Film Gecko » watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan joins ‘The Unblinking Eye’ – But will he play a dead guy?

Jane Boursaw — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:50:49 +0000

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed on for ‘The Unblinking Eye,’ a psychological thriller directed and written by Michael Bassett.

The story follows homicide detective John Callisto (Morgan), now a retired recluse after being nearly murdered by a serial killer, who’s tracked down by a relentless journalist. Dark secrets from both of their pasts come to light.

Hmmm, not a lot to go on there. I have to wonder if his character will end up dead, though, since he seems to gravitate towards “dead guy” roles. I just started watching The CW’s ‘Supernatural’ on DVD, and am wondering if his dad character is actually dead (don’t tell me!).

And of course, there was his dead guy on ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Anyway, we’ll see how ‘The Unblinking Eye’ pans out. Bassett doesn’t have a ton of projects to his credit, but he did direct ‘Solomon Kane,’ ‘Wilderness,’ and ‘Deathwatch.’

It’s set to start shooting in May.

Image: Bauer-Griffin; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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Watchmen, Coraline, Stargate SG-1 on DVD / Blu-ray This Week

Jane Boursaw — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:25:26 +0000

Most excellent DVDs and Blu-ray discs are hitting store and cyber-shelves this week. Here’s the rundown of my faves:

Watchmen (Director’s Cut): Someone’s killing former superheroes! Read my review of this dark and gritty comic noir film starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, and Billy Crudup. [Buy DVD] [Buy Blu-ray]

Coraline. Dakota Fanning voices the main character in this animated story about a little girl who finds an alternative reality right in her own home. It’s a little scary for young ones, but ok for kids 12 and older. Read my review here. [Buy DVD] [Buy Blu-ray]

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods – Final Cut. This isn’t a movie per se; it’s the feature-length pilot episode of "Stargate SG-1" that’s been remastered and re-cut by series Executive Producer Brad Wright. [Buy DVD]

The pilot stars Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill, leading a team on a mission to Abydos to defeat fierce warriors led by the vicious Ra. With the threat of the brutal Goa’uld hanging over the galaxy, the team must succeed, or General Hammond (Don S. Davis) will unleash an apocalyptic solution!

Product Features:

New Edit with Never-Viewed Scenes
New and Enhanced Visual Effects
Revoiced Performance by Christopher Judge
Original Score by Joel Goldsmith
Special Features includes: Commentary by Co-Creator Brad Wright and Actor Richard Dean Anderson and "Back to the Beginning" Featurette

After the jump, check out three clips…

Making the Pyramid:

Creating the Puddles:

Entering the Stargate:

Image: Amazon.com

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Watchmen coming to DVD, Blu-ray on July 21

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:57:05 +0000

“Watchmen” is coming to DVD and Blu-ray on July 21. Did you see the movie? It got mixed reviews, but I liked it well enough, though don’t recommend it for kids younger than 16. Read my review here.

The film follows a group of superheroes who are being killed off one by one, and have to come back together after being estranged to face down evil. Here’s a clip of what I like to call “the big blue naked guy” to refresh your memory:

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Will Jackie Earle Haley make a good Freddy Krueger?

Jane Boursaw — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:53:18 +0000

Freddy Krueger is like a demented Energizer Bunny, isn’t he? He just keeps on going and going and going. In New Line’s redo of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Jackie Earle Haley will play the role of Freddy Krueger, taking over for Robert Englund.

The original "Nightmare" was released in 1984 and established Krueger as a serial child killer murdered by angry parents who returns to terrorize teens in their dreams.

I’m sure it will put Jackie Earle Haley in the annuls of horror movie history. Not sure I would want to be there, but for a working actor, it’s probably a really good role. He looks the part, too, doesn’t he?

Haley started out in the 1970s as a child star in movies like "The Bad News Bears" and "Breaking Away." He left the business and ended up working odd jobs in Texas during the 1990s.

In 2006, he was back on screen as a pedophile in Todd Field’s "Little Children," and also appeared in “Semi-Pro” and "Winged Creatures." But I think he really came back into the mainstream with his role of Rorschach in the recent "Watchmen." He’ll appear next in Martin Scorsese’s "Shutter Island."

Think he’ll make a good Freddy Krueger?

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Carla Gugino talks Witch Mountain, Watchmen – VIDEO

Jane Boursaw — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:28:03 +0000

Carla Gugino sat down with Paul Byrne of Movies.ie and talked about her movie career, including the fact that she always seems to play analysts and scientists. Gugino is currently in theaters as an aging femme fatale in “Watchmen,” and a UFO specialist in “Race to Witch Mountain” with Dwayne Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb. It’s a really fun action movie with nothing too objectionable for kids. Read my review here, and check out the clip below:

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Monsters rule box office – March 27-29, 2009

Jane Boursaw — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:05:35 +0000

"Monsters vs. Aliens" took last weekend’s box office by storm! I really liked it, and especially loved the 3D version (as opposed to Roger Ebert, who HATED the 3D version!).

Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

Monsters vs. Aliens, $59.32M
The Haunting in Connecticut, $23.00
Knowing, $14.70M
I Love You, Man, $12.67M
Duplicity, $7.67M
Race to Witch Mountain, $5.80M
12 Rounds, $5.32M
Watchmen, $2.73M
Taken, $2.69M
The Last House on the Left, $2.64M

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Nicolas Cage’s Knowing takes box office – March 20-22, 2009

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:50:20 +0000

Moviegoers went out to see Nicolas Cage save the world this weekend, with "Knowing" coming in at the top slot. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen didn’t fare as well with "Duplicity." Here’s the scoop from Box Office Mojo:

Knowing, $24.60M
I Love You, Man, $17.81M
Duplicity, $13.96M
Race to Witch Mountain, $12.78M
Watchmen, $6.80M
The Last House on the Left, $5.77M
Taken, $4.05M
Slumdog Millionaire, $2.67M
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, $2.56M
Coraline, $2.13M

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Witch Mountain rules box office – March 13-15. 2009

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:35:36 +0000

I guess moviegoers were more into a fun family flick than the dark and bloody “Watchmen” this weekend. “Race to Witch Mountain” ruled the box office. Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

Race to Witch Mountain, $24.40M
Watchmen, $17.81M
The Last House on the Left, $14.11M
Taken, $6.56M
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, $5.10M
Slumdog Millionaire, $5.00M
Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $3.11M
He’s Just Not That Into You, $2.93M
Coraline, $2.40M
Miss March, $2.40M

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Megan Fox, Malin Akerman, Dakota Fanning Casting News – VIDEO

Jane Boursaw — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:50:42 +0000

Here’s a bit of casting news for you: Megan Fox has signed on for two comic flicks — "Jonah Hex" and "Fathom"; Dakota Fanning snags the much-coveted role of Jane Volturi in "New Moon"; and Malin Akerman, fresh off of "Watchmen," has signed to headline "The Bang Bang Club" with co-stars Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch. Check out this video CelebTV put together:

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Watchmen Review

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:06:23 +0000

Movie: Watchmen * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: March 6, 2009
Runtime: 163 minutes	Directed by: Zack Snyder
MPAA Rating: R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language	Gecko Rating:

I was especially interested in reviewing "Watchmen" this week, because I knew it was quite the hit with my 14-year-old son’s crowd. What? For one thing, it’s rated R, so I had to check it out for myself. Rest assured, it’s NOT for kids younger than 16. There’s just too much violence, sex, nudity and swearing, even though the consequences of all that violence are a main plot-point of the movie.

The story takes place in 1985 – not the one we remember, but an alternate one where Richard Nixon is still President and the Cold War with the Soviet Union is still raging. The movie opens with a character beaten senseless and thrown through a plate glass window in a high rise, plummeting to his death below. We learn that this is Edward Blake, a.k.a. “the Comedian” (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a retired crime fighter who was part of a group of superhero-type crime fighters (though only one of them has actual super powers).

After the Comedian’s murder, his former crime-fighting colleagues come out of hiding to find the killer. The investigation is led by Walter Kovacs a.k.a. “Rorschach” (Jackie Earle Haley, who speaks in this gravelly Clint Eastwood-type voice), the only one of the group who’s still fighting the fight for justice. He wears this really interesting mask with blobs that move around – you know, like the Rorschach blobs where you’re supposed to figure out what they mean. It’s kind of mesmerizing, because 1) you can’t figure out how the filmmakers did it; and 2) where would Rorschach himself get such an interesting mask?

Rorschach thinks the murderer is working down a list of the ex-crime-fighters, including himself, Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), and Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman). The only one of the group with actual superpowers is Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), who was the victim of a nuclear accident years earlier. Be forewarned that Dr. Manhattan spends most of the movie naked – as in full-frontal nudity, with all his dangly parts in full view. He’s blue, but he’s still naked.

Ok, here’s my take on this movie, and this is coming from someone who hasn’t read the graphic novels and had no expectations for the movie. If you like these sorts of gritty, edgy movies filled with all sorts of morals about violence, humanity, nuclear war, and vengeance, then you might like “Watchmen.” Still, at 163 minutes, it’s really long – and especially long, given the fact that much of the movie is dark, perilous violence. It’s not a simple good vs. evil storyline. In fact, I’d probably have to see it again to figure out the deeper meanings of the story.

As mentioned, it’s not for kids younger than 16 years old, if that. It’s just too intense, and really, what kid needs to have all of that wandering around in his or her head? Or frankly, what adult, for that matter? That said, the production and direction by Zack Snyder is noteworthy with cool special effects and cinematography that’s both dark and thoughtful. It makes you think, and will probably leave you thinking for a while after the movie is over.

As I understand it, the original intent of the graphic novels was more cerebral, whereas the movie is more action-and-violence-packed. The Rorschach character is my favorite, because his backstory is complex and dark (much of the movie is told via flashbacks). And Jeffrey Dean Morgan has become one of my favorite actors, so seeing him is a joy, even as a bad guy.

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

Sex/ Nudity: A few close-up sex scenes are shown, with a partially nude male and female. One character is a big blue naked guy — the result of a nuclear accident. He’s naked for most of the movie, including full-frontal nudity with penis showing.

Violence/Gore: This movie is all about the violence, because the storyline drills home the consequences of violent behavior. There’s a near rape scene, martial arts fighting, and severe beatings. A character is thrown through a plate glass window, where he falls to his death. One particularly vengeful character pours boiling oil on a person, saws off someone’s arms and electrocutes him, and takes a meat cleaver to a child rapist. A young child’s corpse is eaten by dogs, and the ashes of her remains are shown in a furnace.

Profanity: Language is rampant throughout, including f**k and s**t.

Which Kids Will Like It? Kids 14 and older who’ve read the graphic novels or like superhero movies (but note that it’s too intense for 14-year-olds; I don’t recommend it for anyone younger than 16).

Will Parents Like It? On an adult level, the movie is a complex story that could probably be seen once or twice to figure it all out. But it’s way too intense for kids younger than 16 years old. And at 163 minutes, it’s way too long for anyone but the most ardent fans of the “Watchmen” graphic novels.

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