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Thread: Watchmen

  1. #166
    Chasing Prey clanglee's Avatar
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    I agree to a point. Snyder has yet to direct something of his own. He may not be able to write. That's not something every director can do. But a lot of Spielburgs early work. . hell. . later work was also adapted. Duel was a Matheson story. Jaws was a novel. Color Purple, Twilight Zone, Jurassic part. I would hazzard to guess that most of his work is adapted.

    Now let me be clear. . I don't think that Snyder has Spielburg's ability per se. . but with practice he could. What I meant by the comparisson is that they both were/are Hollywood golden boys who seem to make hit after hit and get money thrown at them. Perhaps Snyder will have the pull soon to do something very personal and heartfelt and near to him (if Watchmen wasn't) and perhaps that movie he gets to make by himself will suck. Who knows. . that's when we will be able to tell wether or not the man has any real chops.
    "When the dead walk, we must stop the killing, or lose the war."

  2. #167
    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by clanglee View Post
    I agree to a point. Snyder has yet to direct something of his own. He may not be able to write. That's not something every director can do. But a lot of Spielburgs early work. . hell. . later work was also adapted. Duel was a Matheson story. Jaws was a novel. Color Purple, Twilight Zone, Jurassic part. I would hazzard to guess that most of his work is adapted.
    Oh, absolutely...Many, many, MANY great directors didn't write their own stuff...I'm having trouble forming my point coherently...hmmm...I guess what I'm trying to get at is that with other directors, like a Spielburg, or a Hitchcock, Kubrick, Scorsese, whoever, you can see/feel their touch on their projects, their fingerprints are all over it.

    With Watchmen, I get no clear sense of who he is a a director.

    Not saying this in a bad way or as a criticism per se, but just the strength of the material, faithfully adapted as it was, kinda drowns everything else out for me. I can't get a clear image of who he is a a director from it.

    All the visual stuff? I can't decide how much is him & how much is his DP, SPFX guys, etc. The great performances? I can't tell if it's the strength of the actors, the material, or if he has any ability to direct actors or not.

    Plus his adapted work is all adapted from a VISUAL medium: comic books. So it's kinda different than taking a novel & adapting it.

    I'll say again: 300 & Watchmen, both being literal adaptations of their source material make it hard to get a clear picture of him as a director. They show he's great at taking something & doing a faithful translation, but nothing else (just IMO)

    Dawn '04 is the only movie that he's done so far that was an original screenplay, so that's the only one I can go to to try & figure him out as a director. Flashy, hyper kinetic, MTV music video-ish, long on style, short on substance. Decent action flick, not very deep. There WERE some good character moments & touching scenes (Jake Webber & Matt Frewer in particular.)

    Quote Originally Posted by clanglee View Post
    Now let me be clear. . I don't think that Snyder has Spielburg's ability per se. . but with practice he could. What I meant by the comparisson is that they both were/are Hollywood golden boys who seem to make hit after hit and get money thrown at them. Perhaps Snyder will have the pull soon to do something very personal and heartfelt and near to him (if Watchmen wasn't) and perhaps that movie he gets to make by himself will suck. Who knows. . that's when we will be able to tell wether or not the man has any real chops.
    Agreed.

  3. #168
    Webmaster Neil's Avatar
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    My thoughts on 'Watchmen'...

    What I liked:-

    - Some of my friends complained it was long and felt slow, but generally I'm more than happy to invest time in a story/film. I never had the urge to look at my watch and enjoyed my travel through the story and characters.

    - Visual and special effects were generally great.

    - Music generally good. And any film that includes some of Philip Glass' score to Koyaanisqatsi can't be all bad

    - General feel of the film was I like it's retro and quirky feel. It just felt a bit 'different'.


    What I didn't like:-

    - I felt on the whole the film just felt a little flat and soulless. Just a bit!

    - Nixon's makeup was comical.

    - Spoiler :
     
    Why did Ozymandias try to kill Dr Manhattan? What was the point? His plan had already been carried out? Did he think he actually was going to kill him? Or was he trying something else?




    On the whole a great romp through a superhero world with a difference!

    Now the ending... I've not read the comic book, but have looked up so am at least aware of how the film and comic differ. I'm happy with the film ending...

