Mark Kermode I feel like I could die. I've just checked online to see about prebooking tickets to the long-awaited Watchmen film, having read the novel last year. Upon checking, I couldn't see it playing anywhere near Maidstone and was wondering if you had any insight as to why what would appear to be a big high-budget blockbuster is getting such a limited release.

I thought Wall-E was the best movie of last year. It is a fantastic critique of our culture since the Thatcher/Reagan era, that has taken on even greater significance since this DEPRESSION started.

Wall-E was my favourite last year too. The Watchmen thing might not be as bad as I thought in that post just now, I think maybe they just haven't updated their website yet. How embarrassing.

Waltz with Bashir had to by one of my favorites of last year.

The absolute lack of emotion in the film parallaxes in the most darkly macabre with its emotional sentiment.

darkly macabre fashion*

So BAFTA have resorted to stealing other peoples ideas, eh? It's strange that they failed to mention this at the BAFTA ceremony.

Ah, Watchmen. Even though I am looking forward to hearing Mark's critique next Friday, it won't make a lick of difference on my decision to go see it. Rest assured, I will be in the soonest-available theatre in Sydney to watch Rorscach, Doc Manhatten and the rest of the gang alive and moving on the big screen.



Ever since reading the novel back in September - and loving it - I've been holding out what one could call a "no hype" vigil - no trailer-watching, no interview-reading, no anything that could set me up with preconceptions and expectations that lead to inevitable disappointment. I want to preserve this movie's impact, rather than lessen it by recognising scenes and lines of dialogue from marketing material, and make the best possible judgement on how successful Zack Snyder has been in his efforts.



The novel was really bloody good, that's all.

Mark, thank you for your comments on Sweeney Todd. Aside from Ed Wood (which is one of my all-time favourites)I think that this is Burton's best film and it deserved better recognition at last year's awards.



Just to challenge your critique of the BBFC; I totally agree that the violence in this film is operatic and unrealistic. However, the scariest and goriest scenes come quite late in the film, by which time the audience is so completely immersed in the music and melodrama that by the time the blood comes along, it actually seems quite nasty and disturbing. I remember seeing the film at the cinema for the first time, and in particular 'the bit with the oven' really made the audience squirm. Combined with the bleak ending, there seemed to be a definete 'horror factor' that left the audience slightly shocked and taken aback, and the violent scenes certainly reasonated with me for some time after the film ended. I would not normally expect this from a horror film below an '18' certificate, so I wondered whether this would justify the BBFC's decision?

Being the horror buff that you are Dr, I would love to hear your views on Vincent Price.



I'm currently working through buying the entire Roger Corman adaps of Poe's works and I just love them. Is there a place in your heart for Vincent?

Oh, and studying A level Film Studies at college has led me to the conclusion that the only thing I want to do with my life is review films.



Do you have any advice for the budding film critic?

in response to ram-jam's watchmen post, i couldn't resist but look at the trailers, then at the film companion at work and now i know what rorschach looks like unmasked in the film which wasn't my intention. i don't want to hear mark's thoughts on it until i see it, but will i have enough discipline?

I find Jolie's career frustrating - she was perfectly formed (moulded?) to be Lara Croft, and had a great supporting cast but was let down by the poorly scripted films, the second far worse than the first.



Then she has been excellent in A Mighty Heart and Changeling but has not received the recognition for it, while I assume the awful Wanted has become a 'cult' success (giving cult movies a bad name in the process).



So I don't feel she has had either a breakout action role or become a big star through recognition of her more challenging roles. She's had a few defining roles but they have not been widely recognised. I did hear she was considering giving up acting (though this may be just one of those statements actors periodically make to sound dangerous and exciting - see Joachim Pheonix), but if she does she'll leave a semi-fulfilled career behind her.



Anyway, talking about cult movies, are you going to do a follow up post on Fantastic Planet? In the last one you said you were getting the DVD to reacquaint yourself with the film. How did that go?

Thanks for the reply Mark. Even though I disagreed with you about Angelina Jolie, I have to say that I do however wholeheartedly agree with you about Kate Winslet's performance in Rev Road. It was a far better performance than in The Reader. But then it seemed that Rev Road was mostly overlooked at The Oscars anyway. I was quite surprised that Leonardo DiCaprio didn't get a nod too.



As for the hair thing, well maybe Kate Winslet will soon appear on The Culture Show, tell you she loves your hair, and then we might see the wonderful sight of Sam Mendes sporting a delightful quiff! : ) xxx

Dear Dr K,



Could I just re-iterate a question that I may have asked you before, on the offchance that it may have escaped your notice?



I'd really like to know your thoughts on the future of 2d animation. As a huge Ghibli fan, and aan admirer of Anime on the whole, I'm certain that the style won't die out, but what about Disney? Have they got another 2d classic in them? After all, Hunchback, Hercules, Lilo and Stitch, these weren't SO long ago. But maybe the release of Bolt is a sign that Walt's flatscreen dreams are gone for good. Thoughts appreciated, if you have time.



All the best, and hope you had a nice half term with the fam.



Jo

tommus-jay: Well, there are several precautions you can take the next time a big-budget movie like this comes around. For one, start being cautious about watching TV from about two weeks before the release date, because they'll almost certainly be showing ads for the film. The internet will be teeming with stuff about it too, so avoid anything that could possibly spoil details on the film: forums, Google searches, blogs/Twitters by well-known film critics, you name it.



Oh, and if your friends are susceptible to spoiling something, shut them up by any means necessary. My friends have gotten their hands on the graphic novel, and I know that they'll be doing something like that soon enough.



JoWontGo: I assume you've heard of The Princess and the Frog - the upcoming 2D-animated Disney film?

what's really mental about watchmen is that now if you look on the fansites, they have things like 'see the prison battle here!' and it's at that point where i think the promotion is going too far, don't show the most exciting scenes of the film before the film's even out, especially not in rubbish low resolution youtube vision.

Are you sure that's done as part of the film's promotion, or by an Ain't It Cool spy with a Handycam? Either way, very true; it only sets people up for disappointment. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about: if I were to watch that scene then and there, it would lose all of its raw impact in the cinema. I wouldn't be shocked or moved; I would only recognise the scene and then move on.

These videos are certainly getting longer. More Kermode for us.



While I'm here, I'd like to complain, like us internet folk do best. How come your reviews for Sunshine, A Scanner Darkly, and Zodiac (amongst others) are not on the BBC website? Or do I have to be British to see that they are indeed there. How racist!

The marketing campaign for Watchmen seems very much aimed towards the fans of the book. The early teaser trailer had me sitting there spotting where all the clips where from, but it completely baffled friends who knew nothing about it, they were unable to tell what the film was about and how it wasn't just another superhero movie.

Dear Dr K,

I know this has nothing to do with film whatsoever, but a while back i saw you on film 24 mentioning you had started watching HBO'S The Wire. I've watched 3 series of it now and i think its one the best things i've ever seen, certainly the best TV series i've ever seen. I'd really like to know your opinion on it if you may.



thanks, dan.

I know that Mark hasn't seen it, but wow, Push was just rubbish, to me. What a mess!



Talk about a film with absolutely NO characterisation or coherent plot. A bad Heroes episode has more development than this poorly realised idea. Do not pay to see it, as you'll more than likely regret it! Don't even bother renting it - it'll soon be on TV, tucked away in the early hours of the morning, I bet.



Yet again, all flash and NO substance - it'll be added to my list of badly-written films, along with Quantum of Solace, and that one left me seething!



At least I wasn't the only one, as it annoyed a teen male in the audience (after I saw Quantum in a crowded screening) so much he swore loudly about how rubbish it was and stalked off.



Thank God for The Shawshank Redemption then - last night on C4 - that shows how WELL written a film can be, IMO. It still left me grinning like a Cheshire cat and a nice, fufilled feeling settled in my heart ...

i saw quantum of solace the day after halloween when i'd been working in the rain all day with 3 hours sleep and a massive hangover, and it totally cheered me up. i never got why people don't like it, i mean, the plot is all over the place, but i liked how it made bond out to be a nutcase, and it had some wicked setpieces, like the opera house. it also seems like no-one's mentioned the sets, which i thought were brilliant, especially that building made up squares at the end. it was better paced than casino royale too.



then again, i'm not a particular bond enthusiast, and when someone says 'goldeneye' to me, i'm of the specific age where i think of the n64 game before i think of the film.

I'm a huge Nuri Bilge Ceylan fan, I think he is one of the best Directors working today and would love to hear your review of "Three Monkeys" I think you mentioned it the other week? Did I miss it?

I was quite disappointed to see the Oscars and even your own Kermode Awards failure to name Waltz with Bashir as best animated feature a film I felt was hugely innovative and showeed the power of animation but was unsurprisingly over looked at the major awards for the more tradition aimed at children animation

What happened to the Space Nazis - did they ever get their money?

i've told loads of people about iron sky and every single one of them has said 'that sounds amazing!'

Mark,



Quite a while ago on your show with Simon you called 'The Deer Hunter' a "hateful piece of work". I wonder if you could expand on this point?



Cheers & all the best,



TheBobfather

Re - starcraft108



Great question! I would be interested in Dr K's answer too. I am also a latecomer to The Wire. I have only just watched the first season recently and I was blown away by it. So rare to find something that actually treats the viewers as intelligent people, and that doesn't spell every tiny plot development out to you. Great actors and characters. TV at its best!

I heard a rumor that Silent Running was written by a little kid in Emporia Kansas.