Mar 7 - Watchmen Review

Zack Snyder carried the book around the set as a bible and it shows in the film. While sections are compressed into film friendly(er) chunks, you still get the same ideas shown. 

With respect to Sex, violence and profanity - all are rife. While the F-bombs feel at home, the actual F-ing is a bit over the top. I'm no prude but a 2 minute SLOW MOTION sex scene aboard Archie was a little too much. The music is horrible during that scene too. Also we see blue penises which are mildly distracting but you get over it quickly - until the Doc walks. Then it's hilarious. The gore has been amped up. In some places it fits but at times feels gratuitous. This is certainly not a PG-13 rated venture for a reason and it's certainly because of the violence and sex. 

With respect to sound and music, it's wholly bipolar. There is some subtle music but at times we are bombarded with Bob Dylan or Simon and Garfunkel which can either feel at home or a tad too much depending on your own opinion. 

The ending has changed but it works. So much so I prefer it over the book's ending - It just gels better with the world created in the first 2 hours. The Black Freighter and the newsstand man's rants are missing but it doesn't feel like it. While the comic within a comic was almost a Greek chorus within the book, it is unnecessary and the film feels wholesome without it 

The time does fly while you're watching this but it flows just as well as it did when you sat riveted to any of the Lord of the Rings films and it really could not be shorter without feeling incomplete. The characters are believable enough to suck you in to an incredibly faithful adaptation with good performances from JEH and Patrick Wilson. Crudup is bland on purpose which fits so well with his character. 

I do feel some plot twists were explained with throwaway lines and my uninitiated company was left wondering what happened there as they missed the reference or the line that explained it. Although I can only spot 1, maybe 2 occurances where this happened so I was mostly satisfied. 

I give it a solid 8/10 - It will not change your life and be the best movie you've ever seen but it is satisfying in it's conclusion and execution and I feel that's what the ending should be like - satisfying. Even the most nit-picky of fans will enjoy themselves during this epic, well rounded and faithful adaptation. 

Mar - 5th Untitled

Ok this one is going to be varied but I am actually blogging instead of writing an apology. 

I have been avoiding posting since I booked my tickets for Watchmen as I don't want to be a total fanboy, however I AM SEEING IT AT 7.30 TONIGHT! THAT'S 10 HOURS AND 50 MINUTES AWAY!!!! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

SEE?! That's what the past days would have looked like. So I will spare you that. However there was an amusing Wikiprank on the Watchmen on wikipedia. Screenshots to come.

I will write a full review later today, my battery's about to run out :S

Mar 1st - Catch up

Right-o

Last night we had the reunion party for the show I musically directed last year Someting's Afoot (Musical murder mystery spoof) where we certainly did not watch an illegal recording that wasn't made of the show. Definately not.

I think things went awry when I noticed that noone else was really drinking as much as me. It could have been awkward. If it was, I didn't notice. So I'm kind of tentative about asking about it in case I offended someone or did something stupid. Cause everyone left in a hurry. Or I could have been unconscious for a while. Either or. 

Though at the party I re-met a girl. Things had been on and off due to a breakdown in communication (Our phones absolutely hate eachother) but we spent the rest of the evening after everyone had disappeared playing truth. 

Anyone who knows me will know I like playing truth. Mainly because I like being honest or I like being asked questions. Psychologists could have a field day with that statement. But I also find it's one of the best ways to get to know someone quickly. Maybe too quickly. Perhaps now we know why none of relationships last any length of time :P

But yes. It was fun. For me at least.

Feb 27th - Sorry for lack of posts

This isn't a real post really, Just thought I'd apologise for not posting anything in the past days as I have been reading a crapload about hypnosis and psychology and all that stuff. Everything I read makes me crave more knowledge about how we, as humans work. I am aiming to do a huge summary by the time I've gotten through my stack of books and I will make it up to you, I PROMISE!

Also I may be going to see Watchmen  at midnight next week! If you haven't read it, do! It's an amazingly complex and layered political thriller. Brilliant stuff

Feb 24th - God Complex

Ok, so one of the things my parents keep reminding me about as one of the dangers of hypnotism is gaining a god complex and a giant ego to go with it. To prevent this I don't really flaunt my 'abilities' and I am really humble about it. Which posed me this question: If I fear gaining a god complex, will I ever get one?

I mean, sure, I could get one without noticing but I don't know if that's possible or not.

Hypnotism Log:

Another Number Amnesia (Number 2)

Hand Anaesthesia (She could NOT feel her hand at all)

Reinforcement of last week's Therapy session (Now experiencing normal eating and sleeping habits and no more mood swings, generally happier with life)

I mean I am proud of myself and my achievements but I think it's more that I am happy with being able to help people change their lives. If I ever get egotistical about it, you let me know please :P

February 23rd - The Mighty Boosh

It's like having your mind raped by a midget wearing a rainbow coloured condom with shards of glass sticking out of it.

Feb 21st - A plethora of things have happened

I'm sure you all know exactly what's like to be intensively busy and you pretty much don't have time for anything except sleeping and eating in edgeways. It's been like that the past couple of days, except I invaded some of my sleeptime with watching 'The IT Crowd' but I'm sure if I hadn't, I would have killed everyone I know by now. 

So the show has been cast, in a surprising twist of fate The Guy was not cast as the main. No you read that right (should that be "yes you read that right?") - He didn't get it. Neither did I which is a pain in the ass. No, they went with a jock who is pretty high up on the pedestal and his entire head is a phallus. He's one of those guys who is just so damn awesome that they don't have to care about anyone's feelings because their feelings are more important, because he does sports. Whoop de fucking doo.

So their arguement for him to be cast in the role is that he looks the part. This guy is about 5'6", stocky and muscular, ugly as fuck but oh wait, he has curly hair. Jack Black had curly hair didn't he? Oh great, he'd be perfect because he has CURLY FUCKING HAIR.

Ok this is turning into a rage blog. (whiskers on kittens, whiskers on kittens, whiskers on kittens) Feeling better now. 

But I think the most frustrating thing about the whole casting process that they've gone through is that they are simply casting the parts as they resemble the characters in the movie OR they can play the instrument needed for those characters. In an awkward twist of fate, the teacher in charge of casting came up to me and said that I was hilarious in the audition but all the other parts were taken, so she was writing me a part. Wow, you might be saying, That's pretty dmn cool. 

Yes it is cool and this next paragraph is going to make me sound like a spoilt brat but hear me out. 

It's not cool, it's the opposite of cool. This proposition means 3 things:

1. They took pity on me
2. They're screwing around with a perfectly good script
3. I can't quit
   

That last one is the clincher. I had been asked months in advance to play horn for Les Miserables  up at the theatre in Orewa for $20 bucks a night. $20 a night for a 3 week season. I told myself while auditioning for the show that I would do it if I got a good part and would try to fit Les Miserables in or gratiously pull out of it. But now I haven't got a good part, I have a part that is likely to fuck up a good show, that will make no sense to fans of the movie and it's seriously in the way of my income stream.

If I pull out of School of Rock, my name is mud around school (Which it already is with the Head of Department - but that's a short story - She's a bitch and I'm not her beloved Guy), If I pul out of Les miserables, my name is mud at the theatre I've been at for 10 years and I will be broke for even longer.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH