about that watchmen movie

HOT TOYS ANNOUNCES SILK SPECTRE 2 IN 1/6TH SCALE!

2009-06-02T20:16:00.000+08:00

PRESS: Who WATCHES Hot Toys? - Long hair, angel face, black and yellow suit......Who is in your mind right now? The one who used to going out at 3AM and doing something stupid? Well, the next Hot Toys MMS figure is her, Silk Spectre II, from the Watchmen movie. Let's take a glance on the teaser to view this beautiful heroine who's lurking under the trench coat. To view more angles of this breathtaking sexy lady, please keep an eye on our web site...More pictures coming soon!

Mere words cannot express the sheer wonder and excitement when I read the above newletter and peeped the image (am very interested to see what's underneath her jacket ... her super-heroine uniform, of coz! LOL).

And with SILK SPECTRE, would Nite Owl, Rorschach and even The Comedian be far behind?

DOWNLOAD WATCHMEN: JUSTICE IS COMING

2009-04-04T00:12:00.000+08:00

Experience the the incredible world of Watchmen through the new online multiplayer game for the iPhone and iPod touch. Find out more at www.watchmenjusticeiscoming.com

"Watchmen: Justice is Coming" is being offered at a special introductory price of $0.99 on the Apple App Store.

WATCHMEN BE@BRICK SET (100% + 400%)

2009-03-25T00:48:00.002+08:00

Japan's Medicom Toy is soliciting pre-orders for a limited edition WATCHMEN BE@RBRICK 100% + 400% (FYI: 100% = 70mm tall / 400% = 280mm tall) - with a May 2009-release date.

Priced at 7,140YEN (US$73) - you ca pre-order the set now @ www.bearbrick.com/wmbear. The only catch is orders outside of Japan will not be accepted. Try alternative online-venues here or here

The Comedian-yellow with red-stain does seem a tad kitschy, IMHO. I'd rather go for the full-on character WATCHMEN BE@RBRICKS meself :p

SATURDAY MORNING WATCHMEN

2009-03-20T18:25:00.000+08:00

Why I have posted this earlier (even after watching it) - I have no idea.

TOYBREAK REVIEWS WATCHMEN WAVE 2 ACTION FIGURES

2009-03-20T17:12:00.001+08:00

The folks from ToyBreak / October Toys (aka Goerge & Ayleen Gaspar, & Neil Winn) take a look at the second wave of DC Direct Watchmen action figures including Classic Silk Spectre, Classic Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan, and the Comedian! [Wave 1 Reviewed]

RORSCHACH UNMASKED EXCLUSIVE VARIANT ACTION FIGURE

2009-03-20T02:25:00.001+08:00

[*More snaps to come*]

WHO WATCHES WALL*E?

2009-03-18T01:21:00.000+08:00

What if Pixar's Wall*E was directed by Zack Snyder? = a fan-made trailer that rawks my funny nerd-bone so much that I'm left muffling my hyena-giggles at 1AM in the morning. Good Stuff this, IMHO :)

Source: Julius Marx (AFI) Twitter

TOYBREAK REVIEWS WATCHMEN ACTION FIGURES

2009-03-17T13:08:00.001+08:00

Check out more toy-news and reviews on Toy Break

WORLD IN FOCUS: 6 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

2009-03-07T09:57:00.000+08:00

An episode of late night UK current affairs review World In Focus aired in October 1985, in which photo-journalist Alain Guillon and author Hal Eisner discuss the emerging geopolitical crisis with presenter Jeremy Miller. The recording purports to have originated from the Veidt Industries video archive. It details its source as 'KARNAK' the significance of which is unclear.

Source: The New Frontiersman

A lil' googling reveals 'KARNAK' to be: "a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings. It is located near Luxor in Egypt. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places"), the main place of worship of the Theban Triad with Amun as its head, in the monumental city of Thebes." [wiki].

Whether this ties in to Adrian's fascination with Pharaohs, or if this is in any way related to the complex he has built in Antarctica, remains to be seen ... of course it does! I'm just being journalist-y withya! LOL :p

The image of Karnak [via wiki] is haunting familar tho ... heh.

ZACK SNYDER ON W MAGAZINE

2009-03-07T09:55:00.001+08:00

Ali from W Magazine Online drops word of their recent profile of Watchmen director Zack Snyder [PEEP] which features some choice titbits, the mention of Snyder currently working on an animated film about owls, and an awesome tattoo on his back.

Ironically, the only "superhero"-character in the movie that (visually) does have a tattoo - was Dr Manhattan, who gave himself one on the forehead. heh.

EXERPT FROM W-INTERVIEW: With all sorts of media competing for viewers, Snyder very cannily realizes why he has to push the limits. “Everyone has a pretty great television now, and you’d better f---ing give them a reason to get up off their sofa and go to the movies,” he says. But, unsurprisingly, the first thing Warner Bros.’ top execs said when they saw Watchmen was “‘Too violent, too sexy, too long,’” recounts Snyder. “I say that’s the reason to go see it.”

Source: Exerpt-Text & Image via W / Cheers for the headsup, Ali!

BLACK FREIGHTER COMIC BOOK PAGES

2009-03-07T09:27:00.004+08:00

[Below-Left]: An issue of DC Comics' TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER, first published in the 1960s and reprinted in December 1985.

[Below-Right]: The title page of MAROONED!, a two-part story occupying issues twenty-three and twenty-four of TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER.

- "Walt Feinberg is a cartoonist who worked in Marooned. He also works with New Frontiersman" [wiki] = No doubt "Walt" is Dave Gibbons (the artwork is too similar to not be), IMHO.

- "Max Shea is the artist who wrote Marooned. He disappeared almost simultaneously with other artists." = You really must read Max's full story on wiki, and while Max is written as a character in the Watchmen-Universe, original writer Alan Moore has disavowed his participation in the film.

[Above-Left] An advertisment for Adrian Veidt's self-help program THE VEIDT METHOD, appearing on the back of an issue of TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER.

[Above-Right] An advertisement for the range of Ozymandias action figures appearing on the back of an issue of TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER.

Without a doubt (and with total bias-ness), one of my fav scenes in the WATCHMEN movie, is when [SPOILER-BEGINS /// Dan Dreiberg holds up a Ozymandias action figure, which is displayed alongside the other action figures, in Adrian Veidt's office /// END-SPOILER] in one of the scenes from the comicbook adapted for the big-screen = *Cool*

Source: The New Frontiersman

1/6 DC DIRECT DR MANHATTAN ACTION FIGURE REVIEWED

2009-03-07T09:14:00.001+08:00

... No, the Blue Man Group didn't get themselves made into action figures - but rather these are images from Michael Crawford's review of DC Direct's Watchmen 13 inch Deluxe Dr. Manhattan action figure [Seen @ NYCC-09 & SDCC-08] ... and nope, there ain't no exposed glowing-bits on this man-dolly. heh.

I'd lurve to have a Rorschach and The Comedian tho ... heh.

TOYSREVIL WATCHES THE WATCHMEN (SHORT VERSION)

2009-03-06T08:40:00.001+08:00

First and foremost, WATCHMEN - for all intents and purposes is a "genre" movie. Make no mistake, this may not be your run-of-the-mill popcorn flick for the masses, nor a generic date movie for the uninitiated. And with a M18 rating in Singapore ("Mature 18") it sure isn't for the kiddies.

From the fanboy point of view, expectations are high, not just the question of it being faithful to the revered source material, but of it's ability to adapt it unto the silver screen - to awe and astound the harshest of pop culture perusers.

What's in store for the uninitiated? An accessible story? An entertaining movie experience just seventeen minutes shy of three hours? Is it worth all the hype it's been building up to be? Does it have as much slow-motion moments, as it did director Zack Snyder's 300? The answers are varied. See the list below for the "Short Version" with *minor spoilers*.
[FYI: The "Long Version" to come will be spoilerific].

The hype will bring both fanboys and the curious to the cinema. The current superhero-slash-costume celluloid-parade will ensure cinema seats be filled, and popcorn overflowing, cascading down the aisles. Let's be frank, folks couldn't get enough of The Dark Knight, had developed a taste for metallic with Iron Man, and can't wait for Wolverine to snikt-pop his claws.

Flawed mortal men and women performing non-mortal feats wearing dark-tight-leather and muted spandex is the eye-candy rage and guilty-free fantasy escapade for the near-decade old millennium, and looks set to last longer than anyone would have dared expect nor imagined it to. We like our heroes (super or non) in costume. Regular joes with superpowers are so reality tv reruns (But I still like me my HEROES ;p). Fanboys rejoice. Everyone else gets a taste of geekdom long since buried under a hush-loud of shame and ridicule. Man, it's such a great time to geek-out now!

SHORT-VERSION / *MINOR SPOILERS*:

- It was as faithful as it could get (IMHO), in an uncomfortable marriage between comicbook-brilliance, and cinematic cheese-cake. Tasty tho. Oh so tasty.

- It was too faithful to a fault, to be able to let the adaptation breathe on it's own. But if you hold your breathe til you turn Dr Manhattan-blue? All will make sense.

- If you dislike ("hate" is too strong a word, but if it be so, then you'd hate this film) Zack Snyder's slow-motion style from 300, then this might irk you. But I heart it to bits, and feels it's justified in the context of freeze-framing a moment within a sequence of moving visuals, very much like the 2D illustrated panels within the pages of comicbook.

- Even I who is familiar with the source material, found it hard at certain moments to catch up with what the movie was trying to tell me, which I fear would alienate those who do not know the story beforehand. The Dr Manhattan-flashback was one key moment which I felt did not translate as well.

- The apprehension of seeing a glowing blue-schlong is softened by the supple nakedness of a young second generation female crime-fighter. I feel dirty after typing that ... actually no, not really.

- The exclusion of costumed super-villains, I feel, waters the movie down a tad.

- Some significant story-tweaks and changes that bugged me at first, but upon gentle reflection, seems the better possible way to engage the audience given the context in modern times, versus the two decade old source material. More geo-political rather than conceptual.

- The pop soundtrack positively glows with nostalgia (I smiled when 99 Red Balloons blared), while the score was a strange and somewhat uneasy fit with the visuals, some parts dragging e back to Vangelis' Blade Runner. Still can't decide if that's good or bad.

- The costumes are darned cool. The actors are (unfortunately) quasi-flaccid, with the distinct exception of Jackie Earle Haley as "Walter Kovacs" aka "Rorschach", and Carla Gugino as "mummy" Silk Spectre.

- Yellow is the new Black.

- Is it worth all the hype. Yes, and then some! But then again, I am thoroughly biased in this regard. *cough*

[March 5th 2009 / 2:35PM screening]

TV SPOT: COUNTDOWN MIDNIGHT

2009-03-05T09:26:00.001+08:00

8 TV SPOTS AND ONE TRAILER

2009-03-04T00:23:00.000+08:00

8 TV Spots and 1 Trailer for WATCHMEN. Scheduled to premiere worldwide on March 6th (including Singapore - whoo-hoo!). Gawds but am I excited! It's gonna be a sweet Friday to come this week, IMHO!

RETRIBUTION

OUR ONLY HOPE

NEVER SEEN

MATTER OF TIME

DR MANHATTAN END COUNTDOWN

LATEX

END COUNTDOWN

WM TV TONIGHT

6 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

2009-03-03T17:20:00.001+08:00

Superhero Hype reports of the newly launched 6minutestomidnight.com website - whereby you "enter your name to experience a 10-minute long interactive trailer for Watchmen. You will enter the world of Watchmen, interact with one of the characters, and unlock exclusive content from the film."

It begins with a Rorschach audio-monologue as he walks thru the darkened streets - after which you will be prompted to decipher a rorschach blot test image. Both my answers were wrong**, and I had lost interest by then. I lurv meself a good online campaign, but jumping thru hoops is something I would indulge in if I had the time and patience to. I think I'll just have to wait til March 6th when the movie premieres, to enjoy the experience.

**My answers were (1) Wings Flapping, and (2) A Happy Girl. Rorschach then tells me to "Think about your parents, their disappointment ... Try Again."

UPDATE: Passwords via an anonymous tipster (haven't check them out yet tho :p)

gun - ozymandias
hat - rorschach
glasses - nite owl
woman - silk spectre
helicopter - dr manhattan
smile - comedian

THE SCIENCE OF WATCHMEN

2009-02-27T18:27:00.000+08:00

University of Minnesota physics professor James Kakalios discusses how he was tapped to add a physics perspective to the upcoming Warner Brothers movie, Watchmen. Kakalios discusses how quantum mechanics can explain Dr. Manhattan's super human powers in the film, and how he came to become an expert on the topic of the physics of superheroes. Check out Kakalios book at www.physicsofsuperheroes.com

WATCHMEN COFFEE AND CONTEST

2009-02-26T04:14:00.004+08:00

Unfortunately I might be a tad "late" in reporting this (it was left in my comments box and not emailed direct to me) but nevertheless serves as a decent archival purpose with regards to the marketing tie-ups with the movie, yeh? Onward!

WATCHMEN COFFEE AND CONTEST STARTS TUESDAY 2/17
The Organic Coffee Cartel Introduces “Nite Owl Dark Roast” Coffee
With a contest to win tickets to the premiere of the Forthcoming Feature Film “Watchmen”

NEW YORK— February 16, 2009. “Watchmen” photographer Clay Enos has enlisted his Organic Coffee Cartel (OCC®) www.organiccoffee.com to produce a first-of-its-kind movie tie-in coffee for “Watchmen,” the upcoming film adaption of the celebrated graphic novel. On Tuesday, February 17, OCC will introduce Veidt Enterprise’s “Nite Owl Dark Roast,” a limited-edition confection and collectible designed for fans and organic coffee gourmands alike. A portion of the proceeds from the special roast will be donated to charity.

One side of the uniquely crafted steel can resembles artwork straight out of the “Watchmen” universe; the other side features Enos’ striking black & white portrait of Nite Owl, played in the film by Patrick Wilson. And with just ONE run of cans produced, this is sure to be a distinctive and rare collectible.

“Making an imaginary coffee into something real seemed like a fitting and fun way to honor the multi-layered world of ‘Watchmen.’ And having a majority of profits go to charity seems a little like something Adrian Veidt would do,” says Enos.

Further adding to the excitement, the OCC is sponsoring a contest for one lucky customer to win two tickets to the Los Angeles premiere and after-party for “Watchmen” on March 3rd, 2009. Orders must be placed before February 26th, 2009.

“Zack Snyder and the other filmmakers got behind the coffee idea early on and suggested the contest to me. I am so excited by the idea of making someone's day not just with great coffee but with an opportunity to be a part of the celebration for the highly anticipated film,” says Enos. “It’s a dream in the making.”

“Nite Owl Dark Roast” Coffee is only available online while supplies last through the OCC’s webstore at www.organiccoffee.com [Direct product link here / image source]

Watchmen Online Video Round-up

2009-02-26T04:06:00.001+08:00

/// Nite Owl & Silk Spectre Bust Into Prison and have fun kicking inmate-a$$ (above / via AICN)

/// Watchmen featurettes peppered throughout the www last week include [via]: #1 via MySpace
/ #2 via MSN / #3 via Sky Movies / #4 via IGN / #5 via Access Hollywood / #6 via Yahoo!Movies

/// Watchmen TV Spot #6 youtubed

Who Watches the Watchmen? A Veidt Music Network (VMN) Special 1983

2009-02-26T04:05:00.001+08:00

Who Watches the Watchmen? = A Veidt Music Network (VMN) Special circa 1983. (Uploaded from BetaSP archive / via New Frontiersman). Tis recently been a slew of Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias-related items posted recently, which sees the brilliant entrepreneur entrenching himself into the pop masses' subconscious. *Cool*

Peddling Senses

Selling Fantasies

Hawking History

Who Watches The Mr Toast Watchmen?

2009-02-26T04:04:00.001+08:00

Best. Alt-Watchmen. Evah.

Starring:
Shaky Bacon as Silk Spectre
Mr Toast as Nite Owl
Joe the Egg as Rorschach
Lemonhead as the Comedian
Clem Lemon as Doctor Manhattan

Drawn by Dan Goodsell, creator of Mr Toast and viewable in their full glory on his Flickr. Best bit of casting (besides the film's) I've seen bar none.

The image shown-left is a photoshopped-montage of Comedian and giant-sized Dr Manhattan for "Operation: Wrath of Burnt Toast" (not official title, I just thought it would be farnie :p) sans flame-thrower - becoz that could get everyone crisy-fried, toasted and scrambled, innit? heh.

WATCHMEN TV SPOT#5

2009-02-17T18:53:00.002+08:00

TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER TRAILER

2009-02-17T18:53:00.001+08:00

[Premiered on MTV]

WATCHMEN TV SPOTS #3 & 4

2009-02-17T18:50:00.000+08:00

Watchmen TV Spots #3 (Dr Manhattan-centric) and #4 (Rorschach-centric) are now viewable online on youtube (video-embedding disdabled)

Source: Superhero Hype

WATCHMEN ARCADE GAME VIRAL SITE

2009-02-17T18:49:00.000+08:00

CLICK www.minutemenarcade.com/uk for a new WATCHMEN Viral website where you can play a 8-bit styled scrolling arcade game featuring The "MINUTEMEN"! You get to choose between being Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. I haven't played til the end, so am not too sure if there'll be any "bonuses" for completing the game (pure speculation on my end, yeh?).

Source: Superhero Hype

WATCHMEN DELUXE ACTION FIGURES @ NEW YORK COMIC CON 2009

2009-02-17T18:47:00.002+08:00

13-incher WATCHMEN Deluxe Action Figures from DC Direct spotted / on display at the recent New York Comic Con 2009 - featuring RORSCHACH, DR MANHATTAN and The COMEDIAN!

*Note: Figures featured in this blog-post are of the 13-inch variety and not the other sized action figures or props and replicas from DC Direct. We've seen them before and you can check them all out at Cool Toy Review [all original images via].

RORSCHACH: I've never been convinced since they first showed the prototype at SDCC'08 (of coz I "saw" it online - which doesn't count for much, I reckon :p). This version somehow looks ... "better"? ~ or could be a trick of the camera ... heh.

DR MANHATTAN in a fitted dark suit with shaking his fist at the folks beyond the glass-display case to return him his shoes ... going blue-barefoot is better than wearing black shoes with white shoes, innit? (Which was somehow the rage in the 80's innit? C'mon, YOU wore them too, innit? heh). I wonder of Dr Manhattan has his blue-undies under this formal attire?

I've had my reservations with THE COMEDIAN - after seeing the online images / ads - which quite frankly; ~~sucked~~ might not have given the fgure justice (geddit? "Justice"? Vigilante-Justice? ... nvrmnd). Here Blake Edwards looks pretty buff-nifty, with his armor and guns - and this is the one time that the overtly-buffed (standard) body-form of the 13-incher tall series actually "works" for The Comedian, IMHO. The removable domino-mask is a nice touch too.

This is here to show the packaging box for the regular-sized action figures :p
Pic-Source: Cool Toy Review

DESOLATION ROW BY MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (FULL MUSIC VIDEO)

2009-02-07T06:01:00.000+08:00

My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row

if you've seen the teaser and liked it - then click to peep the FULL music video for My Chemical Romance's cover of Bob Dylon's "Desolation Row" - and peep a selection of images taken by MCR-lead singer Gerard Way during the making of the music video - which was directed by WATCHMEN-director Zack Snyder:

Mikey Way's guitar from the video.
Source: MCR

WATCHMEN VIDEO JOURNAL #11: RORSCHACH'S MASK / RORSCHACH SCANS FROM FILM COMPANION

2009-02-07T05:18:00.000+08:00

EMPIRE debuts the 11th Watchmen Video Journal [via SHH] focusing on the vigilante Rorschach's mask. One more VJ to go before the movie premieres March 6th 2009. Meanwhile, peep below some scans of Rorschach's alter-ego "Walter Kovacs" - played by Jackie Earle Haley - from the Watchmen Film Companion-book. [Scans via io9.com]

(*WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW*)

Hiding in plain-sight, Kovacs heralds the end of the earth every day along the city-streets!

Nite Owl and Silk Spectre walks past Kovacs without realizing he is
Rorschach, as he does what we say in local Singlish: "Acting Blur" ~ heh

Maybe Rorschach is checking out Silk Spectre's ... well, you can't blame the man, innit? heh.

Kovacs gets hunted down and gets himself incarcerated.

... Somehow I don't think he'll be anyone's biatch, innit? *gulp*

Kovacs sticks it to teh man! Was the canteen food that bad? :p

100% WWATCHMEN KUBRICKS FROM MEDICOM TOY

2009-02-03T05:02:00.000+08:00

First Medicom Toy presented us with WATCHMEN BE@RBRICKS [in Dec 2008 for a March 2009-release] and now we have 100% WATCHMEN KUBRICKS! Scheduled for a June-2009 release featuring Kubrick-personifications of THE COMEDIAN / NITE OWL II / OZYMANDIAS / DR.MANHATTAN / RORSCHACH / SILK SPECTRE II.

JUSTICE IS COMING TO ALL OF US. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO ~ SRP is 23,520YEN (US$262 / SGD$397) for a carton of 24 blind-boxed figures - which works out to approx US$11-per figure. And it would've been really cool if they'd release a 400% (28cm tall) Dr Manhattan tho (I suppose 1000% would be a tad too overkill LOL). And Rorschach's mini Grappling Gun rawks!

TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER & UNDER THE HOOD DVD DETAILS

2009-02-01T18:05:00.004+08:00

Warner Home Video has released the DVD and Blu-ray Disc covers for Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood, coming to stores on March 24. Here is how the studio describes the release:

They're in the book. And on this disc. From the director of Watchmen and 300 come two tales from the celebrated graphic novel that do not appear in the extraordinary Watchmen Theatrical Feature. Tales of the Black Freighter (featuring the voice of 300's Gerard Butler) brings to strikingly animated life the novels richly layered story-within-a-story, a daring pirate saga whose turbulent events may mirror those in the Watchmen's world. Stars from the Watchmen movie team in the amazing live-action/CGI Under the Hood, based on Nite Owl's powerful first-hand account of how the hooded adventurers came into existence. Two fan-essential stories. One place to watch the excitement. Watching the Watchmen begins here.

The DVD and Blu-ray also include the features "Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen" and "A First Look at Green Lantern."

Source: Superhero Hype

"Marooned" tells the story of a young mariner cast adrift at sea, making his way to his hometown to warn its inhabitants of the coming of the Black Freighter. During his journey he is "forced by the urgency of his mission to shed one inhibition after another", including using the bodies of his dead shipmates as a make-shift raft and mistakenly killing innocent people as he makes his way to town. When he finally returns home, believing it to already be under the occupation of the ship's crew, he accidentally attacks his own wife in their darkened home. Afterward, he returns to the sea shore, where he finds the Black Freighter; he swims out to sea and climbs aboard the ship.

Moore has said that the story of The Black Freighter ends up specifically describing "the story of Adrian Veidt". Richard Reynolds states that just like Veidt, the protagonist of "Marooned" "hopes to stave off disaster by using the dead bodies of his former comrades as a means of reach his goal". Moore has said that "Marooned" can also be used as a counterpoint to other parts of the story, such as Rorschach's capture and Dr. Manhattan's self-exile on Mars." [wiki]

MORE WATCHMEN PORTRAITS (FEATURING RORSCHACH)

2009-02-01T01:42:00.001+08:00

Entertainment Weekly posts an image of Rorschach "as he shoots a grappling gun into the Comedian's apartment while investigating his fallen comrade's mysterious death." [via SHH] ... while Movienewz has more images to add to the earlier posted photos from the WATCHMEN: PORTRAITS coffee-table book featuring photography by Clay Enos (looks like a press -package tho, glossy-pages and all, but what do I know, innit? :p). Check out the link above for more images (FYI: Possible SPOILERS within). Here are some mirrored ones that are primarily Rorschach-centric:

Rorschach's personal journal. yumz.

Walter Kovacs aka Rorschach's file / Walter in prison with crime boss; "Big Figure"

~~Max Hedroom~~ Moloch bleeding from a head-wound / Vietnam War-era Pilot for Operation: Wrath of God!
I recognize the kid at the newsstand reading "Tales of the Black Freighter"-comics and the guy from The New Frontiersman who receives Rorschach's journal at the end of the comicbook-story, innit? Images via Movienewz.

DESOLATION ROW BY MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

2009-01-30T18:06:00.001+08:00

MTV Shows

Music-video-snippet of My Chemical Romance's cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" ~ to go with the Watchmen 12" Picture Disc vinyl record. The mv is directed by Watchmen-movie director Zack Snyder and will premiere in full on iTunes Music Store on Friday.

MTV.com reports: "Keen eyes should already be able to pick out a few nods to the "Watchmen" film in the video — check the smiley face on drummer Bob Bryar's kit, and the massive Rorschach symbol the band performs in front of — but according to Way, the tie-in doesn't end there. When we spoke to him a few months back, he revealed that the song now plays a huge part in Snyder's much-discussed new ending to the film."

Source: MCR

THE FINAL WATCHMEN POSTER

2009-01-30T17:35:00.001+08:00

Peep the Final WATCHMEN Movie Poster shown first slide-above [via FirstShowing] - which frankly looks like it's for an upcoming soap-opera, IMHO. This of course, does not include the different variations from different countries (heh). Directed by Zack Snyder, Watchmen premieres March 6th 2009.

WATCHMEN MOVIE BOOKS: PORTRAITS / THE ART OF / FILM COMPANION

2009-01-30T16:56:00.001+08:00

There's this whiff of a warped-hint of irony (or perhaps it be "cyclic-evolution") whereby the conceptual-path / journey of a live-action film adapted from a printed-comic book (story) further produces printed-books about the making of said live-action-film. Glorious, methinks. And Rorschach has become the de-facto poster-child for the film (heh).

Watchmen: Portraits by photographer Clay Enos is a hardcover coffee table book showcasing portraits (duh) of both cast and crew from the Watchmen-film. Amazon has it listed for pre-order at US$50 (discounted to US$31.50) with a February 10th 2009-release date.

These black & white stills / images have been released via Empire Online and shows Rorschach (whose on the cover of the book too), The Comedian, Nite Owl, (a very yummy) Silk Spectre, Ozymandias and a pre-atomic Dr Manhattan.

Source: GeekyRants

Watchmen: The Art of the Film by Peter Aperlo is a hardcover book showcasing behind-the-scenes story boards, conceptual art, costume designs etc, as well as feature new illustrations by the artist for the "original" Watchmen-comicbook; Dave Gibbons! Aint It Cool News scored a couple of panels (mirrored below ;p) Amazon has priced it at US$40 (with a discount at US$26.40) with a February 10th 2009 release date.

Amazon also lists a Watchmen: The Official Film Companion (Hardcover Edition) for US$29.95 (discounted at US$19.77) with a February 17th-release date - and Total Film reveals exclusive never-before-seen page-images (6) which shows some *Movie-SPOILERS* (You have been warned :p)

DR MANHATTAN IN VIETNAM 1970

2009-01-30T16:55:00.001+08:00

Above shows a front page article from The New York Gazette (dated: June 18 1970) - while the below photo shows Viet Cong troops bow down before Dr Manhattan in the process of surrendering (dated: June 21, 1970) - which perhaps might seem a tad insensitive, but hey, at least Dr Manhattan is wearing something to cover up his blue-glow-nasties innit? heh.

Source: The New Frontiersman

DR MANHATTAN & THE COMEDIAN IN VIETNAM 1970

2009-01-30T16:53:00.000+08:00

(Above) Dr Manhattan photographed on day one of Operation Wrath of God (June 15 1970)

(Right) A photograph of extra-normal government operative The Comedian in Vietnam in 1970 (exact date and location unknown)

[Both photographs © Alain Guillon]

Source: The New Frontiersman

OPERATION: WRATH OF GOD

2009-01-30T16:52:00.001+08:00

CLICK on image to view in full the newly de-classified Nixon's executive order authorizing Dr Manhattan to intervene in the Vietnam War in an operation codenamed 'Wrath of God'. (May 22nd 1970)

Source: The New Frontiersman

NBS NIGHTLY NEWS WITH TED PHILIP (MARCH 11th 1970)

2009-01-30T16:51:00.001+08:00

[via The New Frontiersman]

APOLLO MOON LANDINGS (1969)

2009-01-30T16:50:00.001+08:00

"Dr Manhattan photographs Neil Armstrong on the occasion of the Apollo moon landings, July 20th 1969" [via The New Frontiersman] ... and two-plus months later, TRE was borne. There is no connection between either individuals. (If there was, I couldn't tell you too). Altho I hope Dr Manhattan didn't flash Neil on the moon ~ that might've been a tad awkward, IMHO...

THE NEW FRONTIERSMAN LAUNCHES

2009-01-30T16:48:00.000+08:00

The WATCHMEN Movie [tagged] online viral has officially begun with the launch of The New Frontiersman website @ www.thenewfrontiersman.net - with the previously "sealed" folder - now "opened" to reveal correspondence, military documents, newspaper and magazine articles, photographs and video reports from and about the world of Watchmen thru the reporters and journalists of The New Frontiersman, and will continue to reveal them until the launch of the movie on March 6th - with the desire and aim to "bringing the wider world of WATCHMEN to life for as broad an audience as possible."

"Accessibility" seems to be the direction for this particular campaign, with updates made readily available via RSS feeds generated by Friendfeed - which encompasses Flickr, YouTube and Twitter-accounts - no doubt manned by the pool of "New Frontiersman-journos", yeh? *Coolio*

And while the "full" story of Watchmen is known to fans of the comicbook (*raises hands* - happily, not smugly, mind) - which means there is hardly any *spoiler-surprises* to be spilt (ala 2008's The Dark Knight) - hence less of the shock'n'awe tactic (even for folks who are not familiar with the story). And from the description of New Frontiersman, it is more likely about creating, and revealing a world where we both fear and are in awe of superheroes, and where we participate as the "everyman" (unlike say, Hellboy2's viral - which frankly were more attuned to and focused on the Fantasy / RPG-genre crowd, IMHO).

[DECLASSIFIED: Wally Weaver's Testimony Affidavit pertaining to the events surrounding Jon Osterman's fatal intrinsic field accident at Gila Flats Test base > CLICK on image to read]

Tabloid Sensationalism versus Investigative Journalism. If The New Frontiersman's direction were to parallel tabloids and rags of yesteryears? Then there may yet be juicy news to come, IMHO. Opened case files begin from 1959, starting from the era of the Minute Men - which in itself is as salacious as it gets LOL (If I said I had a "crush" on The Silhouette, would you think little of me? :p)

[NYPD incident report for the murder of Ursula Zandt (AKA The
Silhouette) and a female companion – November 12th 1954.]
But if they decide upon the latter, than perhaps it may be a slow burn, with more "meat" than just the "gravy" (?) - as evident with the crime reports currently on display in the "website's folders". Heck, their tagline reads: "Integrity in journalism" innit? We'll see if this holds true, yeh?

[Mothman gone bonkers and gets a one-way-trip to the funny-farm for ex-superheroes]
....Or perhaps I'm just thinking too much into it, and should just go along for the ride, for it is just a few short weeks/months leading to the movie's premiere on March 6th, and the Doomsday Clock has begun it's countdown.

Source: Superhero Hype

WATCHMEN TV SPOT 2

2009-01-30T16:47:00.001+08:00

WATCHMEN MOVIE WEBSITE RELAUNCH & COURT CASE SETTLED

2009-01-30T16:45:00.000+08:00

In the case of WB versus FOX for rights of The WATCHMEN Movie: "Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theatres." [via SHH] = Cool. Now can we get on with the gettin' on?

And the best thing about the new WATCHMEN website relaunch ~ besides the new wallpapers and dedicated-videos for individual characters (all footage we've seen before, so chill), are the voice-over / movie-narration from the principles themselves, coupled with Tyles Bates' music score, really helped heightened the mood, IMHO.

Altho Initially, I'd wanted to comment about the synth-music; becoz it sounded like really super-mofo cheezy-90's / late-80's muzak, with overt-Vangelis Bladerunner-isque middle-of-the-night tunnage ... but then I realized (or convinced myself, whichever worked) that perhaps that was the "true intention" in the first place? Well, becoz the film is set around that era, innit? (Only thing missing is some H.Faltermeyer-stuff. heh) ~ If that be the truth, then it worked and I can't wait to watch the movie ... Gawds! I'm "easy" aren't I? heh.

WATCHMEN 12" VINYL PICTURE DISC featuring MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

2009-01-30T16:43:00.000+08:00

Peep the new WATCHMEN 12" Picture Disc featuring My Chemical Romance's version of "Desolation Row" (covering Bob Dylan's classic) scheduled for a January 27th-release but available for pre-order HERE @ a special online price of US$11.99 (Usual Price: US$15.99). Personally, I think this is a well-worth getting collectible / movie memorabilia. And this is just the vinyl-skin design - I wonder how the sleeve is gonna look like... *yumz*

Picture Disc Includes:
SIDE A: My Chemical Romance "Desolation Row" (Smiley Face)
SIDE B: Tyler Bates "Prison Fight" Track from the Original Motion Picture Score (Rorschach City Scene)

Source: MCR

[My Chemical Romance Live in Las Vegas 2008]

[Bob Dylan Desolation Row Live 1966]

WATCHMEN TV SPOT (NFL-WEEKEND)

2009-01-30T16:42:00.001+08:00

New WATCHMEN TV Spot aired during the NFL Playoffs circa U.S. weekend just. I'd like to tell you what I thought of the footage, but I've to see it, as the youtube-player ain't playing jack ... maybe later when the bandwidth is all cleared up, yeh? heh.

