I left one movie off my previous post from 2007, which was my Part One list of Twelve Movies From The Last Five Years That I Wanted To Like But Didn’t.  Remaining are the movies from 2008 and 2009 that made (or didn’t make, if you look at it that way) the cut.

2007 continued

American Gangster

Common = Gangster in RIdley Scott's American Gangster.

This movie was built up to be pretty big in the minds of those that love a gangster film.  You have Denzel, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott directing, a Jay-Z-laden soundtrack, and comparisons to the classic film Scarface, then…ehhh.  The movie was just okay. It wasn’t along the same lines of the Pacino/DePalma classic, it didn’t really move me, nothing about it was very memorable, even though it was a solid film.  It was just another movie and that was disappointing. I still haven’t seen it since.

2008 – Be Kind, Rewind & Blindness

Be Kind, Rewind

Be Kind featured Mos Def and Jack Black, an odd and intriguing pairing, mixed with the directing talents of Michel Gondry, and the result was one of the weakest movies of the year.  Mos was almost impossible to watch (to listen to him), the lo-fi film recreation storyline should have been a lot more fun, and it really amounted to a schlocky, underwhelming piece, that made me further question the talents of those involved, and have highly soured me on Gondry as a director. He has to earn back the good will that he built with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I don’t know that he is up to the task.

Blindness

This turned out to be the biggest rip-off ending in a film that I have seen in years.  With Fernando Meirelles helming one of my favorite films of the past decade and a high-ranking personal favorite of all-time in the amazing City of God, this was an opportunity to see him take the next huge step as a director and reap the rewards that fans of City of God wanted for him. (Fernando, feel free to mix in a Lil’ Dice cameo).  Instead, he didn’t take advantage.  The movie kept your attention (though not easily) for the duration and then yanked the rug out from beneath your feet in a horrendous ending.  I don’t know that I will ever forgive him.  BTW, Fernando, call me – because in truth I don’t remember the ending, I just know I absolutely hated it.

2009 – Bronson, Watchmen, The Hangover & Public Enemies

Bronson

Tom Hardy was Bronson, pre-Inception.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s film built up as A Clockwork Orange type of film, but was nothing more than a weird, sordid tale about a guy, told in an odd, and rather uninspiring way.  I was very high for the film before I saw it only to be incredibly let down. It was actually hard to make it through. I know it was based on a true story, but it didn’t redeem it at all for me. I hoped for a lot more.

Watchmen

This was a film that had a great trailer. Normally I wouldn’t have had much interest in a film like this, but it was built up to be perhaps one of the biggest movies ever, and landed with a rather resounding thud.  This wasn’t a horrible work, but if you counter it with a movie like The Dark Knight which more than matched the hype, it only exaggerated the difference of what this film might have been.  I think Zack Snyder may be able to become an interesting director, but he also might be the next Michael Bay. At this point, the meter is swinging in the “Bay” direction. Not good.

The Hangover

I don’t like comedies. Rarely, do they ever live up to my expectations, which are, I don’t know, how do I say this, to….laugh during the movie.  Is that too much to ask?  Absolutely. I chuckled two to three times during the film.  That does not a good movie make, nor is it worthy of being the biggest comedy of all-time.  This movie exemplifies how different the tastes of mainstream America and mine are.  I envy you, mainstream audiences.  To derive enjoyment from such average work must be nice. I wish I was as easily entertained, but alas, I am not. I’d rather be hung over, than watch The Hangover.  It was not believable, nor very fun.

Public Enemies

I have to include this movie on the list, because we did a dedication week to Michael Mann here on The Film Nest, and I (essentially) had breakfast with the man a few months ago. I was hoping for another movie along the lines of his previous actioners such as Heat and Collateral.  This did not match that.  I don’t think that this is a bad movie by any means, it just wasn’t great, and I thought it had the potential to be that.

Casting Johnny Depp (a feminine man in a masculine role) was the starting point of this heading down the wrong path.  The action was ordinary and you didn’t care enough about the characters to engage in the story.  It was a movie you simply watched but didn’t interact with. For that, it makes the disappointing list.  And Michael, next time we are at breakfast, easy with the staring at me brother, I’m just trying to eat and mind my own business.  Don’t use me for your script inspiration – unless of course, you really, really needed it.

