Oh yeah, sorry about missing yr Ishmael joke. I actually had the same exchange with kendocubano..ha ha

Remember the Simpsons joke when Bart is reading the Dummies Guide to Moby Dick? "Call me Ishmael, dummy". That's friggin' hilarious.

And so to 300. I may yet enjoy this film on some campy level..I will check it out no matter the reviews.

But I am troubled by you saying "it's a comic book movie". This idea that comics can't be deep or only work on a juvenile level is a erroneous one I think.

Miller is an intelligent writer, and I really hate it when people use "comic book" as a term of derision. (not you, just people in general).

Sure, the old Archies, Beano type comics are just kiddie fun, but you & I both know how rich in psychology comics are these days...

Yeah, I do agree that these movies do have the POTENTIAL to be Oscar contenders, but the truth of the matter is, I don't think they'll ever get that kind of respect. Whether it be Director-wise or script-wise. Really, "Watchmen" should be a contender since it is one of the MOST ACCLAIMED comic storylines ever! I'm just being realistic. All I can hope for is that some of the story elements that made me love the comic will appear in the movie. As I've said before, they are giving the matierial more respect as of late, but it still doesn't get ALL of the respect it deserves. Which saddens me & leaves my pillow salty with my tears.

Don't cry, monkeyboy....you're a Spartan remember! Not some pansy pants Persian. Chin up!!

There has to be a big shift in movie-goer's consciousness, as far as I can see.
When people stop rubbishing comics, and just start treating them as simply another art form, then perhaps Oscar glory will come the way of a future MAUS or The Walking Dead movie.....

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaelscoffin from a BLASPHEMOUS thread:...(I think 300 looks pretty dodgy myself)

Ishmaelscoffin! YOU TRAITOR! How could you?! At least see it first before you start agreeing with the likes of him! He was looking for "real rocks"! I mean, come on! Why did he really go to see this movie? Couldn't have been for the same reasons we wanted to. That's okay, I forgive your transgression. I'll chalk it up to a momentary lapse of judgment: A little too much Chinese al-kee-hol & not enough Foster's.

Ha!
I thought that might stir you up....

I'll hold off judgement proper until my local pirateer coughs up. I soooooooo wanna like it.....

Have to dissapoint ya, but I'm a teetotaller...freaky hey, a blasphemer like me??

Sooo... You were just messin' with my head, huh? And you were doin' it sober?! You filthy little turd!

I guess the pirates in China aren't as quick as the ones in America, people were selling copies of this movie BEFORE it even hit theaters! My sister-in-law ONLY watches pirated movies. Me? I gotta watch it the way it was intended! When it comes to pirated films, like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Some look as good as the actual DVD's & others are all shaky & blurry.

By the way, I'm not a drinker, either! It's not because of religious reasons, I just don't like the stuff! Anyway, with my life having been so affected by the actions of a drunk driver, I don't think it would make much sense for me to end up drinking the very thing that kept me down for so long. Is there a specific reason your a teetotaller? Is it outta respect for your body? I KNOW it's not religious!

I'm trying to get a Spartan body, so yeah I respect my body...ha ha.....taking care of my body and brain is important yeh; I think drinking is a waste of time and money and it makes you less human, less able, diminished....who wants to be diminished....?

So I like to get my inhuman behaviour from art ha ha...

Concerning inhumans.....

I read a little about Watchmen over on ign.com and I'm scared, I really am.
Zack Snyder comes across as a kinda dumb, lacking in insight as to what the comic offers.
I realize that he may have a far more thought out philosophy which he saves for cast readings etc, but .....(makes Marge Simpson unapproving noises)

Rorschach works on a page cos his mask can BE his face, but the stills I've seen make him look like a villain from the campy Batman show.......why touch the classics which are SO integral to a comic page?
there are heaps of straightforward, non-arty comics which cld be handled....Green Lantern, Hawkman, Iron Fist, Braniac and all the Superboy clan.....Adam Strange.....

anyhoo..I cry cos I care....