Source: Superhero Hype

THE NEW FRONTIERSMAN DOT NET (WATCHMEN MOVIE VIRAL MICROSITE)

2009-01-30T16:41:00.001+08:00

Folks who've read the WATCHMEN comicbooks / graphic novels may remember Walter Kovacs aka Rorschach keeping a journal filled with his conspiracy theories, writings and rambling, and of his constant mails to "a far right-wing" newspaper named The New Frontiersman ~ which sadly always gets ignored as crank-mail (guess what was in the last mail to the mag?). Well, seems a new online viral website for the live-action movie (by Zack Snyder) has gone live at www.thenewfrontiersman.net!

Currently only a montage image of a "journal" with a Minute Men group-photo clipped up top, over a copy of the newspaper and a mail-envelope resides next to a smiley-button not unlike The Comedian's (*cough*). SHH reports that: "There is no content on the site right now but the seal will break early next week, and there will be a fair bit of content on the site leading up to the release of the film, including photos, documents and video"

*Cool*

Source: Superhero Hype

WATCHMEN VIDEO JOURNAL #10: THE MINUTE MEN

2009-01-30T16:38:00.000+08:00

WATCHMEN Video Journal #10 focuses on the Minute Men of the 1940's and the origins and motivations of the retro-heroes. Two more VJs to go before the movies' premiere (hopefully) in March 2009! ~ Watch it via glorious Quicktime or HD @ www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/. Screengrabs below feature character-description of the Minute Men (*WARNING: Story Spoilers Contained Within descriptions*):

HOODED JUSTICE: An extremely large, imposing figure, Hooded Justice, whose real identity is not revealed in Watchmen but who some claim is ex-circus strongman Rolf Müller, was the first of the costumed vigilantes. His brutality towards criminals rivaled that of Rorschach. It is implied that he was in fact a homosexual, and that he got sexual gratification from violence. Hooded Justice interferes with The Comedian’s attempt to rape Silk Spectre I, breaking his nose in the process. Sally Jupiter, or Silk Spectre I, posed as his girlfriend, but this was a sham relationship set up to conceal Hooded Justice's homosexuality and interest in violent sexual encounters with teen boys.

Hooded Justice vanished at the time that The Minutemen were questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and was never seen again.

(Editor: It has been implied in the comics that Hooded Justice was in fact killed by The Comedian later on, for revenge)

DOLLAR BILL: a member of the Minutemen who died during a bank robbery in the 1940s.

CAPTAIN METROPOLIS: Nelson Gardner, an ex-Marine Lieutenant, was one of the more active proponents of The Minutemen group; he suggested that a collaboration of forces would be the most effective way to fight crime. "Social ills" motivate him to fight crime. However, what he defines as a "social ill", for example anti-war demonstrations, promiscuity, and "Black Unrest" show that his motivations for changing the world are shaped by unexamined assumptions of social norms, rather than pro bono publico, although he insists that this isn't true. In 1974, he is decapitated in a car accident according to Rorschach's diary. Hollis Mason's book acknowledges that Gardner had made several racial slurs about Black Americans and Hispanics during his years on the Minutemen.

He was also involved in a homosexual relationship with Hooded Justice, thus necessitating a need for Sally Jupiter (Silk Spectre I) and Hooded Justice's very public (but sham) relationship as a cover story to avoid any public suspicion of a relationship which would surely damage the image of The Minutemen.

NITE OWL (aka Hollis Mason): Hollis Mason was a policeman who became a "masked adventurer" after being inspired by the New York Gazette's article on Hooded Justice. After years of serving in The Minutemen, he wrote a book called Under the Hood, which exposed much about the Minutemen, most notably the attempted rape of Sally Jupiter (Silk Spectre I) by The Comedian.

After the dissolution of The Minutemen and the rise of Doctor Manhattan, he elected to retire and work on old cars, passing his mantle on to a fan, Dan Dreiberg, who would become Nite Owl II. Later, on Halloween, 1985, during a riot that breaks out after Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II free Rorschach from prison, a violent street gang under the influence of stimulants, believing Mason to be the Nite Owl who had freed Rorschach, attacks Mason in his home and beat him to death. The character of Nite Owl (Hollis Mason) is largely inspired by Blue Beetle. In the movie, he is portrayed by Stephen McHattie.

MOTHMAN: a former member of the Minutes who suffered from alcoholism and mental illness later in life.

SILHOUETTE: a former member of the Minutemen who retired after her status as a lesbian became public knowledge. Was murdered by one of her enemies.

SILK SPECTRE (aka Sally Juspeczyk): Sally Juspeczyk was a waitress and burlesque dancer before becoming a crimefighter on the advice of her agent, and future husband, Laurence Schexnayder. Silk Spectre I was sexually assaulted by The Comedian, but the attack was ended by Hooded Justice's intervention. A (while) later, emotionally turbulent consensual encounter with the Comedian resulted in the conception of her daughter, Laurie, who would become Silk Spectre II.

Silk Spectre I was involved in a tumultuous marriage with Schexnayder, which subsequently ended in divorce. The character of Silk Spectre (Sally) is inspired largely by Black Canary and Phantom Lady, as opposed to the Charlton character Nightshade. In the movie, she is portrayed by Carla Gugino.

THE COMEDIAN is Edward Blake, who began his vigilante career in the 1940s as a young man. Over the years, he became a patriotic hero for the United States. The Comedian was based on the Charlton Comics character Peacemaker, with elements of the Marvel Comics spy character Nick Fury added. Moore and Gibbons saw The Comedian as "a kind of Gordon Liddy character, only a much bigger, tougher guy".[2]

Already deceased when the story begins, his murder is what sets the plot in motion. The character appears throughout the story in flashbacks and aspects of his personality are revealed by other characters.[3] Richard Reynolds described The Comedian as "ruthless, cynical, and nihilistic, and yet capable of deeper insights than the others into the role of the costumed hero".[3] Along with Dr. Manhattan, he is the only government-sanctioned superhero after the Keene Act banning superheroes is passed. Although he attempted to rape the first Silk Spectre in the 1940s, issue eight reveals that years later he fathered her daughter Laurie.

In the 2009 feature film, he will be portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Source: All character text-descriptions are lifted directly from wikipedia and is yet to be authenticated (by me).

JAPANESE WATCHMEN TRAILER (JAN 2009)

2009-01-30T16:35:00.000+08:00

New footage seen in the just-released WATCHMEN movie [TAGGED] Japanese trailer - featuring historical characters in context to the superheroes - including the JFK assassination, Nixon etc. Also pop by the official Japanese movie-website @ www.watchmen-movie.jp ~ where you'll have the distinct pleasure of seeing Zack Snyder with sound-bytes snipped into multiple short-video-clips (heh).

Source: SuperheroHype

Source: Trailer-Addict via Aint It Cool News

WATCHMEN EXCLUSIVE ONLINE FEATURETTE (DEC 2008)

2009-01-30T16:33:00.000+08:00

A new WATCHMEN Featurette debut online a few days' back (just before 2009) ~ which feels like a "Watchmen Journal" altho I didn't debut on the 6th like every other month priors tho (or maybe tis fast-tracked becoz of the legal problems plaguing the film now?). I don't care who's wrong or right, just gimme my damned WATCHMEN, aight? ~ let not a tombstone lie in place of the movie's premiere ... CLICK THRU to view embedded myspace-player or go view direct from SOURCE :)

Watchmen Exclusive

Source: Aint It Cool News

100% WATCHMEN BE@RBRICKS (SET A & B)

2009-01-30T16:32:00.000+08:00

Medicom Toy may not have followed my earlier design proposals - but I'm surprised and nevertheless overjoyed that they are producing WATCHMEN BE@RBRICKS!

Featuring characters based on the movie adaptation of the comicbook - the crime-fighters will be made available in two separate sets (3-packs): SET A features The Comedian, Nite Owl and Ozymandias, while SET B features Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach and Silk Spectre.

Priced at ￥3,990 (US$44 / SGD$64) per 3-pack - with a March 2009 release-date. Although with it's current legal woes [READ] ~ will the release dates remain the same?

Personally, I reckon they could do with a 400% Dr Manhattan to go with the series, yeh? Theoretically he could even grow up to 1000% (ala the comicbooks) but that'll be a mite too indulgent, innit? heh.

Source: Medicom Toy

WARNER BROS PICTURES 2009 PREVIEW

2009-01-30T16:30:00.000+08:00

Frankly, I'm not too sure if these following images posted here [courtesy of Comingsoon.net / via the release of Warner Bros. Pictures 2009 preview] are actually "new" or previously released pics ... and all this seems like just one big obligatory-update post, dunnit? Be that as it may, Rorschach looks cool as a killer canary perched on the The Comedian's condo window-sil and Silk Spectre's feeling the effect of the chilly polar-winds ~ so I'm good where I'm at. yep.

[Hail, hail, the gangs all here! / Dr Manahattan gets a "Private Chris-Taylor"-moment...]

WATCHMEN: COMIC CON 2008 PREVIEW

2009-01-30T16:29:00.001+08:00

Here's an embedded version of the WATCHMEN: Comic-Con 2008 Preview currently watchable on iTunes [CLICK]. 3+ minutes worth of footage previously shown the San Diego Comic Con 2008. Had to re-watch it without the music. Silk Spectre pulling down the tarp to reveal [Archie] actually gave me goosebumbs! LOL

WATCHMEN VIDEO JOURNAL #9 / SDCC-FOOTAGE ON iTUNES

2009-01-30T16:21:00.001+08:00

"Details", folks - tis all about the "Details" (especially for props and sets). And most times, details get lost thru the transition from inception, to the legion sat in darkened cinema halls, chopping down on their popcorn and sucking on their sodas, oblivious to the effort put in by the Art Department (where I formerly plied my "trade"). But details are not missed out on by fanboys and fangirls of genre-flicks. Nope, details are lived on by us folks. And in WATCHMEN, I reckon tis imperative that the details be an essential part of the movie, IMHO.

WATCHMEN Video Journal #9 debut on Omelette December 6th (click on 'VIDEOBLOG DIR. DE ARTE' / via] - while I selfishly waited for the higher-res QT/HD versions that'll inevitably go online a couple or so days later (better screengrab-resolutions :p). Check out the Quicktime + HD-direct links here: Small / Medium / Large / HD Versions.

In addition - the 3-minutes' worth of footage shown previous at San Diego Comic Con is now viewble free (and unbootlegged LOL) on iTunes and the Apple App Store at www.itunes.com/watchmenmovie. I can't seem to be able to watch it now, so you folks just go ahead and knock yourselves out without me, yeh? *sigh*

More probable to be Hollis Mason's abode. (Diggin' the classic Nite Owl statue tho)

Silk Spectre @ her mom's.

