Tag: Watchmen
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Different strokes
“Did you hear My Chemical Romance’s pop punk cover of Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row’ over the film’s end credits? It illustrates the same point. Each version follows the same chords and same lyrics, but as done by Dylan, the song is a classic. As done by My Chemical Romance, it’s a disposable piece of junk.”
“Pop punk is as different from folk as film is from the graphic novel, as animation is from live action, etc. The chords and lyrics that resonate in one form won’t in another. Play Moonlight Sonata on a piano and its beautiful. Play it on a clarinet, not so much. In a similar way, an ink brush and a movie camera are different instruments. Snyder tries to hit most of the same beats and uses the same words that work in the graphic novel, but they don’t resonate on screen.”
A pair of insightful comments from a guy calling himself Kyle_D at Hollywood Elsewhere, perhaps indicating how “Watchmen” misses the mark a bit more succinctly that I did yesterday.
Also, from Geoff Boucher’s September 2008 interview with Alan Moore re: the then upcoming “Watchmen” adaptation:
“Moore said that with ‘Watchmen,’ he told the epic tale of a large number of characters over decades of history with ‘a range of techniques’ that cannot be translated to the movie screen…”
A week ago, I’d have said “bullshit” to that.
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Fearful symmetry
(I was going to hold onto this and some more stuff until the beginning of the week, but we’re ready to go so let’s hit it during the weekend.)I’m not one of those guys who says this work or that cannot be filmed. I don’t share the arrogance that demands faithful representation of a beloved piece of literature on the screen, and even with my own devotion to comic books and, of course, Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” I always thought there was a great movie in there waiting to be unleashed.
I think it was Quentin Tarantino who once said he would never translate a comic book to the screen because there are just too many damn people to please. There’s some truth there, mixed with a little pomposity. I had Zack Snyder’s back. I enjoyed “Dawn of the Dead” enough and was one of “300”’s few serious vocal champions. I would have preferred a director with a penchant for grit take up the reins on “Watchmen” but I found myself curiously okay with the stylized ballet Snyder seemed to be interested in creating.
But in a nutshell, “Watchmen” damn near stole my faith in movies. Maybe that’s a stretch, but come on, it’s all up there on the screen. Minus a climax that was likely changed for the better given what will and won’t work in a film, every inch of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s hard work is laid out for us at 24 frames per second. And you know what? It doesn’t work. And we can’t say anyone involved in the production botched the adaptation because it’s faithful to a fault.
I think we can blame the woeful, stomach-churning, cringe-worthy failure that this is on the frothing-at-the-mouth fandom that scared Snyder and company away from being creative, from understanding the value of compositing (a tactic Christopher Nolan has so expertly employed with the Batman franchise) and from, at best, realizing that the tone we manifest in our minds as we flip through a work of graphic fiction can’t be satisfied by lifting nearly every inch of hard-boiled, wordy (if eloquent) narration. God bless him for trying to please them all, but what they wanted ain’t art.
“Watchmen” is an awful, awful film.
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2/10 Oscarweb Round-up
• At least Ron Rosenbaum kind of gets it. Though he apparently thinks he’s the only one a bit miffed at the redemption angle. Do some more Googling, Ron. [Slate]• Joining the “Reader” bash, Noah Forrest pleads with the Academy not to hand the Oscar to Kate Winslet. [Movie City News]
• Jeff Wells gets word that Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” could be in theaters by the end of the year. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• David Poland scatters “Watchmen” gossip while apparently indicating that Warner Bros. owes him and others a look at the film a month in advance. [The Hot Blog]
• Patrick Goldstein is big on foreign film contender “The Class.” [The Big Picture]
• Brits pick the most memorable movie quotes ever. [Daily Telegraph]
• Sasha Stone talks to Oscar-nominated “Frozen River” scribe Courtney Hunt. [Awards Daily]
• Thank God Michael Bay didn’t have his way with this year’s Oscar telecast. [Rope of Silicon]
• Pete Hammond jumps on the “Mickey might win” bandwagon, becomes, like, the 10th person to draw a parallel to last year’s Best Actress race. He also points to a potential Viola Davis upset in the supporting actress category. [Notes on a Season]
• David Carr, meanwhile, comments on Rourke’s “whale of a speech” at the BAFTAs. But he rather insultingly thinks voters would be “picking the speech over the performance.” Hardly. [The Carpetbagger]
• Xan Brooks prays for a little spice and surprising variety at this year’s Oscar ceremony. [The Guardian]
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‘Watchmen’ talks show silver lining at the Globes
Michael Cieply, one of the best entertainment reporters in the business for my money, filed this one-off from last night’s Golden Globe festivities at The Carpetbagger:From where this reporter sat at the Golden Globes last night, that sure looked like Tom Rothman of Fox and Alan Horn of Warner Brothers down among the superstar seats, smiling and back-patting — each other, not the superstars — just before the show began. A public display of affection between studio chiefs, along with those pricey “Watchmen” ads on the National Football League playoff games this weekend, would add up to a message as big as the Hollywood sign: The talks between hitherto warring Fox and Warner over a settlement of Fox’s lawsuit over rights to “Watchmen” must be on track.
