Ambilvalence becomes appreciation.
Mar. 7th, 2009 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arkratirmaTuesday: Drove to Oregon City to purchase advance tickets for the midnight release of Watchmen. The employee at the kiosk, Josh, related how excited he was to see the movie; his younger brother got him into the masterpiece, as Cammy had done for me. I found that amusing. I told him I hoped that my friends and I would arrive early enough to avoid a large crowd, and, to my surprise and delight, he told me that only seven midnight release tickets had been sold so far. Sweet. I concluded the night by finishing my crappy keyframes for 3D Modeling & Animation II.
Wednesday: Spent lunch with Jacob, Aurora, and Grace, geeking out about Watchmen and generally having fun before class. After our critiques, Phil showed us how to fix the problems I had specifically encountered in my project using the Graph Editor. He taught us how to facilitate the animation process by creating our own buttons in a custom shelf via the Script Editor, which was awesome. I know what I need to do to fix my keyframes and will get cracking on them on Sunday.
Thursday: Awoke at 5:45, got to class around 7:45; nice and early. Printmaking is now entirely focused on the final assignment: no more chapter outlines or smaller projects! Woo hoo!
Got to Aurora's around 12:30 or so. We eventually went out for food, and after a chilly walk through downtown made a sprint for the streetcar on 10th. We made our way to the food carts by Le Cordon Bleu, and decided on Japanese food. Aurora payed for my food to pay me back for purchasing our tickets and gave me the remaining amount in cash. I ordered ginger pork. Aurora spotted a drawing of Totoro, and I began reading an article from The Oregonian describing that Miyazaki himself had eaten at this food cart and was so impressed with the food that he left his signature!
Oh, but that wasn't the best part about this food cart. The guy who served us asked Aurora, "Are you half?"
"What?"
"You half Asian, half white?"
"Yeah...."
And from that point, the guy went into this huge spiel about how much he loved trying to figure out customers' ancestry and such. Another customer, about to order food, got into the conversation by sharing that he was Japanese, Mexican, and so on. Then the guy went on to describe how he was "a strong man, I'm like, five foot nine, five ten" and that he would date "a scary chick, she like six foot" and how they'd breed "superbabies" to have "special teams in the Olypmics." OH MY GOD, he was SO funny! Just very talkative and open and slightly creepy with the whole superbaby thing, but Aurora and I decided that Thursday was officially that much better thanks to this guy.
After assuring him we'd root for his superbaby teams, Aurora picked up some Vietnamese food for Robin. We made our way into the Safeway on Jefferson, and Aurora challenged a claw machine in order to claim a plush bat as her prize. She let me have all the candy from the machine. :3
The food was fantastic. We agreed we'd definitely eat at that food cart again, and to allow Grace to meet the guy whom we'd ordered our food from. We kept in contact with Grace, watched some episodes of Soul Eater (Stein is cool), then left for the MAX around 6:00.
We met up with Grace at the Fred Meyer in Oregon City, very close to the theatre we'd be seeing Watchmen at. I incidentally parked next to another Buick Park Avenue (though it was blue), which amused me. Inside the store, Aurora, Grace and I browsed socks and candy a bit before heading home.
Uncle Larry had the works set up for home nachos in the kitchen. I reintroduced Aurora to Uncle Larry and introduced Grace, then the three of us headed for my room. Harley visited and got tons of love and scritches, and I set up Draco's heat lamp for him. When we finally came out for nachos, we had fun discussing general silliness and then returned to my room so Grace and Aurora could work on some homework assignments.
Cammy ended up calling me three times before we left; he was so beside himself with pre-Watchmen jitters that he couldn't keep them to himself, and I enjoyed talking with him vastly. I got him to do his "CORNBREAD!" thing for Aurora and Grace, and they erupted in laughter. Good times. Cammy and I geeked out overt the movie, and how the wait was practically OVER.
The three of us headed out at 10:45 for the theatre to allow plenty of time to show our tickets and wait for the movie. Aunt Pam came in just as we were heading out, so I quickly introduced Grace, talked for a bit, then continued outside.
At the theatre, I parked close to the kiosk, showed our tickets (and we were all ready with our IDs, which the employee appreciated), then headed inside to find a rather short line. Aurora and Grace played a zombie first-person shooter as I sipped at a Coke slurpee Aurora had bought for all of us to share. Once we had settled on the hall benches to wait with our fellows, I called Cammy and asked how things were at his theatre near UC Davis: all five auditoriums were booked. Completely packed. He'd gotten in early enough to get a decent seat, though, so he was happy about that.
