My brilliant sister stated early on that the Movie would split by those who knew and liked the graphic novel and those who were coming to the convoluted story for the first time. It seems she was right. A look at Metacritic’s analysis reveals that the reviews are all over the map. This may be fanboy city – luck for me.
Alan Moore’s Watchmen is the story of costumed crime-fighters with no super powers and the insanity such a life would lead to. Into this mix of misfits and damaged goods, insert one additional hero, only this one with such super power that he is basically a god. The mix is a mess of real-life personal issues (will there be a war? who’s sleeping with who? how did our parents make us the disturbed human beings we are today? How can people act like that?) and the presence of a true super-being, who increasingly loses interest in the human baggage and emotion.
No comic had ever been like that before. Moore broke new ground. The elements of a horror comic met the conventional narrative of the superhero story, and then it all got turned on its head and came out as a murder mystery. Is it nuts? Yes. Does it make a lot of sense? Sort of… These characters are violent and flawed and yet they are still comic book heroes. That tension is what the Watchmen is all about.
The Watchmen comic book, that is. Now there’s this whole thing about a movie, and it’s a big friggin’ deal. I don’t really know what the New Yorker’s Anthony Lane is all about that, but he attacked this movie with such savage hatred, decrying the fetishistic violence and perversity that were certainly part of the book (don’t know about the film yet). All I could think when I read his review is that, this guy is warning the readers of the New Yorker, to not believe the hype with this movie – it is low art. Thank goodness we have Anthony Lane to see these dreadful train wrecks and then to help protect us from ourselves.
Yet, in general, people do not describe the Watchmen comic book as low art. It has rightfully been given a place of honor among all written fiction. Also, this was not a flash in the pan for Moore. He created much greatness both before and after Watchmen. And Anthony Lane doesn’t really tell you about the comic because this is a movie review.
But here is a film that tries to do so much. This is blasphemy and it lacks the blessing or even acknowledgement of the comic book’s author. Should the review address the hype? Does the review owe the filmmaker anything for the effort? Does the review even need to acknowledge the task, thus making reference to the comic book and its successes?
No, the review only needs to say “this is not human suffering” and “this is not what real violence means,” “that’s not pity,” and “it’s not funny.” It’s so annoying to have to review movies that don’t feature Kate Winslet.
It is not going to be a perfect recreation of the book, but I now have enough information to allow myself to get excited. I’ve looked at pictures, clips and trailers. I’ve read spoilers. I purchased the book companion to the movie. I’ve noted comments in interviews. I’ve reviewed comments by the filmmaker regarding what will be missing from the theatrical release and what will be in the DVD director’s cut. Did they change the end? Yes, but I think it’s going to be OK. So when I wrap up these next two trials, I’ll be rewarded with an adaptation of the holy grail of graphic novels. Should be fun!
Here is a great article from Heather Havrilesky at Salon.com. She’s been watching and writing about Battlestar since the ‘re-imagined’ came on the air a few years ago. As the series winds down, Heather’s got some questions, especially about the character Dee, that need to be answered.
I pretty much agree with Havrilesky – especially about OLD GENESIS!!! (but, come on, Heather, everyone?)
The question for me is always the same – how much did I enjoy this episode? The answer in this case was – not so much. It didn’t move me (as past episodes have done), it didn’t connect with any raw emotion whatsoever. I think that’s one of the problems with melodrama: everything gets watered down.
Like the rag-tag fugitive fleet, I have hope for the future. But, as we await the final 9 episodes, there are a few observations I can make with some certainty, though perhaps no proof.
There was no plan. I don’t care what the show runner says on his blog or in Q&A at ComicCon. There was no plan. There was never a plan. Any plan you learn about from here on is a plan made up to wrap up the thing they used to say at the beginning of every episode. It won’t be a plan that’s been in the works since the beginning. Nope. No plan.
In my business, bad actors are subject to liability. But note Havrilesky’s observation about the force of the story overcoming the occasional bad performance. Sometimes not so occasional. Also, in what must be an annoying turn of events for the people trying to make this show, different actors have had hot streaks at different times. I think we’ve seen a downturn in the intensity that Katie Sakhoff has brought in the last two seasons. She got hugely popular (with the ComiCon crowd) and started to look down the road. Terminator series? Not good. Another example is the Jamie Bamber experiment. After a near-death experience, it looks like Apollo is going to get some meaty psych-drama material for Bamber to sink his teath into. Despite the huge set-up, Bamber came up short. Then he got fat, then he got with Dee, then he lost weight and now he seems to be a non-entity.
Olmos is great, but he’s not going to carry the rest of this ensemble. Mary McDonald is tremendous, and I continue to think she will be the show’s savior as she leads everyone to the promised land that she can not enter. THAT prophecy IS coming true (with Helfer and Callis’s help, please).
And so we come to Laura Saltman. She’s saying she’s known that she’s the 5th cylon (or 12th, if you like) for TWO years. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit to you that the witness is a liar! But it is for you to judge. Here’s the thing: her death scene is one of the most outrageous moments in television. And the way Michael Hogan successfully incorporated the act of wife-i-cide into his character for the next season or two (till he found out he was a cylon) didn’t hurt. Of all the crazy shit this show has pulled, the arc of Saul and Ellen is the most consistently effective. Man and wife. Both deeply flawed. Very much in love. Want to kill each other.
When I survey the landscape of what this show has to offer, and from that assessment, attempt to determine what might be the strongest way to close the program, I think Ellen (and, undoubtedly, Saul) is an fantastic place to start. My understanding of the approach for these last 9 episodes (this comes form the Saltman interview) is that there will be BIG revelations every week – we will learn things, major characters will die, etc. You may not be looking forward to that approach, you may wish it was going to be different, but it’s not. It’s going to be like that. So this first (and highly mediocre) episode is, hopefully, a springboard that gives us a more measured approach. Each of the episodes can now unfold as a single piece of drama. Everything is so disjointed after this first episode that it doesn’t really matter if the final episodes interlock perfectly.
The most important thing, more important than putting a bow on it, more important than making it all make sense, more important that sorting it all out and answering all your questions – The most important thing is that it’s good TV. I’m going to ask the same question nine more times. If these people are doing their job right and go with the best of everything they’ve got right now, then the answer will be ‘a lot more than the last one’ each time.
I can’t begin to describe what this television show has meant to me. It was all about his gravitas and his gift as an artist. This sums up a lot of what I feel.
What a trip! Here are a few photos: first set, second set, and last set. We also did the zip line:
This is also posted on the videos page. Is it really possible that we’re done with chemo? It’s been a pretty life-changing few months.
Is this the opportunity I’ve been waiting for? My greenscreen skills are pretty much non-existent, but I figured I’d have some fun editing and put on some good music. After looking at some of the submissions, I’m proud of what I’ve thrown together. This was the result of a few hours of work on Sunday, followed by just a bit of touching up today and yesterday.