Cool News
Rorschach flambés a Prick pic from WATCHMEN!!!
Hey folks, Harry here - I believe this is our first official shot from what will eventually be released upon us like a hurricane... WATCHMEN! Thanks to CR for giving us the heads up. Click on the photo to, as Merrick would say, embiggen it...
There's a new pic of Rorschach and what looks to be a SWAT officer up on the official Watchmen site: Click Here . I'm in a hurry, hope I got the link right. Just thought I'd let you know, though I'm sure you'll get hundreds of emails about this. If you need a name, call me New Frontiersman (quickest name I could come up with). Thanks, love the site, keep up the good work!
Cheers! CR
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suck it haters!
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Count me in.
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It's been awhile since i've been first. I'd like to thank God, my mom, pop, and everyone that helped me get this far. I love you all.
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in 5... 4... 3... 2...
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I got nothing.
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i'd like to 'embiggen' my foot up his ass. Worst person you have on the site harry, by far.
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That's what I still want to know.
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That scene looks just like the novel.
I'm looking forward to seeing Rorshach's mask move. Should be an eerie effect. -
This could be an important film if they don't buckle to the herd and suck out its intellect. It sure looks wonderful. Let's hope it sounds good too.
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Yeah, Zach Snyder talked about how the mask was marked for cgi to be added after filming, and how it will change due to his emotions. He also talked about matching the emotions with the ones in the book.
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moore will make no statements about the film till well after it has been released, same as he did with v...even if zach does a good job, moore wont say much....oh, but moore despises heroes
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and boy are comic con attendees gonna be stoked when zach rolls out some full clips
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The Curse of Alan Moore for starters.
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Back to the topic: I didn't care much about WATCHMEN, but I think that Zack Snyder pretty much rocks. DAWN OF THE DEAD and 300 were both really cool, imho.
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but he comes off like a grumpy old man at time. ”I got a piece of paper—they must’ve learned something from the V for Vendetta debacle. I got a piece of paper a couple of months ago saying, “I, the undersigned, hereby give you permission to take my name off of the film and to send my money to Dave Gibbons.” So I sent that back to them all signed and sealed, which means that now I don’t have to rant and spew about the film.” you didnt have to rant and spew at the film, you may of wanted to give it a chance, or god forbid, help with the movie.. its the 21 century, they've been doing some cool things with the talkies lately.
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Everything I've seen so far looks like gold. I keep waiting for the other shoe full of shit to drop. The Phantom Menance taught me one crucial important lesson for life....dont ever get your hopes up for anything EVER! Always expect the worst from life,then if something good happens it'll be a pleasant surprise. I'm trying reeeaalll hard not to look fwd. to this but its getting harder and harder....
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That one picture alone is brimming with more atmosphere than some entire genre films have int heir entirety these days. Cannot fucking wait for this.
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Everything about this film I've seen or heard so far is spot on. Don't drop the ball, Warner Bros. Keep the book's ending, and I have faith this movie will be pure poetry.
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But as I understand it he has good cause to be. In addition to every movie ever adapted from his work sucking massively (will in part except V for Vendetta here) he has very high standards anyway (as he should), and I believe he has had a number of really bad behind the scenes experiences with the Hollywood guys in charge. He's simply disillusioned, and doesn't have the patience to deal with this shit. He's not exactly a young man anymore, and has better things to do with his time.
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Very interesting indeed Xiphos. I'm probably one of the few geeks that haven't read Watchmen and I somewhat liked 300. Synder seems to have a lot of passion for the material so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Lets hope it doesn't suck harder than a billion dollar hooker. o_O
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I was blown away when I first saw it in theaters. Sut the second time I saw it made me realize that the only reason I liked it so much was because of how awesome it was visually. I was too overwhelmed with how gorgeous it looked to realize just how mediocre everything else about it really was.
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Thanks for the update on that buddy, I hadn't heard that before. Very cool. Personally I'm really looking forward to this, I mean I'm trepidatious as all Hell about it, but I do have high hopes from all that I've seen and heard so far. Seems to be in the right hands with Snyder, I just hope he absolutely nails it.
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I thought Fox were suing as they had the film rights?
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what's that, like, all cops are pricks? class, aicn, as per usual.
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if someone took your children, dressed them like transvestites and then put them in a theater with a bunch of pedofiles who summarily ass raped them...wouldnt you be a bit grumpy too?
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he hasnt taken the money...as you put it...he has given all the monies paid to the artists who worked with him...say what you will about moore, but the man aint no whore...the man has been fucked up and down by both hollywood and dc comics, i think he has the right to be a bit cranky...speaking of cranky, happy belated b-day to warren ellis...40 is the new 15
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Actually you're wrong on two counts there. One, Alan Moore didn't take the money, he never does, instead he passes off his portion to whatever artist he was working with on the book in question. And two, he wouldn't even be happy with a Sin City style adaptation as his fundamental problem with any adaptation of his work boils down to the fact that he doesn't think it should happen at all, and believes that these stories were created for the comic book medium and that's where they should stay. He doesn't want to see any of his work adapted into any other medium, period. Personally I think he's without a doubt one of the greatest writers ever to work in the comic book medium, I also think he's a bit of an arrogant tool a lot of the time, and more often than not likes to be difficult just because he can be. Still, he does write good books most of the time, and as such I'll continue to read what he puts on paper, but I've learnt long ago its' best to tune out his various mad rantings most of the time, lest they begin to overshadow his creative contributions over the years.