Fox, remember, had claimed rights to the film and was trying to block Warner’s release of it on March 6 — a breach of the usual etiquette in Hollywood, especially with a movie that costs $130 million. A hearing scheduled for 3:30 this afternoon with Judge Gary A. Feess of the federal court here should tell more.
Boy I hope this thing settles itself.
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1/12 Oscarweb Round-up
• Jeffrey Wells responds to last night’s Golden Globe Awards. [Hollywood Elsewhere]• David Carr gets some choice quotes from twofer victor Kate Winslet in the press room. [The Carpetbagger]
• Guy Adams, meanwhile, comments on the actress’s “downbeat” role choices. [The Independent]
• Karina Longworth’s eight Globe moments that transcended cynicism. [Spout Blog]
• Tom O’Neil and Pete Hammond yak about the evening’s surprises. [Gold Derby]
• Moving away from the circular Globes talk, Gene Seymour takes stock of today’s African-American filmmaking talent. [New York Times]
• Philip Seymour Hoffman calls his trade “tortuous.” [The Guardian]
• Welcome to the new indieWIRE. [indieWIRE]
• Speculation on the fate of Two-Face in “The Dark Knight,” reported plenty in this space, turns up elsewhere. [/Film]
• Continuing on the geek beat, Geoff Boucher talks “Watchmen”‘s Rorschach with actor Jackie Earle Haley and director Zack Snyder. [Los Angeles Times]
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New Yorker Eustace Tilley ‘Watchmen’ cover
Designed by pop artist Marcus Parcus for The New Yorker’s Eustace Tilley cover design contest. From the mag’s website:
Eustace Tilley appeared on our first cover, in 1925, and has returned for nearly every anniversary issue since. Create your own version of our iconic dandy by January 15, 2009, for a chance to win and be featured in a slide show curated by The New Yorker’s art editor, Françoise Mouly.
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Japanese ‘Watchmen’ trailer lays it on thick
Tricky Dick AND the Kennedy assassination? Boy, they’re really going for it. And my vote is the Japanese trailer dude should narrate all trailers from now on:
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My top 10 most anticipated films of 2009
No explanations, just my annual unfiltered, edge-of-my-seat anticipations. My tastes tend to skew entertainment from afar; I don’t look forward to the Oscar stuff until later in the year, when the pieces of that crazy puzzle are slowly revealed.Here’s what I’m looking forward to:
1. “Watchmen” (Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. Pictures, March 6)
2. “Public Enemies” (Michael Mann, Universal Pictures, July 1)
3. “Avatar” (James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, Dec. 18)
4. “A Christmas Carol” (Robert Zemeckis, Walt Disney Pictures, Nov. 5)
5. “Terminator Salvation” (McG, Warner Bros. Pictures, May 22)
6. “Shutter Island” (Martin Scorsese, Warner Bros. Pictures, Oct. 2)
7. “Green Zone” (Paul Greengrass, Universal Pictures, TBA)
8. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (Gavin Hood, 20th Century Fox, May 1)
9. “State of Play” (Kevin Macdonald, Universal Pictures, April 17)
10. “2012” (Roland Emmerich, Columbia Pictures, July 10)Least anticipated: “Inglorious Bastards”
You?
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12/26 Oscarweb Round-up
• Bob Tourtellotte spends a minute with Sam Mendes. [Reuters]• David Poland responds to the week’s “Watchmen” wowser. [The Hot Blog]
• Jeffrey Wells re-runs his thoughts on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Joel Stein wants it understood that Jews still run Hollywood, m’kay? [Los Angeles Times]
• Lisa Marks responds. [The Guardian]
• Kim Voynar considers the adapting of a dramatic work from an inherently undramatic source with Edward Zwick’s “Defiance” in mind. [Movie City News]
• David Carr gives you a chance to cast your vote. [The Carpetbagger]
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The reindeer droppings just hit the fan — Fox wins ‘Watchmen’ battle
It won’t be a Merry Christmas in Burbank this year:In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the “Watchmen,” a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March.
The decision was disclosed in a five-page written order issued on Wednesday. Gary A. Feess, a judge in the United States District Court for Central California, said he would provide a more detailed order soon.
