wow.... -------------- Original message -------------- From: "B. Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> About the dubbing? Yes I am. The redubbed Mad Max still pops up on cable quite a bit.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > What??!! Are you serious?! > > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: "B. Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > The teaser trailer for Watchmen is the best thing I've seen in a long > time and all the early screenings have generated nothing but positive > buzz. The point about the ending has some merit and I'm interested in > seeing how they pull it off. > > I agree about American audiences being provincial and film makers > dumbing down or altering down challenging material for American > audiences. I found it hilarious that movies like Mad Max and The Road > Warrior were redubbed during their initial American releases because > they thought Americans wouldn't watch a movie where people had accents. > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdlists@> > wrote: > > > > I've read articles about how back in the 50's and the 60's planned for a > > comeback that we saw in the 90s and over the past eight years. The > were two > > important strategies. Creating and exploiting the culture wars and > dumbing > > America down. I wonder if that is part of why we do not embrace > movies > > and shows with complex plots and characters. I > > > > > > > > think the Americanizing of TV shows has to do with the fact the we as a > > nation are egocentric, and think that the world revolves around the > United > > State. Everywhere else is just "strange" . not interesting as most > of us > > would view it. I think that America "pride/Patriotic " thing was > part of > > the plan as well. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > > Behalf Of KeithBJohnson@ > > Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 8:00 PM > > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Will America Watch Watchmen? > > > > > > > > You know, I tire sometimes of what Americans can and can't deal with. So > > silly that shows like "Life on Mars" have to be Americanized before > we watch > > them, that you have to have "name" stars to sell a good project, that > > explosions and action are prerequisites for popular films. That > movies like > > "the Forbidden Kingdom" and "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" insert > > American actors incongruously just so Americans will watch. I'm > excited by > > "Watchmen", excited by the differences between it and other fare > we've seen. > > I'm not turned off at all by it being a bit slower in the action > area. And > > while I get that the costumes and other things may not be up to Batman > > standards, I look forward to something else being added to the superhero > > movie genre. It may be that Americans won't flock to it, favoring > whatever > > new project Will Smith is in instead. > > > > It may be a reality, but it just makes me sigh and roll my eyes > whenever I > > hear this. I guess, though, that's why stuff like "Bad Boys II" make > > money.... > > > > > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > From: "Tracey de Morsella" <tdlists@> > > > > Will America Watch Watchmen? > > > > http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61133 > > > > Director Zack Snyder unveiled nearly half an hour of footage from his > > upcoming epic film Watchmen earlier this month. While fans and > > journalists--including SCI FI Wire--raved about the preview, our > writer Jeff > > Otto wonders: Will mainstream audiences watch the Watchmen? > > > > Rumors began circulating two decades ago about a film adaptation of > > Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comics magnum opus, which was > first > > published by DC Comics in 1986. Moore, whose contributions to the > > graphic-novel medium include The Killing Joke, V for Vendetta and > From Hell, > > had delivered the genre's first masterpiece. The deeply layered epic was > > filled with visuals that seemed perfectly suited to cinema. But > filmmakers > > puzzled over how to adapt it: Such a project would be costly, and > the book > > itself lacked major action sequences, was unevenly paced an d told a > story > > at odds with film's traditional plot structure. > > > > Filmmakers as varied as Terry Gilliam, Paul Greengrass and Darren > Aronofsky > > were attached at different points during Watchmen's extensive > "development > > hell" process, but all eventually opted out to pursue other projects. > > > > For his part, the famously prickly and anti-Hollywood Moore never saw > > Watchmen as a fit subject for cinematic adaptation, no matter the > director. > > > > "There are things that we did with Watchmen that could only work in a > > comic," the notoriously private Moore recently told Entertainment > Weekly in > > a rare interview. He added that the book was "designed to show off > things > > that other media can't." > > > > But one director persisted. Zack Snyder previously delivered fan > faves Dawn > > of the Dead and 300. He ultimately won the right to make a Watchmen > movie. > > The question now: Has he succeeded in adapting Watchmen as a movie > audiences > > will want t o see? > > > > Considering the first footage screened at Comic-Con International and in > > previews in Los Angeles and New York this month, Snyder's Watchmen > movie is > > clearly taking its look and feel from the frames of Moore's novel. > > > > But that in itself may pose a problem. Can an adaptation be too > faithful to > > its source material? It's clear that fans of the graphic novel will > likely > > love Snyder's adaption, but will a mainstream audience unfamiliar > with the > > book get it? > > > > Here are 10 reasons I think mainstream audiences will ignore Watchmen. > > > > 1. It's an alternate-history Cold War period piece. Considering that > a large > > portion of the core moviegoing audience was in diapers in 1986 and > is still > > too young to understand the political climate of the time, will the > setting > > really resonate? Like it or not, younger audiences rely largely on > > television and movies for their historical perspective, meaning that > they > > may be familiar with Vietna m and World War II, but not with the > Cold War, > > which might sound like something Ian Fleming dreamed up for James Bond's > > adventures. > > > > On top of that, this isn't the