Oooooh, I was wondering how they were going to make the masks work or even if they were going to use them at all. The reason Wolverine didn't have his trademark mask in the movie was because they couldn't make it work. I just took a gander & yeah, not that great. Maybe they'll do it digitally to give him more expressions. You aren't the only one to have problems with this movie coming to the big screen. The hard-core fans are in an uproar saying that this movie couldn't do the comic any justice, even if it is over 150 minutes. They picture it more as an HBO mini-series, with each episode being based off of each comic in the series. Too bad, that's NOT gonna happen.

However, Zach claims to be a big fan of this comic series & he is going to be as faithful as he possibly can with the material. I guess we have NO CHOICE, but to just trust him. I will say at least this much, this is gonna be a movie that would be BEST if you have never read the comics!

In other news, "300" stands at #1 at the box office & has had the BIGGEST March opening of all-time, as well as the BIGGEST opening of any movie so far this year! That's what I'm talking about!!! I also just found out Jeff Bridges will be playing a villain in "Iron Man" as Obidiah Stane. This is a man who attacks Jim Rhodes & takes over Stark International. This gives Stane a chance to create his own armour & he then becomes The Iron Monger. Bridges has actually shaved his head to look more like the character who is bald in the comic! There is also talks of a much cheaper, but darker version of "Constantine 2", which Keanu Reeves is VERY interested in.

Oh, & by the by, Ishmael, have you seen the Director's Cut of "Sin City"?

MMMM, Iron Man is one movie I am looking fwd to, as he is one of my favourite heroes, and it is such a realistic mileiu mostly, save flying, lasers out of the chest etc....so fingers crossed.

Yeah, I have seen Sin City (Directors cut), and I have also just bought the other day, a dvd of 4 "short film interpretations" of the main feature. You know this?. Like a mix-tape, Sin City gets 4 remixes, ha ha.
It's good..

Is this similar to the Director's Cut or completely different? Should I be on the lookout for this? I really loved how they split up the stories & added more detail to them. Well, all but "The Customer is Always Right". They added nothing to that one & the fact that the second half was the end of "The Big Fat Kill" made it ridiculous to watch it first the way Robert Rodriguez says you should!

Actually, I see now we are talking about the same thing.. I was confusing different cuts of the feature with the 4 storiy mash-up...

Anyway, it was an interesting project, and made it more comic book like..

Ahhh, I thought so. But, now I'm disappointed because I thought there really was another version out there. Dag-nab-it-all!

Well, this is interesting. In "Spider-Man 3" news, I've just discovered that instead of having J.J.'s son bring the symbiote to Earth from a space mission (like in the cartoon), it will come riding a meteor. Geez, what was the point in introducing John Jameson in the second movie? Apparently, he was just supposed to be someone to endanger Peter's relationship with Mary Jane. What a waste!

To go along with "Spider-Man 2.1" (I've already got mine on pre-order!) comes "Fantastic Four": Extended Edition. This 2 disk set will be available June 5th with 20 minutes of all new footage & 4 hours of bonus material. It will also have a sneak peek at the sequel!

In other news, the next "Superman" movie has been put on hold so Singer can direct a Thriller. What a jerk! Jake Gyllenhaal is up for the role of Captain Marvel in New Line's "Shazam!" as well as the next Spider-Man after the 3rd. Oh! Here's some news that might excite you, Ishmael: "Ghost Rider 2" will be shot in Melbourne & they are looking for an Austrailian actor to play the next villain! Maybe you should go for an audition! Don't forget, "TMNT" will be hitting theaters on March 23rd. That's not only next Friday, but also my 29th birthday! What a present! My favorite heroes from my childhood are coming back in a BIG way. I am a little disappointed that it isn't going to be as dark as I thought it would've been, but oh well, I'll be taking my 3 year old son. I'm sure he'll have a great time!

This isn't really movie news, but it is comic related, 'Painkiller Jane' will be coming to the small screen on the Sci Fi Channel. Based off of the Jimmy Palmiotti & Joe Quesada comic series, it will star Kristanna Loken (Ooh la la!) as the title character. She is Jane Vasco & she must fight a growing threat in the future. During her first mission, after falling 42 stories to the ground, she discovers she has her own unique ability: she can't be killed! The commercials make it look action packed! Hopefully, the effects won't suck too much. It's slated to air Friday, April 13th at 10/9C. Don't miss it!

monkeyboy, that's cool news about Ghost Rider.

I better get home soon, and join those casting calls...

Although I wld rather play the Silver Surfer, ha ha....

Wow, cool thread and intense descriptions Monkey_Boy! I like the info on The Dark Knight and Iron Man--two films I am very excited to see.

By the way, why haven't you mentioned American Splendor? I don't think I saw that you own it, it is a great film with superb acting by one of the most underrated actors of our time. Have you seen it? Like it?

No I haven't seen it, but I'll check it out! I looked it up on IMDB & it looks very interesting. I didn't even know it was a comic book movie of sorts! That's why I originally started this thread. I wanted people to point me in the direction of ones I haven't heard of. After awhile, I just pulled an "Ishmaelscoffin" & started talking to myself. I'm so full of comic movie info, I gotta put it somewhere. My friends are only interested in it the first time I tell them, after that, they're sick of me.

Great, watch it as soon as possible! Paul Giamatti is one of my favorite actors. It is a kind of different comic-based film though. Hope you enjoy it!

American Splendor is a marvellous film, and respects the medium of comics.

Well one rumor has just been disproven! Jake Gyllenhaal hasn't even been considered for the part of Captain Marvel. This comes directly from the screenwriter John August. In fact, according to August, they haven't discussed anyone to play the lead just yet. After several months of meetings they've NEVER discussed casting. However, IF they did have a list, Gyllenhaal's name would be on it. But, there isn't, so it's not.

Top Cow's "Wanted" is in production & is slated to be in theaters March 28th, 2008! Produced by Universal Pictures, it's the story of a young man named Wesley Gibson, who finds out his father was an assassin called The Killer. After his father dies, Wesley follows in his father's footsteps & must deal with the most dangerous & evil people in the world! Whisch is bad news, because all of the world's supervillains have joined forces & combined their powers (including mad science, magic, & mind control) to take out all the world's superheroes. Sounds exciting! The script is being done by Dean Georgaris & will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov. So far the cast consists of James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson, Morgan Freeman as Sloan, & Angelina Jolie as Fox, the assassin who trains Wesley in the deadly arts.

I have good news for ya, Ishmael! That picture of Rorschach we had seen, was just for fun. Snyder was "knocking around the office" & had the associate producer put on an overcoat & a quickly made mask. They then went to a visual effects buddy & had him put in a cool background. Whew! That picture did have me a tad bit worried. But that's not the official look of our favorite ink-blot faced character! It should be in theaters in 2009.

Greg Rucka's "Whiteout" is also in production with Dominic Sena directing & Kate Beckinsale set to star. The story is about a lone U.S. Marshall, played by Beckinsale, assigned to Antartica who is investigating the continent's first murder. With only three days until winter, the marshall must solve the crime before it hits & plunges the entire area into darkness, leaving her stranded with the killer!

"300" & "Ghost Rider" are still slaying the competition overseas. While the entire country of Iran is boycotting "300" because they feel their ancestors are being portrayed as horrible, evil monsters, it is number one in 5 Asian territories, earning $15.6 million from roughly 1,300 screens in 13 markets. "Ghost Rider" has earned another $7.3 million internationally, putting it in 4th place for an overseas gross of $87.5 million.

Well, that's all the news for now. See ya in the funny pages!

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
By the way, why haven't you mentioned American Splendor? I don't think I saw that you own it, it is a great film with superb acting by one of the most underrated actors of our time. Have you seen it? Like it?

Agree with this. American Splendor is the best comic-based movie ever.