Watchmen Movie (2009) Don't read the novel.

I've come to the conclusion that reading the graphic novel of Watchmen prior to seeing the movie is a really bad idea. I'm very glad that I didn't (and at the time of writing this haven't read it).

I wasn't familiar with Watchmen, the movie or the novel, until the anticipation for this movie's release started creeping into the conversations of the Batman On Film podcast team. Their interest in this DC comics title and film first piqued my interest, then I saw the trailer in the cinema and thought it certainly did look promising.

Then I listened to the BOF Podcast for Watchmen with their in depth analysis of the film. I wasn't concerned about their podcast containing spoilers because, not being familiar with any of the characters, I doubted much of the details discussed would stick in my mind - I tend not to remember things that I have no vested interest in.

One thing that did stick was that everyone involved in BOF's podcast seemed to feel that this movie would be difficult, complex and confusing for someone who hasn't read the novel. Hence I went into this movie expecting to come out with no idea about what I just saw.

My partner, who went into this film with next to zero knowledge of Watchmen other than what I could relate just prior to the movie, not only liked this film but picked up on a key plot point long before it was revealed near the end of the film. Not only that - we both agreed that we found Christopher Nolan's, The Dark Knight, harder to follow than Watchmen (on first viewing).

I didn't find Watchmen hard to follow in the least. Hence my conclusion that reading the novel prior to the movie is actually a bad idea. Guest BOF Podcaster, F.J. DeSanto (co-producer of THE SPIRIT and writer of DC's THE SPIRIT comic book) put it best when he described Watchman as "a kind of cliff notes for the Watchmen graphic novel".

If you haven't read the novel then this is a great introduction and gives you somewhere to go to find out much more about these characters and what makes them tick. I know this because I know director, Zach Snyder, had to leave a lot out and change a few plot points in order to create a coherent movie that would fit into the time he had to tell the story. I know this because that's what the BOF podcast team told me on their show.

I also know that the expected DVD versions of this film will be longer and include more scenes that were cut from the theatrical release. All great news for people who enjoyed the film, never read the novel but want to learn more about characters that may never have another film made about them. Watchmen is a 'one shot' comic book series, published back in 1986-87 (later released as a graphic novel) after all.

For those of you that have read the graphic novel, you have the disadvantage of referencing all the movies visuals and plot points back to what you've read. Filling in the blanks, noticing the changes and matching the cast to how you imagined them as you read the book. I'm glad I'm not in your shoes. By all accounts the novel is better, more complex and detailed than the film. I have that to look forward to. I have somewhere to go after having seen the film.

This hasn't been a review of the film. You can find plenty of those all over the place. This movie tends to polarize people. You either like it or you don't.

I have a theory that those who don't completely miss the point, such as in this review by Daniel M. Clark: Watchmen: I Am Never Going To The Movies Again. I think Daniel must've been watching in some alternate 2009 because the film he describes sounds nothing like the film I saw.

Daniel - the superhero costumes were supposed to look terrible - especially in the early days of costumed heroes. The second generation of heroes did have better outfits that were a little more practical (except for Silk Spectre II - but even she thought her outfit was ridiculous).

I didn't think the acting was bad either - again not even Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) who copped a lot of flack from the BOF podcast team.

It's at this point you can see I'm starting to defend a film that I thought was pretty good. Don't listen to the bad reviews, see it for yourself. If you can wrap your mind around the idea that this is an adult superhero movie that is very graphic in it's violence and nudity but quite intelligent with what it's trying to convey, you'll be okay. You may even like it.

Most importantly though. If you haven't read the novel. Don't. It'll simply make you far too critical of the film if you do. Just enjoy the film as it is then find out what you missed in the novel afterwards.

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Review: FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes

FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes I first saw FP's FINO skate shoes in a video by YouTube channel, Braille Skateboarding, titled, THE FIRST EVER NON NEWTONIAN FLUID SKATE SHOES!? As someone whose feet hurt and bruise relatively easily just from the basic tricks of skateboarding (Ollies, Pop Shuv-its etc.) the 90% absorption of impact energy selling point seemed like an ideal solution for minimizing my injuries. A day later I placed an order through FP's website . Ordinarily I wouldn't mention Customer Service but I can't let the lack of communication on my order slide. FP's website says to expect delivery within 7-14 days of your order. After close to two weeks, my order was still marked as being processed. I sent an email asking for any kind of update, to no response. A day or two later my order was marked as completed but still no signs of shoes in my mail? About two weeks later (just over a full month of placing my order) the shoes arrived. I'm sur

Why Your Backside 180 Ollies Suck (Probably, if they're like mine)

Backside 180 Ollie by TET I've been doing backside 180 ollies on my skateboard for almost as long as I've been skateboarding. It's not really that hard a trick to learn, except it is, if you want to do them well. Usually, when I'm practicing my backside 180 ollies on flat, my first attempt will be my best, and then my technique will kind of deteriorate from there. Except for that one jaggy attempt where I successfully land the backside 180 ollie then continue to pivot on my back truck another 180 degrees. Which is only a cool trick if you actually meant to do it. Recently I spent an entire driveway skate session working on my backside 180 ollies. My goal was to get them higher, rotate my body more effectively, and to bend my back leg more (a common problem for most people is not really bending the back leg as you ollie). You can watch my session and decide if I made any progress in the video below. The thing is, I know everything I'm doing wrong with my backside 180

Can You Learn Skateboarding Basics on a Cheap Skateboard?

$20, Mambo 31" x 8", Department Store Skateboard. Over the years I've watched many high profile YouTube skateboarders repeatedly create videos where they purchase a cheap, department store skateboard, ride it like they would their regular professional skateboard, until it breaks (usually within an hour or so), and claim that as a reason for steering clear of these products. Inadvertently what they're doing is creating less demand for cheap skateboards, meaning it's less likely department stores will stock them, resulting in no easy way for first time skaters to 'test the waters' to see if skating is really for them. Even worse, parents looking to get their children into a new sport, may not even see skateboarding as an option as they browse through the department store sports section. At the time of writing, Australian department stores have shelves filled with many different brands of scooters, alongside a small shelf or two of skateboards (and

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (2023) No Spoilers

If you've enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 and Volume 2 then Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will not disappoint. I would almost go so far as to call it the best in the series... except seeing the first movie for the first time is still one of my best memories of the MCU. While it's not essential to the story if you didn't see the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ it does kind of lead into and set up where the Guardians are at in Volume 3 quite nicely. In this installment Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still not coping with the loss of his timeline's Gamora (Zoe Saldada) when suddenly the team is attacked leaving Rocket (Bradley Cooper) in a very bad way. From then on it's a race to save Rocket as we learn quite a bit about his origin in the process. This movie is slightly darker than the first two and, if you're concerned about the animal cruelty that is causing some people to not want to see the film again, keep in mind, it's j

Movie Review: Bullet Train (2022) No Spoilers

I honestly don't understand why Bullet Train didn't do well in theaters? It's basically a live action, bonkers, cartoon but it's fun, has witty dialogue, quirky characters, and plenty of action. It's definitely underrated as something that very much reminds me of a cross between a Guy Ritchie and Edgar Wright film in terms of how it's written, filmed, and edited. The plot centers around unlucky assassin, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) who is hired to retrieve a briefcase containing a ransom from on board a Japanese Bullet Train. Unfortunately he's not the only one after the case. Confusion and mayhem ensues. The only thing that really bothered me is that the movie seems almost devoid of regular people on the train and at any of the stations. Those that are present, including the staff of the train, seem to be blissfully unaware of what is happening around them despite the interior of the train becoming increasingly more damaged and the body count climbing. The further

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog