Evening Reading

That BioShock 2 teaser site is sure filling up. Apparently there's a lot of litter in the sea.

Hey, news:

From The Chatty
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    March 9, 2009 6:03 PM

    Another WATCHMEN thread...

    Cannot believe how big these threads have been getting, biggest for a movie...ever?

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      March 9, 2009 6:04 PM

      TDK threads were huge

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        March 9, 2009 6:12 PM

        ^^^ this is correct. Plus the TDK threads were around for a LONG time. I have a feeling in a week and a half watchmen will have dropped off the map

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          March 9, 2009 6:20 PM

          Until the people that are currently too shy to admit that the movie sucks begin to speak up. Then it's going to be a shitstorm much larger than any jeans thread.

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            March 9, 2009 6:23 PM

            I have seen many voice their opinions on what they didn't like about the film. Not sure that anyone is too shy to post in an online chat thread....especially here.

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            March 9, 2009 6:26 PM

            People are shy online? Especially here?

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        March 9, 2009 9:35 PM

        I think Watchmen knocks TDK for dead personally. Watchmen is to TDK as TDK is to Spiderman

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      March 9, 2009 6:14 PM

      Blue Dong thread you mean?

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      March 9, 2009 6:22 PM

      I just won all 12 original print issues on eBay for $130 CAN. Good deal? They are all near mint, the seller said he read them once when he purchased them back in 1986 and hasn't touched them since.

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        March 9, 2009 6:24 PM

        Oh, I already had all 12 but they were butchered, I got all 12 for $8 at a comic store in town when I was in grade 7.

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        March 9, 2009 7:07 PM

        why would you do that when the trade is $11 on Amazon

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          March 9, 2009 7:11 PM

          Well 12 comics at $11 would still be $132, the same price that I paid. Its an investment really, not the only comics I collect. I have over 1000 Wolverine comics, and roughly 500 Spiderman.

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            March 9, 2009 7:15 PM

            (the trade has all of them)

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              March 9, 2009 8:51 PM

              Ohhh, you meant the trade paperback. I have it, I want to have the original prints. They are actually valued from $20-40 each, while CGC graded ones go up to $100. The ones I won are near mint, so it will definitely be worth it IMO.

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      March 9, 2009 6:24 PM

      Are you lobbying for the post of official Comic Book Movie Thread Creator?

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        March 9, 2009 6:24 PM

        That sounds pretty good, CBMTC!

        Vote manlyman for Shacknews CBMTC!

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      March 9, 2009 6:26 PM

      I can only assume its because of the awesome Star Trek trailer in front of it. Surely the giant blue dong is partially responsible, but if anything is capable of overcoming the shacks love for the cock its Star Trek.

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      March 9, 2009 6:28 PM

      [deleted]

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        March 9, 2009 6:46 PM

        I really think there should have been more boobs in it I mean mostly dudes are going to see it so it just seems like a smart financial move.

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          March 9, 2009 6:49 PM

          [deleted]

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            March 9, 2009 6:51 PM

            no I do not!

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              March 9, 2009 6:53 PM

              [deleted]

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                March 9, 2009 7:05 PM

                I have Smash Bros Brawl! I generally don't play fighting games otherwise though :(

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                  March 9, 2009 7:06 PM

                  although I totally won some SF4 matches at the shackmeet but I think it's only because I was doing vaguely organized button mashing against someone who also had never played SF4 before :(

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      March 9, 2009 6:34 PM

      I'll throw in my two cents, which echo some of wtf242's complaints:

      1) The most compelling attribute of Watchmen's story is the realistic take of everyday people becoming costumed vigilantes. But this distinction is somewhat lost in the movie as they appear to actually be super powered - the heroes take out dozens of bad guys without breaking a sweat and maintaining a badass look; they punch out walls without flinching; they do physics-defying jumps and acrobatics. In both the alleyway and prison actions scenes with Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, I never feel a moment of concern for their safety as they effortlessly take out a dozen enemies. What then makes Watchmen any different from every other superhero movie, other than having less cool powers, especially from the perspective of someone not familiar with the comic? There wasn't enough shown that the characters have day jobs and aren't just naturally super heroes 24/7.

      2) It's been complained about plenty of times, but I agree that some of the music and/or volume were poor choices that dominated the scene. 99 Balloons was really loud and overpowering. Others have their song of choice to nitpick, but the worst for me was the jarring transition between a philosophical conversation on Mars into a raucous All Along the Watchtower.