The group waiting in that hall for Watchmen was an interesting one. What perturbed me was seeing a young boy, probably seven, waiting with his father.
You don't know your source material, do you?
Once it was time to form a line to get in the auditorium, we were all informed that it had 500 seats, and only 100 of us were waiting. Woo hoo! Aurora, Grace and I all found seats centered to the screen several rows in from the back. The previews were fun (Public Enemies looks good), and after the screen turned that iconic yellow, the crowd quieted.
The opening credits sequence is a stunning kickoff. Set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", it covers the history of the Minutemen and includes flashbacks for specific characters (holy crap, kid Rorschach!); one hell of a collage, beautifully composed, covering small but important events not included within the whole of the film itself.
As for the film itself.... I was left with an overwhelming sense of ambivalence during the end credits. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially getting to see it with Aurora and Grace. As far as the film goes, I will form my final opinions after the director's cut is released (apparently in theatres!).
Understand, however, that I spent Saturday rereading the graphic novel (yup, the whole book), and I now have a stronger appreciation for what the theatrical cut is compared to its source masterpiece.
The source is far more complex. The source has more to digest. The source is vastly better. But Watchmen the film is still one hell of a movie-going experience, and despite inevitable alterations to dialogue, chronology, which characters are portrayed and how much screen time they receive, how characters interact, and the inclusion of some awkward pieces of music for scenes meant to be dead serious (as well as for scenes that are straight up hilarious), I can say I am pleased with the outcome. I very much look forward to seeing it again over spring break.
Let's just be thankful we've got this cast rather than casts tentatively assembled in the past.
Overall, Snyder's cast is wonderful. Each character is given believable depth, believable faults. Each of them impressed me to some degree, but the two that stood out for me most were Dr. Manhattan and (you knew this one was coming from ten miles away) Rorschach. I do agree with Aurora that Billy Crudup's passive voice seems a bit odd coming from such a godlike Dr. Manhattan (because he is meant to be godlike), but the flatness in his tone of voice, the estrangement from humanity, the intelligent use of CGI to bring him to life.... Brilliant.
Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach? Fucking phenomenal. I knew Haley would deliver after watching Little Children. The guy can genuinely act with his expressions, even just his eyes, to such an extent that you're blown away by how devoted he is to his portrayal. Add to this prowess his age, height, build, and adopted posture, and he simply IS Rorschach. I was completely entranced whenever Rorschach was on screen. And goddamnit, I think Jackie Earle Haley is gorgeous. <3
Patrick Wilson is perfect as nerdy, lovelorn Nite Owl. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's turn as The Comedian truly showcases the character's brutality while still arousing some sympathy for his plight. Matthew Goode's Ozymandias is Again, the entire cast is commendable.
Tyler Bates' score is lovely and evocative. The soundtrack songs, on the other hand.... Why the hell does "The Ride of the Valkyries" play while Dr. Manhattan is destroying the Vietcong? Just... WHY? Why hadn't only the sounds of warfare been used in that scene? If the song was to be included in the film, it should only have played during Hollis Mason's Under the Hood account of Moe Vernon discovering that his wife had cheated on him, all the while standing awestruck in the door to his office, wearing a pair of foam breasts. Of course, none of Hollis Mason's Under the Hood is in the theatrical cut: that'll most likely be in the DVD for Tales of the Black Freighter. Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" was a bit too - playful for The Comedian's funeral. Not a cheerful song, of course, but not particularly fitting, in my opinion.
It's late. Need to go to bed. Will continue Watchmen thoughts later. Hurm.
Just know that I am happily and unavoidably re-obsessed with Rorschach. YAY!
GAAAH THOSE EYES! BLUE-EYED RORSCHACH WHEEEEEEEEEE.
Wednesday: Spent lunch with Jacob, Aurora, and Grace, geeking out about Watchmen and generally having fun before class. After our critiques, Phil showed us how to fix the problems I had specifically encountered in my project using the Graph Editor. He taught us how to facilitate the animation process by creating our own buttons in a custom shelf via the Script Editor, which was awesome. I know what I need to do to fix my keyframes and will get cracking on them on Sunday.
Thursday: Awoke at 5:45, got to class around 7:45; nice and early. Printmaking is now entirely focused on the final assignment: no more chapter outlines or smaller projects! Woo hoo!
