Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

One of the things I noted in my original review of Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie was that I would wait for a DVD that contained all the footage filmed that the director wanted to include, as well as a complete integration of the parallel "comic within the comic" Tales of the Black Freighter. Well, that DVD version has been released as "The Ultimate Cut." If you want to read my take on the movie as it appeared in theatres, you can find that here.

If you're a fan of the comic, and enjoyed the movie, then "The Ultimate Cut" is a must own. The additional filmed material adds depth to the story, and except for a few transitional quibbles, the inclusion of the Black Freighter animation works pretty damned well as a alternate media metaphor for Adrian Veidt's savior complex. In revisiting my original review, all the criticism and praise for the film is still pretty accurate for this expanded version. A few updated thoughts:

• I was pretty harsh on Matthew Goode's portrayal of Veidt (C+). Upon further reflection, I would probably up that a bit (B-). I saw more shades in his performance the second go round, though I still think he telegraphed his motivations more than he should have, and his arrogance wasn't quite as "altruistic" and "pure" as the comic depiction.
• Malin Ackerman's Laurie is still lovely, still poorly written, and still woodenly acted. Amy Acker would have been a fantastic choice to play Laurie, and would have completely rocked the mix of self-loathing and powerlessness necessary to make Laurie something more than a cardboard cutout.
• The music choices are still too obvious and jarring, and become more so on a second viewing.
• The old age makeup, while still problematic, isn't as bad on the small screen.
• I wanted more scenes with the newstand vendor and the kid reading the comic, and this was one of the major additions to this cut. The characters raise the "human stakes" of the film's conclusion, as well as giving us a reason to transition into the Black Freighter comic.
• Speaking of which, I think the hand drawn, animated version of Freighter was well done, and ably performed by Gerard Butler. I would have preferred a more graphic filmic transition into and out of the comic (ostensibly, using computer animation to morph to the comic prop into the world of the pirate cartoon).

Other than that, the film still remains an ambitious, if slightly flawed, passion project that probably comes as close to realizing Watchmen on the screen as we could have hoped for. I haven't yet listened to the commentaries (from Snyder and comic co-creator and illustrator Dave Gibbons), but the other DVD extras are simply stellar, particularly the "Under the Hood" faux-documentary (which features a brilliant and heartbreaking performance from Stephen McHattie).

All in all, a great addition to the DVD collection and a definite "buy" for fans of the property. Movie: A- DVD: A+

I'll take potpourri for $5,400, Alex

Here's a great add on for your Firefox browser: FoxyTunes. It adds controls for iTunes right into your browser, saving the laziest among us from having to (gasp!) toggle back and forth between two programs if you listen while you surf. (h/t T-Recs)

Still haven't gotten your fill of Watchmen? How about a movie podcast with Kevin Smith discussing the film? It's long, but awesome. (And the podcast was interesting enough that I went back and subscribed to the /film podcast. Lots of good geekery in there).

Dollhouse and Sarah Connor show ratings improvement! Both shows are also showing plot and content improvement, but will it be enough to get more seasons?

Joss talks to TV Guide about next week's pivotal episode.

The Live Feed chats with Ron Moore about the BSG finale.

EW has a fantastic slideshow walk through the history of BSG.

Buddy TV's list of the top 25 eps of BSG.

Carla Gugino's 5 favorite films (and cool that it includes 12 Monkeys).

Because no one can see enough Christina Hendricks pictures.

SI's Andy Staples looks at the SEC.

A funny comic for fans of the Watchmen graphic novel.

Just in case there's a gift giving occasion coming up.

Does this mean that Michael Vick's salary will be paid by taxes on the successful?

Scans of TV Guide (print version) feature on BSG.

Want a close up look at Chuck's chart from the back of the Tron poster? Look here. More on Chuck here.

What if Stan Lee wrote Watchmen?

Could there possibly be 10 defenses for the Howard the Duck movie?

These anti-bay marriage people are really lunatics. And I totally want to marry a robot.

SFX talks to the guy that's showing up on every TV show I watch, Mark Sheppard.

Interview with Nathan Fillion.

Patton Oswalt geeks out about Watchmen, Dollhouse (he's on Friday's ep), BSG and Burn Notice.

They're doing a "reimagining" of V, the childhood mini-series about alien lizard people invading Earth. And the iconic role of the hot alien leader will be played by Morena Baccarin.

A few minutes short of midnight (Watchmen Review)

I would love to give you a completely unbiased and educated opinion about how Watchmen worked solely as a movie, uninformed by the staggering work of brilliance that is the graphic novel. But I just can't. I discovered Watchmen about a decade ago, after a period of shying away from some of my geekier tendencies, and fell in love. Way back in the day, I was a true comic connoisseur. I read scores of titles from DC, Marvel and even Charlton (whose old school characters, acquired by DC, were originally to be used by Alan Moore in Watchmen). I wrote and illustrated my own comics. I read up on the history of the comics as an art form, entity of commerce and reflection of society. So when I paged through Watchmen that very first time, I was amazed at how perfectly every little detail captured not only politics and fears of the cold war era, but also how incisively the book folded the whole medium of comic books in on itself through plot, character, dialogue, color style and layout. Since that first reading, I've pulled the book out about once a year and reread it cover to cover, and each time, I notice something I didn't see before. Or it gives me something to think about in a new way that I didn't consider on a previous analysis. It's that rich, and there's a reason TIME put it on their list of 100 Greatest Novels.

As we all know, the book was deemed "unfilmable" because of the dense narrative, interwoven plotlines, period setting, multiple flashbacks and references to "additional materials" like the "comic within the comic," the police reports, the memoranda, the excerpts from fictional books and such. As excited as I was to finally see this masterpiece reach the screens, I always doubted it could be done, especially in a motion picture. In a 12 part HBO or Showtime miniseries, perhaps. But to condense all that into something under 4 hours, while losing the meta-implications of reading a comic about comic book heroes in real world that didn't have comics about "masked adventurers, well, I had my doubts.

