Pat,
Wow, sucky,
Sounds like you got what my wife had last week!
I hope you get over it quicker than she did!
Watchmen, My old college buddies are really looking forward to it.
I am too, but having avoided the comic, I have no expectations. But the previews look freakin' awesome!
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Watchmen, My old college buddies are really looking forward to it.
I am too, but having avoided the comic, I have no expectations. But the previews look freakin' awesome!
I loved, loved, loved the comics back when they came out, and I've been waiting for the movie for about 20 years. I left the theatre very satisfied.
Also, I disagree with the complaints that it is too complicated - my wife had never even heard about the comic, and she had no problems following the plot.
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How violent is it? I've heard "fairly" and I don't really want to take my Mrs to a gorefest (and I don't really dig that too much either). Or does it have a strong rating because of the big blue dude with the big blue knob? I can handle that (no pun intended).
There's some uncomfortable stuff; I think it's closer to Fight Club than Saw, but there are some creepy things in it.
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I saw Clockwork Orange when I was six.
All is explained.
I never saw Apocalypto (I quite wanted to, glad I didn't now if it freaked out Psycho-woof). Andrea can take moderate violence, I expect. More pertinently, was it a good movie (Watchmen, not Apocalypto) and was the violence "necessary" or gratuitous?
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Having seen Psycho, I don't think violence is ever necessary. Did I freak you guys out with the basement of the Sawfish boys? I was trying to and keep a PG-13 on it...however, I don't think the Watchmen reveled in it for the sake of violence. I loved the movie.
I thought Apocalypto was like unto a rollercoaster ride designed by John Wayne Gasey. It was a hamfistedly crafted attempt at a morality play from a schismed mind in my opinion.
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Yeah, Mel has lost it in the last few years.....
OK, it sounds doable to me. I'd be interested in Vatters view too (and any other gentle readers who may have seen it).
(And with you on Psycho - all done with sound effects.)
On the Sawfish Boys, it wasn't too bad at all - it was a slaughter house, after all. I was treading a similar line with a few of the things in Runelords. We are all (reasonably) mature adults, and I don't really dig splatter-stuff anyway.
What I would be interested in is your view on how the haunted house went in Runelords. I'll post that to that thread, though.
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Watchmen doesn't have a LOT of violence, but what's there is pretty yucky - broken limbs, dismemberment, that sort of thing. Did you ever read the comic?
Having said that, I didn't see the gruesomeness as gratuitous or misplaced. I thought Kill Bill was way worse than Watchmen.
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Also, I disagree with the complaints that it is too complicated - my wife had never even heard about the comic, and she had no problems following the plot.
We both read and loved the book, but we're long-time comic-geeks, used to the medium. I always wonder about making comic-book or movie recommendations to 'normal' friends, unused to the 'vocabulary' and 'grammar' that the fans take for granted. I know I found my Mum leafing through 'V for Vendetta' one day, complaining 'I can't tell who's speaking, to who...'.
At first I was puzzled by this, but later, I could see her point, given Moore's tendency to have songs or TV/radio broadcasts going on in the background, mirroring, or ironically clashing with, the visuals (see the 'Carry On...' film double-entendres during the bloodbath in the TV studio).Watchmen (the book) does contain lots of supplementary material, which feed the main storyline, and explain some of the unspoken connections between the characters.
The film cannot possibly include all this material, due to time restrictions, so does this loss hurt comrehension? For those parts which are included, how well are these incorporated? And is it clear when you're seeing flashbacks? (Since, for example, Jon remains unchanged for 40 years, and the stifling political climate means dress codes remain fairly conservative, it may not be apparent to some viewers if they're watching a scene from the 40s, 60s, 70s or 80s?)
While I'm glad the film was made, and I'm itching to see it, I do always wonder why studios make things hard for themselves, trying to squeeze these stories into a 2-3 hour film, instead of giving the story room to breathe as a TV series?
(Dune being a perfect example).
