Archive for February, 2009

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Why Jackie Earle Haley is the Perfect Rorschach

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Jackie Earle Haley probably has the single most difficult role in WATCHMEN. Rorschach is the most beloved and revered character from the graphic novel, and even the slightest misstep in his performance will bring scorn from the fan base.

That being said, I think Haley is unquestionably the right choice.

For starters, his acting history is perfectly in line with what the WATCHMEN project is all about. If anything, WATCHMEN is about spanning the divide between popular culture and high art. It’s about taking something as lowbrow as superheroes and turning it into a dramatic masterpiece. As an actor, Haley knows the border between art and the popular very well. An examination of his imdb profile reveals that he’s appeared in Oscar bait like Little Children and All the King’s Men, as well as making time to star in such films as Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence and an episode of MacGyver. Haley brings the perfect blend of classical acting skill and an appreciation for pop culture. Put ‘em together and you’ve got WATCHMEN.

wmd-114633Secondly, in wig and makeup, Haley looks an awful lot like Rorschach sans-mask. The bored, judgmental eyes, the wacky red hair, and the vague feeling that this guy wants to murder you - all picture perfect.

Finally, Rorschach is an undeniably crazy but nonetheless sympathetic character, and Haley plays sympathetic-crazy really, really well. If you need proof, go watch Little Children. His portrayal of a child molester who tries to do the right thing is amazingly close to the repulsive attraction of Rorschach. You don’t like this guy, you don’t agree with his actions, but you can’t stop yourself from sympathizing with his all-too-human motivations.

All in all, I don’t think they could have picked a better man to play Rorschach. Now we’ll just have to wait and see how he handles that mask… and how good he is at breaking fingers.

Posted in Casting | No Comments »

Five Minutes to Midnight: The Politics of WATCHMEN

Monday, February 16th, 2009

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One of the things that excites me the most about the upcoming WATCHMEN movie is how people are going to respond to it on a political level. With the success of The Dark Knight and Iron Man, it’s become very trendy to view superhero movies as political allegory, and WATCHMEN should be no different. The graphic novel is rife with social commentary and it’s just ambiguous enough to float an argument on either side of the spectrum.

What I find really cool, though, is that the once cutting-edge message of WATCHMEN is now twenty years old. Retro Political, if you will. You see, WATCHMEN, while timeless in many respects, is still very much a product of the 80s. The story at the core of the graphic novel is cold war anxiety and mutually assured destruction, and how powerless (or powerful) our costumed crimefighters are in that light.

So the question I’ve been asking is, why now?

In a day and age when we’ve got plenty of political topics to argue about, why make a movie dealing with 80s cold war paranoia? Walk through any college campus in North America and you’ll find students protesting conflicts in the Middle East, advocating gay marriage, and arguing about abortion, but when was the last time you saw someone holding a “No Nukes!” sign? What’s the point?

Well, relevant or irrelevant, audiences are definitely going to react to this film, and I think people will view the politics of WATCHMEN in one of two lights:

One, it will be a sober look back at what might have been and a cautionary tale about where we’re going, set to a wicked-cool soundtrack and awesome special effects.

Two, I think people will try to graft the message of WATCHMEN onto contemporary politics, and quite frankly I’m stoked to watch the bickering take place. There are undoubtedly contacts between the world of WATCHMEN and our own, but they’re not clear enough to make one strong argument. If you really wanted to, you could see Rorschach, the insane vigilante who wants justice at all costs, regardless of the repercussions, as an allegory for the former President of the United States. Or, you could see Ozymandias, the genius with a master plan for the world that no one else is smart enough to understand, as a depiction of Mr. Bush. Or maybe Bush is supposed to be the impotent, clumsy Nite Owl. Heck, maybe he’s the Silk Spectre.

WATCHMEN can be interpreted in so many different ways that it’s going to be a lot of fun to see how people deal with the underlying tale of superpowers on the brink of destroying the world.

What are your thoughts? Is WATCHMEN about the need for accountability from those who have appointed themselves as our protectors, or is WATCHMEN about the need for strong, decisive heroes who will do what it takes to ensure our safety?

Or, as this is the Canadian blog, is WATCHMEN about being caught in the middle of a conflict you can do nothing about and wearing flashy costumes to pass the time?

Posted in Politics | No Comments »

Your Weekly WATCHMEN Links

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

A couple of things for you to check out this week…

First off, be sure to join our facebook group “I Watch the WATCHMEN” to connect with other fans:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=74880123664&ref=ts

Also, head over to cracked.com where G. Xavier Robillard explains the seven stages of waiting for WATCHMEN:

http://www.cracked.com/article_17072_7-stages-nerdgasm-fanboy-awaits-watchmen-movie.html

And be sure to come back tomorrow to discuss the politics behind WATCHMEN. Cold war paranoia and nuclear proliferation in the Obama era? Awesome.

Posted in Links | 1 Comment »

Some Thoughts on the Silk Spectre…

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

wmd-38193r1I was intrigued when I first heard that Malin Akerman would be playing the role of Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a The Silk Spectre, in Watchmen.

While I like Akerman (she was funny in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and she was the only reason to see The Heartbreak Kid), I’m not convinced she’s the best choice.

For starters, she comes from a comedic background, and as fans of the comic book will tell you, this movie ain’t a comedy. The Silk Spectre is one heck of a dramatic role, chock full of relationship angst and daddy issues, and I’ve yet to see proof that Ms. Akerman is capable of pulling it off.

My real problem, though, is that she just doesn’t look old enough. In the graphic novel, Silk Spectre is a 35-year-old smoker. Akerman, on the other hand, looks like she could be in college. And I’m not just being a picky fanboy – Silk Spectre’s age is vital to the character’s role in the film. The whole point is that she wakes up and realizes she’s been wasting her life following a path set out for her by her mother and her husband. Akerman doesn’t look old enough to have wasted anything.

My casting choice for the Silk Spectre: Kate Winslet. She’s slightly more age-appropriate and we know she has the chops to pull off the role. Plus you’d almost have a full reunion of the Little Children cast, and how cool would that be?

But I’ll leave it open: Who do you think should be playing the Silk Spectre?

Posted in Casting | 2 Comments »

A Brief History of Awesomeness and Comic Book Nerdery: An Introduction to WATCHMEN

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

I often find it difficult to explain the undying popularity of Watchmen to people who haven’t read the graphic novel.

“It’s the single greatest story ever told!” I proclaim. “It’s wicked smart and super political and it enlightens the human condition and the ending always makes me cry.” Surprisingly, people rarely take me seriously.

In more objective terms, Watchmen won the Hugo Award, was the only graphic novel to make Time’s 100 Greatest Novels list, and has been a source of inspiration to countless artists across countless mediums.

I could continue to sing its praises, but I think the following customer review on amazon.com says it best…

“This novel single-handedly rejuvenated my interest in reading and learning.”

Yes, Watchmen is indeed “the most celebrated graphic novel of all time.” But to really understand its rabid cult following, you need to know a little bit about its history…

So in 1939 Superman straps on his tights, saves the day, and the whole world falls in love with superheroes and comic books. And then for the next fifty years not much changes. New characters pop up here and there, the villains become a little more topical, but the story stays the same: bad guys do bad things and the good guys stop them.

And then Watchmen comes around and changes everything.

It changes the kinds of stories that are told, it changes how those stories are told, and it changes the way people think about comic books. Suddenly intellectuals start using terms like “graphic novel” and “burgeoning art form” and overnight everyone becomes very interested in masked avengers.

You see, Watchmen was the first comic book to really treat the issue of superheroes seriously. Prolific writer Alan Moore sat down and tried to answer one simple question: What would the world look like if men and women actually started putting on costumes and fighting crime? The answer turns out to be a terrifyingly dark look at a society struggling with the conflict between nostalgic heroism and new-world threats. Rape, murder, war, and good-old-fashioned heartbreak suddenly become a big part of the superhero world. If you’ve ever wondered how you get from the happy-go-lucky Batman of the 60s TV show to the gritty, dark Batman of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, the answer is Watchmen. This was the book that proved that comics weren’t just for kids.

(more…)

Posted in History | 1 Comment »

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