Cold War of the history books, but > rather an > > alternate history in which superheroes such as Dr. Manhattan (Billy > Crudup) > > help the United States win the Vietnam War and that makes Richard Nixon, > > perhaps history's most maligned president, a hero. In the book, Nixon is > > serving an unprecedented fifth term in office after successfully > pushing for > > repeal of the 23rd amendment. > > > > This story continues below the image. > > > > silk spectre nite owl > > > > Malin Akerman (left) is Silk Spectre II and Patrick Wilson is Nite > Owl II in > > Watchmen, Zack Snyder's upcoming adaptation of the seminal graphic > novel. > > > > > > > > 2. Ridiculous-looking costumes. If there's one thing director > Christopher > > Nolan has pr oven with his two Batman movies, it's that audiences > respond to > > superhero movies in as realistic a setting as possible. Aside from > the ears > > and bat symbol, Nolan's superhero is a vigilante in a dark costume. > > Watchmen's Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), on the other hand, looks like a > > flamboyant tennis star in his cape and gold headband. Nite Owl II > (Patrick > > Wilson) is, well, an owl that looks vaguely like a gold Batman. > Rorschach > > (Jackie Earle Haley) is pretty cool, but Laurie Juspeczyk's (Malin > Akerman) > > Silk Spectre II costume looks like a reject from X-Men. And Dr. > Manhattan > > looks kind of like a blue Mr. Clean. Did I mention he's also naked, > bits and > > pieces flopping in the wind? > > > > 3. Old Folks. To be fair, Watchmen's first generation of > crimefighters are > > only a part of the storyline. Still, nothing sends that desirable target > > demographic running for the exits quicker than old people. Senior > citizens > > drove Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy and The Bu cket List to box-office > success > > but are unlikely to buoy a comic-book movie. > > > > 4. Zack Snyder. Call me a cynic, but a remake of Dawn of the Dead and an > > adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 don't exactly qualify you as the man to > > adapt what is arguably the greatest work in the history of the graphic > > novel. Directors with stronger pedigrees passed, and I'm still a bit > > underwhelmed with the choice of Snyder. Don't get me wrong: His > movies are > > good popcorn flicks. But I think Snyder has a way to go as a filmmaker > > before he's making movies on the level of Christopher Nolan, Peter > Jackson > > or Sam Raimi. > > > > 5. Flashbacks and Allegories. Moore's story skips around almost > constantly, > > which could prove quite confusing for audiences. The Comedian > (Jeffrey Dean > > Morgan) goes from rapist to Vietnam hero to modern-day murder > victim. Sally > > Jupiter (Carla Gugino) goes from nubile pinup to nursing-home resident. > > Hollis Mason (Stephen McHattie), the origina l Nite Owl, goes from > > crimefighter to rambling old coot. Moore's puzzle of an altered history > > comes together beautifully as the story weaves itself into > coherence, but it > > remains to be seen whether Snyder can weave the complicated tapestry as > > adeptly for the screen as Moore did for the printed page. > > > > And if the constant time shifts aren't enough, Moore also interwove into > > Watchmen's narrative a completely separate story, the > comic-within-a-comic > > Tales of the Black Freighter. The allegorical Freighter tells the > story of a > > pirate who journeys home on a raft of human corpses to warn his town > of an > > impending pirate attack. Freighter's significance is confusing > enough on the > > page and should probably be cut from the film, but Snyder has > promised that > > he is committed to including Tales of the Black Freighter in his > Watchmen > > movie at some point. > > > > 6. Lack of Familiarity. While Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men > > have been absorbed into the pop culture for decades, Watchmen's > characters > > are known mainly to its core fan base. News of the impending film > intrigued > > some non-comic aficionados to pick up a copy, as did Time's choice > of the > > graphic novel for its list of the "100 Greatest American Novels." > Still, the > > percentage of moviegoers possessing even a vague familiarity with > Watchmen > > is small by comparison with those who know Peter Parker's alter ego. > > > > This story continues below the image. > > > > Watchmen Comedian > > > > Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the Comedian and Carla Gugino is the original > Silk > > Spectre in Watchmen. (Clay Enos for Warner Brothers) > > > > > > > > 7. Lack of Star Power. The casting of the accomplished actors Wilson, > > Akerman, Crudup, Gugino, Morgan and Haley excited comic and film geeks > > alike. But not one of these esteemed thespians ha s much box-office > drawing > > power. For a movie already struggling to appeal to non-fans, that > may be one > > obstacle too many on a growing list. > > > > 8. Length. Snyder announced last week that he is aiming for a film > that runs > > two hours and 43 minutes. If the trailer's dazzling visuals succeed in > > sparking the interest of the mainstream to give Watchmen a chance, its > > running time may be enough to dampen that curiosity. > > > > 9. A Lot of Exposition. Unlike most comic movies, Watchmen isn't > simply the > > setup for a ton of sequels. Moore's original novel comprises 12 densely > > packed issues, with enough subtext to rival J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the > > Rings trilogy. But Peter Jackson had three movies in which to adapt > Lord of > > the Rings. Snyder has only a single film to re-create Moore's entire > epic. > > > > With a massive cast of characters nobody's ever heard of, the film could > > take as much as a third of its running time setting up origin > stories bef > > ore vi ewers have even the faintest clue what's going on. > > > > 10. The Ending. If there is a weak element in Moore's almost > flawless epic, > > it is the ending. It was a letdown when it came out, and it seems even > > cheesier 20-plus years later. Snyder has revealed that he's changing the > > ending. Now, when you take into account the fact that Moore is not > involved > > in the project in any form, do we really believe Snyder and > screenwriters > > David Hayter and Alex Tse have the chops to deliver the fitting end that > > Moore couldn't? > > > > Watchmen opens March 6, 2009. --Jeff Otto > > >