    Can someone also explain to be Rorschach's inkblot mask? Huh?
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
    -Carl Sagan

  4. #169
    Zombie Flesh Eater EvilNed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil View Post
    - Music generally good. And any film that includes some of Philip Glass' score to Koyaanisqatsi can't be all bad
    Spot ON! Best part of the film. And it was a great film!

  5. #170
    Just Married AcesandEights's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil View Post

    Can someone also explain to be Rorschach's inkblot mask? Huh?
    This post (the discussion about it starts further up that page) gives a pretty good rundown on Rorscach's mask.

    "Men choose as their prophets those who tell them that their hopes are true." --Lord Dunsany

  6. #171
    Survey Time axlish's Avatar
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    I saw it last Wednesday in IMAX, knew next to nothing going in, came out a bonafide Zack Snyder mark! Amazing film! I cannot wait for the Blu-ray.

  7. #172
    Team Rick MinionZombie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by axlish View Post
    I saw it last Wednesday in IMAX, knew next to nothing going in, came out a bonafide Zack Snyder mark! Amazing film! I cannot wait for the Blu-ray.
    This movie is still in cinemas?

    I thought this movie had come, gone and wiped it's end off on a pair of discarded panties.

  8. #173
    Survey Time axlish's Avatar
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    We have an IMAX theatre, but being a smaller market, we don't get the Hollywood IMAX films until they have gone through one, maybe two markets already.

  9. #174
    capncnut
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    Quote Originally Posted by MinionZombie View Post
    This movie is still in cinemas?
    It is also available from your local Chinese DVD retailer.

  10. #175
    Walking Dead DubiousComforts's Avatar
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    Saw this film about two weeks ago and it is just awful, yet I can't really blame Zack Snyder. I've never read anything by Moore and realize that he doesn't have anything to do with film adaptations of his work, but I can only assume that the source material is responsible for such a poor, derivative story with hopelessly-dated political commentary.

    I mean, come on... hasn't anyone ever seen the original Outer Limits' Architects of Fear or read Fail Safe? God, I must be really old if I'm the only one that can remember this stuff.

    I will say that the sequences with Rorschach were excellent, and I kept wishing there had been a better story and film built around just this character.

  11. #176
    through another dimension bassman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DubiousComforts View Post
    I can only assume that the source material is responsible for such a poor, derivative story with hopelessly-dated political commentary.
    Of couse everyone has their own opinion, but considering the fact that Watchmen is regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels ever written and literally changed how comics are approached, I think you would be in the minority with this opinion.

    The film is good, definitely Snyder's best, but it doesn't come close to having the lasting power that the novel does. When you finish reading the novel it's like a religious experience. Almost like you've been changed. Snyder's film didn't accomplish this, but it is a wonderful companion piece for the novel.

  12. #177
    certified super rad Danny's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DubiousComforts View Post
    Saw this film about two weeks ago and it is just awful, yet I can't really blame Zack Snyder. I've never read anything by Moore and realize that he doesn't have anything to do with film adaptations of his work, but I can only assume that the source material is responsible for such a poor, derivative story with hopelessly-dated political commentary.

    I mean, come on... hasn't anyone ever seen the original Outer Limits' Architects of Fear or read Fail Safe? God, I must be really old if I'm the only one that can remember this stuff.

    I will say that the sequences with Rorschach were excellent, and I kept wishing there had been a better story and film built around just this character.
    you owe it to yourself to go and read this right now, drop whatever you are doing and read one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.


  13. #178
    Just Married AcesandEights's Avatar
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    This will certainly be my first Blu-ray purchase.

    "Men choose as their prophets those who tell them that their hopes are true." --Lord Dunsany

  14. #179
    through another dimension bassman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AcesandEights View Post
    This will certainly be my first Blu-ray purchase.
    It does look GLORIOUS in BR. The special features are awesome, too.

    This new commentary track where snyder kinda walks on screen and tells you about the film is pretty cool. The only problem is I've never liked Snyder's face or voice, so I want to punch him everytime I see him. He does have some interesting stuff to talk about, though.

  15. #180
    certified super rad Danny's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bassman View Post
    It does look GLORIOUS in BR. The special features are awesome, too.

    This new commentary track where snyder kinda walks on screen and tells you about the film is pretty cool. The only problem is I've never liked Snyder's face or voice, so I want to punch him everytime I see him. He does have some interesting stuff to talk about, though.
    is it because he looks like sylar?


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