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      CommentAuthoromaha
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008
    There are now two trailers out. I first saw the trailer at my first screening of Dark Knight. Upon first glance I wasn't really very interested. Since then I have watched the trailers some more and my friend offered to lend me the comic book. I've never been a comic book kind of guy. I just had a handful growing up. Upon starting it, the characters are very interesting.

    What do you guys think of the film?
    Have any of you read the comic?
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008
    The trailer looked simply awesome; this from a guy who adored 300. Can't wait personally, for the movie that is. I have zero interest in the score.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthoromaha
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008
    The graphic novel is seminal. It has shaped comics in a way that was unthinkable before.
    In this particular genre, there really is no way to overstate its importance: it's right up there with Windsor McKay's Little Nemo, Shuster & Siegel's first Superman, Neil Gaiman's Nebula award winning Sandman, Will Eisner's..well, anything, and Captain America Punching Hitler.

    As it's extremely eighties in its plot and sensibilities, I'm slightly cautious what the film will bring to this era, and I fear it won't have the same impact the graphic novel had by far: it was the very first time the psychological, social and political ramifications of "super"heroes were examined under a brutally frank magnifying glass. It's pretty hard to recapture that, especially as it's become the norm ever since.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008
    What can I add? I read it in it's time, Martijn just said it how it is! I hope it is done justice but it may be watered down by what has come since despite being the trailblazer.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  1. Schnyder is a brilliant visual director who doesn't forget to give his characters some depth, he did it in Dawn of the Dead, in 300 and he'll do it in Watchmen as well. The New trailer is simply awesome
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  2. Christodoulides wrote
    The trailer looked simply awesome; this from a guy who adored 300. Can't wait personally, for the movie that is. I have zero interest in the score.


    for me, despite being totally unoriginal, both scores (Dawn of the Dead and 300) work extremely well inside the movie, I'm confident it will be the case again with Watchmen. The only question is, are there going to be similarities?
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  3. Thomas Glorieux wrote
    Schnyder is a brilliant visual director who doesn't forget to give his characters some depth, he did it ... in 300 ...


    Is there some director's cut out there or something? wink
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
  4. franz_conrad wrote
    Thomas Glorieux wrote
    Schnyder is a brilliant visual director who doesn't forget to give his characters some depth, he did it ... in 300 ...


    Is there some director's cut out there or something? wink


    oh please, another joker who doesn't love 300 tongue
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  5. "Doesn't love"? No, you mistake me.
    It would be truer to say I despise every digi-fx-mutated pixel of that film. biggrin
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
  6. franz_conrad wrote
    "Doesn't love"? No, you mistake me.
    It would be truer to say I despise every digi-fx-mutated pixel of that film. biggrin


    your loss buddy smile
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
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      CommentAuthorHeeroJF
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008
    franz_conrad wrote
    "Doesn't love"? No, you mistake me.
    It would be truer to say I despise every digi-fx-mutated pixel of that film. biggrin

    If you're gonna mutate some pixels, 300's the way to do it! cheesy
    ''The mandate, as well as the benefit, of responsibility is the ability to tell when one can afford to be irresponsible.'' - Me
  7. Thomas Glorieux wrote
    franz_conrad wrote
    "Doesn't love"? No, you mistake me.
    It would be truer to say I despise every digi-fx-mutated pixel of that film. biggrin


    your loss buddy smile


    I do not need your pity! biggrin


    wink

    (And btw - the Watchmen trailer does look good, though they only break the fourth wall when they start playing with shifting frame rates inside a shot as in the shot where the girl moves out of the way of the burst of flame. More suited to a computer-based setting like THE MATRIX than the visual language they're interpreting.)
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
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      CommentAuthorlp
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008 edited
    franz_conrad wrote
    (And btw - the Watchmen trailer does look good, though they only break the fourth wall when they start playing with shifting frame rates inside a shot as in the shot where the girl moves out of the way of the burst of flame. More suited to a computer-based setting like THE MATRIX than the visual language they're interpreting.)


    Cause it hasn't been done before, like, in 300, which was a comic book inspired film as well.
  8. lp wrote
    franz_conrad wrote
    (And btw - the Watchmen trailer does look good, though they only break the fourth wall when they start playing with shifting frame rates inside a shot as in the shot where the girl moves out of the way of the burst of flame. More suited to a computer-based setting like THE MATRIX than the visual language they're interpreting.)


    Cause it hasn't been done before, like, in 300, which was a comic book inspired film as well.


