Watchmen

Dir. Zack Snyder, Wr. Davis Hayter & Alex Tse

2009

10/10

I went to see watchmen knowing almost nothing about it; all I had was a vague notion of a comic book connection. It was refreshing to walk into a theater without knowing exactly what was going to happen. We got there early, claimed the best seats in the house, and waited for the ads to start; chatting about modern communication with the masses, intimacy and substance in the various media, and the relative experiences of going to the movie theater and staying home with the radio. As the previews started, I suddenly realized I didn't know if the film was animated or live-action. What was it about? Who's in it? Why aren't there any people here? My dad my equally clueless. It was like opening an unmarked package: mysterious present or explosive suprise? We sat nervously, watching and forgetting previews for more movies than I've seen in a year. Then it started.

Thirty seconds later, whatwver restervations I had were gone. In ten minutes, I was completely sold. By the credits, I was a walking, talking advertisement.

The story follows two generations of costumed heroes living in an alternate history with Nixon serving additional terms into the eighties. Their vigilante activities have been outlawed and the cold war society must do without. Each paladin adjusts to the the new life differently, until events conspire to pull them all back into the fray.

I'm impressed how much back story, character development, narrative, and detail the filmmakers were able to squeeze into 162 minutes of cinematic glory. The subplots are complex, the charters intriguing, and the effects mesmerizing.

A warning, though: This film is intense. In every way I know. In true graphic novel tradition, it takes everything to the extreme. But if you can handle violence, “adult situations”, and realistic terror, Watchmen is well worth the $8.50 admission.

Go see Watchmen before it leaves the theaters.

The Inkheart Series

Cornelia Funke
2003

For those of you interested in reading to the youngsters. For adults who like really good fantasy. For a really good, dark, Grimms Fairy-taleesque narrative. For anyone who gets truly lost in books...I would recommend this for both children and adults and especially for the pairing of children and adults.

Rachel and I read Inkheart together a couple of years ago and had a blast. It is the story of a man nicknamed Silvertongue for his ability to read a story so well that he makes it come alive -- literally. As he reads outloud to his daughter Maggie, things pop right out of the books he's been reading, including birds, fairys, martins, and the characters themselves. The story gets darker as you realize that, by the time you are introduced to Silvertongue and his daughter, he has already read some really bad dudes out of a particularly compelling book called Inkheart. Thus, you get to follow the adventures of Maggie and Mo (Silvertongue) as they attempt to avoid the bad guys and find a copy of the book, Inkheart, so that Silvertongue can read the bandits back into their own story.

The book has now come out as a movie starring Brandon Fraser. While I am a fan of The Mummy Series, and didn't even mind Journey to the Center of the Earth. I would suggest reading Inkheart before seeing the movie. Not to sell Fraser short, but the book is definitely better than anything he's previously done in movie form, and deserves to be read in its ink form. Out loud.

Other books in the series:
Inkspell 2005
Inkdeath 2008

The Third Man

The Third Man

Dir. Carol Reed, Wr. Graham Greene

1949

10/10

I was first introduced to The Third Man by Father Walsh, my ethics professor during my first semester at USF. I remember little else from the class, but this film has stuck with me. It was a good transition from studying film in high school to my collegiate pursuits.

The film joins writer Holly Martins as he arrives in (1949) Vienna to find the friend who sent for him (Harry Lime) has just died. Immediately suspicious, Martins is soon introduced to local politics and personal vendettas. His quest for “truth” and “justice” serves as a vehicle for Greene's ethical discourse. Third Man is known for the great performance by Orson Wells. Notably, Wells doesn't even make an appearance until almost an hour and a half into the film.

Political commentary of ol', ethical conundrums, and excellent off stage acting: what's not to like?

PS. This film is the origin of one of my all-time favorite quotes. Ten point to whoever can guess the quote.