The Tales of the Black Freighter-connection (I've always felt this was over-hyped, IMHO)

Rorschach sans the rorschach-mask effect - but dude has a grappling-gun, so that
rawks LOL ... but then again, without his hat, he's just another punk with a mask - heh.

I really, really hope this is not (just) the main pathway to Ozymandias' sancturm becoz it just looks like an entrance to a natural history museum mock-up ... I've been seeing this on quite a few video-journals already and is one of the only very few things that bugs me to shitte ... but that's just me.

... Some days I really do miss my "former" dayjob ... *le-sigh*

WATCHMEN MOVIE TOYS UPDATE: VARIANT EDITIONS

2009-01-30T16:18:00.000+08:00

The WATCHMEN MOVIE Action Figure series [tagged] continues with a trio of "Variant" releases - featuring a TRANSLUCENT-DR.MANHATTAN, an UNMASKED RORSCHACH and a FLASHBACK Version of THE COMEDIAN - without the facial scar! (Pre-Vietnam War glory days).

All three figures stand between 6.25" to 7" tall and are limited to 5,000 pcs each design (remember their quantity limitations are vastly different than designer vinyls LOL). Each figure features multiple points of articulation and a base, and comes packaged in a 4-color window box.

But all three have different release-dates tho: The Comedian drops first on February 11th 2009, a week later Dr. Manhattan drops Feb 26, and finally followed by Rorschach on March 11th. Wizard has it on pre-order for US$50.99 for three (to ship late-March after Rorschach drops).

Personally speaking, I'd rather be able to collect and complete the entire set, than to pick up bits and pieces - but having mentioned that (and seeing thy future financial situation) - this more likely than not; will not happen. Damn.

WATCHMEN MOVIE UPDATE: TRAILER 2 & CHARACTER POSTERS

2009-01-30T16:16:00.001+08:00

The second WATCHMEN Movie Trailer is now viewable online @ Yahoo!Movies [via SHH] - which features longer scene sequences, helping to tell a story rather than just flashing kickass-visuals. Quite delish actually, but somehow did not give me the goosepimpled-tingles watching it, compared to the previous trailers/teasers :p

I've since decided that even IF this Zack Snyder-directed movie becomes a train-wreck, I would've still loved the visuals, the design, and most of all, the eternal romantique notion of having a comicbook story adapted into moving visuals. But that's just me :) ... Meanwhile, clicketh images below to view embiggened character posters of the movie six primary protagonists [via SHH].

[Am still unsure of this poster-style is uber-cool, or just utter comicbook-wannabe drivel]

THIS CITY IS AFRAID OF ME - I'VE SEEN IT'S TRUE FACE: NEW WATCHMEN POSTER & THE PREQUEL GAME

2009-01-30T16:15:00.001+08:00

Yahoo!Movies debuts a new WATCHMEN poster [via SHH] that looks like Future Peter Petrelli standing in the middle of New York (gawd I relished Epsiodes 1+2 Tuesday last) ... while Rorschach lands the cover-pic of EGM magazine [via 1up] which tells of an upcoming (downloadable and episodic) prequel game; "Watchmen: The End Is Nigh"? Read Game-overview here while I go sort out me thoughts on how indignant I should feel about the existence of a "prequel", in whatever form it may take ... hhmmm

Meanwhile SHH reports that there may be a new Watchmen Trailer attached to Quantum of Solace (can anyone in Singapore confirm if they've seen that in Singapore?) - read all about the trailer-contents on Dark Horizons.

WATCHMEN VIDEO JOURNAL #8: GIRLS KICK ASS

2009-01-30T16:12:00.001+08:00

The monthly Watchmen Video Journals [tagged] continues with it's 8th installment of behind-the-scenes look at the production of the upcoming movie features Silk Spectres past and present - with a focus on "Mommy Spectre" (aka "Sally Jupiter" played by Carla Gugino) and "Hawtie Spectre"(aka "Laurie Juspeczyk" played by Malin Akerman) taking center-screen ... Don't know who they are? WIKI them yourselves. heh. (actually, I now suspect where I'd gotten my "heh"s from - from Rorschach! heh.)

Check out the burning map behind Ozymandias - an exact replica of the comicbook scene (shown in the video-journal). Silk Spectre's hair done up like that looks pretty hawt, IMHO. HEY! Who ya calling "one-track-mind"? ... heh.

"Classic" Minute Men gathering! (in many ways, the kitschy costumes still exist in local Singapore productions ... sad but ultimately true ...

What a charming smile Blake Edwards aka The Comedian has, innit? And "not-so-little" Sally Jupiter aka Silk Spectre falls for the dimples, innit? ... I think Director Zacl Snyder feels ignored here, innit?

Hangman thinks he's gonna get lucky, but nnnooooo - who in their right minds wanna bum pelvises with a dude in an executioner's hood and a noose around his neck? Like, C'MON!

Silk Spectres past and present :)

JUSTICE IS COMING TO ALL OF US. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO: WATCHMEN POSTER & TEASER VIDEO @ SCREAM AWARDS 2008

2009-01-30T16:08:00.001+08:00

A WATCHMEN Teaser Poster was revealed @ SCREAM 2008 Awards - featuring the opening act / scene where The Comedian is thrown off the building hence setting forth the events of the movie adaptation of the comicbook series written by Alan Moore. [via SHH]. Along with it comes a Teaser Video featuring quite a number of new footage - for which I nearly weeped like a wee laddie watching just (I managed to suck it in, I'll be strong, I will) ... I don't know about you folks, but I can't effin' wait to watch this flick! BTW: the movie now has a R-rating, for violence = *cool* - anything lesser would be a travesty, IMHO.

Peep the video in QT here: Small / Medium / Large / HD Versions

WATCHMEN VIDEO-JOURNAL#7: BLUE MONDAY

2008-10-08T15:38:00.002+08:00

Watchmen's Dr Manhattan shows you how to go emo goth with marine blue, while SCI FI Wire hosts the Watchmen Video Journal #7: Blue Monday (no, not this Blue Monday) - where it offers a behind-the-scenes look at how director Zack Snyder and the effects team brought Billy Crudup's Dr. Manhattan to reel-life [via]. Included is a glimpse of Rorschach visiting Manhattan in his lab and the Silk Spectre visiting him on the Moon. Click HERE to watch ... Meanwhile, here are some screengrabs for giggles :p

MYSTERY OF THE MISSING PJs

SILK SPECTRE-SALLY: "So that's where my PJ's disappeared to!"
DR MANHATTAN: "Honey, the lab's pretty cold, is all..."

SILK SPECTRE-JUPITER: "So Mom was right? That's where my PJ's disappeared to!"
DR MANHATTAN: "Honey, the Moon's surface is cold, is all..."

RORSCHACH INVESTIGATES THE ATOMIC CRACK

Rorschach probably has his eyes closed under the mask...

RORSCHACH: "Manhattan. I need your crack to help a case I'm working on. heh"

DR MANHATTAN: "Dude."

DR MANHATTAN: "Here's something to help illuminate your way. You know where to shove it up."
RORSCHACH: "Dude."

And they ask, "Who's Watching The Watchmen?"

DR MANHATTAN: "Dude."

WATCHMEN VIDEO-JOURNAL#6: THE LOOK OF WATCHMEN

2008-09-10T13:21:00.000+08:00

[QUICKTIME-Links: Small / Medium / Large / HD versions]
The WATCHMEN movie was mostly shot on a single camera? Director of Photography Larry Fong (IMDB / "300", "Lost") weighs in on his craft and director Zack Snyder's visual direction in Watchmen Video-Journal #6 [via IGN Movies]. Some select-screengrabs below featuring Rorschach, Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan.

Don't ever serve Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) watered-down whiskey... heh.

Ozymandia's Egyptian-themed lair in the arctic? Nite Owl would like to know too! LOL

Dan Dreiberg aka Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), sans cape and cowl! (gotta lurve the balding plate)

Silk Spectre visits Dr Manhattan on the Moon?

Poor Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup), ridden with celluloid-pox LOL

MORE WATCHMEN TOYS @ SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION 2008

2008-07-29T12:03:00.002+08:00

Busts and Prop Replicas on display @ San Diego Comic Convention 2008 - with images via CoolToyReview:

DR MANHATTAN @ SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION 2008

2008-07-29T11:43:00.003+08:00

DR MANHATTAN 13-incher Deluxe Figure (above-left) and Statue (above-right) spotted on DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com [pics via] as revealed during San Diego Comic Convention 2008. Altho I would understand the need for "authenticity", but a clothed-Y-front for the good doctor may be a tad stretching it, no? (heh) ... meanwhile CoolToyReview has yet another sweet selection of SDCC-display images of Manhattan, as well as busts and prop replicas :)

WATCHMEN MOVIE TOYS LISTED ON DC DIRECT (JULY)

2008-07-29T11:32:00.004+08:00

After a whirlwind San Diego Comic Convention, DC Direct> has listed a new selection of WATCHMEN TOYS and Collectibles, including the 1/6th Rorschach, Busts of modern Silk Spectre and Nite Owl, an Owl Ship Statue [blogged] and prop replicas from The Comedian and Rorschach:

WHAT: RORSCHACH 1:6 Scale Deluxe Collector Figure

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This 1:6 scale deluxe collector figure of the movie's masked vigilante features an intricate and authentically detailed fabric costume with multiple layers, including a suit, boots, a Rorschach mask and accessories. Packaged in a deluxe 4-color window box with a fifth panel, the figure also comes with a display base.

AVAILABILITY: Priced @ US$99.99 US-per / On Sale March 11, 2009

WHAT: NITE OWL (MODERN) Bust

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Sculpted by Jack Matthews - This hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain bust of the modern version of Nite Owl features a Doomsday Clock depicted on the back of the base. Packaged in a 4-color box, the bust measures approximately 6.75" high x 3.875" wide x 2.875" deep.

AVAILABILITY: US$69.99 / On Sale March 4, 2009

WHAT: SILK SPECTRE (MODERN) Bust

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Sculpted by Karen Palinko - This hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain bust of the movie's female super hero features a Doomsday Clock depicted on the back of the base. Packaged in a 4-color box, the bust measures approximately 7" high x 3.5" wide x 3.75" deep.

AVAILABILITY: US$69.99 / On Sale March 4, 2009

WHAT: OWL SHIP Scale Replica

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This light-up, 1:24 scale replica of the Owl Ship is reproduced from the actual blueprints used to make the ship in the movie!

In addition to the back-lit photographic interior, this replica includes environmental elements on the base that reflect owl elements from the movie!

The entire piece, including the base, measures approximately 7" high x 12" wide x 12" deep, and is packaged in a 4-color box.

AVAILABILITY: US$325.00 / On Sale March 4, 2009

WHAT: RORSCHACH GRAPPLING GUN AND MASK Prop Replica Set

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This prop replica set of Rorschach's grappling gun and mask were created from the actual digital files and pattern that were used to create the pieces used in the movie!

The grappling gun is permanently attached to a display base (which features a Rorschach pattern that is authentic to the movie), while the mask is removable.

The entire piece measures approximately 10.5" high x 13.25" wide x 8" deep, and is packaged in a 4-color box.