So did I like the Zack Snyder's movie? The short answer is "yes," I did, but with some reservations.

Just like the book, I think I'll need to see this a couple of more times to absorb the full impact of everything that's going on in the movie (though it's not, and couldn't be, as intricately and precisely constructed as the book), and preferably, I'd like to see the full director's cut with the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" woven in. However, as a 2 hour and 40 minute theatrical journey into the world of Watchmen, I'll say that Snyder aimed the bar extraordinarily high and fell just short, delivering an unflinching and respectful motion picture that immersed me in that world and at times, took my breath away.

One of the trickiest things to pull off in this is the setting, an alternative 80s where cold war tensions have never been higher. The book definitely captured that vibe, and the first time I read it, it reminded me of the way everyone felt after watching that landmark ABC miniseries The Day After. One jittery trigger finger, and the world and all that we knew, would be gone. The Watchmen movie did an admirable job capturing the time and feel of a world on the brink of a nuclear holocaust, though due to time constraints, we seldom got to see the impact of that on characters outside our primary "heroes." The sense of urgency to stop the doomsday clock from ticking down, and when it comes right down to it, the impetus and rationale for the entire story's master plan, hinges on looking into that abyss of mutually assured destruction and feeling a sense of helplessness and despair (or, for one character, a sense of obligation and action). Given more time, I would have wanted to see more about the lives and struggles of the peripheral characters such as the psychiatrist or the news stand guy and his customer or the two cops. It would have help establish more of the national mood in that era, and of course, created a more acute sense of loss at the movie's conclusion. But I understand why those moments were excised, even if it they would have gone a long way to creating a greater emotional resonance outside the travails of Rorschach and the gang.

Speaking of Rorschach, the success of the movie falls squarely on how well the central 6 (well, 7) characters were cast, played and written. Here's my take (in order of how well they were executed):

Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). Good god, was he born to play this part. Rorschach is the engine that drives the movie's central investigation, and Haley was spectacular. A damaged, take no prisoners reactionary, Rorschach was everything I had imagined when I read the book. His was the voice I heard in my head, right down the slightly disgusted "hurm." And that voice was the important thing, since Rorschach only has a few moments to emote and act without the full face mask (though when he did get his chance without it in the prison scenes, the performance was equally stellar. His "give me back my face!" sent chills). A+

The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). I know it sounds counter-intuitive to say that a swaggering, murdering, raping psychopath that shoots a Vietnamese woman pregnant with his child was the most "charming" performance in the movie, but damned if that's not true. Morgan brought a metric fuckton of charisma to the role, and added layers to the character of Edward Blake that I didn't get from the book's pages. In fact, because of Morgan, I understood more of the backstory with Sally Jupiter than I ever did previously. It's a fine line to walk, making this character who does so many loathsome things even the littlest bit sympathetic, but Morgan did so with a bravura take on The Comedian. A+

Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup). While we only saw him "in the flesh" in flashbacks as Jon Osterman, Crudup was there the whole time, giving a motion capture performance and providing the voice of the only true superpowered being in the world. Crudup's voice work was outstanding, growing more detached throughout the narrative, and sounding like someone who at once understood everything, except the human condition he had lost. A

Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson). Wilson ably captured the ennui and impotence of a middle aged and paunchy Dan Drieberg, who had gotten into the hero game for all the right reasons and then had a little bit of his soul stripped away when the Keane Act forced all the masked adventurers to hang up their capes (with the exception of vigilante Rorschach and government tools Blake and Manhattan). He also hit all the right notes as an enthused and energized Nite Owl once the costume came out of the closet, taking pride in all his Batman-like gizmos and entering into a romance with Laurie. A

Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino). Gugino was outstanding as former pin up girl and crime fighter Sally Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre and mother of Laurie. She was vivacious in flashbacks to her younger days, when she knowingly used her sexuality and desire for attention to her advantage. She was equally good (with the exception of the makeup) as an older Sally, still clinging to the fond memories of the old days, when she was adored and admired. Her portrayal, along with Morgan's, was another reason I completely bought the Comedian/Sally storyline, even more so than in the comic. A

Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). I've seen Goode in other things, and liked him, but there was something just "off" in this performance. Ozymandias, aka Adrian Veidt, is the smartest man in the world and supposed embodiment of all the perfection man can achieve both mentally and physically. Goode did put forth a cool superiority, but too often came across like a petulant dick rather than as a pinnacle of towering intellectual might. His accent (or accents, as there seemed to be both Brit and German in there) wavered from scene to scene, and a combination of his performance and Snyder's framing/editing made it all too clear all too soon who was behind everything. C+

Laurie Juspeczyk (Malin Ackerman). I liked her bangs. She looked good in tight latex and thigh high fuck me boots. Other than that, I didn't buy it for a second. In the comic, Laurie is written to be flighty and confused (evidenced by her continued attempts to quit smoking, which sadly, can't be shown on film. Oh, we can hack a guy's arms off, shoot a pregnant chick dead and show the most brutal rape scene this side of Irreversible, but have someone smoke a cigarette? Heavens no!), caught up in circumstances she can't begin to emotionally process, like being the lover of a giant blue god figure with unlimited power but devastating detachment, or being the child of an illicit, secret and violent union. It's her "heart" and emotionality that helps pull Dan out of his stupor, and eventually, helps reach the last vestiges of Jon's humanity on Mars. But other than looking great, Ackerman totally fails in bringing any emotional subcurrent to the character. While Laurie is often passive, there are many colors to be played, and frankly, she was a blank sheet, that almost took me out of the movie every time she was on the screen. Amy Acker would have been brilliant in this role. D-

So for the most part, the characters and actors worked exceptionally well, though to be an unqualified success and effective illumination of the book, they ALL had to work.

