Keeping with the Watchmen theme, G4′s “Attack of the Show” will be having two special guests tonight to debate differing opinions on the long-awaited film.

SPECIAL GUESTS DEBATE “WATCHMEN” ON “ATTACK OF THE SHOW”

MONDAY, MARCH 9, AT 7PM, ONLY ON G4

For the first time on television, two of the best known movie bloggers will square-off about one of the most anticipated movies of the year – “Watchmen,” offering two very different perspectives on the film.

Drew McWeeny of HitFix, formerly Moriarty from Aint it Cool News, and David Poland from Movie City News will join “Attack of the Show” live, in the studio for a very special roundtable debate.

Don’t miss this special event and please encourage your readers to tune in – MONDAY AT 7PM, ONLY ON G4!!!

I’m interested to see how these two dudes view the film. I’ve gotten a lot of negative feedback from the public in general, and a lot of hardcore fans that absolutely loved it. Is this simply a case of a movie made for the fans alone?

So the advertisements looked awesome. I wasn’t sure what to expect. And I’m still not sure what to think.

Watchmen

Starring: Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Ackerman, Javier—I mean, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, and Patrick “The Ass” Wilson.

Rated R: Graphic violence, big blue appendages, and an amazing two minute sex scene set to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

IMDb Rating: 8.3 (Top 250: #132)
RottenTomatoes: 65% Fresh

Sample Review:

…a strange and gorgeous beast indeed, not without problems, a mesmerizing epic folly of the sort hardly anyone attempts any more. It is absolutely sick with ambition…

This was my favorite review because it truly encapsulated my feelings on this movie. I had not fully read the graphic novel before going to see the film, so I was simply mesmerized by the awkward pacing and interjections of random characters throughout.

It wasn’t until hours after seeing the film that I took another look at the book, and I was amazed how sincerely accurate it was. Snyder literally translated the comics, frame for frame at some points, to the screen. Where my feelings for the movie had been mixed before, I found myself respecting his efforts. The movie is still far from perfect, but it certainly becomes more enjoyable if the viewer is familiar with the source material.

But this is also where I have a problem with the movie. It’s three hours long. Obviously much of the movie-going audience hasn’t read the Watchmen series. So why would Snyder make a film so devotionally geared toward fanboys and fangirls? It’s equally surprising that the film earned top spot at the box office this weekend. Such a grand, three hour epic based on amoral superheroes doesn’t seem like the type of fare to compete with “Medea Goes to Jail.”

The saving grace of this strangely plotted, unevenly paced movie is that the characters are all interesting, each being flawed in some way. Rorschach, played brilliantly by former child actor Jackie Earle Haley, is perhaps the best feature. At times dryly humorous and downright insane, this heroic psychopath unites the film’s occasionally flimsy storyline. Patrick Wilson, and his amazing butt, also does a good job as the square, nerdy Nite Owl II.

Dr. Manhattan is an interesting character, as well. At first, I was put off by the big, buff, blue giant and his soft, effeminate voice. But he eventually grew on me, in part because he suffers from a bad case of the emo. If I were an indestructible human, I don’t think I would be nearly that sad all the time.

I was extremely disappointed in the female lead, Silk Spectre II. Malin Ackerman is horrid in this movie. She can’t act. Perhaps she does well as eye candy, apart from her humongous mole, but she really needs to learn how to deliver lines properly. She was even more distracting than Dr. Manhattan’s exposed smurfy genitals.

The film is an extremely faithful adaptation of the beloved graphic novel, and is definitely worth seeing. I might have to watch it again, just to fully appreciate it.

I just got back from two hours and twenty-two minutes of pure awesome. Do not read this post if you don’t want to be spoiled. I’ll try my best not to reveal too much, but trust me, the ride is well worth the wait…

The Dark Knight

Starring – Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Julia Roberts’s brother.

Rating – PG-13 (For violence and because kids under thirteen won’t appreciate its slendor.)

IMDb Rating – 9.6 (3rd out of 250)
Rotten Tomatoes – 94% Freshness

Sample Review –

With only three short words comprising the film’s enigmatic title, it also boasts three epic claims to fame: the role of a lifetime for the late Heath Ledger, one of the best films of 2008, and one of the greatest superhero films of all time.

I have to say, this is one movie that has surpassed my expectations and lived up to the hype. It rocked.

As you might have guessed by reading some of my posts leading up to this review, I’m somewhat of a Batman franchise fan. It began as a love of the original Tim Burton films, which to this day I still cherish. I decided to expand my love of Batman and read a few of the comics, the best of which being the wonderfully evil graphic novel, “The Killing Joke,” upon which much of the Joker in this film is modeled. My favorite part of the franchise remains Batman Returns, in all its gothic glory, but The Dark Knight came crashing in at a close second tonight.

Why is the film so great? Hopefully, by now, you’ve seen the film so I won’t be spoiling anything for you. One of the best things about TDK is that it is just a great movie. Pacing is well-done, driven by the excellent score. The plot is exceptional; intriguing, with thrilling twists and unexpected character deaths. It is propelled above the level of the standard comic book movie, and is simply a really great crime thriller. Often times, it’s easy to forget that the man fighting crime is not Commissioner Gordon, played by the fantastic Gary Oldman, but a man in a mask with pointy ears.