      3) A minor complaint, but there should have been a scene explaining Bubastis. It just shows up randomly and I guess the audience is expected to just go, "oh, weird ass mutant tiger creature, okay."

      4) Casting for Ozymandias was off for me. I really liked Nite Owl at the beginning but in the latter half of the movie he came off a little young for the part.

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        March 9, 2009 7:00 PM

        1. The comic had them doing the same things, from Ozymandias catching a bullet to Rorschach scaling buildings with a zip line. It was never intended for them to appear weak as heroes physically in the comics, only in the psychological aspects, that was Moore's main intention. That was preserved.

        2. The music was great, 99 balloons was perfect for the time setting and the theme of the song for the ideas of war in the movie. Most songs were selected because they were quoted in the comic, and others seemed perfect for the time period they were representing.

        3. Bubastis was difficult to explain, other than Veidt's talk of genetic engineering at the beginning of the movie, for Bubastis to make more sense the squid ending would have had to of been used, which would be even more ridiculous.

        4. Ozymandias' casting was good, I always saw him as being more thin as the other heroes because he was a gymnast, and it was a good contrast to the Comedian's stature. Nite Owl was cast perfectly, and looked exactly like in the comic, although Rorschach/Walter was a close second.

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          March 9, 2009 7:17 PM

          1. But the comic didn't emphasize the action at all, while the movie went the other direction, injecting a lot of glamour shots of the characters coolly breaking limbs and choreographed, perfectly executed martial arts maneuvers. I would be less bothered by this if I actually felt concern for the outcome for the fight, but they were predictable and the same kind of overly used eye candy scenes used in countless action movies.

          2. It shouldn't matter if the songs were canon to the comic if the effect in the movie was out of place. Which for me, some were.

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          March 9, 2009 7:24 PM

          Oh, it would also have helped if the action scenes were good, but they're forgettable.

          Some good action sequences done in other movies: T2's harley chase, Matrix's rooftop shootout, and Kill Bill's opening house fight. Nothing in Watchmen is beyond mediocre, despite the attempt to glamorize the action.

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          March 9, 2009 7:26 PM

          Wow, I thought Rorschach's casting was peerless, but then again I'm only in the first few chapters.. Jackie Earl Haley really, really impressed me with his depiction.. (love the scenes when he's in jail)..

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            March 9, 2009 7:29 PM

            He did a fantastic job, except I didn't like the grating voice.

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              March 9, 2009 7:32 PM

              I disagree with you.. compared to Bale's Batman, Haley's voice was amazing.. It wasn't over the top, it just sounded gruff.. I really hope he is recognized with more roles, great performance..

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      March 9, 2009 6:34 PM

      I'm starting Chapter IV of the book and I can't finish reading soon enough!

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      March 9, 2009 6:50 PM

      I thought it would be along time until I saw someone match Heath Ledgers dedication to a character in one of these movies but Rorschach...! was on the same level imo.

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      March 9, 2009 6:57 PM

      Big Blue Forehead!

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      March 9, 2009 7:19 PM

      what was the deal with Ozymandias' zebra/tiger thing that didn't even end up doing anything cool? :(

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        March 9, 2009 7:28 PM

        Yeah, random as hell right? In the comic, they introduce Bubastis by explaining their progress in genetic manipulation and creation. This explanation should either have been included in the movie or they should have replaced him with a regular tiger, which would have maintained Ozymandias looking like a crazy super villain without confusing the audience (and less work demanded from the CG artists).

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          March 9, 2009 7:32 PM

          Haha, could you imagine the nerd rage if they used a normal tiger?

          But I agree, they should have explained Bubastis in a throwaway line. That's about what they did in the comic.

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          March 9, 2009 7:32 PM

          why is it I'm reminded of the "liger" from napoleon dynamite? ;-)

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          March 9, 2009 7:33 PM

          yeah, it only really works if their is a genetically engineered squid to talk about as well. Now it just looks like a funky cat.

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            March 9, 2009 7:35 PM

            this.

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            March 10, 2009 3:52 AM

            Time to get over the squid, nerds.

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              March 10, 2009 4:56 AM

              The new ending was better, pal! I was stating a FACT, nerd.