The special effects, costuming, scoring and fighting were tremendous, and the opening credits, compacting a lot of backstory into a six minute Dylan song, were an astonishing piece of art.

Other than Goode and Ackerman, what didn't work for me?

It's a nitpick, but the group called themselves "Watchmen." Maybe that was a directive from the marketing suits, so people would understand, but that's just stupid. What group would call themselves that, knowing the quote from which the name is derived? Would anyone have been lost if they stuck to "Crimebusters" and put the full quote about "Watchmen" on screen? No.

The music. Yes, some was actually referenced in the novel, but the pop culture songs chosen were too literal, too obvious and too painful. ("99 Luftballons?" Really? "Ride of the Valkyries" for Vietnam? And can we please, please, please have a TV and movie moratorium on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah?" I did enjoy "Boogie Man" as The Comedian kicked some hippie ass, though).

Bubastis looked exactly like he should, but how about 10 seconds of a throwaway line to explain that?

The makeup was awful. I mean fucking AWFUL. I think we'd see better old age makeup in a high school production of Cocoon. Morgan and Gugino gave it a valiant try with their voices and actions, but it was through flesh colored spackling put on with all the subtlety of a trowel. And Nixon and Kissinger and other well known and recognized figures? Ugh.

I mentioned previously the lack of attention paid to the secondary characters from the book. Maybe they will be there in the final cut, but their absence took away some of the flavor and diminished the end game stakes.

Still, with plenty of things going against him, I think Snyder delivered as good a picture as he could have for the property. In the motion picture format, I don't think perfection (even recognizing that nothing on film will ever quite capture the full impact of the novel) was attainable. It's a mesmerizing work that I can't wait to see again. A- (that could have easily been an A+ with two, or perhaps even one, casting redo, some better makeup and more insightful music choices).


But what about the SQUID?!!
Okay, I haven't touched on the one defining and game changing difference from the novel, which was substituting attacks all over the world mimicking Manhattan's energy signature instead of a giant, interdimensional squid that attacks (only) New York. Personally, I think that the squid works best in the format it which it appeared. In a comic book, even one with such lofty ideals and complex storytelling as Watchmen, you can juxtapose the surface level silliness of a giant psychic squid attacking the planet from another dimension with the pages and pages of bloody, brutal human carnage and make your point. In a movie, something that fantastical (without many preceding scenes to carefully set it up) would feel out of place, and tonally jarring. The solution the movie offers is one that's more elegant and more believable in the reality of all that we've seen before, and pays off many of the elements and plot strands from the film. My only quibble is that why wouldn't the Soviets launch their bombs anyway, knowing full well that Manhattan was effectively an instrument of the US government? Perhaps another couple of minutes could have been inserted, with New York being attacked first, and Nixon frantically on the phone with the Kremlin assuring the Soviets that Doctor Manhattan is out of control and bent on wiping out humanity unless everyone pulls together.

In the end, a very, very good film. But if you haven't read the book, get yourself to a bookstore NOW.

I'll take potpourri for $5,300, Alex

TWOP has a solid list of the "Most Frakkin' Good Moments" from BSG thus far. Can you really believe we're almost at the end? The three hour, two part finale starts next Friday.

Eliza Dushku talks to The Advocate.

Joss answers your questions at Hulu.

Cinematical has a funny clip which could be the "worst death scene ever." (You really have to see this Z-movie clip to believe it. Skateboarding, blow up doll, Oscar quality emoting and bazooka).

Speaking of horrific video, how about a shot for shot remake of one of the cheesiest videos of all time:



Q&A with FOX prexy Kevin Reilly. Addresses Dollhouse and T:TSCC (although before Friday's continued ratings cratering).

I'll be heading to see Watchmen next week, once (hopefully) the crowd dies down. The gazillion reviews I've read have been all over the place, from "OMG! Best EVA!" to "Unwatchable." I've a huge devotee of the book, and liked Snyder's first two flicks, so we shall see. Here are a few Watchmen tidbits:

Watchmen as a Saturday morning cartoon:



What if Woody Allen (and other directors) made Watchmen?

Quiz: do you know your Watchmen?

A few Watchmen movie "easter eggs."

50 Reasons why Return of the Jedi sucks. (Start with "Ewok" and continue...)

A chat with Lost's Terry O'Quinn.

7 Films that Arnold Schwarzenegger never made. Of those, Crusade sounds the most interesting.

Chat with the cast of Big Love, which has been AMAZING this year.

Nathan Fillion's new show, Castle, debuts Monday. TWOP talks to him.

Good article from Mo Ryan on the difficulty launching complex dramas.

3 observations from Braves spring training. I'm cautiously optimistic.

TIME's "Nerdworld" says Dollhouse "isn't that bad."

I'll take potpourri for $5,200, Alex

Sarah Connor Chronicles ratings are tanking. Will FOX yank it before the season ends?

Damn the planet! My ass is important!

Wanna read the script for the original Dollhouse pilot?

IF Magazine chats with Topher (Fran Kranz)

Why on earth would you get back together with someone who beats the shit out of you?

Mo Ryan chats with the writers of Friday's BSG episode, "Someone To Watch Over Me." She's also got a piece about those two writers, Weddle and Thompson, who are now with CSI: Original Recipe. (They're doing an eppy set at a sci-fi convention, that also features Kate Vernon! How cool is that?)

If you're a BSG fan, and you haven't yet read this epic post (3 parts, actually) from composer Bear McCreary, get yourself a cup of coffee and go do it now. Not only is it a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of the process for developing music for the show (especially for an episode for which music is absolutely critical), but it's also evident how much passion and thought goes into this remarkable series.