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I see one.I just hope this movie is 99.9% the book.Otherwise ill boycott it.
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Almost impossible.
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Everytime I see my handle, I hope someone will laugh, so thank you. Everytime I see your handle, I don't know what it means so I just think about Greek stuff because it sounds Greek.
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Sheeeeeeit! The only thing I hear about Mexico is how bad the water is! You must share your epic stories of "MEXICO"! I'm sure someone read that and is ready to purchase a script on spec. Advice taken. Ever since I've heard about Watchmen, almost everyone says it's impossible to adapt so the fact that it's been adapted must mean it's not impossible? What made Watchmen so difficult to adapt and is the story as complex as people make it out to be or is that fanboy hyperbole?
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it's 4am in NYC. I'll be back in about 8 hrs.
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I have not read watchmen but I am very intrigued
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http://rss.warnerbros.com/watchmen/BoardDrawing_1.jpg
Does that same scene from the book use the Black Freighter color scheme? -
HOLY SHIT. I can't believe this is REALLY happening! Watchmen is being made...FOR REAL!
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damn... -
Okay, so sometimes I think he's being a prick and sometimes I'm totally on his side.I was talking to David Lloyd (artist on Watchmen) at ComicCon and he said this about Alan Moore: "I don't get it. He had all the creative control on League he wanted, and look how that turned out. Now he just shuns them."I''ve read an Alan Moore interview where he stated regarding WATCHMEN..."I didn't write a movie. I wrote a comic. I wrote something you should read in front of a roaring fire with a hot cup of coffee." I can respect that. You've gotta admit ALOT has changed in the ComicBiz since Alan Moore wrote those classics. He hasn't liked it (which you can see from his ABC work).Oh, and he's already denounced this movie. That is he claims he will not see it, so that he can remain objective. But after seeing that shot...FUCK HIM...bring on Da Watchmen (but DONT call them that in the movie as you shouldn't) Mr. Snyder!
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I haven't recommended it to one person (non comic fans) that hasn't found something compelling/inspiring/heartfelt about Mr. Moore's masterpiece.
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Alan Moore is Patrick Moore's nephew!......
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WATCHMEN is an story told not only in many levels, but also many different mediums. Within the pages you have the main narrative of the comic, but ANOTHER comic inside it as well. You also have referential newspaper clippings, pages from autobiographies, psychology charts...ALL relevant! Adding to that, the MAIN narrative is told by an ensemble of almost 20 characters and goes in a dozen different locations and directions....yet somehow manages to be comprehensive and never feel like you're not getting vital information (or at least extremely compelling). Sound like an easy comic to make into a movie?Now, I think there is a great deal of hyperbole, as you state. There is a decent population of fans that feel it sacrilege to attempt to make such a complex and classic story into a 2 hour movie. Though everything I've seen from this production looks amazing.
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I know subplots are going to be cut, hopefully they all make the DVD. I just can't wait to hear the first, "Hurm."
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Alan Moore is a creepy prick who writes comics about pornography.
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Can't wait for this one, Snyder's proved his reverence and deference to the source with 300, from what I've read in interview this is going to be a labour of love for the guy. I just wish the Black Freighter sequences made it to the edit, at least Blue Ray Directors cut will have it all. The mind boggles at how Snyder's going to capture the visual aspects of this classic graph.
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"you didnt have to rant and spew at the film, you may of wanted to give it a chance, or god forbid, help with the movie.. its the 21 century, they've been doing some cool things with the talkies lately."
That was a funny quote! :-) -
...Its just really long, and theres alot of good stuff that will need to be cut. Also, its very particuarly suited to the medium it was created for. Thats not to say it cant work. Just look at Atonement. Sure, its not as effective being up on the screen, but for the most part it was still really good.
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...Wont have extra material. Only Blu Ray from now on?
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The marketing and the screenshot above gives me hope this film can do Moore's limited series justice. I just hope I keep feeling the same way as more and more of the movie gets shown. *fingers crossed*
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Twat Snyder will reduce the graphic novel down to all the action beats and the result will be vacuous eye candy.
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In addition to Brian's life's comments on Watchmen's un-adaptability, I'd like to disagree with what you were told earlier and recommend strongly that you read the graphic novel before the film comes out. You've got a while, after all, and although I like everything I see and was very pleased with the 300 adaptation, and I'm really puling for Snyder on this one, there remains a distinct possibility that this film will fall pretty far short of the GN, and it'd be a real shame if the story was spoiled by an inferior version before you get to experience the real thing. It really is very good, and is loaded with enough meaning and symbolism (visual and textual) to warrant and even demand repeated readings, and yet it never stops being entertaining and just plain cool as well.
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League of unextraudinary Gentlemen!
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No, DVD will still have extra material on, but it's obviously a probability that Blu-Ray will have extra extra features to help boost sales. If you specifically mean the Black Freighter stuff then I'd guess it will be on both - after all, it's costing money, WB will want to make sure it's seen, not to mention they love their 2-disc SEs. Plus the fans would be pissed.
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He's India's answer to Brian Dennehy
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Fuck yeah.
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which surprised a few people, he thought it was good.
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I'm not worried about the look of the film. The comic basically works as the storyboard. I just hope Kelly Leak can pull of the voice. Almost the entire beginning of the comic is either a VO or dialogue with Rorshach. I know Silk Spectre 2 describes the voice as being a creepy monotone. This could make or break the character for me.
I still love Batman Begins but I cringe when Bale does his Bat Voice.
Keep the pics coming. -
... this scene is in slow-motion, like most of 300, so it takes up half the movie and they had to cut out all the backstory, the final conflict, the giant mutant squid from another dimension, and the dialogue.
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Guess the poor guy should have had a drink handy.
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for fucks sake. it will all be for naught if you change it to a giant fucking solar ray gun or something. fuck.
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First shot of Dr Manhattan. That's the make or break. If he's on Mars even better.
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YOU GOT THE SIMPSONS REFERENCE! WAY TO GO!
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You really need to read the 300 graphic novel to truly appreciate what Snyder accomplished. The script is as close to the short graphic novel as can be, and visually, it's as close to a shot-for-shot filming of the graphic novel material. I liked it. The flaws were inherent in what was being attempted. Also, Miller wrote 300 to be over the top.Alan Moore is in the exact same position Miller was in during the late 80s...Right after Robocop 2 and 3 were raped by the studios, Miller didn't want to put anything else of his on the small or big screen. Enter, Robert Rodriguez, who was so slavish to his devotion to Sin City (both as a visual experimental exercise and as a love letter to Frank Miller) that the project was adored by its creator Frank Miller.Alan Moore needs to help out if he wants to see his art put to a big screen treatment, but it seems like Moore isn't interested in seeing his comics brought to film. But if he were interested in it, Zack Snyder seems to be REALLY interested in getting it right. He's even shooting extra footage for the Pirate Scenes.Lastly, Rorshach's mask didn't change because of his emotions. It was a weird material of two clear layers with an ink substance suspended in oil. It constantly shifted, like a wearable oil slick, and that's why it changed. Though his facial expressions would change the surface, it wasn't necessarily changed by his emotional state.Comic Book Nerd FO' LIFE.
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If he doesn't work, the movie won't hold together. If he's awesome, the rest of it should rally around him.
To The Knight: I've read Watchmen multiple times, and I still find new "WOW" moments every time. Do yourself a favor and read it NOW. -
You have been batting a 1000 so far man, do a good job and you will be the first man that I give a blowjob to....really!
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...from one screenshot- if this is going to be any good. But it's a mother of a comic book to adapt.Or should I say graphic novel? I really hope this is good - but I have serious doubts as to how well they'll pull this off. There are a lot of problems - not least of which is that fact that so many of the ideas in watchmen have been ripped off by the likes of The Incredibles (terrific movie) and Heroes.I'm also afraid that whether or not this movie works it will not be a box office success. Why? Well, either they dumb it down, thereby losing the qualities that make it such a great story and making it pointless to see it (like League of Ex Gentlemen); or they make a brilliant, complex, intellectual interpretation - and how many people go to see movies like that?Either way, the person who adapts Watchmen as a movie has a VERY difficult job. It's absolutely pointless to try to copy the comic exactly - as others have pointed out, the structure and presentation is specifically designed for that medium. I reckon a director needs to redesign the story completely for the medium of film - the same way Ridley Scott adapted Do Androids dream Electric Sheep as Blade Runner. Or the way Coppolla adapted The Godfather I and II.It's clear Zack Snyder has the passion - and that's very important - but does he have the ability to do this? I've only seen 300 and was impressed at how well he had replicated the visual style of the comic. But I still found that the story worked a lot better as a comic. The movie stuck to the comic like glue - it could hardly have been more faithful - but I found myself getting a bit bored, once the visual novelty had worn off. It wasn't terrible, by any means, but it was a little bit average. I didn't feel I wanted to see it more than once.So, I'm certain, the Watchman movie will LOOK great, but God knows if the story will actually work. The way I see it, they probably need to construct it like an old-fashioned detective story, like The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon - a bit like Ridley Scott's handling of Blade Runner. My feeling is that Snyder hasn't yet shown that he is a film-maker on that level - but I hope that this material inspires him to step up to the mark and demonstrate that he is the genius director this movie needs.
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but we need to see how he handles the **SPOILER** Mars scenes. thats what i'm curious about.
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Damn you. Just...damn you.
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(((((((SPOILER. Seriously, stop reading or STFU))))))))))))))is Rorscharch discovering the bones in the yard and throwing the dead German Shepherd through the killer's window. If that scene is done spot on, I'll need some medication.