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A friend at work has lent it to me, and I'm reading it now. I'm not a comics person, but I'm not finding it too difficult to follow once I got into it (it borrows a lot from visual media like television with voice-overs (ironic or not) and stuff, and once you realise that it is pretty straightforward. I still find the medium a bit unsatisfactory (I don't really need the pictures that badly - there is a page near the beginning where a guy walks home - a whole page of street scenes, yeah OK, I get it, he's walking home) but the flip-side is that it is quick to read. And I'm enjoying it, got to Dr Manhattan's back story and that is very well done.
On Slumdog - great movie, in no way is it a feelgood movie. That was false advertising, in my view - most of what happens is really feelbad. It starts off with a torture scene, and goes downhill from there. Only the end is good (and he only gets the girl after her face has been slashed - nice!).
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On Slumdog - great movie, in no way is it a feelgood movie. That was false advertising, in my view - most of what happens is really feelbad.
Absolutely agreed on all counts. Great movie, but the 'feelgood' promotions are either false advertising, as you say, or the reviewers are on crack. I came out of it enjoying the experience (as a movie) but feeling quietly sad - dispite (or partly because of?) the 'happy' ending.
Gah! I was looking for opinions on the Watchmen film and got a Slumdog spoilerfest!
Oh well, I'll ask anyway: does Slumdog live up to the hype then?
Heh,
Sorry, But I'm reading all of your commentary (and I'm appreciating them all btw,)and all I can think of is my mother.
Who refuses to watch 'Fiddler on the Roof' because it has a 'sad ending'.
;D
Slumdog is not even on my list of maybes to watch anytime soon, but Watchmen is. Somehow I don't think I'll be trying to talk her into going to see it! ;)
I also mightily enjoyed 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' (movie) in spite (or maybe because) it differed from the comic so much. I really didn't enjoy the comic very much. I read it, and confess I liked it, thought it was a great concept, but was disheartened by a lot of what I saw. (OK, The lead character is an opium addict, so why should I care about him?) But the movie,
character spoiler if you haven't seen the movie
ah, what can I say? I enjoyed it! It was fun. And I enjoyed watching all of these characters that I have been reading about all my life interact the first time I watched it. (Though I confess I had to research Dorian Grey)
I thought LOEG was okay; the comic's a real treat though.
??? OK, NOW I have to find vol 2!
I think he said he was going to be busy. He mentioned in the Silver Rose thread he wouldn't be able to post for a while.
hey guys,
Getting sick, (My turn I guess)
SO If i disappear, i WILL be back.
Keeping up for now,...
hey guys,
Getting sick, (My turn I guess)
SO If i disappear, i WILL be back.Keeping up for now,...
URGH! I hope it aint the gut bug. That came with sinus issues too, ugh, over a week and I still don't feel 100%
Good luck Rags!
UGH! NO PLEEEZE not the gut-bug!
My wife had that almost 2 weeks ago now, she JUST starting to feel 'normal'.
Naw this is just sinus,... so far. Dayquil is keeping it at bay for now.
(My son finally decided to share, unfortunately it was a COLD!)
A bit of Gamers, some Jackass, and a few drops of The Far Side. Hack and slay, hack and slay, hack and slay all day!
Hey Kruel, you around mate? Busy? Sick?
A little better today. No more dizzy spells but still a little jaundice. Back in to the doctor next week for full blood work and whatever that leads to.
Just to let you know, from tonight I will be away for the weekend, probably until Tuesday. My wife and I are off to Belgium for the weekend. I shall drink Belgian beer and eat mussels and chocolate in your honour.
SOunds great! Have a Belgian Beer for me! (Haven't been to Europe for,... <counts fingers>,
over 20 years now!)(UM, your not gonna eat Mussels and chocolate TOGETHER,... are you?!?!?!) ;P
Mmmmm, Belgian White beer...
Oh, ahem, don't mind me.... *whistles*
Ware the smurfs!
Uh oh......you reminded the dungeonmaster of his gag critcher, the woad-painted "dire smirfnir."
j/k
smarf that s#%*
smorf
smoof
smerf
smnrf
HAHA!