I hope all movies I see are entertaining, but the odds are stacked wildly against me.  In the next five years, if I lower my expectations, perhaps there won’t be a need to compile such a list. I’m counting on you Hollywood, to bail me out.  If not, my pen (or keyboard in this case) is ready. Good luck.

Every year, Comic-Con in San Diego is one of the biggest events for studios to unleash the latest in upcoming films.  The event has grown from a pequeno little event for comic book fans to an industry extravaganza where studios and stars come out to hype the latest in films, whether they are in production, have wrapped, or are still at the very early planning stages.  Various announcements are made with regards to casting (the big one this year was with regards to Mark Ruffalo’s replacement of Edward Norton as the Hulk in The Avengers upcoming movie) and general hoopla, panels and parties are held. It all sounds so, well, like so much hype.  I have never attended.

That being said, I still try to keep you abreast of the most significant of happenings there.  Usually, those are an announcement or two and some footage in regards to trailers.  Last year, there was probably a little more info, due to Avatar having a presence, but there are still some interesting pieces to report on from this year.

I have read a few things on what the “results” of this years event are.  By results, I mean, what films came out ahead, what got left behind, or what stayed about the same on the expectation meter.  So, I give you win, lose or draw from Comic-con, primarily based on the piece done by Steven Zeitchik of the LA Times.  I will add my own thoughts based on what his takes are of the events proceedings with regards to films we are ready to see, this year or next, and maybe in a case or two, even 2012.

The Winners:

Cowboys & Aliens

This makes sense given that Jon Favreau has been known to be incredibly fan friendly and interactive at Comic-Con (and other events for that matter).  He can do no wrong in fans eyes, given the popularity and success of both his Iron Man films.  Additionally, bringing Harrison Ford out for a public display during the Cowboys & Aliens panel, only served to heighten the experience.  That being said, this 2011 movie is one of the farthest from release/earliest stages of production, of about any film that was discussed at Comic-Con. SZ said bringing Ford out is “precisely the kind of Comic-Con moment that’s long forgotten when a film finally comes out.”  I couldn’t agree more, but this is off to a good start.

The Expendables

This was kind of being looked at as a potentially nice action film, a trip down memory lane for all the big names involved, but Sylvester Stallone‘s movie gained the most goodwill from the event it sounds like.  SZ says “Comic-Con has sealed its fate: “The Expendables” (“Explodables?”) is destined to open big.”  I am not surprised by this, when Sly rolls out several other cast members for a butt-kicking good time.  But to me, the film may not offer enough to get me excited. I am still on the fence as to whether this will be a cheesy good time or just a boring clunker with big names.  If I had to put my money on it, it would be both.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

This is one of those movies that visually looks wholly original, which is a good thing.  Fans ate up the media blitz at Comic-con.  Whether that will translate into box-office success remains a question mark though.  This seems similar to Kick-Ass which generated buzz in San Diego last year, only to see middling (small) box office results.  Star Michael Cera is the x-factor; a make or break film in a sense I believe.

Draw:

Let Me In

This is a remake of an underseen Swedish “horror” film from two years ago, Let The Right One In.  It seems as if fans basically want the same movie, but in English, if this is to work.  I think positioning the film in the horror genre means it needs to deliver more jumps and scares than the original, which actually was more of a character vampire piece.  I am curious to see how this goes.  I liked the original enough to have an interest, but will US audiences as a whole feel the same? SZ saw this one as a potentially slightly positive churning film.

Sucker Punch

Director Zack Snyder‘s 300 and Watchmen earned him hype for this female-centric film.  Rolling out a half-dozen cast members was only going to work in the film’s favor for this event.  But whether or not the movie will draw women (or enough men) remains to be seen.  Watchmen was a disappointment on release, so I can’t help but think that Sucker Punch, even with its lower expectations, won’t wow at the turnstiles.  Hmmm.

Tron: Legacy

Hype was already pretty high for this one, so #sdcc did nothing to diminish that.  It will be interesting to see if the old generation of cult fans for the original turn out for the new spin from Disney.  The footage didn’t wow me, but I still expect this to be well-received.  SZ says it is “well-positioned” as a December release this year.  Probably so.

The Losers:

Thor

This has been one of those films that continues to look like a failure thus far and Comic-Con’s presentation didn’t do enough to sway that opinion, here or there, it seems.  SZ says “it was impossible not to hear the dissenting voices questioning, perhaps fairly, the histrionic costume-drama of the exposition and the generic explosions that followed. For some reason we have a feeling these voices will only grow louder.” This one just has looked generic to me thus far, but it is Marvel so there is still hope that this will turn in the right direction in the next year before its release.  I remain skeptical though.

The Green Hornet

I read elsewhere a piece on the question of what director Michel Gondry had done to warrant such fanboy lust.  After reading the piece and thinking about it myself, I had to concur.  I mean, he has done some great things visually in commercials, and I really enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but honestly, his resume beyond that film as a director is pretty bad.  A list of movies you’d like to like, but didn’t.  Ditto for star Seth Rogen in my book.  A fresh face in Knocked Up, has really turned into a one-trick pony incapable of being a lead and carrying a film on his own.  Add that to the fact this is supposed to be an action movie, and I can’t help but think this will bomb.  SZ says “The panel was vexed by the same problem as the trailer: the inability to choose, or find the right space, between comedy and the more serious business of superhero mythology. This one made few inroads at Comic-Con.”  Not a good sign.

Share your thoughts on what films on this list you are excited about and which maybe, you are not as thrilled about.  I’m listening.

A lot of casting announcements or near-announcements made today concern higher profile actors in higher profile projects.

Let’s start off with Ms. Carla Gugino, who you may recognize as the hot naked one from Sin City or the original Silk Spectre from Watchmen. After those two comic book films and a semi-recurring role on “Entourage,” Gugino is once again teaming up with her Watchmen director, Zack Snyder, for the female-empowered Sucker Punch. According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” the film is set in a 1950′s mental institution when a character played by Emily Browning is scheduled by her evil stepfather to be lobotomized (think the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) in five days. She forms an escape plan with other female inmates. Gugino will play Mrs. Schultz, an adult figure in the institution.

Sam Worthington, he of Terminator Salvation, the upcoming Avatar and the the even further upcoming Clash of the Titans is in talks to join Charlize Theron in The Tourist, according to “Variety.” The film is based on the 2005 French thriller, Anthony Zimmer, about a female Interpol agent who uses an American tourist to expose a criminal who was once her lover. I’m assuming Theron would play the female agent and Worthington the used American.

Finally, after receiving non-critical praise for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has found his next project. He’ll play the title role in The Greatest Showman on Earth, based on the life of circus ringleader P.T. Barnum. The twist differentiating this from the typical biopic-based-on-circus-showman is it will be a musical. For those that don’t know, Jackman has been a longtime Broadway musical star, having hosted the Tony Awards multiple times before given the reigns to this past year’s Oscars. On an even more intriguing note, the script being written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) has a co-starring role written for one Anne Hathaway, who happened to be Jackman’s opening number partner at the Oscars, as well (relive that performance with the video, here).

I’m probably most interested in Snyder’s Sucker Punch as he’s proven to deliver an astounding visual. The concept of biopic-as-musical intrigues, especially with the possibility of Anne Hathaway co-starring. But, to dismiss a Theron project when she easily holds her own if not dominates the “beautiful” category against the aforementioned female names, would be disrespectful. So, hell, at the moment I’m down for all of it. Which of the three projects piques your interest the most? And since I mentioned it, which of the three women?

One of THE most anticipated films of the year is the Viggo Mortensen post-apocalyptic film, The Road. Of course it was one of the most anticipated last year, too, until it was delayed for further awards consideration. Only a few stills have been released so far. No poster and no trailer yet. [Boing Boing] linked to some style frames done for the film. They’re kind of like rough concept art. If this is what we need to get some Road action, so be it. It’s slated for released in October, according to IMDb.