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Just kidding. This shot looks great. Very excited about this movie, and I've resigned myself to enjoying whatever I see on screen in 09. I love the graphic novel, but no longer worry if the movie will be faithful. It is a different medium, with different objectives I suppose. I'm sure I will find plenty to be happy to be seeing on the big screen, but won't condemn it if it isn't all I hoped it could be.
You can't explain your favorite dream to someone in detail after you've had it. There is always stuff that gets omitted, but that doesn't mean the original dream wasn't as great as you can remember. -
I see what you mean. From reading your breakdown, now I see why people have been bitching about Watchmen being a movie. It doesn't seem like every character/story arc will what's best because of the limited screentime. Interesting. I guess the fans can only hope for sequels ehhh
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I'm hoping it'll be a good movie, and a commercial hit, but based on what I'm hearing, the story seems pretty complex. I'm wondering how will WB sell this movie to fans. Sell the action scenes and the characters, and then when people walk in, they get something completely different and word of mouth stinks, or sell the complex story, which I'm sure they won't. They will be walking a fine line. Part of me wants to read it, but if I read it and they screw up the movie, I'll be surely pissed off with the rest of you. I'll check it out on amazon right now, or my local library for that matter!
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Mr Moore inevitably gets brought up whenever there's a talkback regarding a movie based on one of his books and everyone always gets the story wrong. He's not "grumpy" because some shitty movies have been made out of his books. He's grumpy because he was named in a lawsuit against the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie because of the use of Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray where the plaintiff argued he was a puppet used by Time Warner to write a comic that they could eventually adapt into a film and rip this guy off. So that whole experience has soured him on Hollywood and given the guy cause to keep as far away from the movies as he can. Not sayin he's right or wrong, just figured people should hear his side.But that still looks totally fucking sweet
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Which makes me giddy. All this crap most directors and writers whine about Studio Interference... and yet Zack is here, a newcomer to big budget movies, crunching out pretty solid films that are very important from a studio standpoint. He managed to put all that crazy music in Dawn of the Dead, even if the studios hated it. He managed to make 300 completely, batshit insane panel to panel adaption. I'm really glad he's doing Watchmen.
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but 300 was a piece of shit.
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I'm about to order it now. Hopefully by the next watchmen TB, we'll be able to discuss.
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that's it
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I always pictured Rorschah's mask as being more of a multi-layered mesh. The "ink blot" portions being the darker interplay of the mesh portions sliding against one another causing the constantly shifting mirror-image print. It's been awhile since I read the mini-series, so forgive me if my interpretation's rusty. Oh, but if Dr. Manhattan's smurf-blue junk is covered by spandex or a wispy loin cloth, this movie has failed. No "Beowulf" hide-the-peeny tricks. No artful shots from the navel up. Dr. Manhattan is full-frontal superhero maleness or nada. Anything less than a hard "R" rating and this thing will be - like ALL of the other Moore adaptations - a complete waste of time and something Moore would be justified in disavowing.
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was exactly like the book, just a few more scenes with Gorga or whatever her name was. anyone who didn't like 300, doesn't like Frank MIller. it doesn't mean you have to dislike Snider(sp?), and it doesn't mean this movie will look, feel, or be close at all to 300. they are worlds apart and what worked(or didn't) for 300 won't work for Watchmen. and it looks like Snider knows this. i, for one, am hopefull.
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Someone had to say it.
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I'm hoping this film will do well. LXG is till burned into my retina...
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I don't think any of us doubted Snyder's ability to whip up good production design, it'll be about how the movie fits together and how it builds to its climax.
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Looks great. Fingers crossed nobody's made them change the ending... can't wait to see Jon and Mars and all that jazz.
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Look at me! I'm an AICN talkbalker and I love to bitch! Weeeeeeeee!
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I agree. Most people want a graphic novel, or even their favorite book adapted from page 1 to page 300 and they don’t realize that it doesn’t work that way with film. All they can hope for is that the filmmakers keep the essence of the story because things will be changed to fit within the context of the film they’re attempting to make.
And since 300 is a visually driven graphic novel, how can Snyder be at fault for bringing those same exact Visuals to the screen? That question is for the 300 haters by the way.
I’m hoping reading the book won’t lessen my appreciation, but then again, only time will tell.
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I don't think anyone was arguing that it wouldn't be visually correct to the comics, the problem us "haters" had was whittling down all that storyline into a 2 hour movie. It's probably going to end up like David Lynch's DUNE, heavily flawed, but cool to look at with a few iconic scenes. Maybe we can get TOTO to do the score for this one?
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Fuck the haters.
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that's what I want to know. Seriously, this pic is fine, but can't make much out of it regarding how the film will turn out.