Starbuck's Top 25 Moments. And an interview with Katee. Airlock Alpha chats with Donnelly Rhodes -- Doc Cottle himself. (I always thought of him as "Dutch" from Soap prior to this).

A chat with Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro, Admiral Cain, Tru Blood)

10 Alan Moore comics (other than Watchmen, of course) that you should read.

First PECOTA, now CHONE, predict a decent season for the Braves.

Pajiba gave a lukewarm review the Dollhouse pilot (as we all did, I think). In response to that, they put together a list of "great shows that started out weak." No quibbles with the list, and as you might expect, Buffy is on it, too. It's always a question that comes up when you want to introduce a newbie to Buffy: how much of the first season do you show them? Because s2 is when the show really hits stride, even though there are some standout eppys in that first, abbreviated season. While this might give us some hope for Dollhouse really elevating the game, there's a big difference between FOX and The WB and their ratings expectations. (Damn, do I wish Eliza's deal would have allowed the show to air on FX, where we weren't under the ratings Sword of Damocles each and every week). Anyway, when it comes to Buffy, you can check out an old post I did summarizing the "personal rating" (quality-wise) of that show and its seasons, and even check out the entire spreadsheet compiling them.

The AV Club chats with Eliza Dushku.

Collider chats with comic Patton Oswalt, who is a big fan of Firefly (he's even writing a comic coming up) and will also appear on Dollhouse.

Joss talks to Crave Online.

Mo Ryan talks to Fringe's "Mister Jones."

AICN talks to the science consultant for Watchmen.

Remember what book Ben was reading on Ajira Air 316? Ulysses, right? What's the last chapter in that book? Uh-oh.

Why being an iTunes hit doesn't quite matter yet for TV shows.

Steven S. DeKnight, writer of the best Dollhouse thus far, chatted with io9.

AV Club looks at 22 crucial film corpses.

Damn TV box digital converter thing! (I almost did this with a CD player, in an incident that shall not be spoken of again).

I'll take potpourri for $5,100, Alex

Go through all 7 seasons of Buffy in less than four minutes.

Ears and language rejoice! You will no longer be defiled by a Florida education. Emmitt is not coming back to ESPN. (With a list of his top 10 attempts at a coherent sentence, and video).

Sarah Connor ratings low, but steady. Dollhouse drops a bit, does okay in the demo. Can the show get in a groove and build?

Fringe moves production to Canada. Who cares? Walter can obsess about snack food in a basement anywhere. And The X-Files filmed there forever, before moving stateside late in its run.

TWOP looks at "familiar" characters in Dollhouse.

Mo Ryan continues her series of excellent interviews with BSG writers, this time with Jane Espenson. More here with the writers of "No Exit." She also chats with BSG and Dollhouse actor Tahmoh Penikett. (Between BSG and Dollhouse, typing his name is killing my spell checker).

And BSG composer Bear McCreary chats with another Final Fiver, Michael Hogan.

"Geek" shows (and Desperate Housewives and Grey's?) dominate the torrent downloads.

And the Oscar for best red carpet nipples goes to....

A really good list of the best movies about television.

Watchmen is coming! EW has a primer. So does TWOP. And geek icon Wil Wheaton saw the flick and says RELAX, it's AWESOME.

Info on the latest "standalone" story (about Faith and Giles) from the Buffy S8 comics.

Fast food ads vs. reality. The dream dies hard.

Five great careers derailed by the Oscar.

Cordy will be showing up on CSI.

Video of Matt Stafford showing some throwing skills (but not at the combine).

Good idea for Trek newbies: "Best of" samplers, with some very good eppy selections.

TIME has a Q&A with Joss.

This is Teh Awesomes. A "trilogy meter." Take a look.

In the SEC, who is each school's biggest rivals? Seems about right.

Looking back at the 2006 college recruiting classes. UGA's 2006 rank? 4th. Evaluated in hindsight? 4th.

The NYT talks to 24's resident nerd comics.

The 10 Worst Places to Work on TV.

Two little kids recreate the diner scene from Pulp Fiction.

From Jorge Garcia's blog, a look at the cake the folks from Ace of Cakes made for Lost's 100th eppy.

Pretty cool. Magenta isn't a color.

I'll take potpourri for $5,000, Alex

If Dollhouse continues, someone is obviously going to die, since Joss just loves killing. :-) Here are "his" 16 most painful deaths.

BSG composer Bear McCreary interviews four of the final five Cylons. (And holy frak! What a mind-blowing expositionarama last night with "No Exit." I'm still wrapping my noodle around the Cylon history lesson).

Sam Tyler may have a Life on Mars, but it looks like he won't have much of one on our TVs, if these ratings are any indication. Damn.

E!s Kristin chats with real life couple Michael Emerson and Carrie Preston. More here with Ben. And Juliet, too.

More thoughts on science and religion, and how the twain shan't meet. Related: "Oh, it's a miracle! Oh...that one, not so much."

I don't get into hockey, but some of these "goal" calls crack me up.

TV Gal isn't panicking about Dollhouse (quality-wise).

If Emily Blunt can't be Natasha Romanoff, then Eliza wants in. How's her Russian? Or maybe ScarJo?

A peek at Watchmen's "Tales of the Black Freighter."

A chat with the Ellen Tigh herself, Kate Vernon.

Matt Stafford the top rated QB in one scout's eyes.

To any gals excited about this, I'm ready to beam up.

Put your money where your mouth is, when it comes to Octomom.

Dragging down the collective IQ of the country.

I don't have any stories about him being a bad tipper, but I did have my own brief Michael Stipe encounter. In college, I made a late night trip to Kinko's to make copies of a paper I was writing, and there he was hanging out. (Why "hang out" in a Kinko's at 2 in the morning? No clue). But to call him "disheveled" would do in injustice to hobos. And I don't think I've ever been in proximity to someone who smelled quite so bad. Either he was living out of a dumpster in those days, or had decided to roll around in a compost heap with a sack full of dead mackerels before making a few copies. Ahhh, the exciting life of a rock star.

A chat with dear, departed Charlotte Staples Lewis.

A profile in asshattery. If your first impressions where that this guy was a douchenozzle, then read on.

The geek worlds collide. Summer Glau on Big Bang Theory? AWESOME. Just as awesome? Felicia Day on Dollhouse!

Awwwwww.

Klingon night school.

An interesting profile of Herschel Walker, from Jeff Pearlman's blog (he wrote the recent Cowboys book, "Boys Will Be Boys."). Pearlman also worked at ESPN for a while, and here are his top 10 things that irk him about the WWL.

Baseball Prospectus looks at the 2009 season. Braves with a winning record, and tied with the Phillies for the Wild Card? Wonder how the season series with the World Champs turns out?

If this program was used in Columbus, GA, I think the application would require all the geopbytes of all the internet storage in all the world.

Every single filthy fucking thing said on The Sopranos. EVER.

Did Peter Bishop want to be Captain Kirk?

Richard Hatch "defends" Tom Zarek.

Guess I'm not going to retire (or even buy some Whiskey and Ramen Noodles) doing this here blogging thing.

Does the brain make up the need for god?

AOL's "Best Shows of the 90s." Some highlights: Star Trek: TNG 29, SportsNight 19, South Park 16, Northern Exposure 15, Frasier 14, Law & Order 11, The Sopranos 10, The X-Files 6, Buffy 4, The Simpsons 3, Seinfeld 1. You look through that list, other than what I've noted, and realize there was a lot of crap on in the 90s.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (Amazon is offering Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" as a FREE download today!)

I'll take potpourri for $4,500, Alex

I'm just going to close my eyes and put my hands over my ears and chant "lalalalalalala" and totally ignore the financial machinations of Fox, which might delay the release of Watchmen on its scheduled date. And instead, watch two new videos: A featurette on story and characters, and a look at the making of the iconic "Minutemen" photo. (in Quicktime)

An awesome recap of i09's 2008 "triviagasms."

Lost fonts and logos!

Happy birthday, my favorite hairstyle (er, just to be clear, not for me).

Mandel's early preseason top 10. The plague of evil is number one. And since it's a Mandel column, UGA is nowhere to be seen. Anyone else have that vague "2005" feeling yet? 2004 was the swan song of some celebrated players, and there were great expectations that fell short that year. The next year, we flew a bit under the radar and took care of business. Too soon?

Betty Draper looking smoking hot.

AJ Green voted to all-freshman team (along with Julio Jones). So who was the SEC freshman of the year? Depends on who you ask. Coaches say AJ. AP says Julio.

The top 500 worst (aka "most common") passwords of all time. Evidently, the list was compiled from people that have no imagination, like their own name, are geeks (NCC1701!) and enjoy casual profanity. A funny list to peruse.

Statistical savant Bill James on why the computer models used for the BCS suck.

Apple's latest and greatest:


Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Young John Connor talks about the upcoming eppys of T:TSSC, and addresses one of my (few) complaints (too many terminators coming back from the future).

A dog, and elephant, and....aaaawwwwwwww. Sniff.

Recap of this week's Mentalist eppy. A good reason why this show is resonating: it delved into the arc, but upended "regular procedural expectations." When Jane decided he was going after Red John, as a viewer we've been conditioned to think that Lisbon would have a big argument with him and try to talk him out of it. Instead, she was supportive. I like the team here, and it makes this procedural better than average.

The Breakfast Cereal Club. Hilarious.

Interview with Lisa of "Wendy and Lisa" fame. Hot, talented, funny AND a comic-book fan? Awesome.

Let's just make sure we understand the truth: it's NOT a "tax cut" if you don't pay taxes. (It's theft and welfare at gunpoint). It makes my blood boil that the mainstream media ALWAYS overlooks this point. And why do breeders get more of everyone's money? It's a fucking choice.

A baseball writer has some thoughts about Dale Murphy for the HOF.

A little light reading for all the "climate change" and "global warming" nuts. And a prominent politician doesn't toe the "politically correct" line. Good for him.

I love the whole "houndstooth" thing at 'Bama. Look at the gloves.

A pretty misogynistic and disgusting look at dating from one of those "pick up artist" types. But underneath all the disturbing and offensive rhetoric, is there perhaps a kernel of truth? I can probably pick out one horrific and life-wrecking moment from my past, and think that in hindsight, I should have taken the "Danger Will Robinson!" warning signs seriously. Sigh.

And along the same lines, Micheal K never fails to crack me up.

Where were these teachers when I was in school?

An NFL draftnik is a little surprised after doing an analysis of Matt Stafford.

Top 25 fictional ads in sci-fi.

Is this the first step in Skynet and the rise of the machines?

Good list of 14 disastrous revamps.

The flat-earthers take umbrage over a holiday greeting on a sci-fi blog.

New Watchmen Trailer

Courtesy of Yahoo Movies, check out the awesome:

I'll take potpourri for $3,600, Alex

Remember my post about my "days in hell?" Well, I forgot to mention this: I also got a letter from the IRS. (Sadly, not the old record label). It seems that both the state of GA and my former mortgage company made errors in reporting. So I had to waste a couple of hours getting that straight with my accountant. Fair Tax, anyone?

A handy list of the most commonly misspelled words. I always have problems with "judgment."

Featurette about the world of Terminator 4.

Good news? An awesome new Dollhouse trailer. Bad news? It appears Joss is getting shafted again by FOX, which just announced their upcoming schedule. Instead of getting a cushy spot on the Monday sched with 24, Dollhouse is now paired with Sarah Connor on Fridays, the TV graveyard. Seems I recall another Whedon show on FOX, a little thing called Firefly, airing on Fridays. We know how that worked out. Fuck. Of course, depending on the expectations and patience of the "new" FOX regime, perhaps there's a silver lining. Maybe TPTB will realize where the stabilized ratings are for T:TSCC, and that will create lowered performance expectations for Dollhouse, and they will accept a non-American Idol number on Fridays, letting both shows breathe and attract a nice geek demo. Optimism, right?

Speaking of Joss, nice interview about Fray. (And how cool has it been to revisit that world in the Buffy Season 8 comics?)

Ray Wise, the delightfully snarky Devil from Reaper, chats here.

Q&A with HIMYM creators.

Joan Holloway (and YoSaffBridge) was in an Everclear video! Yep, she was smoking hot then, with shorter hair. More on the hotness that is Christina Hendricks here.

Unexpected storylines on college football. 4 and 5 are dismaying, of course.

Why Bones is the best procedural on TV. I'm still fond of CSI: Original Recipe too, though. (Thursday's ep, with Lady Heather, didn't disappoint. And did anyone notice that Roger Sterling's new bride showed up in that one also?)

I'm trying to keep an open mind about the Big O, but his whole idea of "fair" makes me want to vomit. FAIR is that people keep what they make, period. FAIR is that nobody gets a free ride, period. FAIR is that people are NOT rewarded for sloth, idiocy or rampant spawning.

Is this where the whole "red" and "blue" designations started? Oh, and Oregon adds yet another uni debacle to their closet.

Did anyone know you're supposed to calculate the tip on the pretax bill?

Why Pushing Daisies is the best show you're not watching. (and probably won't be for much longer. Rumor has it that PD won't get the "back 9" pick up, and Bryan Fuller could head back to try and resuscitate Heroes).

The women of Watchmen. And if Carla Gugino isn't #1 on my "list", I don't know who is.

Is Best! New! Show! of the summer dead? Sigh.

Does anything good ever happen at a Days Inn? Evidently, the Bulldog hubby got pwned just like the team did.

Desktop Drive In

A few early morning videos for your viewing pleasure:

The first Lost S5 promo has arrived!

100 Seinfeld quotes.

Bill Maher suggests (rightfully) that Sherri Sheppard, should visit Bellevue.

Deleted scenes from BSG season 4.

How does Dwight Schrute stand up to geek torture?

Marcia Brady chats about anal sex.

Behind the scenes of the girl-on-girl terminator fight from Monday's Sarah Connor. (Limited special effects -- the gal was a contortionist!)

New Watchmen footage (interspersed with some we've seen before) from the recent Scream Awards.

I'll take potpourri for $3,100, Alex

Everyone else enjoying How I Met Your Mother this year? I know I am. And it makes a nice pairing with the increasingly funny and endearing Big Bang Theory. Here's a fun interview at TWOP with HIMYM creator Craig Thomas. As if you need other reasons to like him and the show, he's a huge fan of Veronica Mars, Buffy and Angel. (great taste, that one). And he hated Connor. (Though Season 5 Connor, along with the weaselly Pete Campbell on Mad Men, have made me almost forget the whole Season 4 thing).

A while back, I blogged about "go to bed shows." Meaning, shows that I let rack up on the bedroom TiVo and watch when I go to sleep. They typically aren't that serialized and are usually procedurals. For a while, I would watch shows like Numb3rs, Crossing Jordan or CSI:Miami (before that got too inhumanly stupid and hammy to even tolerate for a laugh). Lately, I've added NCIS to the rotation, which is an entertaining procedural, and sampled Supernatural, which my TiVo helpfully suggested for me. In fact, I think I may move Supernatural to the main TiVo it's so good. I don't know why I never got into this program when it first aired (on the CW? On at the same time as other shows?) but it's really damned good. It features lots of folks behind the scenes that were associated with The X-Files, and has a laugh out loud sense of humor in addition to a compelling mythology and solid scares.

The 10 Worst spinoffs ever. (I actually liked The Lone Gunmen, though).

There WILL be a Wonderfalls crossover with Pushing Daisies this year. Awesome.

Several online writers have seen some of Watchmen. Sounds mind-blowing.

10th anniversary DVD for SportsNight. An underrated gem.

The censored Chuck Lorre vanity card from Monday's Big Bang Theory. Censors are morons.

New "blood" (including Admiral Cain and Zack from Gilmores!) on True Blood, which is getting better every week. The dimwitted brother makes me laugh in spite of myself, and I actually liked Tara last week, so it must be doing something right.

Interesting directorial rumors. Will Thor take on a Shakespearean quality?

Deadspin ladies discuss the Idaho cheerleading outfit controversy. One of the gals offers this insight about the cheerleaders and coeds of the SEC, which has long been a mystery:

That said, I have spent many football-watching afternoons deconstructing the hotness of SEC cheerleaders. (Consensus seems to hold that 'Bama and Ole Miss have the prettiest girls on the sidelines. We can never figure out why Georgia doesn't, when Athens is full of the most gorgeous coeds you've ever seen).

Whiniest coaches in the NCAA. Lots of SEC coaches in there.

Thought-provoking stats comparing the Jorts Jesus and Stafford.

What does college football have to do with scarecrows? Check this out. UGA appears to be playing another team, who all wear the number 0. Funny.

Video of halftime interviews gone wrong. Anyone else think that last one with Joe Kines sounds like Boomhauer?

Bill Maher and chatty serpents. And why again, don't cults pay taxes?