Another good part of the film was, as I have come to expect from the series, the gadgetry. Early on in the film, Bruce quips that he would like a suit that actually allows him to move his head. This is an obvious balk at the costumes of the Batman films of yester-year; 50lbs of pure rubber and anguish that the actors had to endure. The New-and-Improved Batmobile makes an appearance again in this film, but with the added bonus of a detachable Batbike. Yup, you read that correctly. And it’s pretty sweet.

The characters were also excellent. As always, Lucius Fox (Freeman) added quite a bit to the film for the few scenes he had, as did Michael Caine as Alfred. I was a bit disappointed with Maggie Gyllenhaal, but not for her performance. She was light-years better than Katie Holmes as Rachael Dawes, but she just does not have the same classically pretty face. I find her features to be quite sad and expressive. It was difficult to see beyond those sad eyes and see her as the love object of two handsome, wealthy, powerful men.

Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent, on the other hand, was extremely convincing, and he injected DA Dent with what felt like true morality. It was a tragic end to see a man who seemed so hell-bent on cleaning up such a teeming cesspool of crime, sinking to such a low level just to seek revenge. As Two-Face, Eckhart was true to a vision that the character was acting out his aggression solely for retribution, because he felt that justice had not been served properly. This is a wonderful counterpoint to the madness of the film’s other, more notable, villain.

Which brings me to the highlight of the entire film. I take back every doubt I ever had about Ledger. He proved me totally wrong, and it makes me regret that we’d never seen the side of him as an actor that he showed on that screen. He was maniacal, hilarious, scary, brilliant. I found myself cringing and laughing at the same time; perfect reactions to the Joker. He made the Joker what he needed to be, a psychopath who doesn’t give a damn about money, with no future and no plans, wreaking havoc upon a city just to see the carnage and destruction.

So, do I have anything negative to say? Yes. The timing at the end was off. Does that really matter? No, because this movie was amazing, and I don’t mind that they added a little bit of comic-book dialogue at the end. It, I believe, has paved the way for Batman, who has been outlawed of his own volition, to possibly team up with The Riddler. And, if you don’t know how I feel about that, well…

I’m geeked. So here are all of the things that I’m looking forward to seeing tomorrow…

The Joker – I have mentioned my former skepticism regarding the casting of Heath Ledger as my favorite Batman villain. But the reviews have been streaming in, and it appears that the late actor delivered one of the greatest performances in a superhero movie ever, before kicking the bucket.

Pros: The brilliant viral marketing (Why so serious?), the make-up, the trailer, the hype…
Cons: Heath’s death may have affected the viewing experiences of many critics, possibly causing them to over-praise his performance. I’ve never been his biggest fan, so I believe I’ll have a much more objective viewpoint. In any event, I’ll be posting my review as soon as I return from the theater, so you’ll get my final verdict then.

Christian Bale – He has done a great job reviving the series with a much more focused, less loopy and severely less comical version of the rubber-suited hero. Not to mention he’s really buffed up for the part.

Pros: Bale’s an accomplished actor, and brings depth to the character. Also…shirtlessness?
Cons: Despite his acting skills, he tends to be overshadowed by his counterparts, namely the far more charismatic villains. We shall see.

Gadgetry – One thing that we have come to depend on in the reworking of the franchise is the awesome redesign of Batman’s gadgets. Director Christopher Nolan decided to bring everything into the real world, trading Bruce’s tricked out batmobile and assorted weapons for something a little more…military. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us in this department.

Pros: High speed chases and explosions.
Cons: No more hilariousness and faulty equipment. Would love for Batman to ask Rachel Dawes, “How much do you weigh?”

A poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune asks, “Who is the Best Superhero Ever?” The options, and results, may be surprising.

In a startling lead, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is topping Batman 76.4% to 23.6% (1339 votes total.) Does Illinois just have a thing for butt-kicking teenagers, or is there some actual merit to the results of this poll?

Perhaps, and this is just speculation, participants in the poll based their votes on the screen portrayals of these two heroes. It is understandable that people might find Buffy the more relatable of the two. In the popular series, Buffy Summers is portrayed as a small-town high school girl who happens to be the last in a long-line of Slayers. She didn’t ask for her powers, nor did she care to run around at night staking vampires. But she begrudgingly does the job, all the while worrying about homework, dances, and the occasional vampiric boyfriend.

Compare that with Bruce Wayne, multi-millionaire by day, man dressed in a rubber batsuit by night. It isn’t as if being Batman is some birthright, either. Bruce dresses up like a giant bat of his own volition.

Don’t get me wrong. Batman is awesome, and has spawned numerous graphic novels and comic books that put the animated Buffy to shame. But “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a witty, humorous show that had great action, a hot female lead, an equally hot nerdy lesbian, and, apparently, a lasting legacy.