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Just did a little research and have found two online reviews of the script Snyder is using for this movie. Of course, there will very likely be some changes, but otherwise this is definitely an indication of the approach they're taking. Before you go to the links, beware that there are some spoilers - though not in this post.There are two main versions of the script. The first was written in 2003 by David Hayter. Every review of this version has been VERY positive. It is a 70s-style political thriller that updates the story to the present day, keeping the spirit, characters and main events inact. This is the script Alan Moore read and claimed was as good a film script as it was possible to make from his story. Personally, I very much like the sound of this script. Here's a review (you may have to take out spaces):http://chud.com/articles/articles/2075/1/SCRIPT-REVIEW-WATCHMEN/Page1.htmlBut that is not the script that Snyder is using - at least, not exactly. Snyder has brought in another writer, Alex Tse, to rewrite Hayter's draft. He has kept Hayter's version pretty much intact but has added some extra scenes (mostly action scenes it seems). THIS is the script Snyder is going with. Here's a review:http://latinoreview.com/scriptreview.php?id=27And here's another review of the same script:http://movieblog.ugo.com/index.php/movieblog/more/bhc_exclusive_watchmen_script_review/However, bear in mind that since these reviews have been written, some changes have occurred that we know about:Snyder has decided to return the story to its original 1980s setting.The 'Black Freighter' pirate story has been put back in - and will be a possible addition to the DVD version. Of course, in the editing, it may very well turn up in the theatrical release.On another note, I have to say that of all the directors who have been attached to this project, I would have preferred Paul Greengrass to Snyder. On the other hand, I'm pleased Gilliam's not doing it - I think he's now well past his best.
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Go back and look. It changed every panel, BUT it would repeat the same designs for shock, anger, disgust, etc. Dave Gibbons knocked that right out of the park.
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Yee-hah!
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Here's a tip to making good comicbook movies.
If it's the comic that made the property popular...Then make it like the comic! If you want to add your own director's vision, then go make something else!
(movies that got it right: Sin City, 300, The Crow)
((Movies that got it wrong:Catwoman!) -
My on-set friend insists that his mask is just like in the comic in that it changes constantly...
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I'm sorry, but as to the Black Freighter, I was told just 4 days ago by the same friend that it is gone now and forever. There are 2 references to it in the film and as I understand it, the entire thing was NEVER SHOT. Just sayin'...
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Well, if so, then I stand corrected. Got that piece of info off wikipedia. Rutgersjaffo, what kind of involvement does your friend have in the production? Any other information you care to give us?
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He is my best friend from high school and undergrad and has worked his way up to senior executive producer at Sonyimageworks. He is on-set every day in Canada. Essentially, he is the one who bids the CG work and then interprets what the director wants and makes sure the 'computer geeks' do it correctly. Like I always say, he refuses in general to give me pics because of the value he places on continued employment, but he has insisted from day one that they are doing a great job with the material and I trust his opinion only because I turned him on to this book way back when we were still in high school.
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...for what it's worth, he insists that 'Alan Moore is not involved because he is currently the Mayor of Crazytown.' His words, not mine...
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That sounds very encouraging, rutgersjaffo. I totally understand why your friend mustn't give out specific information. However, in your opinion, does it sound like they are making a character-based drama? A political thriller? A superhero action movie? A detective film noir? The Hayter script sounded very good - do you feel that they have more-or-less stuck to it?
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Yeah, sounds like it. He's written some of the best work in Comics, so I think we have to assume he's not like the rest of us. He is also a magician and worships a god called Glycon. Again, I got this off wikipedia...
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Those are good questions. Mostly we have spoken about 'being faithful' to the work, so I have *assumed* that it's character driven, but I do know that special effects obviously have dominated a lot of the shooting, so... Anyway, I just texted him and asked for a little insight. Sometimes I don't hear back until late at night or even the next day because he is, obviously, a busy man. But I will call him later on if I don't hear back to ask very specific questions and report back whatever I can gleen from him.
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It's true that the movie versions of Moore's work so far have been disappointing - but if Moore hates the idea so much, why has he signed over the rights to his work? Just say NO, Mr Moore. Unless it was DC who owned the rights - though why Moore would agree to THAT in the first place would baffle me equally.
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I'm sure we will all appreciate hearing any hints your friend feels won't breach his non-disclosure agreement.Well, the CGI could be neccessary simply to recreate 1980s New York - and for set extensions. All of which is understandable. There is also a 'flying vehicle sequence' in the story that would need some CGI. On the other hand if the CGI is being commissioned to create some 'Fantastic Four'-style action scenes, that would worry me mightily. It's not at all what the story's about.
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What’s interesting to me is how people slam 300 but continue to venerate Sin City even though both of those films are quite literally cut from the same cloth. Both are based on Frank Miller works and both are incredibly literal in their respective adaptations. And please don’t try and tell me that 300 was more bombastic than Sin City, which featured, among other things, a bright-yellow antagonist and Elijah Woods doing Kung Fu in a Charlie Brown sweater. I happen to love both films and I think Snyder has some real talent and his faithful adaptation of 300 suggests he respects the medium. If you didn’t personally enjoy 300 that’s cool but it was every inch the film that Sin City was and one of the most accurate comic book films to date.
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I first got to know Moore's work when he was on Swamp Thing with Tottleben and Bisset. They did some GREAT work on what had been a B-grade series to that point for the most part. The American Gothic storyline kicked ass. Maybe DC does own the rights since he was still an 'up-and-comer' at that point?
