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This is my first blog on TL.
I thought to myself I should really restrain myself before I start sounding like a know-it-all asshole.. when i'm really not.
But I'm going to record these train of thoughts i've had today and this weekend. And some other ideas/thoughts i've been meaning to blog about since the last time i blogged.
So I've watched the Watchmen today with brad,crystal, and emmett. One word I would describe this movie with is... Ironic. Ironic to the every aspect of the word. It was obvious from the trailers that this was not going to be the typical superhero movie. And ofcourse every comic book reading fanboys would have known that already. But for me, I have not actually read the comic book series myself but I've learned and related a lot from the movie. I was actually discussing this earlier with samantha, I'll directly quote myself here in a summarized paragraph:
"That movie really took superhero movies to a different level undoubtly, but relating this to the dark knight. When talking about going into depth about dual personalities the superheros have, the grim reality they face as humans, like we all do, the dark knight just barely scratch the surface of that explanation. Even if you havn't read the comics.. this movie was aimed at the broader audience anyways."
And when I was confronted with one of her friend's opinion that the movie was a letdown for the Watchmen comic fans:
"Just one of the downers that wants attention. Haha honestly i've read the reviews that came from people who read the comic book more than 5 times on my forums, the smart ones realize that weather if you were disapointed or not, you've watched the movie so did a lot of your friends. Was he crying about that fact that the comic book series were not how he imagined the live action watchmen would be? It's like comparing books to movies. The book is gonna always gonna be better for that reader who imagined the perfect story in his mind while in movies your only limited to what you see. And well of course i can relate to that but. from what im hearing about him from you is.. not original."
I got sidetracked my by train of thoughts and I said some smart-ass things like this but i meant every word:
"I'm the guy who bullies the people who wants to have opinions distracted by attention or self-indulgence. While staying logical, and rational.. but not perfectly because afterall, we are all humans. Truth be told though . no one knows what "Logical" really defines. It's just the brain part of it. Like 2 pendulums.. Logics weighing against Morals, and the other, the brain and the heart."
idk why i fucking sound like this everytime when I'm feeling faded from a high. I am like the exact opposite when I am drunk. I really don't care what people think of me when I say what I want to say or I say what I think its right. This can apply to anything.
And I've realized.. this crazy talk will only result me in a path toward social self-destruction. When even friends lose taste of joy when talking with me.. the irony is unending.
If marijuana can make me sound this smart(?) no wonder it was outlawed. Alcohol makes you dumb and horny, cigarrettes gives you cancer and makes you die early. But like I've said.. the irony is unending.
On the other hand, this weekend was pretty damn solid. Thomas' 18th bday pre-party on friday @ PJ's and the real thing @ thomas' place on saturday. I was constantly high/drunk from like 8pm to like 4am last night. Besides all the obvious crap that went down, one of thomas' cousin, BBoy Lazy from Massive Monkees showed up and seeing him do 1990s, airflares, halos, munchmills, to 2000s gave my little intoxicated mind a great shock. Just knowing that I sessioned with one of the best OG BBoys from Massive monkees is just unreal. It was a shame the party faded like it did, but it was kind of obvious because it was wayy too crackin for me around 8pm to 10pm which is pretty fuckin early. The birthday boy was gone around that time also..
SO yup.. I gotta go back and pick up my Stereo I brought for the party tomorrow after school.
 
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i don't get it. watchmen was not that good. it was enjoyable because i can get through a cheesy superhero flick without a real problem but it was just not that good. there was no great overarching message, the acting was terrible overall (with a few notable exceptions) and the plot was boring. i am sure that the book was better but the movie deserves none of the praise it is getting.
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On March 09 2009 16:43 choboPEon wrote:
i don't get it. watchmen was not that good. it was enjoyable because i can get through a cheesy superhero flick without a real problem but it was just not that good. there was no great overarching message, the acting was terrible overall (with a few notable exceptions) and the plot was boring. i am sure that the book was better but the movie deserves none of the praise it is getting.
totally agree. I was actually rolling my eyes during the whole + Show Spoiler +
actually I think squirming in my chair better describes it
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On March 09 2009 16:43 choboPEon wrote:
i don't get it. watchmen was not that good. it was enjoyable because i can get through a cheesy superhero flick without a real problem but it was just not that good. there was no great overarching message, the acting was terrible overall (with a few notable exceptions) and the plot was boring. i am sure that the book was better but the movie deserves none of the praise it is getting.