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                March 10, 2009 6:22 AM

                I hesitate to say it was better, simply because it changes the context of what Ozy was trying to accomplish. In the original, the goal was to galvanize humanity against a perceived alien threat, accomplishing peace by giving people a common goal to work towards, and an enemy other than each other to focus on (whether that enemy exists or not), whereas in the movie, it was to incite fear of retribution by Dr. Manhattan if nuclear proliferation were to continue - peace via fear of retaliation.

                The latter seems to paint Ozy in a much darker light - he's simply inciting fear to control the current situation. There's no over-arching "greater good", no looking towards the future. Simply a gross act of terrorism intended to exert control.

                And it probably makes a better "Hollywood" movie. It's easier to understand, and requires no thought on the part of the viewer. No way to really see his action in the context of a greater good (beyond temporarily defusing the current situation, which seems pretty thin, considering how many die as a result of his actions). It paints him as undeniably evil, giving the non-graphic-novel-reading people a clear-cut villain to hate.

                I enjoyed the "squid" ending better, because IMHO it makes for a deeper story, but I can see why they changed it, even if I don't agree with it.

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              March 10, 2009 5:16 AM

              bubastis helps explain the squid, so no squid, bubastis is all ALONE!

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                March 10, 2009 5:28 AM

                In the restaurant someone in the background is talking about 4 legged chicken as well

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                  March 10, 2009 5:38 AM

                  You're right. But it's too far from Bubastis in the movie. I heard that line, thought "that's weird," and the forgot all about it.

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          March 9, 2009 9:31 PM

          I have a feeling that Bubastis will play a bigger role in the longer Director's Cut. Same with the newstand guy and the kid reading the comic (I can't wait to see the Black Freighter stuff). I also hope they do more with the psychologist, that was my favorite part in the book and it felt like they glossed over it. My biggest complaint of the movie was Rorshark using a cleaver on the guy rather than giving him the choice to saw through his arm. I also wish they talked about the Keane act more and Rorshark's response to it

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            March 9, 2009 9:34 PM

            yeah they didn't really explain the Keane Act. I can see that leaving a lot of people who haven't read the comics a bit confused.

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              March 10, 2009 2:23 AM

              I'd guess that most of the audience has had at least some exposure to superhero comics before, or at least watched The Incredibles or the X-Men movies, and could immediately guess what the Keane Act was about.

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        March 9, 2009 8:45 PM

        snyaaaarfff?

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          March 9, 2009 9:25 PM

          aaahahahahahahaha omg...

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            March 9, 2009 9:50 PM

            I read his comment. Thought, "O_o"
            I read your reply. Thought, "O_o"
            I paused.
            I laughed my ass off.

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      March 9, 2009 7:19 PM

      bought the graphic novel (thick comic book, whatever), yesterday... wow, it's incredibly dense reading, very surprised.. this is going to take a while..

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        March 9, 2009 9:30 PM

        not really, i read it in a day, and i dont read fast

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      March 9, 2009 7:47 PM

      WATCHMEN MENZ i'm 6 chapters into re-reading it for the first time after 15 years. HELLO AWESOME. can't wait to view the film later this week

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      March 9, 2009 9:15 PM

      Yucth, no wonder Watchmen's special effects had that odd gleamy digital look to them. The vfx supervisor was the same guy that did Matrix 2 and 3, X-men 3, and the Fantastic 4. Someone get rid of this guy.

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        March 9, 2009 9:34 PM

        I thought they were done pretty well actually. Dr Manhattan had a touch of uncanny valley about him but I think that actually worked well due to what he is. Also his penis.

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        March 10, 2009 2:27 AM

        I watchmened on IMAX and I didn't get a bad vibe off the digital effects. In fact, I was pretty impressed with the integration overall. The only thing that bugged me was some bad match-moving that caused people's feet to slide around against the background in a few scenes. And I probably only noticed that because the screen was so effing huge that a couple of pixels for the artists would be like 2 feet for me on screen.

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          March 10, 2009 3:23 AM

          Actually I noticed some of that as well, also at imax.

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      March 10, 2009 3:11 AM

      I've seen this thread 6 times so far, but just realized that I have off tomorrow so I can go catch the noon showing. Sweet.

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      March 10, 2009 4:28 AM

      [deleted]

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      March 10, 2009 5:09 AM

      [deleted]

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        March 10, 2009 5:14 AM

        me too :D Did you see the review on At The Movies? Margaret Pomeranz gave it 4.5 stars and said she ran out to buy the graphic novel haha. She's pretty awesome :P

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