» watchmen

New Nightmare on Elm Street Trailer in HD

creth — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:47:06 +0000

Here is the second trailer to be released for the upcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street remake (reboot?) starring Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen). Unlike the first trailer this one really gets to the action and shows us just how terrifying Freddy’s terrorizing will be.

What are your thoughts on this Michael Bay reboot? Any fans of the original Nightmare excited about this? Better yet, any fans of the umpteen sequels to the original want a reboot? Personally I’m more of a Michael Myers fan (HELLO, So I Married an Axe Murderer) so it seems a little too timely that the Nightmare franchise would reboot after the success of Rob Zombie’s Halloween (let’s not talk about Halloween 2) but Money Talks isn’t just a movie starring Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen. See Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy in A Nightmare on Elm Street this April 30, 2010.

Check out the trailer below:

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Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut DVD Details

John Cooper — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:07:00 +0000

While most of the time studios wait to double dip with DVD/Bluray extended editions for a while after the initial bare bones release, the upcoming Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, set to be released on November 3rd, is following hot on the heels of the director’s cut we got a few months back.

This version will integrate the “Tales of the Black Freighter” animated feature starring Gerard Butler with a lenghty cut of Watchmen, alongside the complete motion comic adaptation of the source material. With a running time of 215 minutes and a new commentary with director Zack Snyder and illustrator Dave Gibbons, this is the most comprehensive version of Watchmen that you could possibly ever want.

The 4-disc Bluray set will be selling for $59.99, while the 5-disc DVD set will sell for $43.87. The specs of the DVD from the official press release are as follows:

· Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut film

· Audio Commentary with Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons

· The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics (RT: 28:50) – Learn how the subversive, thematically complex, award winning comic that changed literature, inspired analytical debate, and won countless fans, was created.

· Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes (RT: 27:28) – Explores the fascination and psychology behind real-world vigilantes and where that behavior crosses over into actually donning the hood and behaving as superheroes.

· Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (RT: 16:46) – The creators of Watchmen had a great understanding of engineering and science, allowing for plausible mechanics in their characters tools and the world itself. This featurette will guide the viewer through the filmmakers process of turning these technologies into cinematic reality.

· Watchmen: Video Journals

· My Chemical Romance video Desolation Row (RT: 3:16)

· Under The Hood (RT: 36:00) – A retrospective look on the biography by Hollis Mason – the original Nite Owl – and the world of those who stood for hooded justice.

· Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen (RT: 26:00) – Weave through the nuanced layers of detail to see how a comic-within-a comic acts as parallel commentary to the acclaimed work of Literature, Watchmen.

· Digital Copy of the Theatrical Version

· Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics

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A Comedian Joins Red Dawn

John Cooper — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:29:15 +0000

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, perhaps most notable for playing The Comedian in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen adaptation, is joining the cast of the Red Dawn remake.

Variety got the scoop on Morgan’s role in the film, which seems somewhat unnecessary:

“‘Red Dawn’ follows a group of teenagers who band together to fight back when their home town is invaded by an joint force of Chinese and Russian soldiers. Morgan will play the leader of the U.S. Special Forces team who discovers the teens’ stronghold while behind enemy lines.”

The film is being directed by talented stunt coordinator and unproven film helmer Dan Bradley, from a script by The Last House on the Left scribe Carl Ellsworth.

The film is scheduled for release on September 24th, 2010.

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Comic Book Adaptations: A Dying Breed?

Melissa Molina — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:25:29 +0000

Comic books have been integrated into our worldwide society for years now. When the comic strip was born with “Tintin”, the blossoming of Japanese manga (with works such as “Astro Boy’”) to the birth of the superhero with “Superman”, we cannot deny the impact they have played on our lives. The storytelling, illustrations and engaging characters that continue to draw us back have kept this medium afloat for decades.

The surprising in adaptations (good and bad?)

During the past twenty years Hollywood has ushered in a new wave of cinema in the form of comic book adaptations. Is that necessarily bad? Each person has a different point of view depending on their take of a single character. From the Reeves’ versions of Kal-El, the Burton-ized style of “Batman” and the burst of big time mainstream blockbuster with Bryan Singer’s “X-Men”, comic book adaptations have become quite the norm in this generation’s set of movies. Within the past ten years, studios have been churning out loads of comic book and graphic novel adaptations, trying to get their share of the cultural movie phenomenon before it burns out.

There are very popular properties like “Superman” and “Batman” that have shared their ups (“The Dark Knight”) and downs (“Superman Returns”). New ones not expected to be popular like “Iron Man”, and ones that completely divide the masses like “Watchmen”. Still, with careful marketing (for the most part) and the always intriguing lore of the superhero, audiences keep coming. The real question now is, what will be next?