I don't get this, I've seen a couple of people refer to watchmen as 'cheesy'. This movie definitely had some flaws, like a rather chaotic, sometimes sloppy buildup and a rather rushed ending. But cheesy? No way. Spiderman was cheesy, superman (newest version) was definitely a fucking cheesy 'superhero flick', but watchmen wasn't. The heroes were quite brutal, often killing criminals just like that, they all had their weaknesses. As for the plot, do you think an ending in which millions of people die is at all typical to a 'cheesy superhero flick'? Even the love-scene someone mentioned between Dr. Manhattan and the girl (silhouette?) wasn't at all cheesy; it took place on fucking MARS for one, and for another thing it wasn't a regular cheesy love-conversation at all. It was a human girl trying to convince a transcended human to care for life and put in an effort to save humankind.
You obviously weren't really paying a lot of attention to the content. I don't think a movie needs a 'great overarching message' to be good, but, that being said, Watchmen did not lack such a message. There were constant references to human nature and its faults, and the question whether or not people, evil as they may be, deserve to be helped. In the end, we can see the same ideological message that was present in The Dark Knight: that a lie is necessary to keep people at peace; that they can only be united against a common enemy.
So my point is: I liked this movie, I can understand why someone wouldn't (acting could have been better, buildup was rather chaotic, ending was a bit rushed), but calling this movie cheesy or lacking in content is quite incorrect.
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On March 10 2009 00:20 ManBearPig wrote:Show nested quote +On March 09 2009 16:43 choboPEon wrote:
i don't get it. watchmen was not that good. it was enjoyable because i can get through a cheesy superhero flick without a real problem but it was just not that good. there was no great overarching message, the acting was terrible overall (with a few notable exceptions) and the plot was boring. i am sure that the book was better but the movie deserves none of the praise it is getting. I don't get this, I've seen a couple of people refer to watchmen as 'cheesy'. This movie definitely had some flaws, like a rather chaotic, sometimes sloppy buildup and a rather rushed ending. But cheesy? No way. Spiderman was cheesy, superman (newest version) was definitely a fucking cheesy 'superhero flick', but watchmen wasn't. The heroes were quite brutal, often killing criminals just like that, they all had their weaknesses. As for the plot, do you think an ending in which millions of people die is at all typical to a 'cheesy superhero flick'? Even the love-scene someone mentioned between Dr. Manhattan and the girl (silhouette?) wasn't at all cheesy; it took place on fucking MARS for one, and for another thing it wasn't a regular cheesy love-conversation at all. It was a human girl trying to convince a transcended human to care for life and put in an effort to save humankind. You obviously weren't really paying a lot of attention to the content. I don't think a movie needs a 'great overarching message' to be good, but, that being said, Watchmen did not lack such a message. There were constant references to human nature and its faults, and the question whether or not people, evil as they may be, deserve to be helped. In the end, we can see the same ideological message that was present in The Dark Knight: that a lie is necessary to keep people at peace; that they can only be united against a common enemy. So my point is: I liked this movie, I can understand why someone wouldn't (acting could have been better, buildup was rather chaotic, ending was a bit rushed), but calling this movie cheesy or lacking in content is quite incorrect.
the mars scene was probably one of the cheesiest parts of the movie in my opinion. and overall, the dialogue and acting were what created the cheese factor most for me. i'm not really attacking the plot - as an adaptation, i know some sacrifices had to be made. the negatives lay in other areas.
as far as a great message: references to human faults are in just about every work of fiction ever. it doesn't mean much if they're poorly executed. there were some cool messages but again its all about execution when it comes to film and in my eyes watchmen largely fell short of what it might have been.
also the only reason i talked about an overarching message is because one has constantly been referenced by people showering praise on the film. i think the message wasn't anything spectacular but, yes, it did exist. not the point, though. i was talking about quality and, imo, it was lacking in that regard.
the movie had its moments, dont get me wrong, but they went both ways and i found myself wishing it was over already on a few occasions.
if you liked it, more power to you, but a) calling it cheesy isn't 'incorrect', just like your liking it is not incorrect b) the dark knight is better largely because of the faaaaaaaaaaaaaar better acting.
you, uh, obviously are too easily pleased when it comes to movies. just kidding, i'm not kinda a know-it-all dick arrogant enough to talk about your experience with some ridiculous air of authority.
