Sooner or Later (Preferably Sooner)

Oh wow, has it really been two weeks since my last post? I can blame it on the fact that nothing really worth talking about has been going on lately. It's been kinda boring these last fifteen or so days. But then I realize that I'm just not very good when it comes to thinking up topics of discussion. I know that nobody reads this blog, and they haven't for a while. But if I can't even be bothered to come up with something to talk about, then that's just bad blogging on my part. So why don't we break that silence with something? Since I don't really have anything new or worthwhile to talk about, I think I'll just go back to that old dead horse and beat it some more while I talk about my writing projects.

Yes, I'm still working on "Super Saturday 2," unfortunately. You probably naturally assumed that since I hadn't posted it yet. But I am making some major headway on it, so don't think I've given up. I actually finished up two reviews in the project over the weekend. That leaves me with only three left to finish. I'm actually still debating on whether or not to add Watchmen to the list, but I think I might wait for the DVD release unless a high-quality copy turns up online. I don't know if I could do the whole thing from memory at this point, plus I'd want to watch it again just to make sure it holds up past the whole "yay, a Watchmen movie!" thrill.

Without Watchmen in the queue, the tally currently stands at seventeen finished, and three left to go. It's taken me nine months to write all of these, and I'm surprised by how the professionals manage to crank out as many as they do. Am I just a slow writer? Or is it just that I end up taking my time since I'm not burdened by the pressures of a deadline? Maybe it's a combination of both? Either way, I doubt I'll do a project of this size again. I know I've said that before, but I mean it. It's too much of a hassle to do something this big, even as a hobby. But since I don't have much left to finish, I'm hoping to have "Super Saturday 2" done soon. I've been avoiding setting a date, but here's hoping that it will be sooner rather than later.

It's the First House on the Right Too, If You Think About It

You know, I'd started to think that the "torture porn" horror movie trend had died after Hostel 2 flopped a few years back. Yeah, the Saw movies are still around, but as a whole, I thought the trend had died a death as painful as those suffered by the victims in them. But then along came the remake of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left. I saw it early this afternoon, and while it isn't quite a "torture porn" movie akin to Eli Roth's body of work, I can definitely see similarities.

The basic plot is this: A girl gets raped, beaten, and left for dead, and her attackers end up seeking refuge from a coming storm at the home of their victim's parents. The parents discover their transgression, and take it upon themselves to seek bloody retribution. The first half of the movie is very uncomfortable, especially during the rape scene. I know the scene is supposed to be hard to watch, since that's pretty much the point. But if I were watching it on DVD, I personally would have fast-forwarded through it. Skipping it would lessen its impact, but I just don't like watching rape scenes in movies. At least it gets the villains over as evil, sadistic psychopaths.

But like the "torture porn" movies, the violence in the second half is prolonged, bloody, and brutal. It's unfortunate that the best kills are spoiled in the trailer, but it the movie still had some - gasp! - suspense. Who would have ever thought that would happen in a movie like this? I don't know if I would call this a great movie or even a very good one. But it's acceptable enough to get you through a lazy Sunday afternoon. I guess if I was forced, I'd give it a three out of five rating. I definitely didn't hate it. Now I just need to get around to seeing the original movie. I know, right? What kind of dedicated horror fan am I?

"Mawwage!"

So if you thought Watchmen was going to be the only busy part of my weekend, you'd be dead wrong. Also happening over the last couple of days was my sister's wedding. The wedding was last night, so the midnight showing of Watchmen, the rehearsal, setting up the reception, the wedding, and the reception, I've been having my fair share of late-night activities lately.

Anyway, outside of one itty-bitty misstep that really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, pretty much everything went off without a hitch. That's how it seemed from where I was; It's hard to tell how it looked from the crowd, since I was a groomsman and all. But everything went well, the bride and groom are happy and will be leaving for their honeymoon in a few hours, and everybody's fine, so good times.

With all the crazy stuff pretty much out of the way now, maybe things can go back to as normal as they get around here. It'll be getting used to my sister having a different last name and two stepchildren that will take some time, though.

At Midnight, All The Agents...

Just got back from seeing the midnight preview showing of Watchmen in Danville. The verdict: I enjoyed it. I think I may have to see it a second (or even third?) time to fully wrap my brain around it, but I thought it was really entertaining.

I must admit that I'm a bit embarrassed, though. Assuming there would be a big crowd akin to Star Wars: Episode III and Twilight, as mentioned in my last post, my dad and I arrived at the theater somewhere in the neighborhood of 9:30. Turns out the crowd didn't start arriving until 11:00 or so. So we were sitting all by ourselves in an empty theater lobby for an hour and a half before anything interesting started happening. Way to go, Matt, you big dummy. You got all worried for nothing. You'll know better next time.

Anyway, back to the movie. It's long been said that Watchmen was a movie that couldn't be made. The book was so complex that a cinematic adaptation would not pick up on every little detail and nuance, it was said.But while some things were sadly lost in translation, it is my firm belief that Zack Snyder and crew made the best Watchmen movie they possibly could have. It probably would have worked better as a 12-episode miniseries on HBO or something like that, but what we have here is a movie that hits as many of the high notes as possible, while managing to avoid nearly all of the low notes.

Naturally, some things had to be sacrificed. I have no problem with the absence of "Tales of the Black Freighter," and I miss characters like the two Bernies and Hollis Mason. But as I said, sometimes concessions are forced for the sake of the big picture. And I'm sure the faithful are wondering about my opinion on the ending's changes. While I am fond of the book's climactic reveal of how the villain would execute his master plan, the alterations made in the movie worked. Though the details may be different, the tone and the results still remain the same. And thus, it doesn't bug me.

Watchmen probably won't appeal to everyone. It actually comes across as both a love letter to and a commercial for the book. And if you haven't read the book, you might not get it. But if I may repeat myself, Zack Snyder made the best movie he was able to, and I appreciate his efforts. I don't know if it will knock The Dark Knight off the top of the superhero movie's mountain, but I'll still give it four stars out of my standard five. I'll definitely have to see it again sometime.

But first, sleep. I need it. This has been too much excitement for this late in the evening.