Many have argued that comic book adaptations might have reached their peak. The source material that studios and production companies latch onto are becoming less and less recognizable to general audiences, thus increasing the risk of box office failure. There are exceptions, the main one being Jon Farveau’s ‘Iron Man’, but for every ‘Iron Man’ there are dozens of ‘Elektra(s)’ and ‘League(s) of Extraordinary Gentleman’.

“Watchmen”, the epitome of graphic novels and comics, was the latest big screen adaptation. Its complex story line veers away from the ‘normal’ superhero tale and caught a nice portion of the general audience off guard when they flocked to local movie theaters to check out the feature. Not dripping with the typical action that a comic book adaptation entails, quite a few left disappointed and ripped the film to shreds. This contributed to a quick box office decline during the time of its domestic release.

The disappointing and somewhat flat out bad

Just this morning Marvel Enterprises and Walt Disney Studios merged to form a super mutant of sorts, seemingly ready to take on the competition with DC/Warner Bros. It could quite possibly be awhile before comic book adaptations will loose their box office appeal. Just because a giant studio teams up with a comic company does not automatically mean box office gold. For the past several years, Warner Bros has had to deal with DC (from the fluctuation of the Justice League movie to the disaster that was Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns”) nor does Marvel spew out one hit after another. Case in point, the lackluster performance of “Punisher: War Zone”, the sequel to the somewhat decent film “The Punisher”.

Even adaptations of Japanese manga are already experiencing bouts of box office uncertainty. The Americanized version of the hit Shonen classic “Dragonball Z” was a mega disaster. Its impossible to predict if the upcoming “Astro Boy” will turn a satisfactory profit, despite the action, title, and pre-sold potential. Until audiences turn out in droves, you will never be certain that you have a hit on your hands.

Am I trying to warn production companies and studios about the risk of continuing on with comic book adaptations? Yes and no. Although most comic book adaptations manage to turn a profit, will the solidified fan base of nerds (including myself) help boost ticket sales? If it doesn’t, will studios still push to bring on as many comic book films as possible? At this point studios seem to be getting overly confident with being able to turn any sort of published illustrated graphic material into a blockbuster hit, and therein lies their potential downfall. Given the lesser known material, bigger budgets, and over confidence from these companies, audience acceptance may wane no matter how much flesh and action is on display. Given the lack of imagination inherent in this material, the life expectancy of comic books should flatline within the next five years.

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Atomic Midterm: Mid-Year Top 10

Philip Barrett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:28:44 +0000

With June now leaving us, this marks the midway point of the year. It also means Comic Con, District 9, the 2009 NFL Season (GO STEELERS), my birthday, and Christmas are all around the corner. It also means it’s time to take a look at as of right now are the ten best films of the year. As always, I suggest you take this as opinion only and not some form of law that these are absolutely the best films of the year so far. But really, I’m right and you’re wrong anyway so that’d be pointless.

10. STAR TREK
Star Trek may have a story that’s full of plot holes and problems, but J.J. Abrams makes the chaos work to create the film that kicked off summer. Chris Pine takes Captain Kirk and makes him his own while Karl Urban a performance DeForest Kelley would be proud of. The effects don’t disappoint and the action is pretty thrilling. It works, and it’s certainly better than Orci and Kurtzman’s other film this year. Here’s looking forward to another, better adventure with this team.
Current Grade – 7.5/10

9. IS ANYBODY THERE?

Michael Caine makes this film, which also makes this flick a prime example of an actor elevating everything around him. Not that John Crowley doesn’t do a bad job directing the film, but it’s just Caine is that good of an actor. Bill Miner certainly surprises in that he’s not annoying and can keep up with the lead Michael Caine gives him. He’s around fourteen so watching him grow up is going to be wonderful. Unlike most films of it’s ilk, this one doesn’t sniff it’s own behind and decides to tell a good story first (here’s lookin’ at you Away We Go.)

Current Grade - 8/10

8. CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE

Odd choice? Oh really, well pardon me for actually having some form of fun when I go to my pictures. The first Crank was offensive, violent, and just balls to the wall fun. The second is more offensive, more outlandish, and just more fun. Who hasn’t had a day they wanted to just go off and destroy any and everyone? Besides if depressed teenage girls and mothers are allowed to live through Bella in Twatlight then I’m allowed to project myself onto Jason Statham in this film. So sue me, I loved this movie and it’s all kinds of fun.
Current Grade - 8/10

7. IL DIVO

My friend Anders Wright (San Diego City Beat) said “this is what Godfather III should have been” and he’s right. Il Divo is a Guy Ritchie film on steroids, only it’s more thoughtful and a bit more serious than any of Ritchie’s outings. Tony Servillo gives a great performance as Giulio Andreotti and helps drive the film along with Paolo Sorrentino’s unique vision. There’s a lot to like with this film and it certainly focuses on how Italy became what it is today. That might make it difficult to translate, but technically, there’s few better films this year.

Current Grade – 8.5/10

6. ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL

Rarely does a documentary do such a good job and translating it’s story but Anvil is a wonderful portrait about a band that had a ton of influence but never achieved the success of other (sometimes lesser) bands. Parts of it are hilarious yet other scenes that are supposed to evoke laughs are incredibly depressing and really play on the heart strings. After watching the movie, it really makes one happy that they’re finally achieving so much success after the film brought their plight to a wider audience. Here’s to more success from these guys.

Current Grade – 9/10

5. MOON

Moon has the best performance you’ll see all year from Sam Rockwell. As much as Heath Ledger deserved his nomination last year, Sam Rockwell deserves it ten times more than The Joker did for not only how much he has to do, but how seamless he makes it all appear. It’s also a tough sell that this is Duncan Jones’ first outing as a feature film director as he handles this like a seasoned veteran. The result is arguably the best science fiction fim of the year and one of the most brilliant pieces of the past few years.

Current Grade – 9/10

4. WATCHMEN

Before Zack Snyder’s adaptation landed, I was 100% against it and cursed him with a thousand pains from Hell. Coming out of it I was amazed he had not only crafted a picture that showed he could handle complex material, but also not crapped all over the source material like so many of us feared. I felt because of what Watchmen the book is the film had to be the best of it’s kind and just by an edge, it is. There are some flaws with this theatrical cut (some of which will be fixed with the Director’s Cut) but they can be overlooked for what was accomplished by translating this material correctly to the screen.

Current Grade – 9/10

3. UP

Ian Forbes (Sobering Conclusion) and I both went into this movie wondering how they could top WALL-E. Pixar did, and really crafted a film that features one of the best scenes ever put on film, animation or live action. What Up embodies is a studio that has vastly improved as filmmakers over time and remind me a lot of what Disney used to be way back when. Up isn’t in your face but is very subtle with it’s story and characters and doesn’t bombard us with characters who don’t need to be there. Oh, and if you don’t tear up you’re inhuman.

Current Grade – 9.5/10

2. PUBLIC ENEMIES

Yes, I’m a huge Michael Mann freak so that added to my enjoyment of this film. What I got was a perfectly crafted crime film that immerses it’s viewer into this era and is expertly acted by all parties. The real gem is Mann’s direction as he pulls out his best film since The Insider. No shot is unwelcome and he recreates the era using the radios, movies, and landscape. It’s a true marvel that should really get him the attention he’s so desperately deserved for a long while now. It’s a Mann movie through and through, and that’s what makes it so great.

Current Grade – 10/10

1. THE HURT LOCKER

The way I keep boasting about this film, you’d assume Summit paid me off. But no, I’m just a huge fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s and eagerly anticipated this film just as much as any big summer blockbuster this year. This film didn’t disappoint and exceeded the very high expectations I had for it (the fact I’m putting over a MICHAEL MANN film should say something.) It’s a brilliant story of what war does do you and reminds me of Taxi Driver where our antagonist is the lead character slowly going mad. The action is brilliant and the tension is second to none in this movie. It’s the best film of the year for a reason and deserves to be marveled at.

Current Grade – 10/10

So there you have it. Discuss, debate, enjoy.

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Watch the Watchmen on DVD

Melissa Molina — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:50:11 +0000

Gracing its way onto shelves on July 28th, practically a couple of days after the San Diego Comic Con International, is what in this reporter’s opinion is one of the best comic book adaptations of this decade with Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. The complex and engaging story from Warner Bros will be packed up in a neat little package, the selections being 1 disc DVD, 2 disc Director’s Cut and 2 disc Director’s Cut on Blu-Ray.

What exactly is in there might you ask? Well the good stuff jumps itself in with the 2 disc, including such things as the full thirty minutes of the production video journals, the director’s cut with around 25 minutes of additional footage, My Chemical Romance’s Snyder directed music video of Desolation Row, a digital copy and The Phenomenon: The Comic that changed Comics.

Blu-Ray has got even more of that good stuff, packing on all of those extras including Mechanics: Technologies of a Fascinating World and Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes featurettes. You want to see how pretty the artwork is? Click below and check it out.

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Monsters Eat Up The Competition

Melissa Molina — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:40:33 +0000

Apparently the other two movies that opened along with Dreamworks Monsters vs Aliens were no threat to the ginormous animated feature. Shown not only in regular 2D but in 3D and IMAX 3D, this flick caught the attention of families across the nation as it waltzed into first at the box office for this past weekend. Among the releases, the Peter Cornwell directed, A Haunting In Connecticut grossed in a fair amount of cash to bounce into the number two slot. The same cannot be said for the WWE’s John Cena powered 12 Rounds. The action flick barely raked in enough money to slide itself into the top ten, despite the fairly good marketing.