Fox has been seeking to prevent Warner from releasing the film. The superhero adventure, based on the “Watchmen” graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed “300”) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.
A Warner spokesman, Scott Rowe, declined to comment on the ruling and the studio’s plans…
“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.
The rest. And catch up on the story as it’s been reported here and here.
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11/11 Oscarweb Round-up
• Peter Bart worships at the alter of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. [Peter Bart]• Tom O’Neil reports on the 14 animated features submitted for toon consideration this year… [Gold Derby]
• …and he interviews “Changeling” psycho Jason Butler Harner inside Hannibal Lecter’s prison cell deep in the bowels of the Hollywood Museum. [Gold Derby]
• Jeffrey Wells has his “Eureka” moment regarding “Frost/Nixon.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Kim Voynar has the right idea about exploring issues of nudity in films, but picks the wrong example to kick it off. Uh…Marisa Tomei DOES play a stripper. [Movie City News]
• Russell Crowe talks his 50 lb. “Body of Lies” weight gain across the pond. [Daily Telegraph]
• Five picks for a black James Bond. [New York Daily News]
• Despite “W.” having come and gone, Christopher Campbell kicks around Josh Brolin’s Oscar chances. [Spout Blog]
• Lev Grossman talks to “Watchmen” artist Dave Gibbons. [Time]
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11/9 Oscarweb Round-up
• Steve Weintraub has a sweet four-video series on Ben Burtt’s process for creating the sounds of “WALL-E” and the “Star Wars” films. Worth a look if you’re into the tech arena like we are. [Collider]• Bad news for Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia.” A forced happy ending. [News.com.au]
• Cherry Jones gives her approval of Meryl Streep’s turn in “Doubt.” [Gold Derby]
• But elsewhere, the odds are being stacked against the film. [Vulture]
• Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz discuss the season’s most unknown commodities: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road.” [Oscar Watch]
• Brad Brevet finds some striking similarities between the new “Watchmen” poster and an old “Dark Knight” international one-sheet. [Rope of Silicon]
• In the midst of AFI Fest, John Horn gets some quality time with “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle. [Los Angeles Times]
• Meanwhile, Anne Thompson responds to a second “Slumdog” screening. [Thompson on Hollywood]
• The new gadgetry of Bond. [New York Daily News]
• Amy Raphael profiles Kelly Macdonald as “Choke” lands across the pond. [The Guardian]
• Also in the U.K., Toby Jones continues to stir the waters with below-the-radar portrayals. [The Times]
• Deborah Solomon cranks out a Q&A with “Frost/Nixon” director Ron Howard. [New York Times]
• Jeffrey Wells defends the violence of Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorrah” against the potential ignorance of the foreign film committee. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
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Making Dr. Manhattan
Yahoo! Movies has a nice new featurette up about creating Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen.” There are also a few production journals from production designer Alex McDowell, costume designer Michael Wilkinson, illustrator Dave Gibbons, director of photography Larry Fong, Snyder, etc. Very interesting stuff. Check it out here.
These kinds of in-depth craft features are becoming a staple. Two weeks ago we told you about the Apple exclusive on those Set to Screen “Australia” featurettes, which could go a long way toward directing attention to the work of these folks. Kind of like DVD special features let loose on the net. I’m betting you see more and more of this during the awards season as studios get wise to the value of peeling back the curtain and embossing the craft particulars of their films.
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9/19 Oscarweb Round-up
• Peter Sciretta wraps up the Toronto Fest, live from Fantastic Fest. It’s that time of the year… [/Film]• Oscar winner Diablo Cody responds to the haters: “I like my fake name. It’s engraved on an Oscar. Yours isn’t.” [MySpace]
• Mark Olsen apparently reported over a week ago that Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” will not be released by Summit Entertainment until 2009 and no one knew about it. [Los Angeles Times]
• The news kind of sucks for Sasha Stone’s latest Oscar column thesis… [Awards Daily]
• …while it seems a questionable move to Jeffrey Wells. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Jeffrey Anderson runs down the best of Keira Knightley’s costume epics. [Cinematical]
• Kevin Kelly talks to “Waltz with Bashir” star/director Ari Folman. [Spout Blog]
• Lou Lumenick wonders if Heath Ledger’s legacy can equal that of James Dean beyond the inevitable Oscar nomination and Halloween get-ups (I know that’s my costume this year…the only reason I haven’t cut my hair since May). [Lumenick on Film]
• Karl Rozemeyer talks to “Appaloosa” star Viggo Mortensen… [Premiere]
• …as well as “Che” star Benicio Del Toro. [Premiere]
• Alan Moore will be “spitting venom all over” Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen.” [Hero Complex]