Michael Muhney, who was the caustic Sheriff Lamb on Veronica Mars, seems like an awesome, and gracious, dude. Here he talks about not getting cast as Seely Booth's brother on Bones, nor as Paul Ballard on Dollhouse (with lots of nice things, of course, to say about Joss and the guy that got the role, Tahmoh Penikett. Speaking of which, if you're a Helo fan, check out this interview with Tahmoh conducted by the folks at Galactica Quorum at DragonCon. Another down to earth, appreciative and insightful dude).

If I was a cop, I'd give this guy a pass for driving erratically, simply for having good taste.

I'll take potpourri for $2,600, Alex

Remember "Wendy & Lisa" from Prince's band? They're now doing the music for Heroes. Here's an interview. (and they're BSG fans, as everyone should be).

Wil Wheaton links to a fantastic article about the glory days of Atari. Today's video games have too many damned buttons (okay, I'm old) and I fondly recall the joy of the Atari 2600. And yeah, I had just bout every game mentioned there.

An AV Club writer gets on the Watchmen bandwagon, for the first time. Money Quote: "Watchmen is such a monumental achievement that it makes Moby Dick look like a flaming pile of horseshit by comparison."

I think I need one of these for rainy days.

Tony Bennett, Joe Montana recoil in horror as the Empire invades San Francisco.

Warp drive may be a possibility. Now accepting applications for the United Federation of Planets.

Could there be a Veronica Mars movie? Hey, Serenity got made, so why not.

She's always been considered one of DC Comics "big three" (along with Supes and Batman). But "gender equity" issues aside, does Wonder Woman really work?

Jenna Fischer not "hot enough" to play Sydney Bristow? I love Jennifer Garner, but damn, Jenna's plenty sexy.

Another great interview with Mark Sheppard (Firefly, BSG -- and soon to be on both Dollhouse and The Middleman!) Love this guy.

More watching The Watchmen

Remember those cool character posters from The Watchmen movie? Someone has put together an awesome comparison of the posters to images from the original tome. Check them out here and be amazed. (Just mouse over for the changes).

More tidbits from Comic-Con

Nothing like waking up to a Reader full of juicy, geeky goodness. Here ya go:

Six awesome new Watchmen posters. Make sure to look at 'em all, because they're that good. Everyone else as excited about this flick as I am? I had my doubts at first when I heard they were making a movie, because I didn't feel it would be possible to put the entire thing on screen in the time allotted for a theatrical release (which could run as much as 3 hours, and potentially longer on the DVD). I thought an epic 8 to 12 hour miniseries on Showtime or HBO would be the way to go, but Zack Snyder's faithfulness to the original tome gives me hope.

Heroes screens the first hour of the season premiere. All I can say is that they got some makin' up to do, after that last season. If we spend hours wandering around Mexico with Maya and her dark eyes of doom, I might just hit "delete this season pass." SPOILERS from that footage.

Interview with The Middleman.

Not much in the way of revelations, but for all the Losties out there:

• Summary of the Q&A and "prizes" for the Qers.
• Another Q&A wrap up, along with video. Including NEW "Marvin Candle" footage (some dude from Ann Arbor, Michigan? I wonder if he's helping pay off Coach Rich Rod's contract?)
• More vids.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles will pick up next season just a few minutes after Cameron's vehicle 'spolded. More here.

Speaking of Terminators, I certainly wasn't filled with confidence when I heard they were making a 4th movie, brought to us by "the director of Charlie's Angels!" However, getting the late Stan Winston on board for design work and casting Christian Bale as an adult John Connor helps. I'm willing to give it a chance, and its seems like they're taking it seriously. Check out some coverage here (big ass T-600!) and here (more big ass T-600!).

No, we didn't learn the identity of the final Cylon at the BSG panel. But you can find lots of Galactica goodness here and here and here, and Eric Stoltz from Caprica, here.

Get your fill of all things on Joss's new show:

• Video interview of Dollhouse's Joss, Eliza and Tahmoh.
• Quick video interviews with Eliza and Joss.
• Summary of Dollhouse panel.
• Another summary of the panel.
• Summary of a Dollhouse set visit.
• The man himself posts on whedonesque about shooting a new pilot for Dollhouse. Is this Firefly redux? He doesn't seem to think so.

Comic-Con done broke Google Reader

Of the 60+ RSS feeds I get into Google Reader, many of them are focused on geeky entertainment. And with Comic-Con going this week, the damned feed has almost exploded. Fortunately, I have no life and I've managed to make my way through them all and find my cup of nerd knowledge overflowing. Some highlights:

What to wear at Comic-Con. I particularly like the Captain Hammer shirt, and the "all the robots that matter" one.

Jack Bauer screams "Dammit!" at a fan (all in good fun). And there's a reference to a 24 drinking game (I seem to recall getting plastered playing my own version of this one).

Highlights from the Watchmen panel. First, Carla Gugino is smoking hot. (She was also on a panel for a "re-imagining" of childhood fave Escape to Witch Mountain). Also, good insight from the actors on getting into their characters. Speaking of the flawless Gugino, here's a look at a Vargas-style pinup of her character, Sally Jupiter. Another recap of the panel is here.

Kinda cool: a look a concept art for the lightcycles in TRON. Awesomely Fucking Cool: Out of the blue and unannounced, Disney previewed a teaser (or "proof of concept") for a TRON sequel, called TR2N, featuring The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. Here's a grainy, camera phone view of the footage.

Dexter made an appearance at the Con. Here's a write up on the panel. And check out the season 3 preview!

