Movie Review - Watchmen

(WARNING: Incoherent rambling debating Books vs. Movies ahead. Skip to next paragraph for review.) Let me start by saying that, a year ago, I read the “Watchmen” graphic novel by Alan Moore. Since then, I have been wondering how you could turn a story that complex and dense into a movie that wasn’t at least 6 hours long. It turns out that all you’d need to do is eliminate pretty much every minor subplot, and greatly trim down some of what you do decide to leave in there. That’s not to say this was a bad movie, far from it. In fact, I liked it very much. However, I just can’t shake the feeling that the graphic novel was much more complete. That’s just a nitpick, though. Books of any kind can afford to be as complete and nuanced as the author wishes it to be. It’s one of the perks of writing books as opposed to making films.

All that being said, I liked Watchmen. It’s the story of a world where costumed heroes exist, only one of whom has any real super-powers. The movie takes place in the 1980s, during the height of the Cold War and under the constant threat of nuclear holocaust, and long after those costumed heroes have been forced by the government to either retire or work for them. When Edward Blake (one of those former costumed heroes) is thrown out of his apartment window to his death, the mystery behind who did it begins to unravel a larger conspiracy.

You know he dead.

Director Zack Snyder (300) did a fantastic job making this movie look great. A lot of the shots are pretty spot on when compared to the panels of the graphic novel. The casting is pretty good too. Jackie Earle Haley is great as Rorschach (a sociopath whose moral compass has no shades of gray). Ditto Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan (the only character with real superpowers). The rest are good too.

Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan

Now a warning for parents: this may be a comic book movie, but it is rated R for a reason. In fact, some media watchdog groups are saying it should have been rated NC-17. Watchmen is EXTREMELY violent and there’s plenty of cussing too. Also, since Dr. Manhattan chooses not to wear clothes (as evidenced above), there are a few shots of flaccid blue penis in the film. Also, there’s a sex scene and an almost rape scene. This movie earns it’s R.

Rating: 3*** out 4****
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Seinfeld cast Reunion on Curb Your Enthusiam, Not that there is anything wrong with that

Although the date has not been confirmed, the cast of "Seinfeld" is scheduled to appear on an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It has been confirmed that the entire main cast will be reuniting, and yes, that includes Cosmo Kramer. The executive producer of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David, was also an executive producer on Seinfeld. For those of you that did not watch or do not remember "Seinfeld," the main cast was Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Michael Richards (who you may remember caused quate a controversy not long ago, when he made multiple racist remarks at a comedy club).

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/03/seinfeld-cast-t.html?cnn=yes

Fans flock to Fallon from Ferguson

According to preliminary Nielsen ratings, the debut of Jimmy Fallon as the host of "Late Night" scored relatively high ratings in the major TV markets. Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of "Late Night" scored higher ratings than its closest competitor, CBS's "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." Hopefully Jimmy Fallon will have more success than fellow "Saturday Night Live" cast alumni, Chevy Chase, who hosted "The Chevy Chase Show" which was canceled after six weeks. It should be noted though that Jimmy Fallon's predecessor, Conan O'Brien, was a writer for "Saturday Night Live" and although he did appear in sketches, he was not a cast member. Fallon's debut marks his entrance into the pantheon of late night talkshow hosts that includes Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Kimmel. The official ratings for the shows will be available next week.

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons is the new film based on the Dan Brown novel of the same name and it is set to be released May 15, 2009. It is being touted as a sequel to The Da Vinci Code film when, in terms of the novels, it is actually a prequel. Bay Area native Tom Hanks returns to portray the protagonist, Robert Langdon. The film also stars Ewan McGregor (Star Wars prequels) and Stellan Skarsgard (Pirates of the Caribbean sequels).

One of the thematic elements of the film involves a uneasy alliance between the Catholic Church and Robert Langdon due to his perceived betrayal for what he did in the first film. However in the book, the events that happened in The Da Vinci Code occurred after the events of Angels and Demons.

One of the major theme areas in The Da Vinci Code involves the Louvre in Paris, France. While in Angels and Demons, one of the major theme areas involves the Vatican. The following pictures are picture I took when I went to Europe at the Louvre and the Vatican. The first picture is where the Holy Grail is hidden in the Louvre and the second picture is from the top of the Vatican.

Jimmy Fallon set to begin hosting Late Night tonight

Tonight marks the debut of Jimmy Fallon as the host of NBC "Late Night." He is the replacement to the previous host, Conan O'Brien, who is taking a break before he is set to replace Jay Leno as the host of the "Tonight Show." Jay Leno will be getting a new show called "The Jay Leno Show" that will air at 10PM on weeknights. Conan O'Brien will be replacing Jay Leno when Jay Leno ends his reign as Tonight Show host on May 29, 2009.


Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 12:35AM on NBC

Arnold going Green

Arnold is going green and no he isn't going to be the next Incredible Hulk. In a recent article, our governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger was photographed riding bikes with his bodyguards. He must have been taking a break from the tiring task of running the state of California. Maybe he can go biking with President Barack Obama when he visits.

Trailer Debut : Dragonball Evolution

Dragonball Evolution is a feature film slated to debut in theaters April 8, 2009. It stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Rorshi and James Marsters as Piccolo. Dragonball Evolution is a live action version of the highly popular animated show "Dragonball." The story revolves around Goku, the lead of the movie, and his quest to collect the seven mystical Dragon Balls before the evil Lord Piccolo does. The movie is directed by James Wong (Final Destionation 3) and produced by Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle).