

Mrs. SSS did not want to see Watchmen, so I went alone. But her main complaint was when I told her that the film, with trailers, would be nearly three hours long. A bit of that stuff she can take but three hours worth (including new expaded trailers for Star Trek, Wolverine, and Terminator) is a bit much.

So Sunday we went to see Horsemen, with Dennis Quaid. Despite the similar title, this one features Quaid as a cop on the trail of a group of serial killers who have a morbid fascination with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and specialize in hanging their victims on hooks like marionettes and torturing them. It was not as graphic but it could have been but there were a couple of scenes definitely not for the squeamish.

Her comment when we left the theater (this film clocked in around 90 minutes) was that it was gory but an interesting mystery.

I will not see this movie, not my kind of genre. Our usual Friday night movie date couple both (their week to choose) wanted to see it but knew I would not go to it tonight. We are down to 3 choices---Miss March, Fired Up and Slumdog. They do not want to see Slumdog. WTF????

[ulysses5019]

Mrs. SSS did not want to see Watchmen, so I went alone. But her main complaint was when I told her that the film, with trailers, would be nearly three hours long. A bit of that stuff she can take but three hours worth (including new expaded trailers for Star Trek, Wolverine, and Terminator) is a bit much.

So Sunday we went to see Horsemen, with Dennis Quaid. Despite the similar title, this one features Quaid as a cop on the trail of a group of serial killers who have a morbid fascination with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and specialize in hanging their victims on hooks like marionettes and torturing them. It was not as graphic but it could have been but there were a couple of scenes definitely not for the squeamish.

Her comment when we left the theater (this film clocked in around 90 minutes) was that it was gory but an interesting mystery.

I will not see this movie, not my kind of genre. Our usual Friday night movie date couple both (their week to choose) wanted to see it but knew I would not go to it tonight. We are down to 3 choices---Miss March, Fired Up and Slumdog. They do not want to see Slumdog. WTF????

Time to get some new Friday night movie buds.

[MarleysGh0st]

I will not see this movie, not my kind of genre. Our usual Friday night movie date couple both (their week to choose) wanted to see it but knew I would not go to it tonight. We are down to 3 choices---Miss March, Fired Up and Slumdog. They do not want to see Slumdog. WTF????

So, just for this week, let them see Watchmen while you see Slumdog. Then meet for coffee or something later.

You'll need some coffee while waiting for them, since Watchmen is three hours long, including the previews.

[silverscreenselect]

I will not see this movie, not my kind of genre. Our usual Friday night movie date couple both (their week to choose) wanted to see it but knew I would not go to it tonight. We are down to 3 choices---Miss March, Fired Up and Slumdog. They do not want to see Slumdog. WTF????

Miss March and FIred Up should appeal only to people who still find bodily function jokes to be the height of sophisticated humor.

[gsabc]

I will not see this movie, not my kind of genre. Our usual Friday night movie date couple both (their week to choose) wanted to see it but knew I would not go to it tonight. We are down to 3 choices---Miss March, Fired Up and Slumdog. They do not want to see Slumdog. WTF????

Miss March and FIred Up should appeal only to people who still find bodily function jokes to be the height of sophisticated humor.

Which seems to be the majority of movie goers, judging by the so-called comedic fare put out by the studios.

[VAdame]

I grew up reading DC comics, but according to some reviewer I heard today, I am immature because of that, whereas readers of Marvel comics are so much better people because their heroes had angst.

Hey! Green Arrow had angst!

As for Watchmen, I have to agree w/ Scott's boss (the mullet-man in Panel #1 here) -- I promise I will never see or read it, lest someone try to discuss it with me at length!



A glow-in-the-dark blue ding-dong, though.....would be pretty awesome!