AVAILABILITY: US$295.00 / On Sale February 18, 2009

WHAT: THE COMEDIAN'S GUNS AND DOG TAGS Display Set Prop Replica

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This prop replica set features The Comedian's trademark sidearms (with the commemorative handle grips presented by President Nixon), a plaque recognizing The Comedian's service to his country, and his military-issue dog tags. All of the components are permanently mounted inside an acrylic-covered frame, which can be hung on a wall or set on a desktop.

This prop replica of The Comedian's guns are cast from the actual props used in the movie!

The display frame measures approximately 16.5" high x 13" wide x 4.5" deep, and comes packaged in a 4-color box.

* Gun designed by Dave Lauck of DandL Sports, Inc.

AVAILABILITY: US$295.00 / On Sale March 4, 2009

Note: The last item listed probably will never make it into Singapore, as there is a ban on realistic replica firearms - punishable by law, no less!

OWL SHIP & DR MANHATTAN STATUES

2008-07-29T01:22:00.000+08:00

Splashpage.mtv.com scores an online debut of the WATCHMEN MOVIE Owl Ship and Dr. Manhattan Statues! (Expect product specs to go online soon - will update this post if and when they do :p) ... meanwhile, CLICK THRU for more mirrored pics, as well as a sneak peek at a Nite Owl Bust ... And for folks down at SDCC, do look out for the July 26th debut of the 1/6 DR MANHATTAN Deluxe Collectible figure!

[all pics via]

WATCHMEN MOVIE TOYS @ SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION 2008

2008-07-29T01:19:00.001+08:00

Courtesy of Alex via FirstShowing.net - we have a headsup of SDCC Preview Night peeks at the WATCHMEN Movie Action Figures! Shown above are the 13-inch / 1:6-scaled Deluxe Collectible figures of The COMEDIAN and RORSCHACH, along with their nifty props and accessories! (wonder if Comedian's elbows are articulated tho :p) ... and no sign yet of the 1:6 DR MANHATTAN tho (scheduled for a debut on July 26th @ SDCC actually :p).

Below shows the World-wide debut of the Second series of Watchmen Action Figures, with The Classic Nite Owl in the forefront, Classic Silk Spectre on-left and Comedian on right:

The above shows the First Series of figures(debut at NYCC) with (l-r) Silk Spectre, Rorschach and Ozymandias. Below shows the Display Case and a close-up of the Classic Silk Spectre:

More Preview Night action on FirstShowing.net! [all pics via]
(cheers for the headsup, Alex!)

WATCHMEN POSTERS @ SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION

2008-07-29T01:14:00.000+08:00

FirstShowing.net reports of a series of 8 WATCHMEN posters which debuted at SDCC - for which Omlette.com.br has generously uploaded [all pics via] featuring quotes from the principle characters (or about them). Readers of the comicbook / graphic novel will recognize, altho I personally cannot be sure how it will read for folks unfamiliar with the lore ... looking forward to "official" high-res releases of these images online tho :p ... meanwhile, CLICK to read about the Watchmen panel @ SDCC as reported by FirstShowing.

ABOUT THAT WATCHMEN COVER FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

2008-07-20T00:43:00.001+08:00

Above is a photoshopped touched-up version of the Entertainment Weekly
special Comic Con Cover shown below / original hi-res version viewable on AICN

THE "LOCK-THE-DOCTOR-IN-THE-ATOMIC-CHAMBER" PRANK THAT WENT WRONG (CREATING DR MANHATTAN)

2008-07-19T16:59:00.000+08:00

Oh, it's oh-so-funny, locking the doctor in...

C'mon guys, it's actually not that funny ...

Eeerrr.. guys?

EH! It's not funny now, hello!?

... you're making my hairs tingle ...

... you wouldn't like it when my hairs tingle ...

... I am ssoooo going to fail all your asses ...

...anybody got the time? I'm missing a lunch appointment becoz of this prank!

...feelin' kinda drafty in here, innit?

OOP... hor-boy!....

Could you guys at least dial it down a bit?

... there goes my silk shirt ... oh you effin' wankers....

you guys better not be using a vaccum-cleaner on me, or I'll...erk?

*CHILDREN: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME*

[screengrabs via]

FIGHTING THE VIETNAM WAR WITH DR MANHATTAN & THE COMEDIAN

2008-07-19T16:37:00.000+08:00

Dr Manhattan scares the V.C. into spontaneous combustion
with the glimpse of his gigantic cobalt nether-regionals ...

The Comedian laughs at this thought before he
gets his face slashed by a disgrunted local chica.

[screengrabs via / movie still via]

DR MANHATTAN REVEALED!

2008-07-18T13:52:00.003+08:00

Screengrabs of Billy Crudup as DR. MANHATTAN - both his creation and eventual form seen in the Teaser Trailer! (better grabs to come with official release of HD-version trailer online)

WATCHMEN TEASER TRAILER HITS!

2008-07-18T13:51:00.001+08:00

"A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, the film is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the Watchmen?"

1/6 DC DELUXE COMEDIAN

2008-07-16T14:03:00.000+08:00

"This 1:6 scale deluxe collector figure of the nihilistic paramilitary agent comes with many accessories, including multiple guns! The figure is dressed in a movie-accurate, intricate, and authentically detailed costume of full body armor!

Packaged in a deluxe four-color window box with a fifth panel, the figure also comes with a display base." [via]

Looking more "molded" than "tailored-clothed" tho (hhhmmm) - The DC Deluxe 13-inch tall Comedian is scheduled for a February 4th 2009-release @ US$125-per - I'd be expecting more than just twin hand-guns, is all I'm sayin' ... LOL

VIDEO JOURNAL #4: DAVE GIBBONS

2008-07-07T23:57:00.003+08:00

Zack Snyder says: "With Comic-Con right around the corner, it seemed like a good time to reflect on Watchmen's roots in the comic world. Who better to do that than Dave Gibbons himself? For me, Watchmen has been an incredible experience on many so levels, but having the opportunity to get to know Dave and to spend time on set just talking about all things Watchmen has been great. Dave it has been a pleasure. Thanks."

UGO has the exclusive scooper and here are some grabs showing the "classic" Nite Owl apprehending a Nazi-criminal, and of Rorschach talking a leisurely evening walk (better grabs when the HD-version goes online :p)

WATCHMEN SEEN @ CINEMA EXPO, AMSTERDAM

2008-06-25T02:00:00.003+08:00

Seen @ Cinema EXPO in Amsterdam with original pics via Film1.nl = posters utilizing the character shots from way back when - within the layout of a by-now "classic" Watchmen comicbook cover - last seen as a promo-poster featuring original-series artist Dave Gibbons @ SDCC'07 ... and something tells me these may end up as actual (multiple) covers for the inevitably comicbook-adaptation of the movie (quite the ironic-cycle too, innit? "Adapted from the feature film which was adapted by the comicbook!" ... heh) - which of coz, reads very cynical of me, but hey, even tho the images are used-to-death by now (IMHO) they still rawk and let's hope the movies does as well, innit? *yumz*

WATCHMEN MOVIE: ACTION FIGURE ASSORTMENT 2

2008-06-18T02:39:00.000+08:00

Presenting the second action figure assortment, straight from the movie, featuring depictions of "classic" NITE OWL (6.75") and SILK SPECTRE (6.5") from the first generation of heroes, the Minutemen (who established the heroic tradition that the rest of the WATCHMEN characters have followed) as well as the modern COMEDIAN (6.75") and DR MANHATTAN (7") - whose design will be revealed @ SDCC July 26th (send pictures please!)

Packaged in a four-color window box, all figures features multiple points of articulation and a base, and has a February 25th 2009 sales-date. Previous SERIES ONE [PEEP] were priced at US$14.99-per with a January 2009-release date [PEEP].

[info & pics via DC Direct]

WATCHMEN BUSTS FROM DC DIRECT: DR MANHATTAN & THE COMEDIAN

2008-06-18T02:38:00.000+08:00

The DR. MANHATTAN and COMEDIAN cold-cast porcelain busts are added to the previous reported Rorschach & Ozymandias - both hand-painted, with a SRP of US$69.99 and are slate for a February 11th, 2009-release. The Dr. Manhattan Bust features a "clockwork" base, with a Doomsday Clock depicted on the back - and comes packaged in a four-color box, the bust measures approximately 6.5" high x 3.5" wide x 3" deep.

The Comedian Bust features a patriotic, waving-flag base, with a Doomsday Clock depicted on the back - and comes packaged in a four-color box, the bust measures approximately 5.75" high x 3.5" wide x 3" deep.

[info & pics via DC Direct]

VIDEO JOURNAL #3: STUNTS

2008-06-07T06:36:00.003+08:00

I swear, all the while looking at the 3rd Video Journal for the WATCHMEN Movie currently on CHUD.com - John Parr's St. Elmo's Fire was playing in my headspace (most probably becoz I'd always mix up "Man In Motion" with "Man On Fire" - dun ask) - becoz that's what literally happened = a stuntman was set on fire, in the prison riot scene, where Rorschach would eventually face the midget mob boss "Big Figure" ... yah.

WATCHMEN UPDATE: MINUTEMEN, BLACK FREIGHTER ON DVD, & A 3-HOUR SCREEN TIME

2008-05-27T21:58:00.005+08:00

The "classic" 1940's MINUTEMEN [wiki] revealed on AICN - featuring (l-r): Silhouette, Mothman, Dollar Bill, Nite Owl, Captain Metropolis, The Comedian (kneeling), Silk Spectre, and Hooded Justice [peep some Costume sketches here / Dollar Bill-costume in color here] - from the Zack Snyder-directed live-action movie adaptation of Alan Moore's WATCHMEN.

SPOILER-ALERT: One of the pivotal scenes in the comicbook that takes place after this group photo was taken, was The Comedian had tried and nearly raped Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter), until Hooded Justice appeared in the nick of time and beat Blake to a pulp - which became one of Blake's breaking point it seems - with Blake being expelled from the Minutemen shortly after ... years later, it was alluded that Hooded Justice was murdered by Blake as revenge for the beating. *nice* [About The Comedian]

The current movie-edit apparently is clocking-in at nearly 3-hours long, according to FirstShowing.net's report from NYTimes - which to me personally, may not be enough to tell the entire story, IMHO - but of coz "suits" may feel differently, as in the end, it isn't all about pleasing fanboys, but of putting butts in seats - plus a little extras in the DVD helps move the product too, innit? (IMHO, of coz) ... I for one will watch however long a film may be, provided there be close access to the restroom (old age = lesser pee-control - shuddup)

And on the DVD--front, Slashfilms reports of the release of the TALE OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER as a 100% animated movie on DVD - 5 days after the Watchmen movie premieres on March 6th 2008. It has been mentioned that the DVD "is budgeted for 30 percent to 50 percent higher than a typical direct-to-DVD effort. he DVD will also include a documentary-style film called “Under the Hood” that will delve into the characters’ backstories."

"Tales of the Black Freighter" is a comic book within the Watchmen universe, an example of post-modern metafiction that also serves as a foil for the main plot. The specific issues shown in Watchmen chronicle a castaway's increasingly desperate attempts to return home to warn his family of the impending arrival of the Black Freighter, a phantom pirate ship which houses the souls of the damned." [read more on Wiki]

"Under the Hood" was a book of biographies of retired costumed adventurers written by the retired first Nite Owl - which were are used in the story to help the reader understand the chronology of events, and also the changes in public opinion and representation of costumed adventurers through the decades.