Got to Aurora's around 12:30 or so. We eventually went out for food, and after a chilly walk through downtown made a sprint for the streetcar on 10th. We made our way to the food carts by Le Cordon Bleu, and decided on Japanese food. Aurora payed for my food to pay me back for purchasing our tickets and gave me the remaining amount in cash. I ordered ginger pork. Aurora spotted a drawing of Totoro, and I began reading an article from The Oregonian describing that Miyazaki himself had eaten at this food cart and was so impressed with the food that he left his signature!
Oh, but that wasn't the best part about this food cart. The guy who served us asked Aurora, "Are you half?"
"What?"
"You half Asian, half white?"
"Yeah...."
And from that point, the guy went into this huge spiel about how much he loved trying to figure out customers' ancestry and such. Another customer, about to order food, got into the conversation by sharing that he was Japanese, Mexican, and so on. Then the guy went on to describe how he was "a strong man, I'm like, five foot nine, five ten" and that he would date "a scary chick, she like six foot" and how they'd breed "superbabies" to have "special teams in the Olypmics." OH MY GOD, he was SO funny! Just very talkative and open and slightly creepy with the whole superbaby thing, but Aurora and I decided that Thursday was officially that much better thanks to this guy.
After assuring him we'd root for his superbaby teams, Aurora picked up some Vietnamese food for Robin. We made our way into the Safeway on Jefferson, and Aurora challenged a claw machine in order to claim a plush bat as her prize. She let me have all the candy from the machine. :3
The food was fantastic. We agreed we'd definitely eat at that food cart again, and to allow Grace to meet the guy whom we'd ordered our food from. We kept in contact with Grace, watched some episodes of Soul Eater (Stein is cool), then left for the MAX around 6:00.
We met up with Grace at the Fred Meyer in Oregon City, very close to the theatre we'd be seeing Watchmen at. I incidentally parked next to another Buick Park Avenue (though it was blue), which amused me. Inside the store, Aurora, Grace and I browsed socks and candy a bit before heading home.
Uncle Larry had the works set up for home nachos in the kitchen. I reintroduced Aurora to Uncle Larry and introduced Grace, then the three of us headed for my room. Harley visited and got tons of love and scritches, and I set up Draco's heat lamp for him. When we finally came out for nachos, we had fun discussing general silliness and then returned to my room so Grace and Aurora could work on some homework assignments.
Cammy ended up calling me three times before we left; he was so beside himself with pre-Watchmen jitters that he couldn't keep them to himself, and I enjoyed talking with him vastly. I got him to do his "CORNBREAD!" thing for Aurora and Grace, and they erupted in laughter. Good times. Cammy and I geeked out overt the movie, and how the wait was practically OVER.
The three of us headed out at 10:45 for the theatre to allow plenty of time to show our tickets and wait for the movie. Aunt Pam came in just as we were heading out, so I quickly introduced Grace, talked for a bit, then continued outside.
At the theatre, I parked close to the kiosk, showed our tickets (and we were all ready with our IDs, which the employee appreciated), then headed inside to find a rather short line. Aurora and Grace played a zombie first-person shooter as I sipped at a Coke slurpee Aurora had bought for all of us to share. Once we had settled on the hall benches to wait with our fellows, I called Cammy and asked how things were at his theatre near UC Davis: all five auditoriums were booked. Completely packed. He'd gotten in early enough to get a decent seat, though, so he was happy about that.
The group waiting in that hall for Watchmen was an interesting one. What perturbed me was seeing a young boy, probably seven, waiting with his father.
You don't know your source material, do you?
Once it was time to form a line to get in the auditorium, we were all informed that it had 500 seats, and only 100 of us were waiting. Woo hoo! Aurora, Grace and I all found seats centered to the screen several rows in from the back. The previews were fun (Public Enemies looks good), and after the screen turned that iconic yellow, the crowd quieted.
The opening credits sequence is a stunning kickoff. Set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", it covers the history of the Minutemen and includes flashbacks for specific characters (holy crap, kid Rorschach!); one hell of a collage, beautifully composed, covering small but important events not included within the whole of the film itself.
As for the film itself.... I was left with an overwhelming sense of ambivalence during the end credits. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially getting to see it with Aurora and Grace. As far as the film goes, I will form my final opinions after the director's cut is released (apparently in theatres!).
Understand, however, that I spent Saturday rereading the graphic novel (yup, the whole book), and I now have a stronger appreciation for what the theatrical cut is compared to its source masterpiece.
