In Reply to: "Watchmen:" see the trailer posted by tinear on March 8, 2009 at 12:18:25:
...and interesting take from from movie critic (and he *is* a critic, not a reviewer) Andrew O'Hehir, whose normal beat is foreign and independent films at Salon.com (Beyond The Multiplex blog):
Despite expecting to dislike Watchmen (in fact prepared to write a pan), and while acknowledging that director Zack Snyder is one of the "least talents" associated with it over the years, O'Hehir found himself "...shocked to be writing this, given the number of screenwriters, directors and studios this adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' ground-breaking 1986 anti-superhero comic series has gone through, but "Watchmen" is absolutely devastating. Dense, intense, tragic and visionary, this is the kind of movie that keeps setting off bombs in your brain hours after you've seen it. After coming out of the theater, I wandered the frozen streets of Manhattan watching passersby and wondering which was the real city, the apparently peaceful one I inhabit now or the one that faces Armageddon at the mid-'80s height of the Cold War in the Moore-Gibbons universe. If I could have gone back inside and watched the movie all over again, I'd have done it."
He goes on: "Zack Snyder (of "300" and the 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" remake) reveals himself here as a filmmaker of mightily impressive range and control. For my money, "Watchmen" way out-darks "The Dark Knight," and immediately leaps near the top of the list of apocalyptic pop-culture operas, alongside "Blade Runner" and the first "Matrix" movie (which are obvious influences). My instinct is that this may be too gloomy, grinding and un-cathartic a film to provide a Bat-scale global payday, and to his immense credit, Snyder has insisted he won't be involved with any sequel."
I've not seen Watchmen, but I will see it on the big screen and make up my own mind. I generally respect O'Hehir's take on films.
Complete review at Salon via link:
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Follow Ups
- A contrarian critical view... - Harmonia 18:29:29 03/08/09 (14)
- O'Hehir has no moral compass. None evident. Only a - tinear 19:30:01 03/08/09 (13)
- The brutal violence is not played for laughs . . . - Daryl Zero 22:00:44 03/09/09 (0)
- or maybe someone who does not expect moral instruction from a comic book movie (NT) - tunenut 17:33:59 03/09/09 (6)
- No one expects instruction. But a director chooses the source of his work - tinear 18:23:09 03/09/09 (5)
- I'm sorry but I find your comparison inexplicable - tunenut 18:31:37 03/09/09 (4)
- Flaws? Like... trying to rape a co-worker? - tinear 21:49:57 03/09/09 (3)
- yes I enjoyed all of the above - tunenut 22:01:02 03/09/09 (2)
- :-). I take films seriously. Graphic novels are as worthy - tinear 23:24:44 03/09/09 (1)
- "I take films seriously": have you seen the latest Wallace And Grommit? - dave c 13:10:25 03/13/09 (0)
- Says the guy who touts Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. - sjb 19:37:02 03/08/09 (4)
- Hey, those guys had reasons and.... they suffered for their vengeance, didn't they? I know - tinear 21:12:07 03/08/09 (3)
- are you a catholic? - dave c 22:28:02 03/08/09 (2)
- I like to read the Tao Teh Ching the most. Christ's - tinear 09:31:04 03/09/09 (1)
- You are one self-righteous, sick puppy. * - mr grits 12:23:54 03/11/09 (0)