After the Black Freighter-DVD, the movie DVD will be released 4 months after, and after that - there may well be an "Ultimate Edition DVD" - where both features would be edited into a singular narrative, just like in the original comicbooks ... aiyoh, like that how? *coolness*

[additional comicbook panel-images via lowtion.irg]

WATCHMEN ACTION FIGURES FROM DC DIRECT

2008-05-20T22:37:00.000+08:00

After the recent reveal of the Watchmen Action Figures during NYCC, DC Direct has listed the first of two assortments (totaling eight figures) - with a January 28th, 2009 sale-date. The 1st assortment includes: (1) NITE OWL @ 6.75"-tall, (2) OZYMANDIAS @ 6.75"-tall, (3) RORSCHACH @ 6.25"-tall and (4) SILK SPECTRE (Modern) @ 6.5"-tall ... all figures feature multiple points of articulation and a base, and comes packaged in a 4-color window box (not blister-carded? hhmmm)

I like that they specifically mentioned "Modern" is it's description - will we get to see retro super-heros in the 2nd assortment? I'm placing my bets on (A) Dr Manhattan, (B) Comedian (C) Early Silk Spectre, and (D) Early Nite Owl [peep costumes]

WATCHMEN BUSTS FROM DC DIRECT: RORSCHACH & OZYMANDIAS

2008-05-20T22:35:00.001+08:00

DC Direct is set to release two BUSTS featuring RORSCHACH and OZYMANDIAS:

Based on the upcoming March 6, 2009, Warner Bros. movie WATCHMEN, this hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain bust measures approximately 5.5" tall x 3" wide x 3" deep and is packaged in a 4-color box. With a SRP of US$69.99-per, the busts have a sale-date of January 21st, 2009.

DC DELUXE 1/6 DR. MANHATTAN

2008-05-20T22:29:00.002+08:00

The second DC Deluxe 13-incher articulated action figure after the previously revealed RORSCHACH (circa NYCC) is to be DR MANHATTAN!

Based on the upcoming March 6, 2009, Warner Bros. movie WATCHMEN, this 1:6 scale deluxe collector figure measures approximately 13" tall and comes with a removable black suit (which frankly, looks ill-fitted, IMHO). Packaged in a deluxe 4-color window box with a fifth panel, it also includes a 4-color Certificate of Authenticity. The WATCHMEN MOVIE: DR. MANHATTAN 1:6 Scale Deluxe Collector Figure has a SRP of US$69.99, with a January 21st, 2009-sale date.

As indicated on the ad, the "actual" Dr. Manhattan figure will be unveiled @ the San Diego Comic-Con from July 26th, 2008.

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: RORSCHACH

2008-05-10T14:42:00.004+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of Costume Design Conceptual Sketches for Rorschach - for your kind reference, of coz :)

in the end, beyond the mask, would people ever remember RORSCHACH to be "Walter Joseph Kovacs"?

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: EDWARD BLAKE / THE COMEDIAN

2008-05-10T14:37:00.003+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of Costume Design Conceptual Sketches fo Edward Blake aka The Comedian - for your kind reference, of coz :)

the full-leather costume is a 180-degree change from his much earlier "Court Jester"-themed
spandex-set circa Minute Men ... I wonder what sorta "props" or handheld weapons he had "then"?

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: LAURIE JUPITER / SILK SPECTRE

2008-05-10T14:31:00.002+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of Costume Design Conceptual Sketches for Laurie Jupiter aka Silk Spectre - for your kind reference, of coz :)

pretty risque (not that I'm complaining) even with the flesh-toned body-suit compared to the fishnet-stocking'd costume of Laurie's mum - aka the earlier incarnation of Silk Spectre, yeh?

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: ADRIAN VIEDT / OZYMANDIAS

2008-05-10T14:27:00.003+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of Costume Design Conceptual Sketches for Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias - for your kind reference, of coz :)

for a superhero, the dapper and sharply-dressed Adrian is a tad skinny, innit? IMHO

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: MINUTEMEN & VILLAINS

2008-05-10T14:23:00.004+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of Costume Design Conceptual Sketches for both Minute Men and Villains - for your kind reference, of coz :)

...I coulda sworn "Villain #4" looked like Stan Lee, innit? heh :p

COSTUME DESIGN SCREENGRABS: GENERAL COSTUMES

2008-05-10T14:16:00.004+08:00

The Watchmen Video Journal#2 [blogged] has updated with new links to QT & WMP versions - including HD - which I've grabbed some visuals via. This is a selection of random costumes - for your kind reference, of coz :)

gathering before the Keene Act is enforced?

teh Po-Po all geared-up for the demonstrators?

Would this be the funeral of The Comedian / Edward Blake? (where's Doc Manhatten? :p)

mixed-races Knot-Tops? pretty cool this, IMHO :)

VIDEO JOURNAL #2: COSTUME DESIGN

2008-05-07T23:21:00.004+08:00

[Video Journal #2 on JoBlo.com]
Watchmen director Zack Snyder says: "To put it simply, there is an enormous amount of characters that populate the many time periods and environments of the Watchmen world. Although we encountered many challenges while making Watchmen, one of the most interesting and rewarding was creating the wardrobe for all of those people. This is the second time I've had the pleasure of working with Costume Designer Michael Wilkinson. Once again, I'm amazed by his talent and dedication. Take a look." [via]

[NOTE: apologies for the dismal screengrabs - hopefully clearer ones to come when the links to QT and/or HD-versions are released]

LARRY FONG INTERVIEWED

2008-04-27T19:33:00.000+08:00

WM Director of Photography Larry Fong interviewed on Comicus.it (scroll to bottom of page)

Q: What has been the biggest challenge for you in this project?

A: "The scope of 'Watchmen' is incredible. It spans decades, countries, even planets. We had enormous sets, both on stage and outdoors, bigger than I've ever worked with before. We even built part of New York City. So that means a lot of lights and equipment and manpower. But in the end, the same rules apply: try to have interesting light, composition, movement..."

VEIDT ENTERPRISES ADVERTISING CONTEST

2008-04-23T02:31:00.001+08:00

oh wow. now this is pretty cool-ish:

surfed the Watchmen Movie site just, for some info to find this = create your own TV commercials that could end up in the feature film WATCHMEN! - featuring / utiizing products from "Veidt Enterprises" ("Adrian Veidt" is the alter ego of Ozymandias!) including sneakers, planes, sports products and Nostalgia Perfume (remember the scene where Dr Manhattan drops the bottle on the moon's surface?) - Contest begins as of April 22, 2008 at 12:00:01 am Eastern Time (“ET”), and ends as of June 23, 2008 at 11:59:59 pm ET [via] whereby 20 Finalist Videos will be selected, for Public Voting with the winner announced June 23rd, 2008 ... the only thing missing from the products is the Action Figure, innit? heh.

"Remember, the movie is set in 1985, so TV commercials should be in full frame 4:3 aspect ratio (so it looks like standard TV, not widescreen) and they should be either 15, 30 or 60 seconds in length." = daymn, what a time to be without a video-camera (*wails*) ... meanwhile, PEEP my primary weblog for more details :)

ZACK SNYDER Intro/Explanation:

[Ozymandias action figure-image via Wizard]

WATCHMEN ACTION FIGURES BY DC DIRECT

2008-04-21T19:59:00.001+08:00

only just a coupla days ago both RORSCHACH and NITE OWL made their action-figure debut via EW [blogged] - and now SILK SPECTRE and OZYMANDIAS joins the 7-inch action figure line based on the Zack Snyder-directed live-action WATCHMEN feature film (notice how everyone mentions the "Snyder"-connection rather than Alan Moore's - im juz sayin!) - it has been reported that the figures are slated for a January 2009-drop with a SRP around US$14.99-per ... characters as yet revealed are DR. MANHATTAN and The COMEDIAN (altho no one has mentioned that they are planned to be released ... but tis a given, innit? heh)

[original uncropped images via Figures.com]
... and gawddammit i can't get "When The Saints Go Marching In"-tune out of my mind everytime i see Rorschach in that pose - NOT KIDDING! ... and as ridiculous as this may sound, i miss Ozy's golden headband, very retro and apt for that 80's-vibe, yes? HAH.

[above pics via Wizard]

DC DELUXE 1/6 RORSCHACH

2008-04-21T19:58:00.000+08:00

i personally dislike "flash" pictures (no offense to the folks using flash, of coz) primarily becoz it just brightens up the subject, but do not necessarily add to it's "visual-aesthetic" (spoilt-cyber-brat that i am *cough*) ... but on the same token, it enables us to see the (finer) details where aesthetic-photography may inadvertedly "hide" - and this pic of DC Deluxe's 13-inch tall RORSCHARCH action figure (as seen @ NYCC) does not hide much (besides the back-view - duh) - but of coz no one mentioned that this was a production-piece, becoz the balaclava/sock-mask has got to be a prototype rushed for the con, it has to be, right? ... right? ... ho-boy ... ... lemme go find my toe-sock to cut-up for a kitbash, yeh? ... heh.

[original uncropped images via Figures.com]

DC DIRECT'S NITE OWL & RORSCHACH ACTION FIGURES

2008-04-18T17:56:00.001+08:00

peep Nite Owl and Rorscharch action figures from DC Direct on Entertainment Weekly [via]:

"Though Warner Bros.' Watchmen movie (out March 6, 2009) is still very much a work in progress, DC Direct has put the finishing touches on its collector-edition tie-ins, which are modeled after the characters from director Zack Snyder's film. The company will unveil four of these action-figure prototypes at New York Comic-Con on Friday, April 18, but EW has your exclusive peek at two of them — steadfast vigilante Rorschach and nice-guy superhero Nite Owl - which will hit stores in January 2009 at around US$14.99"

and while i have my own personal opinion of Rorscharch's tiny fedora (perhaps tis due to a possible removable mask? yumz) and marching-stance, i'm equally appreciative of the fact that DC Comics is actively undertaking the production of their own characters/properties, rather than leaving them in the hands of external toy-makers (i know that reads very ignorant of me, but you know what i mean - i've seen the recent Iron Man movie figures just yesterday and am not totally impressed, IMHO) ... anyways, totally looking forward to more! heh :)

WATCHMEN VIDEOLOG: SETS & SENSIBILITY

2008-04-06T18:24:00.004+08:00

director Zack Snyder says: "Here it is, the first of 12 video blogs that we will be releasing during the next year to give you an inside look at the making of Watchmen. We'll launch one every month on the 6th, so keep an eye out for them as they will be premiering on various sites throughout the year. With that said..."

SETS & SENSIBILITY = a delish behind-the-scenes look at the (production) set designs for the Watchmen movie, with Interiors from Dr Manhattan's lab (shown above), to Rorschach's jailcell, to Blake's bachelor pad, to Mason's abode, and out to the NY backlot (where they had the paintball-war) - makes me yearn for the good old days of film production (but not too much).

