Welcome.

• 6Oct 08

  'Watchmen' Secrets Revealed

  It's one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed graphic novels in history. And now after two decades of wrangling, Watchmen is coming to the big screen from director Zack Snyder, who adapted Frank Miller's bloody 300 into a box-office smash. But for fans of the book who have read the dark and complex book over and over -- and I include myself in that category -- the job of condensing the sprawling epic into a two-hour movie seemed to be impossible.

  I was invited on Wednesday to a screening of over twenty minutes of footage from "Watchmen," and I have to say that it looks like Snyder has done the impossible. The scenes had some unfinished visual effects and temporary music, but already I was able to get a sense of the energy and uncompromising dedication to the original text that Snyder is bringing to the film.

  We were first shown the opening twelve minutes of the movie, which begins with the attack on the Comedian (Jeffery Dean Morgan). In the comics, this scene is only ever presented in flashbacks, but here it is a brutal fistfight that leads up to a breathtaking shot following the Comedian as he's tossed out the window of his high-rise. The action here is reminiscent of the slow-to-fast motion of the fight scenes in "300," but the setting feels more tangible, since it was shot on sets and not entirely in front of green screens.

  This leads into the opening credits sequence that retells the history of the book's alternate universe from the '30s through the '70s, set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'." Avid fans will spot countless references to images and events from the book, but newcomers will quickly get a sense of the world where superheroes not only exist but directly impact major historical events.

  We saw two more scenes from later in the film. First they showed the origin of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a physicist transformed in an accident into a blue-skinned superman who manipulates matter with a wave of his hand. Then we saw the prison break scene where costumed heroes Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre (Malin Ackerman) bust out their comrade Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). It's obvious from the footage we saw that the filmmakers are delivering an R-rated, adult movie that is not going to soften the novel's violent, sexual, or political content.

  I asked Snyder after the screening what reactions he has received from people who haven't read the book. He said he has shown the film to people who don't know the novel and they have been able to follow the story and get a feel for the movie's twisted reality. He also said that for the first time as a filmmaker he wishes he could forget his whole history with the project and watch the movie with fresh eyes.

  Snyder said that currently the film's running time is at two hours and forty-five minutes, but a later DVD edition will expand it with the addition of an animated story-within-the-story. We'll have to wait until March 6th to see the full film, but you can get a sense of its dark tone and stunning visuals in the trailer below.

  • Posted Oct 6, 2008 11:06 am PT
  • Category:
  • 4 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 2Oct 08

  Kung Fu Panda sequel set for 2011

  Panda-ing to fans, DreamWorks Animation has officially confirmed that a sequel to its animated hit "Kung Fu Panda" is in the works and has set a release date of June 3, 2011.

  The film, which will reunite Jack Black, as kung fu fan Po, Angelina Jolie and other members of the original voice cast, will be released in 3-D -- the new standard for all DreamWorks Animation movies starting next year -- on regular and Imax screens worldwide.

  The 2011 date means that "Panda" will be sharing the summer box-office schedule with Disney/Pixar's "Cars 2," which Disney moved last week from a 2012 release to summer 2011.
  
  
  if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['ptPCGtGDJGA-']='&U=13fij7po3%2fN%3dptPCGtGDJGA-%2fC%3d674272.13016514.13223103.1429205%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d5404819%2fV%3d1';

  The original "Panda," which grossed more than $626 million worldwide, is DreamWorks Animation's most successful nonsequel. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray November 9.

  • Posted Oct 2, 2008 2:14 pm PT
  • Category:
  • 0 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 30Sep 08

  Gamers fitter than average

  What mental picture do you get when you think of dedicated video game players? What about when you think about addicts of online fantasy role-playing games, the group so bitingly satirized by a recent South Park episode?

  

  GAMERS IN SOUTH PARK

  If you're like most Americans, you're probably imagining an overweight, pasty-faced, teenaged male guzzling Cheetos and Mountain Dew in his parents' basement, his face lit only by the eerie glow of his expensive, wide-screen monitor. But the findings of a new survey indicate the truth is rather different.

  The study, which focused on players of the popular online role-playing game Everquest 2, found that the average player reported taking vigorous exercise once or twice a week, and their self-reported height and weight statistics put players 10% leaner than national averages. Although that's still considered overweight, it's a lot healthier than the majority of Americans, as broader surveys with comparable methodologies estimate.

  Everquest 2 players aren't uniformly better off, though. The survey also found players were one-fifth more likely to report substance abuse issues than an average American, and 50% more likely to have been diagnosed with depression.

  The South California University survey also threw up another stereotype-busting factoid: although male players outnumber women four-to-one, it's the women who log more hours, and the difference increases with the age of the players. In other words, if you're looking for a typical, highly committed online role-playing game addict, you might need to hunt for a 31-year-old woman, and who knows, you might even find her at the gym.

  • Posted Sep 30, 2008 3:32 pm PT
  • Category:
  • 1 Comment
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts