Two nights, two landmarks, and a whole lot o' oddities...

Well well, my first blog ever. I figured this might be a good time to start, as much excellence (or lack thereof) that has been hapening over the past few days or so. And since most people who will read this already know of the birth of my beautiful daughter, I'll not bore you with that. There shall be plenty o' blogging on the subject of Olivia soon enough, but right now she is a newborn, so not much to write about except sleep and poop. So on to different subjects!

First thing: I went with the Jenns and Doug to see Watchmen tonight. I'm going to write as if everyone knows what I'm talking about and not give some synopsis of what it is or such crap. Anyway, here's my take on the movie...

Visually, the film had some ups and downs. I think Zack Snyder's style fit the feel of the comic very well. However, this also led the film to be less movie-like and more comic-esque. Certain visual effects that worked very well in the comic were less effective and believable on the screen. Lots of scenes were taken frame-by-frame from the comic. Very cool and very odd at the same time. Overall, I liked it though.

Musically, the movie went some odd directions. The opening with Dylan was cool, 99 Luftballoons and Hallelujah were less cool. There is a scene where Ozymandias is talking about the future of world energy and the melody of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was playing subtly in the background. Very nice touch that will probably go unnoticed by people on the first or second viewings of the movie.

Onward to the meat. The writers changed very little of the plot, but they did make one major rewrite that really left me a little baffled. Not to put spoilers, but for those who know, the end with Ozymandias is a little off. Okay, a LOT off. But it still worked alright. The end result is the same. Other minor edits to fit the plotline into a two hour forty-five minute movie were barely noticable.

The acting left something to be desired. Both Silk Spectres missed the mark in my opinion, and Billy Crudup was horrendous as Dr. Manhattan. That said, Patrick Wilson was superb as Nite Owl II, and I am glad to say that Jeffery Dean Morgan was PERFECT as The Comedian. I had my doubts about him, and they were all banished within minutes. Kudos to you sir. Rorschach was also done very well by Jackie Earle Haley, and Ozymandias was fairly good, played by Matthew Goode. He looked a little like the youngest son on Home Improvement, but what can ya do?

In conclusion, after quite a bit of deliberating, I think I liked the movie. Of course, it pales in comparison to the book, but what movie doesn't? I think it was as well done as Watchmen could have been, and if nothing else will serve to expand the audience of the book it was based upon.

Okay, time to change the pace a bit and talk about another classic brought to life. Okay, maybe not a classic, but another chapter in a classic series. I'm talking Star Wars people. Those of you who know me well know that my love of all things Star Wars is so intense as to be classified as a character flaw. That being said, when I first heard about The Force Unleashed Project, I was skeptical. Not since 1996's Shadows of the Empire had such an undertaking occurred. While that one worked out well, this new one, which was released September of last year, just seemed a bit campy. I mean, come on, Darth Vader's secret apprentice? But I decided to give it a chance.


In the project we had the release of a novel, a video game, a graphic novel, a campaign guide to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition, and some other stuff I'm sure. I got my hands on the novel sometime last year. Upon reading it, I found it to be very enjoyable. Different from what I was used to, but no less excellent. However, its one thing to read about Vader's apprentice in the book and seeing him in action on the screen. I was VERY apprehensive about the video game, but after a very nice lady on Craigslist sold it to me for a reasonable price, I decided to give it a shot. Good decision.

The game itself is nothing to write home about. Missions, hordes of baddies, and boss fights and the norm. It is the story that makes this game worth playing. Vader's apprentice, Starkiller, is an excellent character. Protrayed by Sam Witwer of Battlestar Galactica and Smallville, he is a believable and sympathetic character, even if he is a Sith. The acting in the game is fairly good, except for some issues with Juno Eclipse, played by Nathalie Cox She just seemed to keep the same tone throughout, whether the scene was urgent, funny, romantic, etc. Oh well, Star Wars has never been about exceptional acting (I'm looking at YOU, Hayden Christensen) so I guess its acceptable.

I dont have much else to say about the game. I beat it yesterday, and it was great fun to see it in action. I recommend it to any SW fan or anyone who likes swinging a lightsaber. Just don't expect great depth or anything.

Well, I guess that's it for this post. I'll be catching ya on the flipside.