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...about the Fantastic Four angle. That isn't the impression I have gotten at all, but I will get clarification as soon as possible. I keep telling him if they screw this up I will give his e-mail address to every board on this site...
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Those movies have been very impressive visually - and are clever in how they replicate the 'comic book feel'. But I find them a bit tiresome to watch - because they feel more like a novelty - like 3D glasses - particularly with Sin City. I also find that I prefer the comic versions to the movie-that's-desperately-trying-to-be-a-comic anyway. That's why I'm hoping that Snyder makes 'Watchmen' as a 'real' movie - rather than as a filmed comic book. I'd hope he would give priority to how a story works in the medium of film rather than trying to slavishly replicate the comic.
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Regarding Dr M's tackle - IIRC in the book, you rarely see it - mostly he is shown in waist up shots, or from the back. In fact, at one stage he is knocking around in a pair of black briefs.
It does worry me that your enjoyment of this film hinges on seeing a big blue cock though.. -
Well, I think it is highly unlikely that Snyder will totally screw this up. He clearly appreciates the comic book medium, and he definitely has passion for the story - that counts for an awful lot. I'm also delighted that the cast is made up of 'unknowns' (at least I'VE never heard of them). It means they can BE their characters, without baggage from other movies (The Assassination of Jesse James was completely ruined for me because all I could see was Brad Pitt the actor playing...Brad Pitt the actor).And there's no doubt that Watchmen the Movie will be visually interesting - wikipedia says that Snyder is using Taxi Driver and Se7en as visual references - definitely encouraging.I guess my worry is that the movie will get bogged down in trying to replicate the EXACT same angles, framing, pacing and arrangement of scenes from the comic book. I want the movie to stand up on its own as a great movie - whether you've read the comic or not.
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The Black Freighter segment has been confirmed by Snyder to be IN, but only for the DVD (hence it not being filmed yet).
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If the Freighter thing comes in, if it is filmed at all, that will be news to the people who worked on the movie at this point. But it would be great. I'll ask point-blank what the deal is tonight...
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Then along came someone with a fire extinguisher...with the letters "L" and "G" on the side of it.
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I rather like the style emulated in those films but to each his own. Both Sin City and 300 were very visually-oriented comics; the visuals were front and center and the story and dialogue were secondary. The Watchmen, as others have pointed out, is the exact opposite so I would expect Snyder to film it accordingly. I think The Watchmen is by far the most intellectually complex thing Snyder has tackled but judging by the interviews I’ve read I think he’s got a pretty solid bead on this one. I just hope the running time is closer to three hours given the amount of material that needs to be covered. Hell, I hope there is a director’s cut that matches the running time of Return of the King Special Edition.
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According to my friend, the only parts that remain are the news stand parts. That much he was clear on. I remember he said there is one other reference to it in the film, but I don't recall at the moment when it was. I believe it has something to do with when NY gets done in by the monster, but don't quote me on that because i'm really not sure...
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...for the seemingly redundant post. The ones in between have been removed.
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Yeah, I agree with you - I love the visual style of those movies; it's just that after I'd gotten used to the visuals, I found that the story and 'drama' didn't really hold my attention. Admittedly, I had less of a problem with 300.Guess I don't have much to complain about, though - as I said, I think that, barring stupid decisions/interventions from the studio, this movie stands a very good chance of being at least good. It'll almost certainly be the best Moore adaptation so far - though that's not saying a lot!Can't agree with you about Return Of The King though! I hope that Watchmen is exactly as long as it needs to be - neither more nor less (but definitely not more!). I'm afraid I was very disappoionted with the last 40 minutes-or-so of ROTK. Up to then it had been a terrific action adventure - but for me it sank into endless shots of CGI orcs, sword-swinging and vomit-inducing sentimentality. I'm particularly referring to the multiple "endings". I really, really wished that they had chopped some scenes out. So, as you can imagine, I REALLY didn't appreciate the EXTENDED DVD edition!!This is actually one of my pet hates about blockbuster movies lately: they are way too long! Fpr example, I thought King Kong was great - but would have been a fantasy masterpiece if they'd cut about 30 minutes out. As for the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies: they're like watching paint dry - what a waste of a brilliant character. I actually left the theatre during the second one - out of utter boredom.
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What I meant was that I would like the film to be as long as necessary to keep the integrity of the core intact. I could easily see Watchmen being a very long film simply by necessity but at the same time I agree that many films recently seem bloated and unfocused. Ultimately, it depends on the source material and the ability of the director to move the film along at a pace that doesn’t linger and potentially illicit boredom from the audience. That said, sometimes extensions actually make films better, such as Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven and Peterson’s Director’s Cut of Troy. I actually really loved the Pirate films as a whole but I certainly don’t think a bit of trimming here and there would’ve hurt. That entire cannibal island sequence in DMC should have been cut completely. (That was about a half hour wasted right there)
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I think Rodriguez is a fairly sloppy film maker, not technically speaking but when it cones to things like story structure, and that ultimately results in fairly boring films. I thought Snyders 300 was much more visceral and more tightly crafted. That said Snyder as a director for Watchmen always worried me being that even though I enjoyed 300, its still a film that came about by him basically seeing Sin City and saying hey, I can do that too! With his only other film being a remake its hard for me to shake off the slighty "hack" vibe I get. THAT said I've lover the stills I've seen so far, and all the interviews from Snyder and others involved continue to drive my enthuthiasm upwards. I'm cautious but more and more hopeful that this is going to come
out right (though I hope the above comment about this being based on Hayter's script is wrong, from what I remember that was a terrible adaptation by most accounts, one that radically changed the ending even!). -
"But more than that. I'm overwhelmed by the commitment, the passion, the palpable desire to do this right.
