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Author Topic: Watchmen Contest Winners!  (Read 9019 times)

saltine

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Watchmen Contest Winners!
« on: July 31, 2009, 08:59:50 AM »
from winner Paul Cohen of Pasadena, CA

Hello Filmspotting!
I'm an illustration student at the Art Center College of Design in
Pasadena of which both Zach Snyder and Michael Bay are alumni.
Actually I was surprised to hear that Michael Bay was an advertising
major at this school, but it helped explain why all his movies are
like 2 hour commercials with explosions.
I majored in film production at San Diego State before going to Art
Center and I'd like to think I could have put Watchmen on the screen
honorably. The one thing I would change in the film is the pacing. The
book does a much better job of reminding the audience that the world
is on the brink of war. This threat only becomes more potent as the
story nears its conclusion. The city of New York, which in the book is
almost a living character, literally begins to tear itself apart under
this growing threat. So in my vision of the film the gradual intensity
of the city people help guide the pacing of this film. After the stage
is set for war in the film, we become wrapped up in the world of the
Watchmen and their various sub-plots. The thing about Watchmen is that
it is a very dense piece of work and I feel Zach Snyder did the story
a great deal of justice, but final reservations on how good of an
adaptation this movie really is will have to wait for the extended
directors cut. Regardless, it was a noble attempt and potentially
could have been a disaster. Minus Ackerman, hats off to Snyder.
Your loyal listener,
Paul
« Last Edit: July 31, 2009, 12:16:48 PM by saltine »
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saltine

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Re: Watchmen Contest Winners!
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2009, 11:58:17 AM »
from winner Matt Adkins of Frederick, Maryland

Dear Adam and Matty,
I was writing to put my 2 or 3 cents in on the "what would I change in
the movie Watchmen (not including Malin Akerman)?"  To be honest, with
Zack Snyder's obsession with staying as close to the pages of the book
as humanly possible it is hard to change much.  I thought of making it
longer, adding in some sub plots that help bring the movie together,
etc.

Then it came to me ...

Considering Mr. Snyder wants his movie to be so much like the comic
book, then I say "take it to the nines."  Artistically add in thought
bubbles.  I think the movie might have had some fun elements if you
could add in some sort of smokey cloud like thing coming from the
brain of one of the actors during scenes to help communicate even more
to the viewers.  They don't have to be long, but something that maybe,
like in the Owlman's conflicted character, you can have him saying
things like "we can't do that Rorschach" and then have a thought
bubble saying something like "but that sounds like fun."  I don't
know, in the end I think that Mr. Snyder did an amazing job showing me
the book on a big screen, but he didn't do anything really original
with it.  I think by adding more of the narrative boxes and thought
bubble I think he could have said more and possible add something
original to movie maker.  (was that harsh?  I didn't mean it to be :*(

Thanks guys and enjoy the theater

Matt Adkins
Frederick Maryland (Matty that's nowhere near Chino)

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saltine

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Re: Watchmen Contest Winners!
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2009, 11:59:45 AM »
from winner Pete Mele of New York City, NY

I would have split up the movie into "serials" like the old superhero
serials that played in the movies in the 50's. Quick 10-20 minute
segments. Maybe do on online release, or pre-package it with other
films that come out.

Pete in NYC.
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saltine

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Re: Watchmen Contest Winners!
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2009, 12:01:49 PM »
from winner Lance St. Laurent

Dear filmspotting guys,
I unabashedly loved the book and film adaptation of Watchmen. I truly
believed that Snyder's loving adaptation captured the spirit of the
graphic novel, while still leaving enough to appeal to the masses. I
still believe that there were some problems. Besides changing Malin
Ackerman(which is in the pantheon), I believe that the part of Dan
Dreiburg should have been played by an actor with less leading man
looks than the downright hunky Patrick Wilson. For my part, in a
perfect world, Dan would have been played by the always stellar
Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He fits the physical build of Dan more
accurately and probably would have turned a more moving performance.
Texan Down Under

saltine

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Re: Watchmen Contest Winners!
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2009, 02:52:48 PM »
from winner Joshua Ruth of Phoenix, AZ

Firstly, understand that I am a huge 'Watchmen' fan. I've read the
graphic novel over ten times. I own a 1/6th scale model of Dr.
Manhattan. I have a french lithograph made to promote the graphic
novel when it was released in 80s.