David O. Russell’s name has been mentioned a lot lately, attached to various projects, but his latest is The Fighter, about Irish boxer Mickey Ward. It’s taken forever to get this project off the ground, so we’ll see if this version will happen. Mark Walhberg is set to play Ward, and guess who’s set to play Ward’s trainer? That would be Christian Bale. I look forward to the inevitable Russell/Bale stand-off on-set. Here’s what they did as individuals. Should be epic. [Film Drunk]

Zack Snyder has continued to suffer fallout from Watchmen‘s box office underperformance. His next film, Sucker Punch, has lost three key women all due to scheduling conflicts. Out are Amanda Seyfried, Evan Rachel Wood and Emma Stone. In are Emily Browning, Jamie Chung and Jena Malone. [Obsessed With Film]

Jason Statham is set to fill the shoes of Charles Bronson for director Simon West in the remake of The Mechanic. I’d imagine more than cars get fixed. [We Are Film Geeks]

Wanted creator Mark Millar decided to pipe up against the uproar of Evan Spiliotopoulos (writer of The Lion King 1 1/2) being tapped to write Wanted 2. He says Spiliotpoulos wrote an unproduced action-oriented spec script and that’s what won him the job.  Take that. [Fused Film]

[Cinema Blend] tells us Marlon Wayans is set to star in The Year of Living Biblically about a man who attempts to live his life with a strict adherence to the “Bible” for a year. As Ned Flanders would say, “Even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.” Sounds like a high concept project hopefully better than any Wayans brother comedy.

Following up yesterday’s slew of new film pics, here’s one from the new Neil Marshall (The Descent) film, titled Centurion. [Beyond Hollywood]

Finally, today we leave you with [Cinematical]‘s speculation of the chance of Harley Quinn appearing in the next Batman film. It’s not much evidence at all, but the speculation is there. Why not fuel the fire that’s died down a lot since last summer?

The Passion of the Christ blew up to mammoth box office propotions when it was released five years ago. Unheralded for an independent, subtitled, bible film. It managed to get a huge spike during Easter of that year and Hollywood now has two Easter (bunny) themed projects in the works. Ahh, Hollywood, the haven of fakery. [Cinematical]

Is Terminator Salvation rated PG-13? So it says according to a Pizza Hut tie-in promotion. I just read the 25-page Terminator retrospective in last month’s “Empire,” and got me hyped. This news doesn’t make the film any more appealing to me. In fact, probably less so. However, The Dark Knight had R-rated themes with just PG-13 level violence. We’ll soon find out. [Ain't It Cool News]

More rating-related news, [Latino Review] reports the future feature film of Stephen King’s It movie will boast an R-rating.

Last week, we posted the new The Hangover trailer. Our review will be up very soon. Hint: It was was pretty good. [CHUD] reports that Warner Bros. is having director, Todd Phillips work on a script for a sequel, already. However, Old School 2 was spoken about for what seems like forever, and I have to doubt that’s ever happening. We’ll see what the box office take is.

Following up The Hangover sequel talk, and coming off the studio’s disappointment in Watchmen, Zack Snyder reveals some ideas for a 300 sequel. 600, maybe? [MTV Movies Blog]

[Coming Soon] has some casting info and some pics of this month’s “Empire” cover girl, Megan Fox, from the set of Jonah Hex.

The George Lucas-produced WWII fighter pilot pic, Red Tails has some casting announcements, involving a Wu-Tang Clan member and a Boy ‘N Tha Hood. [JoBlo]

Lastly, [/film] carries a story about investors and merchandisers may be worried about Pixar’s Up. Nonsense as far as I’m concerned. I can already envision a Carl Frederickson cardboard standee in my room. Let’s get it done!

At what cost, peace? War is often seen as a means to achieve peace. A bizarre dichotomy of opposites where one will somehow equal another. I’ve never read “War & Peace,” but I’m sure this strange relationship between the two is examined at length. People and countries go to war with each other for a variety of reasons, including enforcing one’s will on the other. That will is just a varying viewpoint of how one achieves peace and tranquility in this world. Watchmen wonders what the true cost of peace is and how one should go about achieving that state. In the interest of full disclosure, I admit I’ve never read “the most celebrated graphic novel of all time,” the movie is based on, and can only reveal my thoughts on how it fares as a film, instead of a comparison to its source material, which I understand it adheres to greatly.