    Here's an idea - it's a bit unlikely you're going to persuade me of anything based on how well it worked in 300 given the opinion I expressed of that film only a few posts back. wink

    (And no, I didn't think it was a suitable technique in the filming of 300. For me it's too artificial a way of seeing things to ever suggest that real humans - as opposed to their digital projections in the Matrix - are involved. Instant disassociation.)
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    I've never seen 300. I think I'd prefer to keep it that way.
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    And the reason you'd prefer to keep it this way?
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    It's not my thang. I'm really not into all this fantasy epic malarkey, especially comic book adaptations of fantasy epics... or whatever the hell they're classed as. Bores the crap out of me.
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008 edited
    Fair enough smile Will you see watchmen though?
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    300 was a very odd beast: a pretty much frame by frame reworking of Frank Miller's graphic novel, which -to me at least- was a weird and rather surreal thing to do: what works on paper seldom works in a different format.

    It's not Fantasy, incidentally, Stevem. It's a historic event. Well, allegedly anyway, thought the style of filming -and drawing- is so stereotypical as to suggest archetypes rather than actual characters (I'm pretty damn sure Xerxes didn't look like a cross between The Thing From Another World, Jaws and Bib Fortuna...).

    That said, aside from the fact that the director of 300 is directing The Watchmen, and both stories are based on (utterly different) graphic novels, I can't really see how 300 comes into play here? It's a completely different story in a completely different visual (and narrative) style, which -from the trailer at least- looks very true to its origin.

    I still have my doubts on whether the story is going to work in this day and age, but the look is a pleasant surprise for me. I'm sure there'll be plenty of Blade-style 0.03 second action shots or Matrix-style extensively slowed down shots, os something we'll have seen somewhere else, but that's only to be expected. Truly original visionary visual styles rarely occur.

    I wonder if the meta-stories from the novel will have a place? The Tales From The Black Freighter, and the background articles? I doubt it, as it would probbaly be confusing in a film format, and take up too much time, but it's a shame that Moore's so meticulaouly crafted reality needs to be simplified. It's one of the elements that really made The Watchmen stand out the way it did back in the day.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Christodoulides wrote
    Fair enough smile Will you see watchmen though?


    No.
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    But you did see The Dark Knight?
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorMatt C
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Martijn, TDK had its influences from several different graphic novels, but didn't adapt any of them into the script.
    http://unsungfilmscores.blogspot.com/ -- My film/TV/game score review blog
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008 edited
    In that case you may have missed the early 2000's, quite influential Loeb/Sale interpretations which the film follows for about 60-75%, Matt (especially in creating the background story and the Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon plot lines which are almost one-on-one. In fact, the film acknowledges this by naming the commissioner (the one that gets killed) after writer Loeb). smile

    That wasn't my point though: the comparison between The Dark Knight and The Watchmen lies in the fact that these are not "archetypical" superhero stories: it's about how society reacts to chaos, and vigilantism as another problem rather than a solution.
    This had never been done in mainstream comics before The Watchmen.
    In fact, there would be no Dark Knight today (the Loeb/Sale/film interpretation that is) without The Watchmen.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    ...when did I change from eccentric yet well-beloved pundit to this? sad
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Martijn wrote
    But you did see The Dark Knight?


    Time to step up to the plate master Steven wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Martijn wrote
    In that case you may have missed the early 2000's, quite influential Loeb/Sale interpretations which the film follows for about 60-75%, Matt (especially in creating the background story and the Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon plot lines which are almost one-on-one. In fact, the film acknowledges this by naming the commissioner (the one that gets killed) after writer Loeb). smile

    That wasn't my point though: the comparison between The Dark Knight and The Watchmen lies in the fact that these are not "archetypical" superhero stories: it's about how society reacts to chaos, and vigilantism as another problem rather than a solution.
    This had never been done in mainstream comics before The Watchmen.


    But it had surely been done in every other medium a very long time before that. I don't think I get what you're saying.
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Southall wrote
    But it had surely been done in every other medium a very long time before that. I don't think I get what you're saying.


    I don't get what you're asking?
    What do other mediums have to do with it?
    Aside from the fact that before that time there had been NO mainstream medium who had EVER tackled the traditional superhero in that fashion.

    (If you're talking about the danger of vigilantism per se, yeah, that was surely addressed all through the late sixties/early seventies, with Death Wish being probably the best example, even though the Bronson film seriously diluted the book's main message).
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Timmer wrote
    Martijn wrote
    But you did see The Dark Knight?


    Time to step up to the plate master Steven wink


    Um... sorry, I'm not really following this thread. Yeah, I saw The Dark Knight.
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008
    Then, and as you're not following this thread, I'm probably just talking to myself again (that's OK, I like hearing myself talk. Apparently I think I'm well-read, intelligent, witty, entertaining and quite educational, and I rather like myself for thinking that about me), if you watched and liked The Dark Knight (and not merely as an action flick), then I have every reason to assume you would enjoy The Watchmen, which touches upon many similar subjects (if...IF it's done well!)
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn