Billy Crudup in "Watchmen"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“Waiting For the Watchmen”

One of the most highly anticipated movies of the year was “Watchmen.” Now the wait is for the DVD – and that time has arrived. But sometimes the anticipation for a movie/DVD can be so high that what is finally delivered has got to disappoint. And sometimes an anticipated movie is so bad it just flat out disappoints. “Watchmen” falls in the latter category. This movie, which viewers have been awaiting for months, is so muddled, so confusing, so stupid that one can hardly endure its two hour and forty-five minute running time.

Maybe, just maybe, if you have read Alan Moore’s graphic novel on which the movie is based, you might have some better comprehension of what it is trying to say. If however you come to the movie cold you are going to bog down in the criss crossing plot elements that do not add up in any way to a solid whole.

The film starts in 1985 when the Comedian (Jeffery Dean Morgan) is murdered. He is a superhero of sorts who has been around since the 40’s. At that time the “Watchmen” were an honored group of men and women who fought for liberty and justice. But later they fell out of favor with the country and were harassed as vigilantes.

This was especially hard on the second generation of “Watchmen” who finally just hung up their costumes and reverted to normalcy. However when the “comedian” is killed it stirs some of them to go back to their heroic mode. 

Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup) is the true superhero with fantastic powers. He has been created by exposure to atomic rays of some sort. It turned him blue and he strides about totally naked and totally unconcerned about the fate of the country. His ex-girlfriend Silk Spectre II (Malin Ackerman) leaves him and attaches herself to Nite-Owl (Patrick Wilson).

The movie features flashbacks to the 40’s and 50’s and changes history on a whim. Dr. Manhattan ends the Vietnam War, and a nuclear explosion leads to an unexpected outcome. At least I think it did.

The acting in the movie is perfunctory with Jackie Earle Haley being the best of the lot as Rorschach. Ackerman, Crudup, Matthew Goode and Wilson are all only adequate. Carla Gugino is barely recognizable as the original Silk Spectre.

Director Zack (“300”) Snyder has some good moments but they are few and far between. Mostly the movie just ambles on and on and on with very little action to break up the monotony.

For the uninitiated “Watchmen” is too deep and dense to penetrate. You go into it unaware of what the story is and you end the same way. The only difference is you are two and a half hours older.

I am sure there are devotees of this movie. They love every frame of film and every quirky character. More power to them. The rest of us will just have to place it in the loser column and move on to something else.

“Coraline” is a stop action animated film much like “The Corpse Bride” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” This new to DVD movie can also be watched in 3-D. The film tells the story of a young girl named Coraline who moves with her family to Oregon. Once there she discovers a portal to an alternate life. It is a wonderful place to be – at first. Then she discovers that her real family is in danger so she must find a way back to save them.

The story is a little too complex for the younger kids but older ones can relish the adventure totally. They will love the story, the characters and the animation. They will also be enthralled by the great voices used in the film including Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane and many others.

This is a very distinctive and unique movie based on a children’s classic. It is one you should get for your children and yourself to watch over and over.

“Grey Gardens” is the highly acclaimed movie version of the story of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale. These two women were relatives of Jackie Kennedy and had a life of wealth and luxury at one time. Then they fell on hard times and ended up in squalor at a place called “Grey Gardens.”

This somewhat bizarre story is brought to the screen with force and energy by Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. They are amazing in their presentation of these characters and keep you totally involved in their lives. It is a strange story but a fascinating one.

Also notice Jeanne Tripplehorn’s presence as Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She too does an outstanding job in her role. All of the actors and characters combine to make “Grey Gardens” a worth watching movie experience.

Lives intertwine and personalities mesh in the new film on DVD “Explicit Ills.” A variety of individuals are spotlighted who live in a community in Philadelphia. They have different dreams and ambitions but they become linked with one another in a distinctive way.

In this movie it is all about the characters and all about their relations. Rosario Dawson, Paul Dano, Tariq Trotter and Lou Taylor Pucci head a cast of actors who bring the various characters to life and make them important to the overall story.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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