CP3S

RedFive said:

xhonzi said:

CP3S said:

Tyrphanax said:

Watchmen was okay, but then I only ever saw the movie.

Then you've experienced Watchmen about as much as someone has experienced Batman by only watching the Joel Schumacher films.

I thought that Watchmen was a pretty decent adaptation.  Just this morning I heard someone else dismissing it. 

I think the movie ending may actually (literally) be my preferred ending... though I'm still thinking about that.

What's your beef?

I have to agree with 3PX here, but kinda xhonzi as well.  While I do feel that the movie was a good interpretation of the book, it doesn't come close to the depth of the original.  Maybe the Batman analogy was a little harsh, but I think a good analogy would be The Lord of the Rings - the movies were amazing, but they paled in comparison to the deep mythology and legend that were presented in the book.

With Watchmen the comic, every frame is carefully crafted to tell the story with art along with words, and the way the images mirror what is being said is remarkable.  You don't see it often in comics, and certainly not done so well, and it's something you can't really mimic in a film.  It really elevates the medium of comics to more than I ever expected out of them.

Another thing the movie fell short on was the ultimate themes of the book.  There was so much grey in Watchmen, so much ambiguity and confusion.  It showed the dark side of heroes - how little power they actually have, what it would take to really make a difference, and what type of person it would take to do so (not to mention the type who would challenge that person).   It's a huge moral quagmire, and I don't think the movie portrayed that part of the story to it's fullest.  And I think this is the whole heart of the story, so it really left me cold when I saw it in theaters for the first time.

Pretty much all these things said by RedFive sum up how I feel the movie can't even begin to compare to the book.

To me, Watchmen wasn't so much about the story, but about the way the story was told. I absolutely loved it. While the movie tells mostly the same story and does stay pretty faithful to the comic, it just doesn't capture ANY of the things that I felt made the comic great.

And I think this is the whole heart of the story, so it really left me cold when I saw it in theaters for the first time.

Couldn't agree more with those words. Which is why I don't think my Joel Schumacher Batman comparison was that far off, someone might really like Batman Forever, it portrays Batman solving puzzles and kicking ass, what else is Batman beyond that? But it doesn't demonstrate anything that really makes Batman Batman, in the same way Zack Snyder's Watchmen failed to demonstrate the things that made Watchmen Watchmen. Without its themes, it was just a silly generic superhero story, with over the top goofy costumes and names. I mean seriously, Nightowl? On his own without the philosophical depths of the comic, he is just a really lousy cheap Batman ripoff.

An example of the crappiness of the movie: Most of the people I know who watched the movie without ever reading the book immediately pegged Ozymandias as the villain from his very first scene. And why not? He somehow comes off as a stereotypical villain in the film, complete with cheesy accent. He is portrayed so that the minute you see him you think this guy is up to no good. In the books he is setup as the least questionable of the lot. For all of the horrible ugly flaws of rest of the heroes, Ozy is easily the one who comes off as the most morally upright, which makes the ending all that much more of a sock to the gut; and even leaves you to ponder that his actions might have been right. 

Also I still can't buy any of the defenses for the changed ending other than the lazy "it was easier". Making the world believe Dr. Manhattan was the threat was silly. Everyone has seen his power, who would think the world stood a chance against him, even if they did unite? The alien threat makes far more sense as an attempt to end the cold war and bring the world together.

All that said, I did enjoy the movie, but it really was just an empty shell of the book. I don't think I would have liked the movie at all if I didn't already love the book. It IS the cheesy generic brand superhero story Watchmen (the comic) could have been had it lacked the depth that made it good in the first place.

twooffour said:

Well, the only thing I'd like to "question" right now is the fucking sense of your comment.
What the ice cold hell was that about?

Fink! Would YOU please "stop" assinjuring twofortwo!

He's gonna pull out his BASH hammer, and nobody wants to see his BASH hammer.

Tyrphanax said:

Watchmen was okay, but then I only ever saw the movie.

Then you've experienced Watchmen about as much as someone has experienced Batman by only watching the Joel Schumacher films.

twooffour said:

You sure you didn't mean "buffer" instead?

No. He meant cache.

MJPollard said:

What do you LIKE about the EU?

Just thought I'd remind everyone what this thread is supposed to be about. ;-)

And alas, yet another potentially interesting conversation is redirected to the mundane on account of wadded panties.

doubleofive said:

Are games still going to be twice as expensive down there?

It's not like they are really twice as much. I addressed this in a long post a while back. It all evens out.

Really enjoyed the long Fallout post Xhonzi. Even though I can't think of any responses to make to it at the moment, figured I'd let you know all that typing was appreciated.

xhonzi said:

Though they have all grown on me (except for maybe the "Choppin' that meat!" song)

I love that song! What isn't to like about it? It is about a butcher who really likes cutting up meat. It is a song about a fellow who really enjoys and takes pride in his profession. I guess the part where he steals the old widows meat (from her fridge, I assume) and starts chopping it was a bit weird I guess (always hate to hear about elderly widows being taken advantage of), but for the most part it is a rather nice and positive song.

It's about time!

xhonzi said:

C3PX- have you seen the Behind the Scenes DVD that came with the Limited Edition of BS1?  Is it something I should track down?

Yeah, I watched it. My first copy of Bioshock was a used copy of the Limited Edition from Gamestop, after I watched the making of DVD I decided I'd rather have the original box art over the crappy DVD and returned it and got the other. Don't bother tracking down the DVD, it is really short and the making of stuff can be found in its entirety on youtube. Basically it is nothing more than a series of interviews with different people who worked on the game cut together (which is usually the case with video game "making of" DVDs it seems), in case you were expecting some sort of cool documentary sort of thing.

And this:

 

Is that photoshopped, or a real Easter egg?

To me it would be cooler if they would use the titles of real movies that would have been out at the time.

I just gave my useless Zune to a friend yesterday, so I had Zune on my mind. And I remembered how much I used to get made fun of for owning a Zune (because MP3 players are a fashion statement, apparently, and great features should never be a factor when deciding what type to get); so shame and MP3 player in the same conversation immediately made me think "Zune".

I actually loved my Zune far more than my crappy iPod, and I have always dreamed of owning one of those ugly brown ones that look puke green under certain light, but hate the fact that Microsoft won't release any software to allow me to sync it on my Mac. I am a very happy Apple user, and lame Microsoft decided to see fit to it that I couldn't also be a very happy Zune user at the same time. No wonder the Zune failed so miserably, regardless of the fact it was a way better product than the generations of iPods it was competing with.

Even now, if MS released software that would allow me to sync it, nothing would stop me from immediately ordering one of those nasty green/brown puke colored Zunes and replacing my 4g iPod. But sadly, it is never going to happen.

TV's Frink said:

Fuck, I just got twooffoured.

twooffour said:

It's like with movies - in order to care-a-lot, people need a connection to a character.
Show them lots of mass atrocities (or cartoon Jedis killed), and they'll be like "oh no this is bad" for a few minutes, then move on. Do something to a well-portrayed character they've built an emotional connection to - and you've got yourself a memorable movie experience.

Which explains why I didn't give a shit when MJ died, why I don't give a shit about this, and why I haven't given a shit about all the other shocking, untimely, often self induced, celebrity deaths of the past decade.

I feel less cold hearted now.

doubleofive said:

 

xhonzi said:

I didn't realize that was Danny Kaye until I... er... was looking up the soundtrack so that I could put it on my MP3 player of choice.

SHAME!

I'm ashamed.

 

It is because his MP3 player of choice is a Zune, isn't it?

TV's Frink said:

I never used Zip Discs...but at work we used Syquest EZFlyers!

/old

Amazon.com link said:

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

Awww man, I was thinking about getting one.

TV's Frink said:

CP3S said:

Aliens really isn't much more than a silly action film.

WONG!

It's official now, Fink, so just accept it.

Bingowings said:

Cameron copied Ridley's lighting and much of the plot points but the tone is more comedic and cheesy, it has some awful special effects, the score is terrible...mostly and the choice of aspect ratio really does make the film look a lot cheaper and less epic than it needed to.

It's a solid action film (one of the best of the decade) with some really fun moments but it's not in the same league as the really troubling handsomely mounted horror of Alien.