So yes, I love me some 'Watchmen.'

As you may have heard: this last weekend, 'Watchmen: Director's Cut'
was screened in four theaters in the entire country. One of those
theaters was the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. As I live in Phoenix, I
made a special weekend trip just to check it out. I feel this is
important to bring up because while I loved 'Watchmen,' I certainly
had my issues with it. These issues, however, were things I was hoping
would be fixed in the Director's Cut. Previous to this weekend, I
would have had a hard time answering your question of what could be
improved. Now that I've seen the Director's Cut, I feel qualified to
highlight my problems.

The biggest things I would change have to do with Rorschach. There are
three points about Rorschach's character that are ingored in both the
original and director's cut that would have answered a lot of
questions for the Watchmen un-initiated.

It's no secret that the character those unfamiliar with the source
material gravitate to is Rorschach. This is obviously the case with
you two. Yet I bet you can't tell me why he is named Rorschach. Matty
brought up in the most recent episode that he didn't know why his face
was moving all the time.

THINGS I WOULD CHANGE:
1.) Young in his life, Walter Kovacs (a.k.a. Rorschach) took a job as
an unskilled tailor in a dress factory. At one point, a wealthy woman
places a special order for a dress made from heat and pressure and
sensitive liquids between two layers of latex to create a contantly
shifting pattern. When she saw the final product, she thought the
dress was ugly and didn't want it. This was the cloth that Rorschach
used to craft his mask. It is certainly not supernatural.
2.) The name of Rorschach is taken by Kovacs for a couple reasons.
Firstly, Kovacs sees the world as black and white. No compromises, as
he states in the end of the film. He responds to the material of the
Rorscach mask because it has no shades of gray. That is how he sees
life. The name also makes reference to the subjective nature of good
and evil. Rorschach looks at the world and sees bad. In famous scenes
from the comic, his psychologist starts his meetings with Kovacs
having a good outlook on life and by the time Rorschach is finished
with him, the psychologist now sees the black instead of the white.

Those are huge. As most people had a hard time relating to many of the
other characters, it would have been a smart move on Snyder's end to
spend two or three screen minutes discussing these facets of
Rorschach. As it stands, most people probably just think he's called
Rorschach because he has an inkblot on his face. And many of those
people may think it moves just because it would look cool on film.

The third issue I have has to do with Rorschach's first kill. In the
film, he mentions that he tracks down a kidnapper. In the book, the
story is that he kidnapped a little girl for ransom thinking that she
was the daughter of very wealthy people only he's made a mistake and
she was from a poor family who can't afford a ransom. To cover his
tracks, he chops her up and feeds her to his dogs. The revenge that
Rorschach takes upon this killer is a turning point for him, "I used
to let them live" he says. While in the film, Rorschach simply (albeit
viciously) kills the man with a meat cleaver - In the source material,
Rorschach handcuffs the man to a pipe, then throws him a saw and
lights the house on fire telling him that he might just have time to
cut himself loose. Rorschach stands outside the house and watches it
burn. Not only is this a much more fitting death for someone who did
something so awful, but it is the transition point. Rorschach doesn't
just snap and start killing. He eases his way into it.

I don't think this is just a case of 'I'm a fanboy and these are my
favorite scenes.' These would have made the Rorschach storyline much
more cohesive plot and would have left audiences feeling more
complete.

I throw myself on your mercy. I would love that book. I hope you deem me worthy.

- Joshua Ruth
Phoenix, AZ
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donkey

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Re: Watchmen Contest Winners!
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2009, 08:44:55 PM »
THis is Pete from NYC saying thanks!

Edit: Received the book! thanks again.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2009, 07:46:05 PM by donkey »

 

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