1985. A slightly skewed alternate reality in which Richard Nixon has been elected to an unprecedented third term as president of the United States. Reaganomics has yet to make its mark. Nuclear war with the Russians is on the brink, as the doomsday clock moves ever closer to the stroke of midnight. A costumed hero, the Comedian, is brutally murdered in his apartment after an epic struggle between two demigods. Through flashbacks, we learn the Comedian is ironically not known for his humorous disposition on life. Unlike the Batman villains, the Joker or the Riddler in another comic book reality, the Comedian’s point of view reminds me of Daniel Craig’s character in Road to Perdition, when he says, “it’s all so f’ing hysterical.” Indeed, the Comedian is shown to be quite the jerk. The mask he wears literally and figuratively goes to his head. When discovered, his murder spreads fear throughout the former costumed hero community, as revealed by another comrade in arms, Rorschach.

Although all his contemporaries have moved on as a result of the Keane Act, requiring all masked vigilantes to put away their alter egos forever, so the country can remain in peace and live free of a constant state of fear, Rorschach is consumed by his masked persona. His human form is long extinct. He clings to his mask, not to cease his identity from being revealed, but to him, it enables him to breathe freely and be who he is. His mask consists of inkblots that twist and contort at a constant pace, always shifting into something new, never to be fully grasped by anyone who bears witness. He disseminates the news of the Comedian’s death to his former partners in arms, warning them of an extermination which may be at hand for all who picked up the lifestyle.

He visits the Nite Owl, now Dan Dreiberg, who lives in almost complete isolation. He keeps his caped-costume hanging in the basement of his home, in what appears to be an abandoned subway tunnel. Their crime-fighting machine is stored there, too, preserved as a historical relic. He has fond memories of the past, but has since regretfully let them go. Together, he and Rorschach warn the rest of the old gang. Dreiberg goes to Adrian Veidt, formerly known as Ozymandias, the only former hero to have outwardly revealed his identity, who now runs a major corporation as “the smartest man in the world.” Rorschach gives notice to the Silk Spectre II and Dr. Manhattan, the only superpower-blessed of them all, after a lab experiment gone awry. Together, they must band together to help save themselves from themselves, the serial killer with a penchant for former costumed heroes and humanity from total destruction. Weighty stuff. Not your grandfather’s Saturday morning serials.

"This silly button has cost me a lot of strife."

What made an immediate impression on me was the use of music in the film. A bravura opening credits sequence, much of it shot like a living photograph, depicts the rise and fall of the superhero in America, from the quaint, idealized 1940′s, to the corruption and scandal as the torch is passed on to the current place in the film’s timeline, all set to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” It was beautiful imagery married to glorious sound and worked as a great few minute passing-of-time sequence, telling a story in an imaginative way, both visually and aurally. Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence” hasn’t been used this perfectly since it was written for The Graduate, as it accompanies the Comedian’s somber funeral procession. Lastly, due to our film experience knowledge, we are again treated to Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyrie’s” during the film’s Vietnam sequence, showing how our costumed heroes fared in winning the unwinnable war. The last two pieces I mentioned play on your familiarity with film history as fused to new images and they work well, because of that inherent association.

Director, Zack Snyder, earned a proper reputation as a visual stylist after 300 and he doesn’t do anything to dismantle that notion with Watchmen. As noted above, I’ve been told the film visually adheres to the source graphic novel, almost verbatim. Whereas that might restrict his style and where he wants to go with it, I don’t think this strict adherence to the original material marred the visual experience in any way. Snyder also manages to make punches and kicks more lethal and brutally visceral than I’ve experienced before as a member of an audience. It does give the sense that these former masked vigilantes are a step above mere mortals, dishing out and absorbing bone-crackling punishment. The combination makes for a unique movie-going experience that’s best recreated by a non-timid and meek theater. Although I didn’t experience it in IMAX, that may be preferable.

“Watchmen” has been referred to as the Citizen Kane of graphic novels. It unfolds as such in its storytelling technique, after the death of an important figure. An investigation takes place, trying to uncover the reason for his death to protect the others for the future. Watchmen, however, is not centered on the Comedian. It branches out to cover multiple characters and unique possibilities. There isn’t much origin revealed for many of these characters, showing exactly how they came to be, aside from Dr. Manhattan. The origin story is part of the superhero mystique I enjoy most and was sad to miss it here. I realize, though, that this isn’t like any superhero story I’ve encountered before. It has big themes and thoughts behind it. I can picture why the graphic novel is so hailed, but I don’t believe it fully transferred to the screen in all its apparent glory. At times, the film felt a bit disjointed and it hinders it from achieving the acclaim bestowed upon its originator, whether it was a shot-by-shot labor of love or not.

Watchmen will no doubt rake in huge box office numbers and although I don’t feel it was everything it was hailed to be, its success is a good thing. It reaches beyond what we’ve grown accustomed to in the current dearth of comic book heroes brought to screen. It builds upon The Dark Knight‘s depiction of fantastic characters in realistic situations. It’s certainly the anti-Daredevil, and all those expecting action at every turn be forewarned. Watchmen carries powerful thought behind it and is a revelation in concept. Hopefully, the genre continues to mature as a result, and maybe that in itself can bring peace on Earth.

Fresh off the hype machine that is Watchmen (yes, we’ve seen it and the review is coming soon), director Zack Snyder is set to tackle a different sort of movie, one with an all-female cast.  Sucker Punch is the new film and I would venture to guess with Snyder at the helm, we could think of Charlie’s Angels on steroids or something along those lines.  Culling from his own script, Snyder’s tale is based on an action-fantasy from the 60′s with the same title.  EW reports:

Snyder is still putting together his all-female cast, but sources say Amanda Seyfried is in negotiations to play the lead role of Baby Doll, a young woman who has been committed to an insane asylum and fantasizes about escaping with the help of her fellow inmates, who take on fantastical roles in her mind. Offers are out to a slew of young actresses to fill out those roles, including Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Evan Rachel Wood, and Emma Stone. The $100 million budgeted film for Warner Bros. is scheduled to begin production in the Fall. Says Snyder, who is also producing the film with his wife Deborah Snyder, “I already did the all-male cast with 300, so I’m doing the opposite end of the spectrum.”

I used to do Marilyn Manson and maybe Mickey Rourke.

You have to hand it to the guy for having the gall to take on a project like this.  An all-woman cast is a risky proposition at the box office, and with a triple figure budget, that task becomes significantly bigger in scope and possibly difficulty.  A man known for being a risk taker and visionary with 300 and Watchmen now under his belt, this is an opportunity for him to really set himself apart in the industry I think, if he hasn’t already done so.  The cast has some legitimately known names, Evan Rachel Wood is known to be a fine actress and Hudgens is a tabloid regular, so it should have some level of name recognition going for it, but it still has tons of risk in my eyes.

Will the fanboys this type of pic is targeting, come out in a testosterone-less piece of work?  Is the thought of possible T&A enough to rouse them to the theater? That didn’t work for Frank Miller’s The Spirit which I think could be looked at in a similar vein.  Will teenage girls embrace this opportunity for empowerment the way they did with Charlie’s Angels?  What will the film be rated and how will that affect it’s b.o. prospects?  Tons of issues here, but possibly an exciting time for those interested and involved.

Zack Snyder is apparently a hot commodity right now.  Collider spoke with the Watchmen and 300 Director about all of the projects he has on his slate.  This interview heavily skews towards discussion of his slate of films outside of the March 6th blockbuster including The Last Photograph, Heavy Metal, Army of the Dead, Illustrated Man, Sucker Punch which is officially his next film, a 300 follow-up, and Guardians of Ga’Hoole.  that is a list that might rival Guillermo Del Toro’s, which we touched on pretty extensively in a post here.  Check the video out if you have an interest in Snyder’s work or any of the projects listed above.  As for Watchmen, aside from those 10 videos, we’ll still have to wait another week and half for the real goods.  Enjoy!

By special “The Film Nest” guest contributor: Joseph Amaral (aka “JoeCoconut” in Comments section)

Now that the long legal battle between Fox and Warner Bros. is over, we can finally focus on Watchmen, the film, which we already established as one of our “Top 20 Anticipated” of the new year.

“Watchmen,” which is one of the most critically-acclaimed graphic novels of all time, is now making a jump onto the big screen. “Watchmen” originally came out as a limited edition comic book series for DC Comics back in 1986-87.  Written by Alan Moore and artwork by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, the comic received the Hugo award (which is given to the best fantasy and science fiction story) in 1988.  In 2005, Time Magazine made a list of the 100 greatest books since 1923, “Watchmen” was the only graphic novel to make the list. This is an incredible achievement for just a comic book.

Tough to win food fights against superheroes

The movie (like the comic) follows a group of superheroes deemed the Watchmen. It is set in an alternate 1985 (no, not like Back to the Future II) in New York City. Things are definitely different. Richard Nixon is still the Commander in Chief, South Vietnam was victorious against the North and the USSR and the US is on the verge of war. The superhero, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is found murdered and another superhero, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), is investigating his death. He soon discovers there is a plot to kill off all superheroes, which could jeopardize the path of history. Other superheroes in harm’s way are Night Owl (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre II (Malin Ackerman), Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and the “retired” Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino).

The film’s star, Jackie Earle Haley, was a big fan of the comic and auditioned for a role when he heard it was being made for the big screen. He continues his triumphant return to features since his Oscar-nominated performance in Little Children. He plays the most identifiable character. Rorschach dons a white mask with inkblots on it. Whenever he emotes, the inkblots on his mask change positions.  The movie actually has some good actors in it. Patrick Wilson was very good in Little Children (who co-starred with Earle Haley) and I really liked Matthew Goode in The Lookout.

Wanna get shanked by this?

Zack Snyder, who also did the sweet 300, directs this, using similar green screen technology. The film has a lot of hype surrounding it due to its source material and has even been billed as the next logical progression from The Dark Knight. Grandiose words indeed. We’ll see if they hold up.

Read all of our past Watchmen coverage here.

Hopefully Watchmen turns out to be more in the realm of The Dark Knight than the The Spirit. Either way, this thing’s going to be BIG. Find out the exact scope on March 6th.

Some more casting news for you today. With a 180-degree about-face from yesterday’s rumor and conjecture, comes concrete casting evidence for two literary adaptations.

Guardians of Ga’Hoole

First up is the upcoming animated film to be directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), entitled Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Rachel Taylor and David Wenhem have all signed on to be part of the voice cast.

“Based on the children’s book series by Kathryn Lasky, the film, which is shooting in Australia, follows a young barn owl and his friends as they join forces with the mythical Guardians of Ga’hoole, owl protectors, to save the owl kingdom from rogue elements.”

The above quote says “shooting in Australia,” but as I understand it, there’s no shooting to be done at all. It appears to be a CG animated film, utilizing the same company from Happy Feet. No motion capture technology for Snyder in this one. He definitely has a visual style, which will be interesting to see transferred to the world of animation.

The Rum Diary

Next, the cast for the Johnny Depp-headlined The Rum Diary is rounding into shape. Amber Heard will be a busy girl, after last week entering John Carpenter’s The Ward, she’s also signed onto this project.

Piggy-backing on the Heard news is Two-Face himself, Aaron Eckhart is in negotiations to play the third-wheel along with Depp and Heard of a love triangle.

Last, but certainly not least, fresh of the heels of his Oscar-nominated performance in The Vistor, Richard Jenkins has signed on for the film.

“Diary is the tale of a washed-up, hard-drinking journalist named Paul Kemp (Depp) in 1950s Puerto Rico. Eckhart would play Sanderson, a wealthy landowner who believes everything has a price and introduces Kemp to a different standard of living. Jenkins is playing Lotterman, the man who oversees the rundown newspaper where Kemp works.”

The Rum Diary, is an adaptation of a novel by gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson.

This is not Depp’s first filmatic dealing with rum:

Thanks to “The Hollywood Reporter” for the news.