Bingo is getting a lot of crap for his feelings on Aliens, but I completely agree with him. Aliens really isn't much more than a silly action film. It isn't even a shadow of the greatness of the first film, it really is just an action flick set in the same universe and using the same main character as the first film.

xhonzi said:

Oh, a bongo bongo bongo, I don't want to leave the congo (oh, no no no no no!).

That was one of my favorite things about that game, roaming the wasteland while listening to the radio. Definitely something New Vegas lacked, I was really looking forward to having new songs to listening to on the radio in that game, but there are so few songs that in a couple of hours of playing you are likely to hear the same tune three times or more. After just a few days of playing FO:NV I couldn't stand having the radio on I was so sick of those songs.

Even after all the hours I sunk into FO3 listening to the radio, I still have the soundtrack on my iPod and find myself listening to it on occasion while wandering around the real wasteland I live in.

Spying on your Fallout 3 progress via xbox.com. Looks like you made it pretty far into the campaign based on your achievements. Seem to be a few missions away from my favorite part of the game "Tranquility Lane".

Enjoying it so far?

xhonzi said:

I don't know what's wrong with me!  Instead of spending the day playing Fall Out 3 like I said I would, I went and saw Transformers 3 in the theatre... FIVE TIMES!

You know what is really sad? I think I might actually believe you.

TML said:

Anyone want to make a joke about the little stick that comes out of R2 when he's hacking something? Anyone?

Dude, did you just commission a joke?

Alexrd said:

TK-949 said:

 

Alexrd said:

LexX said:

That Y-Wing could be Leia's as she used it in the early EU stories as well. Also if Chewie and Lando came in the Falcon and Luke by X-Wing. But since it's deleted, we can assume Leia came with Falcon, too. :)

I don't think that's possible, since Leia stays with Luke at the end of TESB.

And Chewie stays with Lando, so what's your point here?

 

My point is that Leia didn't come with the Falcon.

TK's point was that Chewie is with Leia at the beginning of ROTJ, so it doesn't necessarily stand that every player has to have been in the same place they were left at the end of the previous film.

Even if you disregard the EU Shadows of the Empire, the search for Han was suppose to have taken some time and any number of things could have happened between films, including meeting up where Leia might have conceivably ended up in the Falcon. It isn't like Lando and Chewie left the medical frigate straight for Tantooine, while Luke and Leia set out the next day to meet them in their individual fighters.

But I agree that you are probably right, it was probably intended to be Leia's ride. Since it is a deleted scene, it doesn't really have to fit into continuity, and the fact that we don't see it in other shots, or that it isn't seen alongside the Falcon or Luke's X-Wing doesn't really matter.

Aren't there script drafts around that clarify this?

twooffour said:

If even one of these "memes" makes it out of this community, I'll consider myself happy soul.

They won't. They're only funny in their given context. They wouldn't make sense to anyone else.

twooffour said:

She does have some "sex-appeal" in the video, although I don't think it's age-inappropriate.

Sex appeal is in the eye of the beholder... I am curious as to what you mean by "sex appeal".

Anchorhead said:

danny_boy said:

But in doing so our ability just to enjoy a film for a film's sake has diminished.

Not all of us. 

Story is the only thing that's ever mattered to me.

...

Regarding film grain & dirt;  It doesn't bother me in the least.  In fact, I never give it any thought.

Completely agree with this. I guess it is easy for some people to get caught up in our presentation obsessed culture, but that alone just doesn't do it for me.

Of course, I am one of those who complain about how bad the GOUT looks and would really love to see the OOT on proper blu-ray release someday before I get too old to care. So clearly presentation isn't meaningless to me, but definitely secondary to story. Which is why I'd rather just stick with my crummy second hand GOUT (sounds gross) than waste money on the BDs.

These deleted scenes are great, but a perfect example of Mr. Cutting Edge Technology Lucas being several years behind the times. Just about every other crappy film in existence had a DVD release with deleted scenes on it. This sort of thing should have been on the '04 box set, if it had been living up to the standards of most other major DVD sets of the time.

inks he'd blow our minds!

They're pretty slick looking, nice and compact, and the mass number of USB ports is a plus.

That just made me remember that my cousin used to insist that R5-D4 was R2's sister.