Who Watches The Watchmen? Indeed! = CLICK HERE for screengrabs (as i prepare a more detailed entry/s on this blog :p)

WATCHMEN STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER'S BLOG

2008-04-06T18:23:00.003+08:00

Zack directs folks to the MAKE PICTURES: the photography blog of Clay Enos, the Stills Photographer for the movie, whose work we've seen thus far on the NY street-set and the 5 main character-reveals, which Enos explains the visual-treatment of here and how he snapped the pics in the first place ... im a sucka for behind-the-scenes and i enjoy reading about b-t-s from another/other non-partison perspective/s.

OPERATION WRATH OF GOD 1970-1971

2008-04-06T17:49:00.001+08:00

click HERE to read what happens to the Watchmen Movie
New York City backlot set after the shoot was over, and
what the origin of the item posted above is = *coolness*

ABOUT THE COMEDIAN

2008-03-10T14:38:00.014+08:00

ORIGIN
Born Edward Morgan Blake in 1924, The Comedian first became a costumed adventurer in 1939, dressed in a clown-like costume with a simple domino mask, and was an effective and brutal vigilante. He became the youngest member of The Minutemen, a prominent group of heroes. After a group photography shoot one day, he sexually assaulted fellow Minuteman Silk Spectre ... she was spared only when another Minuteman, Hooded Justice, interrupted the assault and beat Blake, breaking his nose. The Comedian was expelled from the group ... and continued to work on his own. it was later revealed that Blake was the Birth-Father of Laurie (aka the new Silk Spectre) - but not because of the assault, but of his subsequent relationship with Sally Jupiter (the original Silk Spectre he assaulted earlier)

In the 1940s, after being stabbed by a small-time hood - Blake radically updated his Comedian uniform. He donned a leather outfit that served as light body armor, adorned with short star-and-stripe-themed sleeves and a small happy face button. (the Smiley button and imagery would become iconic with the Watchmen-lore) Only the domino mask remained from the old costume, and The Comedian begun carrying firearms. He fought in World War II, becoming a war hero in the Pacific theater. It is also implied, but not directly stated, that he murdered Hooded Justice in revenge for the beating he suffered. By the late 1960s, Blake had begun working as a covert government operative ... Alongside Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian played a major role in the United States' war with Vietnam.

Shortly after Dr. Manhattan forced the north Vietnamese into full surrender, Blake was confronted by a Vietnamese woman he had seemingly made pregnant. After dismissign her, she slashed his face with a broken bottle in a rage, which left a disfiguring scar from his right-eye down to the corner of his mouth. Blake shot and killed her. After this incident, he wore an enclosing leather gimp-style mask when dressed as The Comedian.

Costumed adventurers faced massive backlash and rioting in the 1970s; in response, Congress passed the Keene Act, requiring all heroes to register with the government if they wished to remain active. The majority of them "retired" in anonymity; a few, like Ozymandias, publicly revealed their identities and capitalized on the sudden fame, while others, such as Rorschach, continued their activities in open defiance of the law. Doctor Manhattan and The Comedian were two of the few who registered with, and were employed by, the government.

While on a plane during a mission in 1985, Blake noticed suspicious activity on an uncharted island. He infiltrated the island and learned of its purpose, the realization of which was severely traumatizing. Unable to bear the burden of knowledge alone, Blake broke into the apartment of Edgar Jacobi, who had fought Blake years earlier as Moloch, and rambled drunkenly about the island.

Ozymandias, who was controlling the island's activity and had bugged Moloch's apartment for his own reasons, responded by personally murdering Blake, throwing him through Blake's apartment window.

and the story starts with Blake's death, as the catalyst for Rorschach to investigate and eventually uncover Ozymandias' true plans for the world. thru reading the comicbook, we learn about Blake's past and i wonder if the movie adaption would take on this format. baring in mind the multiple flashbacks in the comicbook source itself may proof to be quite a task (and we're not even talking about Dr. Manhattan yet! :p), even if the final run of the movie is up to 3 hours! (as compared to 12 issues of the GN). let not The Comedian be just a footnote for story-catalyst sake. A shell of a costume, with no humanity within.

- above contents were edited from The Comedian's Wiki-entry, with only a slight sprinkle of my own commentary.
- additional comic-panel images via lowtion.org

nevertheless, this is my own personal interpretation about the character of The Comedian/Edward Blake (no heavy analysis here, just plain-speak :p):

INTERPRETATION
The Comedian represents the dream; of Justice. A hardworking self-made man fighting FOR justice, whose arrogance (due to recognition and achievement) blinded him to mortal limits and social norms. After he tried to take what he thought he deserved, he got a thrashing instead. He has been scarred indirectly becoz of a woman, without realizing nor accepting he was the true cause for his situation.

His faith in his own abilities were shaken. His perception of the world around him, and of himself, had changed for the dire. Hardened and bitter with that fact, he now fears death. To conquer (and cover up) his own fear, he turns up the violence. He begins down the path to immune himself from death, by creating more deaths. And his "actions" are absolved, by working under the sanction of the government. Justice is now "Just". Justice is now invincible.

He faces his mortality once more, in another country, when yet another woman scars him, this time physically and directly, leaving him a visual scar, which shames him so much, he must cover his face with a full-mask, like he had covered his fear, with violence. He has become a faceless harbringer of justice, in effect he has become the refelction of Hooded Justice, in a visual sense. where one had a noose for a costume-accessory, this one carries a gun and a chip-the-shape-of-a-star on his shoulder, instead.

Mortality greets him face-front once again, when years later, he sees a threat more dangerous that he's ever seen. The reflection (and of the scar) he has been seeing in the mirror all these years, has been eclipsed by the horrors of the realization of what is to come, which only thru his years of violence-letting could have helped him comprehend. The irony is like a hot blade scarring a slab of butter.

With newly discovered clarity, Blake questions himself, of the path he had chosen to take, and embraces humanity by accepting that tis his own decision he had made, and not to blame anyone else in return. Guilt has caught up to him. Death was his reward for his self-revelation. Blake dies a painful death, without redemption. Mudered, as he had done unto countless others, for perhaps more or lesser deserving reasons, it does not matter, in the end game. For mortality offers no solace, even unto death. Blake died as a mortal, the only lingering aspect of his former life, of his search and destructive path in the name of "Justice", was the smiley button he had on. His true mask to the world.

Edward Blake perhaps, represents the American* dream, of Justice. The Comedian was the system that failed Blake. Blake was the mask that The Comedian had tried all these years to hide instead. For justice may not be blind, it perhaps is scarred, IMHO.

But perhaps redemption lays not in his hands, but thru another, who investigates his death, to bring truth into light. but will it shine bright as it did before? will it shine as bright as anyone had hoped for, in the first place?

(*only by virtue of the where the comicbook-story unfolds)

"The Comedian is a cigar-chomping, gun-toting vigilante-turned-paramilitary agent. During some of the series' most intense moments, he has shown himself to be a nihilist with little regard for morality or human life. It may even be possible that, because no motivation is ever stated, he only fights crime as an excuse to please a sadistic desire to commit violent acts. He was created by Watchmen writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons, and was based on Charlton Comics character: Peacemaker." [wiki]

Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays Edward Blake / The Comedian in the upcoming film based upon the series.

ONE YEAR TO MIDNIGHT: WATCHMEN REVEALED

2008-03-10T02:33:00.005+08:00

with literally a year til the movie releases 6th march 2009, Snyder reveals character designs to further taunt us (with the lone exception of Dr. Manhattan) ... my personal opinions after the image-fest (click on for uber-huge versions):
The Comedian

whose death is investigated by Rorschach

who was a former crime-fighting partner of The Nite Owl

who hooks up with The Silk Spectre

who tries to kill Ozymandias ... but does she succeed?

readers of the comicbook-source would know. heh.
seriously tho, first impression when i glimpsed these images was "woah. hawt." - quickly followed by "WTF?" - then sideswiped by "Mystery Men" = remember the Ben Stiller-starring movie a whiles' back? (also an adaptation of a comicbook?) ... well, the notion and tone kinda reminded me of that, but of a more "lush-er" scale, and im undetermined as yet if i do like these new fangled Bat-suit-theology based-on "reality"-creations, becoz suddenly, i don't really recognize the comicbook i luv anymore - but of coz there's the basic character-traits ... or does it mean it'll take time to "sink in"? ... fine, let's give it some time, shall we? and of coz there's still the nekkid Dr. Manhattan to look forward to, innit? ... meanwhile, im imagining how to kitbash a 1/6th Comedian and/or Rorschach now! muahahahahaha ... heh.

[originally posted circa 6th march]

SHOOT WRAPS AND RORSCHACH BURNS A COPPER

2008-03-10T02:24:00.008+08:00

Shoot/production is a wrap (Feb 19) and director Z.Snyder throws us this
Rorschach "image-bone" and my tail isa waggin' = after photoshop, 'natch :p

[original image above / photoshopped-brighter + cropped :p]

and here's a coupla story-boards for scene-reference:

in the comic, this "setting cop on fire"-sequence happens when Rorschach visits Moloch
and is set-up by the police (via Ozymandias), where he attempts to escape. but alas he
could not and was subsequently arrested and thrown in jail. we see Rorschach unmasked.

man, this is going to be a pretty action-packed emotional sequence, IMHO.
[additional comic-panel images via lowtion.org]

DAVE GIBBON'S JOURNALS ON-SET

2007-12-23T01:22:00.000+08:00

"On the movie backlot, like a sailor on shore leave, I gawp in wonder at a New York City that never really was." = so writes Dave Gibbons, illustrator for the Watchmen comicbooks, visiting the set of the live-action feature film - here are some "mirrored-lines" (a veiled term of "swiped-cut'n'paste" - yes i am a bad-blog-man :p) which provides a intriguing narrative to what we can expect from the movie, for both characters and locales ... and personally, it sounds uber-cool, IMHO :)

From Journal-Entry PART ONE:

"There they are, in a shadowy clubhouse, standing around a map of the USA ... The smoke of the Comedian's cigar hangs in the air as I drink in the details of the scene. Framed old copies of The New York Gazette tell stories of past exploits; trophies glint in glass-fronted display cases; Moloch's solar weapon shines in a dusty corner and over there, on its mannequin stand, the faded costume of the original Nite Owl keeps silent vigil.

Then, a sudden flash of unearthly blue light announces the arrival of Dr. Manhattan and the tableau comes to life. The voices of quarreling heroes rise and fall, a Zippo flares and the map catches fire."

"And I'm standing amongst them. Nite Owl shakes my hand. The Comedian slaps me on the back. Silk Spectre smiles a dazzling greeting. I'm overwhelmed by the depth and detail of what I'm seeing."

From Journal-Entry PART TWO:

"Rain's falling hard now and I'm led inside, through a grubby little hovel crammed with dressmaking dummies, past the huge halls of Karnak, into Dan Dreiberg's homely brownstone and down to where the Owl Ship sits. I clamber aboard in giddy delight."

"... I watch footage of Rorschach pulling Nite Owl off a bloodied Knot Top; I flip through an issue of the Black Freighter; on a laptop, I see raw CGI blocking for the Vietnam sequence; I hold a smiley face pin splattered with what looks like real human bean juice..."

and dammit, that face-pin will be THE must-have accessory come June 2009, IMHO :)

I WANT TO PAINT MY DOOR LIKE THAT

2007-12-23T01:07:00.000+08:00