More Watchmen News (Sorry for the Delay!)

I know I had to apologize for this once before, and then I never got back on track like I said I would, but I'd like to apologize again for not updating regularly. I swear to you I'm doing my best, but Philadelphia is just crazy when you're a full-time student holding down your own blog, a position at another blog, a position with the school paper, and an actual part-time job. It barely leaves enough room for me to actually see movies!

Anyhow, I was listening to the (ever present on filmadelphia) /filmcast last night, and then discovered this article this morning. I did not read this article, and I also muted the /filmcast while they were talking about this because I don't want to know, but apparantly Zack Snyder DID change the ending to Watchmen. HOWEVER, whatever it was changed to does not actually change the theme of the book or the point made in the ending, simply the events by which it happens. IE, no squid. If you haven't read the book you probably don't know what I'm talking about (and you should go buy it right now!).

I didn't want to know what it was changed to, as I'd like to be surprised, but Dave Chen assured listeners on the /filmcast last night that it didn't actually change anything except the way in which the ending occurs. For me to continue on would be to reveal too many spoliers, so I'll leave you to /film's article about the ending change if you'd like to know more.

But rest assured Watchmen fans! This will still be excellent. From the preview screening last week came rave reviews, just a few dissenters who were die hard fans that simply don't want to see any element of the book changed at all. While I admit, it does suck that an artist can't adhere to another artists source work for whatever, but in this case it makes sense. The ending of the book is a very comic book ending that comments on the medium of comics. Film is a different medium as they pointed out on the /filmcast last night, and this ending wouldn't work in that medium. Hopefully whatever they changed it to will be a comment on film, and still adhere to the themes, which I'm assured it does.

So again, unless you're one of those whiney fan boys who MUST have everything complete and the same, it sounds like Watchmen is going to astound us. Is anyone truly upset by this news, or does it make sense to you as it does to me? (obviously, I've posted wayyyy too many Watchmen posts, as I'm reduced to pictures like the one you see above)

Slow Friday

Nothing much interesting to talk about today.  Except that Kevin Smith, perhaps my favorite filmmaker, saw Watchmen, the son of a bitch.  And what say Silent Bob?  "It's fucking astounding."  And more importantly "Even Alan Moore might be surprised at how close the movie is to the book.  March can't come soon enough."  You said it man.  Does anyone really think this will turn Moore though?  I have this feeling that even if it were perfect, Moore would still stubbornly stand by his belief that it only works as a book.  It'd be fucking mind-blowing if he did turn and support the movie though.  I think I'd blow Snyder.

If I wasn't excited enough for this fuckin movie, Kev's gotta go and get me real hyped.  Thanks a lot, friend.  Oh yeah, and it comes out the day before my birthday.  It's like Zach Snyder's personal gift to me.  Thanks a lot, friend.

Anyone else pumped?

Watchmen Poster Comparison

I'd like to point you all in the direction of an awesome article by Plasmic Studios in which they put Dave Gibbons posters for the original books overtop the new posters that Snyder released for the film at comic-con. As Monika over at cinematical points out, Snyder has nailed these things, they're almost identical. I'd like to point out that this is most likely Snyder subtley trying to put all of our collective fanboy minds at ease about the direction he's going with this. He's all "C'mon guys, seriously! Get behind me on this! Look, i'm not even messing with original posters! That's how fucking faithful i'm gonna be for you guys! Stop worrying!" And then we're all "Yeah, yeah, but Ozymandius doesn't look egyptian anymore you asshole!" And then he cries himself to sleep at night with a shotgun in his mouth.

What do you think? Are you as impressed as I am that Snyder is going to these lengths to reassure fans?

Who's watching the Watchmen production videos?

That's right, Zach Snyder has posted another Watchmen production video, and this has to be the best one yet.



Doesn't Archie look fuckin awesome? I'm so glad Snyder has decided to use as many practical effects as he has. It's always a huge disapointment to me when movies only employ CGI. There is a great charm to practical effects that I think many filmmakers over look (I'm lookin at you Lucas, you were the king of this back in the day, and then you unintentionally parodied yourself with a new trilogy full of CGI aliens that looked more ridiculous than their costumed counterparts from the originals). If you look at some of the other production videos or photos, you can see that they built a few blocks of NYC as sets to reproduce one of the main settings from the comic. They apparantly also built Veidts Antarctic hideout, complete with the monstrous statues at the entrance of his office.

Week after week, Snyder is proving himself worthy of faithfully adapting one of the most complex comics ever written. If you haven't read Watchmen yet, please go buy it now! (And if you're from philly, hit up either Atomic City Comics or Brave New Worlds to get your copy!)