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On March 10 2009 02:42 choboPEon wrote:Show nested quote +On March 10 2009 00:20 ManBearPig wrote:On March 09 2009 16:43 choboPEon wrote:
i don't get it. watchmen was not that good. it was enjoyable because i can get through a cheesy superhero flick without a real problem but it was just not that good. there was no great overarching message, the acting was terrible overall (with a few notable exceptions) and the plot was boring. i am sure that the book was better but the movie deserves none of the praise it is getting. I don't get this, I've seen a couple of people refer to watchmen as 'cheesy'. This movie definitely had some flaws, like a rather chaotic, sometimes sloppy buildup and a rather rushed ending. But cheesy? No way. Spiderman was cheesy, superman (newest version) was definitely a fucking cheesy 'superhero flick', but watchmen wasn't. The heroes were quite brutal, often killing criminals just like that, they all had their weaknesses. As for the plot, do you think an ending in which millions of people die is at all typical to a 'cheesy superhero flick'? Even the love-scene someone mentioned between Dr. Manhattan and the girl (silhouette?) wasn't at all cheesy; it took place on fucking MARS for one, and for another thing it wasn't a regular cheesy love-conversation at all. It was a human girl trying to convince a transcended human to care for life and put in an effort to save humankind. You obviously weren't really paying a lot of attention to the content. I don't think a movie needs a 'great overarching message' to be good, but, that being said, Watchmen did not lack such a message. There were constant references to human nature and its faults, and the question whether or not people, evil as they may be, deserve to be helped. In the end, we can see the same ideological message that was present in The Dark Knight: that a lie is necessary to keep people at peace; that they can only be united against a common enemy. So my point is: I liked this movie, I can understand why someone wouldn't (acting could have been better, buildup was rather chaotic, ending was a bit rushed), but calling this movie cheesy or lacking in content is quite incorrect. the mars scene was probably one of the cheesiest parts of the movie in my opinion. and overall, the dialogue and acting were what created the cheese factor most for me. i'm not really attacking the plot - as an adaptation, i know some sacrifices had to be made. the negatives lay in other areas. as far as a great message: references to human faults are in just about every work of fiction ever. it doesn't mean much if they're poorly executed. there were some cool messages but again its all about execution when it comes to film and in my eyes watchmen largely fell short of what it might have been. also the only reason i talked about an overarching message is because one has constantly been referenced by people showering praise on the film. i think the message wasn't anything spectacular but, yes, it did exist. not the point, though. i was talking about quality and, imo, it was lacking in that regard. the movie had its moments, dont get me wrong, but they went both ways and i found myself wishing it was over already on a few occasions. if you liked it, more power to you, but a) calling it cheesy isn't 'incorrect', just like your liking it is not incorrect b) the dark knight is better largely because of the faaaaaaaaaaaaaar better acting. you, uh, obviously are too easily pleased when it comes to movies. just kidding, i'm not kinda a know-it-all dick arrogant enough to talk about your experience with some ridiculous air of authority.
I definitely agree that whether or not you think a movie is good is a matter of opinion. You have your reasons for disliking it, I have mine for liking it; you seem to be really critical when it comes to acting, for example.
However, calling something 'cheesy' has quite a specific meaning. In calling the Mars-scene cheesy, for example, you are calling it cheap, generic, maybe predictable. I don't think you mean the camerawork was cheesy, this is not something that would really stick. So you must be talking about the content.
You may find the idea of a human that has, by accident, transcended into what can arguably be called a God and can bend matter to his will cheesy. When it comes to superhero movies, I think, this is quite original. It's not only a cool idea, it's worked out in an admirable manner as well; Dr. Manhattan has walked over the surface of the sun, he can do pretty much everything and has come to see the world and indeed the universe in a radically different way than normal human beings. This change, this transcendence has caused him to lose touch with his humanity; he even calls life an overrated phenomenon.
The girl, then, finds out this evil guy was her father. You might call this cheesy in itself; it has been done before and some might find it a lame kind of drama. But the way in which it was worked out here was quite cool and original really: the realization causes her to think of her life as one big joke, but, more importantly, it makes Dr. Manhattan see the miraculous way in which life comes to be, against all odds, out of pure chaos. This is quite profound, and definitely not cheesy.
Actually I don't know why you would call the dialogue cheesy, most of the time it was quite deep. The only part I am willing to call a little bit cheesy is the part where night owl and rohrschach are talking to veidt, and where he unveils his evil (?) plan.
As for the acting, I agree that it wasn't all top-notch (Rohrschach did do a really good job here), but it wasn't awful either, at least not to the extent that it would make the movie cheesy. In order to make a movie cheesy, the acting has to be really bad. Here, it was average.
Kind of a long post to make a simple point, but whatever. I can accept you (and other ppl) not liking the film, but really, it wasn't cheesy.
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EPT