Thoughts on The Middleman panel. And they are cutting back from 13 eps to 12? Sigh. I, too, was worried that the smart, funny show might be too "niche-y" to find a mainstream audience (especially on ABC Family) despite all the glowing reviews. I certainly hope it comes back for a second season, but if you're not watching it, you should be, while you can. There's really nothing like it on TV, and it's the laugh out loud funniest take on "superheroes" since The Tick.

Farscape is coming back with comics and webisodes.

I knew a Wolverine movie was coming out, but I didn't realize there would be an appearance from everyone's favorite lingerie-wearing, psychotic, psionic uber-bitch, Emma Frost. Awesome. I wonder who will be playing her? How about Christina Cole? Or Emily Blunt with blonde hair?

Video from the panel with the Lost guys. Plus more on Chuck, Sarah Connor and Lost.

Who watches the Watchmen? We can. Tomorrow.

Remember this post from March, when the info about the Watchmen adaptation first started hitting the interwebs? Well, the full-fledged trailer is about to break. Rumors are that it will be shown in front of The Dark Knight (which I'm dying to see. But since I hate people....well, most people....and certainly many people all gathered in one place.....I won't see it in the theatre this weekend), and also popping up online very shortly.

Great UK film mag Empire will be featuring the trailer tomorrow. You can check it out here. (For some reason, it was actually live for a period of time earlier today, and I caught it. Watchmen fans won't be disappointed -- it looks spectacular).

Along those same lines, here's an interview with reclusive Watchmen creator Alan Moore.

And if you haven't yet read this masterpiece, buy it. You won't be sorry.

UPDATE: About 10 minutes after I posted this, I found the trailer over at Apple. Enjoy your geekgasm.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Apparently, EW is going to feature Watchmen on the cover of their next issue. AICN has the image.

ONE MORE: A comparison of images from the trailer to images from the graphic novel. Faithful, no?

I'll take potpourri for $700, Alex

Cute interview with the talented Jane Espenson, writer for Buffy, Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. After finishing the season with BSG, is there any doubt she'll move to Dollhouse? Because of course, it will be a major hit and FOX won't cancel it.

Wanna keep track of how many are dead on BSG? Here's a handy chart. That's gonna need some updating.

The World's Greatest School doles out some more awards for the highest achievement in television. Winners include 3 of my favorites: Dexter, 30 Rock and Mad Men.

This is adorable. What if Charles Schultz created Watchmen?

I'm a big fan of Torchwood, but last week's ep about the "night travelers" was plain stupid and full of holes. I'm hoping for a rebound tonight.

New show about advertising on TNT. On the upside, it's got a great cast and is produced by the folks behind The Closer. However, will I watch this the same way doctors do Grey's Anatomy or cops do CSI: Miami, and just say (insert Gob Bluth voice here) "Aw, come ON!"

Speaking of CSI: Miami, I think I've posted several times about my reasons for watching this dreck. And I say that as a fan of CSI: Original Recipe. It's my "go to bed" show, because the plots are relatively self-contained, and I haven't seen many of them, so it's perfect to doze off to. And if you watch it as a comedy, it's just so much better. But I'm just increasingly filled with hate and disbelief with every episode. Is there a more painful actor to watch on TV than Caruso? Every self-important line is delivered head cocked, as he walks off screen holding his shades. Every single fucking one. And he's supposed to be a CSI, not a one man killing machine who has to be the greatest shot since Quigley Down Under. I've seen him take out teams of machine gun wielding assassins and entire moving trucks with a pistol. And I despise the smug, horrible acting of Delko. And the teeth and tits of Boa Vista walked in from a poorly crafted soap opera. If not for the twangy charms of the bald cop and Emily Proctor, I might die in my sleep one night after watching this.

Even when she was too young for the prom, she's just frosted cupcake perfection.

We all Know-Shon. Apparently the rest of the world is starting to take notice, too. (h/t Georgia Sports Blog).

You can put the skank in the minivan, but not much really changes. Speaking of which, Dallas is behind the times. This was happening in Columbus Georgia a couple of decades ago.

Over at Trekmovie.com, they posted some funny "alternative title sequences" to the various Trek shows. This is my favorite:



Mike Hampton goes on the DL. In other news, grass is green and water is wet.

Side by Side

Remember my geekgasmic post about character photos from the new Watchmen movie being revealed? Well, some enterprising soul (Cinema Blend) has posted those images, along with side by side illustrations from the graphic novel.

See the comparison for yourself, Watchmen fans, and do the dance of joy.

Who will watch the watchmen? Well, we can now.

If you don't know what Watchmen is, you owe it to yourself to get educated. You might turn your nose up at the fact that Watchmen is a "comic." A graphic novel. By the legendary Alan Moore, with art by Dave Gibbons. But just like if you say "movie," that term can represent Citizen Kane, or something by Tyler Perry. Watchmen is not just a graphic novel, but truly, one of the most important, entertaining and intellectually stimulating pieces of art crafted in the last 50 years. Don't believe me? How about Time Magazine naming Watchmen on of the "the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present." Not 100 best comics. Not 100 best graphic novels. One of the 100 best novels.

You can read some more about it here at wikipedia (but don't read about the plot if you intend to read the graphic novel. Which, of course, you should).

Director Zack Snyder is doing a film adaptation of Watchmen that will be out about this time next year, and he's doing it in the same fashion as he did last year's 300. (Which I finally saw this weekend. Visually, it was stunning. But it was rather limited on plot, as was the source material. Still, I feel comfortable with Snyder handling Watchmen, though I would have much preferred to see it adapted into a mini-series on HBO or Showtime, where the complex plot and full flavor of the story and characters could have been explored over 10 - 12 hours, vs 2 or 3).

Today, we get our first look at some of the primary characters from Watchmen, all decked out in their superhero togs. Check it out at the official blog of the move, One Year to Midnight.

Holy Shit. This looks fan-fucking-tastic.