The Watchmen cast revealed! Nerds rejoice!

Comic connoisseurs the world over have known for years that Alan Moore's The Watchmen is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) graphic novels of our time. It's dissection of the modern superhero, clever criticism of the genre and keen (and fatalistic at times) exploration of topical social-political circumstances made it an instant classic, and one finally up for a motion picture adaptation.

The movie is being directed by Zach Snyder who most recently brought us the estrogen-charged romantic comedy 300, starring the dainty and effete Gerard Butler in the leading role. Before that, Snyder terrified Zombie lovers everywhere with a remake of Dawn of the Dead, a film I haven't seen but have heard from numerous sources to be quite charming. Zombies for tea! How delightful!

But I digress. Since the announcement of The Watchmen, nerds everywhere have been clamoring for a look at the cast in full costume, a fervent prayer Zach and crew finally answered earlier today. We'd already caught glimpses of Rorschach, the slightly unbalanced ink-blot wearing member of the group, but here we get to see the remainder of the gang, with the notable exception of Dr. Manhattan, the exceptionally powerful blue guy who spends a lot of time on mars. Trust me, it all makes sense... to a shut-in like me.

The disturbed looking chappy above is The Comedian, a pleasant fellow indeed. Head on over to the official Watchmen movie website here to check out the rest of the pictures and pick up a copy of the graphic novel to catch up on all the dysfunctional superhero goodness.

DVD Recommendations 3/3/08

Hey there, loyal readers (haha!), it is time for another DVD recommendation (haven't there been so many already?).

This week's recommendation comes courtesy of Warner Premiere: it's the DC Universe animated original movie, Justice League: The New Frontier, based on the Darwyn Cooke graphic novel of the same name (well, similar name; the book was called DC: The New Frontier).

I read the Cooke book (I just got far too much pleasure out of that rhyme than I really should have) a few years ago and it has been one of my very favorites ever since. Not only is the art style right up my alley with it's retro, art deco feeling, but the storytelling really shines with an alternate history retelling of the time period closely following the Korean war.

Just like the graphic novel, The New Frontier focuses mostly on Justice League members Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter (who happens to be one of my favorite DC Universe characters). Problems arise, however, when the animated film begins to feel a little loose and disjointed-- hardly allowing enough time for each of the characters, especially some of the lesser ones, to really stand out. The movie also fails in many respects to fully explore much of the social-economic and geo-political strife at the time, instead opting to only briefly reference these disturbances in passing. It may have worked better in the comic, where I could dwell on each frame, giving them all the time I needed to reflect on their significance, whereas in the DVD things felt rushed in order to compliment the seventy-five minute running time.

Things I did like: Jeremy Sisto as Batman. His confrontation of J'onn J'onzz is incredibly cool.

That being said, Justice League: The New Frontier is an enjoyable picture, especially for fans of the characters and Darwyn Cooke's work. Despite being somewhat disappointed, I will agree with others that there are still moments of brilliance in The New Frontier and I recommend it to comic book lovers everywhere.