Leave intellectualism at the wayside
Mar. 8th, 2009 07:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredericksIMAX rocks so hard. I'd read the graphic novel a while back but deliberately avoided picking it up again prior to seeing the movie. I remembered most of the big plot points and twists of the GN, mind, but knew going in there had been some changes in the screenwriting process. Overall, I liked the movie. The one main thing I didn't like? the, many MANY lines of groan-worthy dialogue. I wish I'd whipped out a pen and pad to write them all down. At first I figured it might have been due to shoddy acting (Akerman, I'm looking at you; most of her exchanges with Carla Gugino's character were seriously awful), but when Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earl Haley can't sell me on something? I know it's bad. But I enjoyed the flashbacks, and while the profundity of verbal exposition had me rolling my eyes while in the theatre, in hindsight it worked quite well.
My favorites characters were Nite Owl (II:Electric Boogaloo) and Rorschach, no question (cue the slash fairy, 'cuz I know some of y'all are clapping right along with me). Nite Owl began as the most sympathetic individual, but I found myself empathizing with Rorschach at the end. But did I like any of the characters? Hell no. I remember finishing the GN being quite fond of Nite Owl II, but the Minutemen as seen on the screen were all too human. Laurie Jupiter was one dimensional, Nite Owl was driven by his need for "heroism" and violence to feel fulfilled, Dr. Manhattan took up too much screen time (and I'm pretty sure he just left Earth halfway through the GN, which IMO works better in an allegorical sense than what we got in the movie, particularly with Adrian's stupid destabilization plan at the end), Ozymandias's "for the greater good" ideal never worked for me, and the Comedian was the most honest about personal philosophy but was a blatant douche. I disliked the people on the screen but I liked their story. And, yes, there's a whole treatise on the portrayal of women in this film. Still wouldn't stop me from recommending it. Great debate fodder, if nothing else. I'm tempted to see the damn thing again, if only because there's a lot I feel I missed the first time around.
And naked Patrick Wilson. Which, you know, bonus.
Linky link link:
Paul Rudd. I'm using my cropping skills on this one, I tell you what. Image borderline NSFW?
Cracked has "The True Stories Behind 5 Famous WTF Images, which I'm linking to solely for the pictures of the gentleman they've hilariously dubbed "Professor Badass".
And I can't believe I didn't know there was a Street Fighter movie with Chun Li in theatres now. Starring the wooden Kristen Kreuk. Gotta love The Onion A.V. review.
***
There's been a publicity storm around AMC's "Breaking Bad" recently, and although a bevy of advertising around a show usually makes me avoid it like the plague I decided to tune in during Friday's marathon. And now I've dun downloaded the first season off iTunes (it's half the price of the boxed set offline). The show didn't really win me over until halfway through the fourth episode. There was a moment where the main character is grappling with his diagnosis in the midst of his family's "intervention" where the actor (Bryan Cranston, and thank GOD the man won an Emmy for his work on this show) lets all the pain and indecision and utter fucked-ness of his lot shine through, and I said to myself "Jesus, I love this show". Amazing stuff. Season 2 premiere's tonight, but this is the type of show that requires close watching from the beginning before you can pick up the nuances of what's going on.
My favorites characters were Nite Owl (II:Electric Boogaloo) and Rorschach, no question (cue the slash fairy, 'cuz I know some of y'all are clapping right along with me). Nite Owl began as the most sympathetic individual, but I found myself empathizing with Rorschach at the end. But did I like any of the characters? Hell no. I remember finishing the GN being quite fond of Nite Owl II, but the Minutemen as seen on the screen were all too human. Laurie Jupiter was one dimensional, Nite Owl was driven by his need for "heroism" and violence to feel fulfilled, Dr. Manhattan took up too much screen time (and I'm pretty sure he just left Earth halfway through the GN, which IMO works better in an allegorical sense than what we got in the movie, particularly with Adrian's stupid destabilization plan at the end), Ozymandias's "for the greater good" ideal never worked for me, and the Comedian was the most honest about personal philosophy but was a blatant douche. I disliked the people on the screen but I liked their story. And, yes, there's a whole treatise on the portrayal of women in this film. Still wouldn't stop me from recommending it. Great debate fodder, if nothing else. I'm tempted to see the damn thing again, if only because there's a lot I feel I missed the first time around.
And naked Patrick Wilson. Which, you know, bonus.
Linky link link:
Paul Rudd. I'm using my cropping skills on this one, I tell you what. Image borderline NSFW?
Cracked has "The True Stories Behind 5 Famous WTF Images, which I'm linking to solely for the pictures of the gentleman they've hilariously dubbed "Professor Badass".
And I can't believe I didn't know there was a Street Fighter movie with Chun Li in theatres now. Starring the wooden Kristen Kreuk. Gotta love The Onion A.V. review.
***
There's been a publicity storm around AMC's "Breaking Bad" recently, and although a bevy of advertising around a show usually makes me avoid it like the plague I decided to tune in during Friday's marathon. And now I've dun downloaded the first season off iTunes (it's half the price of the boxed set offline). The show didn't really win me over until halfway through the fourth episode. There was a moment where the main character is grappling with his diagnosis in the midst of his family's "intervention" where the actor (Bryan Cranston, and thank GOD the man won an Emmy for his work on this show) lets all the pain and indecision and utter fucked-ness of his lot shine through, and I said to myself "Jesus, I love this show". Amazing stuff. Season 2 premiere's tonight, but this is the type of show that requires close watching from the beginning before you can pick up the nuances of what's going on.
