Tag Archives: Zack Snyder

The Spirit (DVD)

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The Spirit is the latest movie movie to utilize the widely popular CGI backdrops made famous in films like Sin City and 300.  These two movies have one common thread, that is they are based on the graphic novels of Frank Miller.  The Spirit, however, is Miller’s take on the work of comic writer-artist Will Eisner.  It also marks Miller’s first solo foray into the world of directing. In Sin City, he co-directed with Robert Rodriguez. 300, while based on Miller’s original work, was directed by Watchmen visionary Zack Snyder.  How did Miller fare in his solo directorial debut?  Read on..

Let me start off by saying that despite the many visual similarities between the two movies, The Spirit is NOT Sin City 2. In fact, other than Miller having worked on both films, the two really have nothing in common other than a slightly similar visual style.  The Spirit is the story of a mysterious masked crime fighter of the same name (Gabriel Macht) with  amazing regenerative and healing abilities. He is pitted against his arch nemesis The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), as the two race to recover a missing package whose contents have the potential to doom the entire city. There are a few more details thrown in there, but that is pretty much the entire story.

I don’t have much experience with the source material other than reading a few issues, but let me just say that the movie version is definitely Miller’s interpretation of the Spirit mythos. While it isn’t exactly a bad interpretation, he takes a great deal of liberties with a lot of the characters, from their origins to their actual characteristics. This is actually quite forgivable, as Miller’s version seems more tailored for the big screen.  The problems arise in Miller’s overall presentation.

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Watchmen (Theaters)

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When the Internet started buzzing about a film adaptation of the famed graphic novel Watchmen, I wasn’t totally excited because I’ve never even heard of it.   But after seeing the official teaser trailer, I was immediately hooked.  Not because of the cool looking blue guy or the Batman looking wannabe, but it was the line spoken at the end ” the world will look up and shout save us, and I’ll whisper no.” 

My curiosity led me to an alternate reality set in the year 1985, where President Nixon has served multiple consecutive terms, the U.S. has won the Vietnam war and superheroes exist.  The Cold War turns real bitter as the U.S.S.R races to stockpile as much nuclear weapons for an inevitable showdown with the U.S.  The Doomsday Clock is set at 5 minutes to midnight, inching closer to worldwide destruction.  After reading the closing lines of Alan Moore’s masterpiece, I became an immediate fan.  My expectations were at an all time high entering the theater, and based on the numerous TV spots and trailers I was optimistic of the end result.  Did Zack Snyder’s film live up to the hype? 

The story begins with the brutal murder of Eddie Blake a.k.a. the Comedian, a former Watchmen.  Walter Kovacs a.k.a. Rorschach, a former comrade of the Comedian investigates his murder and believes to have uncovered a plot to kill “masks” or former superheroes.  Rorschach sets about warning his former colleagues, who assist him with finding the “mask killer”.

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Trailer : Watchmen

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300′s Zack Snyder brings Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ critically acclaimed comic book Watchmen to the big screen, courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures. Set in an alternate universe circa 1985, the film’s world is a highly unstable one where a nuclear war is imminent between America and Russia. Superheroes have long been made to hang up their tights thanks to the government-sponsored Keene Act, but that all changes with the death of The Comedian, a robust ex-hero commando whose mysterious free fall out a window perks the interest of one of the country’s last remaining vigilantes, Rorschach. His investigation leads him to caution many of his other former costumed colleagues, including Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl, Ozymandias, Sally Jupiter, and her daughter, The Silk Spectre. – Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide