Blown away by Watchmen

I was very curious to watch Watchmen after seeing the fantastic visuals in previews last year. I knew it was one heck of a graphic novel and had a fan base even here in the Philippines, but I never got around to reading it, not being a comic book fan. (Although I was reared on a small diet of DC Comics and Marvel superheroes, the storylines then were still happy and uncomplicated.)

As the credits rolled at end of the film, I just had to clap my hands in appreciation. Watchmen didn't disappoint. It's a film where you don't need any prior background knowledge about the characters and the storyline to appreciate it. To that Zack Snyder (who also directed the awesome 300) should be congratulated for not alienating moviegoers who didn't read the novel. (I'm not sure about how the novel's fans feel though. I read somewhere that there's some point in the film's ending that was changed from the original.)

Of course, it's not an easy narrative to follow, and with the theme so dark, and some characters immersed in their own psychoses (most people still think of comic book superheroes as one-dimensional good guys all around), there will be some moviegoers who might be turned off by it. I, however, bought the whole film hook line and sinker. Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon as president for three terms? Sure why not! You can just smell how bad this story is supposed to end. The U.S. winning the war in Vietnam because of the blue superhero Dr. Manhattan, okay, bring it on! Superheroes getting retired, aha. Who woulda thought? (Writer Alan Moore is a genius. It's unfortunate he felt the film was not good enough to warrant his name being credited.)

Sure there were some parts that didn't work for me, the almost cheesy love scene between Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), and the Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) character whose portrayal was very flat and uninteresting in most of the film. But over all, Watchmen was mindblowing. I left the movie theater mildly disturbed by the ending w/c begs the question, how far should we go to achieve world peace? So it's definitely not your ordinary superhero movie. Which is why I loved it. And why I needed a stiff drink after.

There are no big name actors in this movie which is fortunate because they don't distract from the real celebrity here w/c is the story itself. My favorite character is the sinister Rorscach/Walter Kovacs (played by Jackie Earle Haley, remember Bad News Bears?) who plays narrator in the film and is the one who pushes on to investigate The Comedian's death. He wears a mask with an ever-changing inkblot, very cool. But his character is so menacing and depressing, you wonder how he ever became a super hero.

(Off tangent: About 20 minutes into Watchmen I was thinking, Jeffrey Dean Morgan should change his manager. Playing The Comedian this time, he winds up dead. Again. For those who don't know, Morgan played heart patient Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Izzie Stevens' love interest who dies and comes back to haunt her. Weird. He also had a short stint as Judah Botwin in the first season of Weeds. Married to Mary Louise Parker's character Nancy, Judah dies in an accident even before the show starts and is seen mostly through flashbacks. Hay.)

Before I spill the beans on the rest of the film, just go watch it and be open to the entire experience. I'm ready for my second turn at Watchmen. And yeah, I am buying the book.

The new TV season is on!

SUMMER is over in the States so all the great TV shows are back with their new seasons. Yay! Some of my favorites include Entourage, Dirty Sexy Money, House, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Heroes, and Burn Notice. So my Mac has been working overtime again, as I download the new season's torrents this time via Limewire. (I used to use Transmission or Bittorrent but there have been some Internet issues w/ downloads from eztv and piratebay...I went back to Limewire which seems to be faster these days.)

My other favorites like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI New York and MadMen I just watch on the local cable networks so I don't tax my Mac and router too much. We're a little behind here, but it's still kinda cool to have something to wait for on TV. (I am surprised though that Studio 23 actually had very up-to-date Brothers and Sisters in its last seasons...it was only a week behind the U.S. airings.)

Without giving away anything, I am extremely excited over Grey's Anatomy's premier episode this season. Dr. Christina Yang (played by the always brilliant Sandra Oh) may be finding love (or at least lust) at last. There's a new doctor in town and I'm not saying who it is...of course you can just google it. Hint: he last played a lead role in ROME, the TV series. (Now that's a series I miss.)

Anyway the new doc (McMeaty? McNaughty? McSexy?) is hotttttt! and intense! Woof! Besides, it's about time Christina gets over Dr. Preston Burke. This is one tough cookie who needs some TLC. Who cares what happens to the on and off again relationship of Dr. McSteamy (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), ey? And yes, the Izzie character can be killed off. She's still living in her head w/ Denney the dead guy. Ick. she is annoying (both the character and the actor...what an arrogant bitch to turn down an Emmy nomination...feeling diva pwede ba!).

As for the other shows which have just premiered, Entourage is cooking as well...Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) is trying to get his career back on track after that miserable movie on Pablo Escobar. You'll still see a lot of cameos by actors, scriptwriters, and film producers/execs playing themselves as Vinnie tries to secure his next movie. But the character I really love is Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). This loudmouth has a great big heart. He may mess around w/ other women, and act like an asswipe in his dealings, but he loves his wife and kids. And you'll see him show this side of his in the new season. Of course, I can never get enough of Ari's office dynamics w/ his gay assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee...now a regular yay!).

Over at House M.D., Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) may finally see an end to the only one great relationship he's had with another human being. Almost everyone in this new season has come back hurting. Doctors in pain treating those in pain. Let's see how it'll play out.

I'm downloading Heroes right now, and eagerly waiting the season premier of Dirty Sexy Money. I hear Lucy Liu is gonna join the latter's cast.

Introducing...Dr. McSwimmy

Loveit!

Private Practice falls flat

Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder and Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery in Private Practice

DOWNLOADED the first episode of Private Practice from the universe of torrents and watched it the other day. For those still living on some other planet, Private Practice is the spinoff of Grey's Anatomy, starring Kate Walsh who plays OB-GYN Dr. Addison Montgomery (used to be Shepherd when she was still married to the insufferable Dr. McDreamy).

The new show also stars the multi-talented Taye Diggs (he sing! he dances! he acts!) and who Ellen Degeneres has already christened McChocolatey. He plays internist Sam Bennett recently separated from his wife, Naomi (Audra McDonald) and also a partner in the private clinic where Addison now works. Others in the cast include Amy Brenneman (remember her from NYPD Blue and Judging Amy?) who plays the slightly edgy shrink Dr. Violet Turner; the still-sexy seasoned actor Tim Daly (he played wacko Waco cult leader Davide Koresh and an alcoholic screenwriter in The Sopranos), who plays alternative medicine specialist Dr. Pete Wilder; Paul Adelstein, last seen as the scary government agent Paul Kellerman in Prison Break, who plays the sex addict and cybersurfing Dr. Cooper Freedman; and finally, Chris Lowell, who plays the token hotbod in this cast, receptionist and midwife-in-training William "Dell" Parker.

Unfortunately, Private Practice's first episode disappoints. I think it's still struggling between trying to be funny and dramatic, and trying hard not to be a Grey's Anatomy clone (well, so far, none of the docs have had sex yet with each other, although a kiss did pass between Addison and Dr. Pete in the Grey's Anatomy episode). But it still has that back and forth, smart alecky banter that is so Grey's Anatomy that it's hard not to be compared to its parent show. And I think Addison's character just makes so much effort to be loopy...dancing around naked, etc., the comedy actually falls flat. I had more laughs watching a Grey's Anatomy episode (which is basically a drama) than Private Practice (which is being promoted as a sit-com).

Well, let's see if the next episode's any better.