I'm starting to feel a glow that eclipses even Dr. Manhattan's..."
i'm starting to feel my nipples glow!!!
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Yeah, 300 works on a visceral level. Where did you hear that the Hayter script was no good? I have read four reviews of this script (one of them here on AICN - Harry read it a few years back) and all of them have praised the script for how well it captures the essence of the comic book. I've posted some links above so you can read some of the reviews for yourself. However, I would like to read the reviews you've read just to compare...But in any case, it would seem that Hayter's script IS the basis for the adaptation (with some additional scenes by Alex Tse). You're right about the ending - it has been changed in that it's no longer a (SPOILER!) giant, genetically -manufactured 'alien' that materialises in New York. But I can understand why they would change this; although it worked in the comic, I really can't see it working in a movie. That said, the alternative that was in the original script sounded like a bit of a Sci-fi cliché. Also - I think they've turned the showdown with (SPOILER!) Oxymandias into an action scene. Again, this is understandable, though I'm not particularly happy with it.
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Hmmm, its been a few years, perhaps I'm just remembering wrong, or grafting my own impressions onto what I've heard, with the ending and timeline change, and cutting out certain backstories, combined with my impression of Hayter being an uninspired writer, I probably just assumed the script was terrible. But being that its apparently the base for this movie, I'd be glad to be wrong (which it looks like I am), plus those elements that bothered me about Hayter's script seemed to have been addressed by Snyder and Tse, so all the better!
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And keep the ending from the comic book! And tell Fox to fuck themselves! And I just bought Zach's Director's cut of "Dawn of the Dead" on HD-DVD! ('cause it was cheap!)
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Snyder makes action movies, and WATCHMEN is a book that relies much more on character-driven drama and pathos. I'm not saying he can't do it, but I don't think he's right for the job here. That said, I did enjoy the DAWN remake even though it was really more of an action movie than a horror movie. 300 was completely retarded, but the set pieces were cool.
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Apparently there WAS an earlier Hayter draft that had problems but subsequent redrafts have reportedly ironed those out. There was also an even earlier script by a guy called Sam Hamm that wasn't any goof. Thankfully it's now history.
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John Carpenter's The Thing. Man, I love that movie!
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Saruman!
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where Alan Moore describes himself as Harry Potter? I'm sure I've read this someplace, he says something very close to "I'm what Harry Potter grew up into. It's not pretty." Sounds like quite the genius.
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i would usually agree with you, however, look how long zach is taking with this project...he is handling it with kid gloves...a full year in post? its unheard of....had this kind of care been taken with x3, we mightve seen a good movie...but woa to comix related movies if watchmen bombs..then its back to straight hackery all the way
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Hold onto yourself, man, but I agree with you. Film directors should *make films* and not slavishly adhere to the storytelling mores of the sequential art they are adapting. Snyder's a capable visualist but his work I find hollow. Watchmen, I'm betting, will be a staggering visual achievement. All evidence points toward it boasting a powerful fidelity to the look/design of the source material. I just hope Snyder can translate some of the soul and make a real film - not just an epic music video.
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While I am a bit tired of hearing Alan Moore be grumpy about certain facts of corporate life, there are a ton of misconceptions about this.
First, he did NOT take the money - impressively, he really did put his money where his mouth is and chose to give his share of the proceeds from these films to his collaborators. He won't see a dime from the Watchmen movie.
People also mis-state his complaint. He's not upset that people are making movies out of his books. He doesn't care. He doesn't care if they're terrible or great - he views them as separate from his work. His view is "more power to them." He only gets mad when lies are told about his participation in such ventures - if somebody tries to promote a film like Watchmen by saying "oh, yeah, Alan loved the script and thinks everyone should go see it" when he's never seen a thing, he gets rightfully pissed. And while I also get a little annoyed at his refusal to work with the big comics companies, since the actual people who screwed him over are long gone, it's also understandable. He was naive, but was also taken advantage of. It was understood in his contract that as soon as Watchmen went out of print, full ownership would be turned over to Moore and Gibbons. They'd be able to do whatever they wanted with the story and its characters. He had every reason to expect that this would happen, because a comic had NEVER BEFORE been kept in print for more than a couple of years, and when movie/TV people wanted to rip-off comics, they just stole ideas instead of optioning them. Seeing how potentially profitable such great work was, DC legally but deceptively "stole" the work from him by simply never stopping the printings of Watchmen so they could keep it forever. Moore tried to reason with them in good faith and was shown the door. I still think DC got the raw end of the deal, since who knows what Moore would've been able to do with their other properties, let alone what he might have created and shared profits from. -
aside from Rorschach, all the characters look as gay as gay gets. Should be a good laugh though.
