Event movies are fun. The energy is high and positive. It’s hard to capture that feeling. Seeing movies in IMAX also heightens the experience. Seeing an event movie on IMAX is like playing on a Steinway or Stradivarius. The quality is given that much of an advantage from the get-go.  So we, by we I mean members of my Pop Culture Addict crew, got there hours beforehand and as a result got our first choice seats. When we left, we took the stairs because it seemed faster and we walked by a line that started on top and went all the way down to the main level. And these were the early people for the next show. It was fun to be a part of that excitement.

I wanted to finish reading Watchmen before seeing the movie but got sidetracked. I did manage to read the first 15 pages or so and saw what the fuss was about. It is intricate story-telling with stunning illustrations. Apparently author Alan Moore disowned the movie. He just doesn’t believe it could be made into a viable movie. Thus, his name is not on the credits and he said he is giving all his royalties from the movie to the artist Dave Gibbons. Director Zack Snyder said of course he was hurt and wanted approval from the creator of Watchmen himself. But he did a fine job.

My first impression was that they spent a lot of money on the soundtrack. Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and Jimi Hendrix? How much did that cost? Next, I was wowed by the information-packed opening credits. Usually you can space out and focus on the names. A lot happens in the opening credit sequence with Bob Dylan The Times They Are A-Changin’ playing over it. Don’t blink. So the movie started off with a bang.

I had heard the movie would be impenetrable to those unfamiliar with the graphic novel. That is, if you hadn’t read Watchmen, you would not be able to understand the movie. I thought, that doesn’t sound right. That wouldn’t make a very good movie. The movie should be able to present an interpretation of the book that makes sense to the rest of us. Well, it turns out, it does. The graphic novel and the movie are two different animals. However, at the same time, the movie is extremely faithful to the book. I mentioned I had read just the beginning. For the first 15 minutes or so, I recognized every frame from the movie as being recreations of each frame from the book. Much of the dialogue is also faithful. Then at some point, I didn’t recognize it anymore so I started to experience the movie in a different way.

Seeing it in IMAX was great. I highly recommend it. It greatly enhanced the movie. I did understand it. I liked it. The iconic Rorschach was fully realized by Jackie Earle Haley. He gave an Oscar-worthy performance. His Little Children co-star Patrick Wilson was good as well as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II. Actually, I enjoyed everyone’s performance. Billy Crudup’s voice worked for me. Malin Ackerman was fine. Matthew Goode had an interesting look and accent. Jeffrey Dean Morgan certainly worked out for this role.  I got from people who’ve read the whole thing that the story was changed and bits didn’t make it into the movie (that’s why they are releasing another Watchmen-related movie soon). But I thought the narrative was easy enough to follow. They focused on a small enough number of characters so I cared about their background and could follow them. There were origin details omitted in the movie that made it a little mysterious and confusing. But the movie already runs 2.5 hours. That is long enough. There was only one moment near the end when I wanted to pause and ask a fellow Pop Culture Addict what was going on. But by the end, I had figured it out and thought the endgame was actually universal and almost simplistic. The changes made the movie more cohesive I think, speaking as someone who only heard about the differences.

I can understand Alan Moore wanting to keep it pure. He was very timely when he wrote it. It’s set when he wrote it. It’s about the cold war. He created something special at a specific time. It’s kind of like the reaction Angela Lansbury had when she heard Manchurian Candidate was going to be remade. It is a classic in itself. But people wanted to play homage to it. It’s sort of how plays are put up over and over again. Actors want to have the chance to experience these great roles. Directors want the same thing. In the end, the Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington version of Manchurian Candidate was perfectly respectable. Personally, I think Zack Snyder did a fine job. I liked Watchmen better than 300. It had more diversity in terms of characters and storylines. But I think 300 is why Lena Headey got the lead in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles so I’m glad for that. She did stand out in 300 in her “I am a warrior too” role.

I’m glad I saw Watchmen, in IMAX, opening night. I think it bumped up the experience by half a grade. I give it a B+.

Dollhouse

Just wanted to say that I think Dollhouse has finally found its legs. I really got into this past episode where Echo got wiped in the middle of a gig. I also am getting into the parallel storyline with an Active scamming the FBI agent. I’m still looking for the integration of the humor and wit of Joss Whedon and Company into the creation of an alternate tv universe.

Kevin Smith

Watched Zack and Miri. It was pretty much what I expected from a Kevin Smith movie. It’s talky, it’s crass, it’s funny, ultimately, it’s a sweet love story.

The Hurt Locker

Got to see an early screening of Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. It is a war thriller based on journalist Mark Boal’s experiences embedded with a bomb squad in Iraq. Mark Boal wrote the movie and was at the screening with Kathryn Bigelow. It’s very intense and real. I got a bit queasy from the handheld action. Bigelow said it was pretty much all handheld because she is a fan of how it translates on screen. But the acting was first rate. The story made me fully understand what a bomb squad does and how they are thanklessly performing possibly the most dangerous job in the world. I honestly never thought about it until I saw it in the movie. I recommend the movie but be forewarned you should get a drink and bring some gum to help with keeping your equilibrium intact. It’s not as bad as Cloverfield, Husbands and Wives or Rosetta, all movies I liked a lot, but the slightly odd, unfocused feeling crept up on me. The Hurt Locker opens at end of July.

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