The source is far more complex. The source has more to digest. The source is vastly better. But Watchmen the film is still one hell of a movie-going experience, and despite inevitable alterations to dialogue, chronology, which characters are portrayed and how much screen time they receive, how characters interact, and the inclusion of some awkward pieces of music for scenes meant to be dead serious (as well as for scenes that are straight up hilarious), I can say I am pleased with the outcome. I very much look forward to seeing it again over spring break.
Let's just be thankful we've got this cast rather than casts tentatively assembled in the past.
Overall, Snyder's cast is wonderful. Each character is given believable depth, believable faults. Each of them impressed me to some degree, but the two that stood out for me most were Dr. Manhattan and (you knew this one was coming from ten miles away) Rorschach. I do agree with Aurora that Billy Crudup's passive voice seems a bit odd coming from such a godlike Dr. Manhattan (because he is meant to be godlike), but the flatness in his tone of voice, the estrangement from humanity, the intelligent use of CGI to bring him to life.... Brilliant.
Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach? Fucking phenomenal. I knew Haley would deliver after watching Little Children. The guy can genuinely act with his expressions, even just his eyes, to such an extent that you're blown away by how devoted he is to his portrayal. Add to this prowess his age, height, build, and adopted posture, and he simply IS Rorschach. I was completely entranced whenever Rorschach was on screen. And goddamnit, I think Jackie Earle Haley is gorgeous. <3
Patrick Wilson is perfect as nerdy, lovelorn Nite Owl. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's turn as The Comedian truly showcases the character's brutality while still arousing some sympathy for his plight. Matthew Goode's Ozymandias is Again, the entire cast is commendable.
Tyler Bates' score is lovely and evocative. The soundtrack songs, on the other hand.... Why the hell does "The Ride of the Valkyries" play while Dr. Manhattan is destroying the Vietcong? Just... WHY? Why hadn't only the sounds of warfare been used in that scene? If the song was to be included in the film, it should only have played during Hollis Mason's Under the Hood account of Moe Vernon discovering that his wife had cheated on him, all the while standing awestruck in the door to his office, wearing a pair of foam breasts. Of course, none of Hollis Mason's Under the Hood is in the theatrical cut: that'll most likely be in the DVD for Tales of the Black Freighter. Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" was a bit too - playful for The Comedian's funeral. Not a cheerful song, of course, but not particularly fitting, in my opinion.
It's late. Need to go to bed. Will continue Watchmen thoughts later. Hurm.
Just know that I am happily and unavoidably re-obsessed with Rorschach. YAY!
GAAAH THOSE EYES! BLUE-EYED RORSCHACH WHEEEEEEEEEE.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 10:54 am (UTC)I can definitely see your faults with it, but as someone who hasn't read the graphic novel (BUT WANTS TO NOW. Borrow? :D), I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the complexity of the characters and just the overall movie.
Everyone loves Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorschach, myself included. And I realized that you didn't mention anything about Malin Ackerman's performance as Silk Spectre? I've noticed that most people didn't think she was that good.
I loved the opening credit sequence. The music choices were interesting. Like "Hallelujah" for the awkward sex scene? 0__o
LOL CORNBREAD. XD And that guy at the food cart sounds awesome!
Miss you!
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 09:57 pm (UTC)AND HOLY CRAP YES YOU MUST BORROW THE GRAPHIC NOVEL!!! My second reading yesterday expanded my love twenty-fold for Watchmen and its characters and themes. Everyone I know who's read the graphic novel has been astounded with it. It's among the most powerful works of fiction I've read. PERIOD. Yup, I'll say it again: I really enjoyed the movie. I wanna see it with yoooou! D:
Fuck yeah! JEH had better get a damn Oscar nod, even though it's unlikely he'd win an Oscar (I mean, come on, after not winning for Little Children? SAD FACE!). I'll probably 'tard out about him more. =P Oh, but I do need to finish my individual praises for the actors and actresses. I honestly like Malin Ackerman as Silk Spectre. I heard some teens behind us complaining that "She's just not a very good actress," but I believe she handled her material quite well.
Mmmm those opening credits. <3 OH GOD I just could not stop snickering and lawling over that sex scene! Aurora declared it to be the most hilarious sex scene she's ever seen. I agree. XD It wins the Internet for awkwardness.
COOOOOORNBREEEEEAD!!! The food cart guy was kickass! :D
I miss you, too!
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 11:54 pm (UTC)SWEET. MAYBE THIS SUMMER OR SOMETHING. I've read that the New York Times and Time magazine have called it one of the best novels of the 20th century (possibly of all time too?). I WANNA SEE IT WITH YOU TOO! D: Maybe the director's cut if it comes out in the summer.
He probably won't get an Oscar nod, but he should! One of my LJ friends (who's actually gone to school for like 6 or 7 years for film!) thinks he should get one too, but he probably won't because of the material and time of year it was released. (I know, he should have won for Little Children!) I liked Malin Ackerman as well (plus she's hot, lol), but like I said, I've heard many complaints.
<3 It was pretty hilarious, I even thought. XD
:D
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 01:58 am (UTC)HELLS YEAH. This summer, I'll bring Watchmen with me, and you can read it! Yup, Time Magazine named it one of the Best English-Language Novels since 1923. Oooo if the director's cut comes out in the summer, that would be perfect.
He should! :) Film school would be neat.... Of course, a class on film would be awesome. (AIPD has some, but they're not required for my major.) Yeah, superheroes generally aren't Oscar material to begin with, owing solely to their genre. It's sad, really. Wow, and does the time of year it was released really affect a movie's chances, too? Sheesh! =P lol, Malin Ackerman is very beautiful. I like her eyes! (Me and blue eyes, WTF.)
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 02:37 am (UTC)Awesome. I'll try to remind you. It would be perfect. HAPPEN DAMMIT.
:) I would like to take a class on film too. (Can't you take electives or no?) Usually time of year does affect the acting categories or best picture/best picture category, unless it's really a stellar performance. I like her eyes too! (LOL, oh Jill)
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 03:20 am (UTC)HAPPEN DAMN IT! Dam it dam it dam it! LOLbeavermeme.
I can take electives, though at this point I should only be taking required classes. Liz, my department director, told me I probably won't be able to take any special topics classes after spring term. D: I had never known that about the Oscars before.... Hmmm.
...Rorschach demonstrates lovely color theory. Blue eyes and ginger hair! XDD
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 03:34 am (UTC)LOL. I love that beaver meme.
Oh, I totally understand that. I'm trying not to take electives until I have everything else done. Are the special topics classes going away or you just can't take them yet? With the Oscars, it's not something that's explicitly said, but it's a common pattern.
HAHA. Indeed. XD
<333
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 10:57 am (UTC)(tehedr.manhattanpenis) X3!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 10:04 pm (UTC)BUT HE SURE DON'T COMPARE TO JACKIE EARLE HALEY! :D :D :D
And Terry Gilliam as director would have been... interesting. A Monty Python member? - directing Watchmen? Hurm and hurm again.
EEEEEEEE RORSCHACH HUGGIN'! I SHALL JOIN THEE! XD
LOL! "I swear, if I see ANOTHER blue penis...!"
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 03:40 am (UTC)*glomps rorschach* Yay!!!
XD!!! you know there's always going to be more blue penis. it's inevitable.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 04:42 am (UTC)lol, It's a general fact in Watchmen that, yes, there will be more blue penis.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 05:38 am (UTC)Also, the musical score was kinda off sometimes, I totally agree. XD OH MY GOD. "Hallelujah" was really really campy for the sex scene, and made me laugh way too much.
The acting was brilliant! Enough said. Rorschach's demise was my favorite acting moment in the entire movie. No lines were changed, but the delivery changed the meaning. It made me think that Rorschach understood that Ozymandias was right, and that this way was saving the world, but he still couldn't go against his uncompromising nature. The sadness there was beautiful.
I totally dressed up like the Comedian for the midnight showing. :3 I even had a cigar!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 06:17 am (UTC)"Hallelujah" had the same effect on me, Aurora, and Grace. XD Besides the fact that Snyder amped that scene up to porny heights, I wonder why "You're My Thrill" wasn't played during that scene.... Phahaha, it was funny regardless, I guess. They just had to include something to overemphasize Dan's finally scoring. :|
Ooooh God, Rorschach's death made me so sad. ;___; I mean, I knew it was coming, of course, but... the delivery just melted my heart. Or soul. Whatever. JEH owns.
OH, and a scene that sent tremors through me is when Rorschach is captured by the police: "NO! GIVE ME BACK MY FACE!" That was tremendous!
:D Awesome! So who all ended up going in your group for the midnight release? Did ya'll take photos?
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 08:52 pm (UTC)