Watchmen continues to cling on to make back its budget (I say don’t worry, it’ll get the rest and then some with DVD sales) while films like Taken are still riding strong, which is very surprising. It is quite a relief to see that Last House On The Left is sliding away, although it is surprising to see the Nicolas Cage hair extension-ed Knowing still hold its own despite the competition. Take a look below at the ending tallies for the weekend.

Weekend Box Office (March 27-29)

Monsters Vs Aliens ($58.2 Million)
Haunting In Connecticut ($23 Million)
Knowing ($14.7 Million)
I Love You Man ($12.6 Million)
Duplicity ($7.5 Million)
Race To Witch Mountain ($5.6 Million)
12 Rounds ($5.3 Million)
Watchmen ($2.75 Million)
Taken ($2.7 Million)
Last House On The Left ($2.6 Million)

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No More R-Rated Warner Bros. Films, Hurrumph!

Philip Barrett — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:29:43 +0000

No more Rated R

IESB.net is reporting the studio who just got into everyone’s good graces with The Dark Knight and Watchmen has decided they will no longer make their superhero/tentpole films rated R. I’m sure the fact Batman cleaned house with over a billion dollars and Watchmen will barely cross the $100 million mark had something to do with this decision.

It’s disappointing to hear this because Warners did so many things right on Watchmen and they took a big risk with it. Now, it may not pay off but they shouldn’t give it up. Yes, in the end it’s all about dollar signs but WB you guys did a great job with a property many thought was unfilmable. Watchmen was never going to make The Dark Knight numbers and maybe not even 300 numbers, which is what I’m sure the expectation was. But think of those to whom the dollar signs didn’t matter; the film-goers and the fans who are praising your studio for the accomplishment of keeping this film how it should have been.

I hate to compare The Dark Knight to Watchmen as it’s rather boring at this point but let’s take a look at why Nolan’s film was more successful. Simply, Batman is a household name and Christopher Nolan and company knocked it out of the park with their flawed first entry. Because of this, many people had a preset notion that The Dark Knight was going to be this super-film that ended cinema and flocked out in droves to see the film. It was also helped by a tremendous performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker in his final role. Then the early word of mouth had claims that it was “better than The Godfather” or something ridiculous. Point is, people not only had it preset in their heads what to make of the flick but that they were going to see it so many times.

Watchmen is the polar opposite in some respects. The characters aren’t household names, it’s not easily accessible material and is not for children. The early word of mouth was mixed and then the actual reviews came out polarized everyone. I’m sure the 2 hour and 40 minute runtime has something to do with it but if the film needs that much (or longer) then so be it. But again, this isn’t as family friendly as Batman. The Dark Knight, true is frightening and violent while Watchmen is all of that and shows two sex scenes, one which involves a rape. What is it’s Achillies’ Heel though, is that one viewing isn’t enough. The first viewing will leave most either confused, let down, or some other negative adjective while others will praise it for it’s brilliance.

THAT is where Warner Brothers needs to be praised and not balk at the first sign of danger. This is a well made, considerably well acted, brilliant, flawed piece of film making. When was the last time a studio made a film that polarized everyone and sparked some good debate? Yes, believe it or not, whether it’s about the success or faults of the film or the themes of the movie people are discussing Watchmen. None of the debates I’ve seen involve “ZOMG THIS IS TEH GREATEST FILM EVAR!” or “THAT IS THE WORST PIECE OF SHIT SINCE TWILIGHT!” No, actual debate about the merits of the film. This is the kind of film a lot of people have been hoping Hollywood would make for years and years.

What people are forgetting is that Watchmen outgrossed both Batman Begins and Superman Returns in it’s opening weekend. Irrelevant now, maybe but I (and others) believe that itself is a success in it’s own right. Yet, because it wasn’t the sleeper Begins or 300 was they feel this is the appropriate reaction. It can only be assumed this means Terminator Salvation is going to get the dreaded PG-13, much like Fox did with their R-Rated franchise.

Warners, you can make Green Lantern or Wonder Woman PG-13 because they need to be, but please don’t run with your tail between your legs because Watchmen, right now, isn’t performing as well as The Dark Knight. Truth is, it never was and the film is going to have a healthy life on DVD due to repeat viewings which are essential for this and the Director’s Cut which we (and I think you, the studio, does too) know it’s the true cut of the film. isn’t a hit right now, but it’s got it’s future bright ahead.

Please reconsider.

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