[EMAIL PROTECTED]
I am a huge Alan Moore fan mainly because I started with 'Watchmen' which
was so terrific, I've tried to get everything Moore has done since.
'Watchmen' is rightfully a classic and a must read for anyone who likes
speculative fiction.
Amy
I am a big Alan Moore fan ("From Hell," "V for Vendetta," "League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen") but I, too, have never read his "Watchman"
graphic novel. I was surprised to see it was published in 1986
(seems long ago) and that TIME magazine rated it as one of the 100
best novels of all time.
~rave!
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> The trailer shown before "The Dark Knight" really intrigued me.
I've never read "Watchmen", but determined to do so after seeing it.
Empire magazine (a really good British mag that focuses on film and
scifi) recently did a spread on the movie. They detailed some of the
changes to the characters from the comic to the movie.
>
> Whether the movie is good or not, i'm excited because it's all new
to me. How often do I get to approach any kind of scifi/comic
property where I know *nothing* about it? Don't know any characters'
names, their powers or motivations, who the villains are, what time
period or reality this series took place in--nothing. How cool is it
to discover something brand new after 30+ years of inhaling scifi and
comics?! To a lesser extent, I found myself cautiously excited
before seeing "Hancock", because that too was something complelety
new to me. I was guessing and wondering and in the dark the whole
film. Kewl!
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-watchmen-
0728_coverjul28,0,4606257.story
> chicagotribune.com
>
> MOVIES
>
> What you need to know about 'Watchmen'
>
> By Glenn Jeffers
>
> Chicago Tribune reporter
>
> July 28, 2008
>
> Who watches the Watchmen?
>
> Soon, we will.
>
> At least, that's what Warner Bros. and DC Comics are counting on
when
> their next comic book adaptation, "Watchmen," hits theaters in
March.
> Many moviegoers got a sneak peek of the film before seeing " The
Dark
> Knight."
>
> Plainly defined, "Watchmen" is a 1986 graphic novel written by
British
> writer Alan Moore ("From Hell," "V for Vendetta") and illustrated by
> Dave Gibbons. It is perhaps the most celebrated title in comicdom
and
> has been showered with accolades including a Hugo Award, science
> fiction's highest honor. Time listed it as one of its top 100
> English-language novels.
>
> "Watchmen" touched on many Reagan-era themes, including the Cold War
> and the nuclear arms race. But, ultimately, it moved comic books
away
> from the kitschy, kids-only image of the '60s and '70s and proved
the
> genre could handle more complex, adult drama.
>
> Originally released as a 12-issue limited series, "Watchmen" focuses
> on a group of retired heroes living in an alternative version of
1985
> New York. When one of them, The Comedian, is murdered, the rest
> uncover a plot that could spark a nuclear war between the United
> States and the Soviet Union.
>
> Here's what you need to know to enter the "Watchmen" world.
>
> The Characters
> Dr. Manhattan (a.k.a. Jon Osterman)
>
> Played by: Billy Crudup ("Almost Famous," "Big Fish")
>
> Trapped inside an intrinsic field generator during a test run,
> scientist Jon Osterman was ripped apart by the ensuing explosion.
> Somehow his consciousness survived, and he rebuilt himself as a
> glowing, blue-skinned being with a dislike for pants. The only
> super-powered hero in the Watchmen universe, Dr. Manhattan can do
just
> about anything, from rearranging any kind of matter to
teleportation.
>
> Interesting fact: Crudup will star in the upcoming film, "Public
> Enemies," which was filmed around the Chicago area. He'll play J.
> Edgar Hoover, who allegedly also had issues with clothing.
>
> Rorschach (a.k.a. Walter Kovacs)
>
> Played by: Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children")
>
> Wearing a black-and-white mask that resembles a Rorschach test, this
> vigilante patrols the streets of New York. Spewing conspiracy
theories
> and smelling like a trash bin, Rorschach is considered more of a
> brutal nuisance than a help. But he's the first to realize that The
> Comedian's death is more than just a run-of-the-mill homicide.
>
> Interesting fact: As in the graphic novel, the inkblot pattern on
> Rorschach's mask will change in the movie, thanks to motion-capture
> technology and visual effects.
>
> The Comedian (a.k.a. Edward Blake)
>
> Played by: Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("P.S. I Love You")
>
> Amoral, misogynistic and a borderline sadist, The Comedian took
pride
> in doling out punishment, which he served not only to criminals, but
> to protesters, women and some of his colleagues. It was all part of
> his little joke with the world. You know, the one about the heroes
> being as bad as the villains.
>
> Interesting fact: Morgan has made a career of playing characters who
> don't last through the third act, including transplant patient Denny
> Duquette on " Grey's Anatomy," demon-fighter John Winchester on
> "Supernatural," and Nancy Botwin's husband Judah on " Weeds."
>
> Nite Owl I & II (a.k.a. Hollis Mason and Dan Dreiberg)
>
> Played by: Stephen McHattie ("A History of Violence") and Patrick
> Wilson ("Little Children," "The Alamo")
>
> The first man to wear the Nite Owl mantle was Hollis Mason, a police
> officer who led the "Minuteman," a team of costumed heroes in the
> 1940s. After a successful career of crime-fighting, Mason retired
and
> wrote an autobiography called "Under The Hood." Soon, Dan Dreiberg,
an
> aeronautics engineer and lifelong Nite Owl fan, contacted Mason and
> asked to carry on the name.
>
> Interesting fact: In the book, Mason and Dreiberg meet up every
> Saturday night to drink beer, listen to jazz albums and swap
> crime-fighting stories.
>
> Ozymandias (a.k.a. Adrian Veidt)
>
> Played by: Matthew Goode ("The Lookout," "Stealing Liberty")
>
> After spending years busting up crime syndicates, the self-
proclaimed
> "smartest man in the world" hung up the tights, made his identity
> public and started a company that sold self-help books, diet drinks
> and Ozymandias action figures.
>
> Interesting fact: "Watchmen" director Zack Snyder drastically
altered
> Ozymandias' costume for the movie, replacing the character's tunic
and
> gold unitard with one that parodies the outfits in Joel Schumaker's
> much-maligned " Batman & Robin."
>
> Silk Spectre I & II (a.k.a. Sally Jupiter and Laurel Jane "Laurie"
> Juspeczyk)
>
> Played by: Carla Gugino ("Sin City," "Spy Kids") and Malin Akerman
> ("The Comeback")
>
> For the first Silk Spectre, becoming a hero was about money and
fame,
> both of which quickly followed her debut in 1939. But after a
vicious
> assault and the death of teammate Dollar Bill, Sally Jupiter retired
> and faded back into private life. But the Silk Spectre eventually
> returned: Laurie Juspeczyk, Jupiter's daughter.
>
> Interesting fact: In the book, Sally Jupiter keeps a collection of
> Silk Spectre memorabilia in her California home.
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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