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...obsolete.
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Moore is a GOD among comic fans, and writers alike. If you've never seen it, his late 80s documentary about himself and Swamp Thing is particularly genius.Too bad he's never had an interest in making films. He certainly can set up shots, as evinced in his little documentary.
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...is described as 2 ply latex with some kind of shifting black fluid in between, right? So, what I've always wondered, how's he breathe with his head wrapped in, basically, a big condom? And why is the fluid always in a symmetrical pattern? I know, it's comics, real world costume logistics is not high on the list of priorities, but it always kinda bugged me. Also, The Incredibles was good, but you can't compare it to something like Watchmen.
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Stop giving me a thumbs up!
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The lawyer tried to give Snyder a subpoena!
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I loved that freakin animal. After watching The Incredibles again, Syndrome's layer reminds me of Ozymandias'. Also.. they should make the black psychiatrist's storyline for the dvd if at all, it's the best story arc involving Rorschach.
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The one thing I worry the most about with this film is the colour palette, john higgins used very vibrant colours and on the page they worked but on the screen they give everyone a migraine. All credit to the story and the artwork but the thing about Watchmen is it works as a whole ensemble from the writer to the person who puts the letters on the page, it's going to take something amzing to live up to the expectations of the fans out there who regard this as the holy grail of comics. I suppose when this one'e been and gone we can look forward to the Dark Knight Returns starring Tom Sellecks as Bruce Wayne...
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Laserbrain: well I'm glad we agree on something! After reading the posts here I decided to rent out 300 again last night to refresh my memory (hadn't seen it since its theatre release). My memory of it was fairly positive. This time, however, I'm afraid it didn't hold me at all. It still looks great but I found the dialogue scenes to be as dull as ditchwater. After a while I just forwarded through them. The battle scenes are terrific, though - but there are so many of them that they get very repetitive. Hmmmm, not good!On the other hand, I can attribute all of this to the source material: the story just works better as a comic. The comic takes about 30-40 minutes to read; less if you're a fast reader. The movie, on the other hand is two hours long - and I think the material just doesn't support a movie of that length. My point is: like yourself, I HOPE Snyder can actually leave the Watchman comic book far behind and put together a movie that in no way feels like a 'filmed comic book'.teh ran, I have some good news for you: Snyder is NOT sticking to the comic book colour scheme (which was deliberately chosen to reference classic 4-colour superhero comics - though through a glass darkly, as it were). According to wikipedia, Snyder is using the movies Taxi Driver and Se7en as visual references: all good!I'm a bit worried about the box office potential of this movie - even if the movie itself turns out to be very good. Firstly I'm concerned about how few people are posting here compared to say, an Indiana Jones talkback (cough!). And look how quickly this story has disappeared off the AICN front page. There's also the problem that Watchmen is a host who is late to his own party - various superhero movies/TV shows have already plundered a lot of Watchmen's ideas: Heroes, The Incredibles, Unbreakable, that I know of.
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Sorry guys. No chance to speak last night, so I am still in limbo on the issue of confirming that it has been once and for all scrapped. Will try again tonight and report back tomorrow!
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I'll check back here every now and then. Sadly the talkback's gone quiet...
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Could be a shot from Seven. Where's the vibrancy of the comic book. Snyder is a retard.
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Hey, you know, it is a drab and dingy shot, but if Snyder does it right...(SPOILER ALERT...But hey, the fucking comic has been out in perpetuity since the 80s so I don't really feel bad if you're going to read this anyway...The info has been out there for like fucking ever.)When Rorschach goes to prison, it will be brightly lit and realistic looking it will be a perfect dichotomy from the look of the 'masked adventurer' world that Rorschach has lived in for so long, and look like a 'reality check'. Zach Snyder did all right by Dawn of the Dead. My wife (not the world's biggest fan of the zombie genre) rates it among the top three for her...which are these: Night of the Comet (Not REALLY a Zombie Flick...but close) Shaun of the Dead, and Planet Terror with Dawn of the Dead in last place...but it's because of the other runners in the contest.I just want a Watchmen movie. It would be nice if the guy doing it would bring Dave Gibbons to the set and help with the look of the film or at the very least get his inpu--oh..yeah...he did that.Film is different than sequential art. It's hard to do one with the other without being so stylized it becomes a risk (Sin City)....Yes, Robert Rodriguez proved it could be done, but I feel that this one needs a 'traditional' film treatment.
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As of this writing, the Black Freighter sequences HAVE NOT been filmed, WILL NOT be filmed, and therefor WILL NOT beincluded on the DVD of the movie, contrary to previous reports.
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IF anything is being done with this, it will be 2D cel animation done by someone outside of Imageworks. THAT is, evidently still a possibility as of this moment, but if it is being done, my guy knows nothing of it. Peace...
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