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Watchmen: Director's Cut on Blu-ray coming July 21, 2009

 
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kal
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:23 pm    Post subject: Watchmen: Director's Cut on Blu-ray coming July 21, 2009

Purchase absolutely anything from Amazon.com using links provided on this forum and a small percentage of anything you buy automatically goes towards supporting this site at no extra cost to you!

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This one didn't do that well in the theaters but I bet many are just are waiting for it on Blu-ray (I know I am). Who here saw it in the theaters? What did you think?

Amazon.com Pre-order link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWatchmen%2Fb%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D1263157011%26ref%255F%3Damb%255Flink%255F84518451%255F2&tag=curtpalmecrtp-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

Blu-ray Release date: July 21, 2009.


There's a crazy expensive Night Owl Ship Edition (Amazon Exclusive) available at about 3-4 times the price for the collectors with deep pockets.


Pre-ordering has benefits: If for any reason the price goes down (even for only a day), you get that lowest price even if the price has gone back up at the time it ships. This actually works! I've saved hundreds of dollars over the last year or two due to this pre-order price guarantee. Case in point: I pre-ordered theGeneration Kill mini-series a month or so ago for $60 and it's currenly on a short sale at $46. Even though it'll likely go back up to $60 before it ships to me, I'll still only pay $46. Very nice.

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Purchase absolutely anything from Amazon.com using links provided on this forum and a small percentage of anything you buy automatically goes towards supporting this site at no extra cost to you!

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garyfritz



Joined: 08 Apr 2006
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:41 pm    Post subject:

I saw it in the theater. I thought they did a pretty amazing job of translating a very challenging story to the screen. I actually liked the one major plot change they made -- I thought it played better than the original story line, and it was simpler to fit into the movie.
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ecrabb
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:16 pm    Post subject:

I saw it in the theater, too... On one of the last few really big screens in central Iowa.... 60-foot wide screen, 775-seat, THX-certified 1960's-built theater. The sound was excellent - and at the proper level. The image wasn't the sharpest, but it WAS a 60-foot wide image, and we were sitting WAY inside 1x screen width.

Watchmen... I thought it was awesome... A really good movie, in fact. I'm not even a big graphic novel fan, but the movie was just great. Good story, very immersive, great effects, good acting, and the sound and music was EXCELLENT.

I can't wait to see this at home on Blu-ray.

SC
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Gino



Joined: 22 Apr 2006
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 7:16 am    Post subject:

I felt this was an awesome movie too, I especially liked the soundtrack, but the story was a bit slow going at times. I'd be happier to watch this in two sessions, something that could only be done at home Smile
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ecrabb
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 7:25 am    Post subject:

You're right, Gino - it was slow at times. I didn't mind, though. It almost seemed like a nice bit if relief from the action. I get kind of worn-out on the non-stop action movies... I guess I liked that it had a bit of a story, and the "quiet" times gave the viewer time to get to know some of the characters and their relationships.

Being able to pause and go empty the bladder is a good thing, though - especially if you're drinking beers! That's TWO things you can't do in most public theaters... Pause the movie and take a piss break! Wink

I'm definitely having some guys over for a movie night when this disc comes out.

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kal
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:08 pm    Post subject:

Help support our forum! Purchase from Amazon.com using our links and a small percentage of your payment automatically goes towards supporting this site at no cost to you!
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Watchmen comes out on Tuesday... it's just gotten a 5/5 rating for both video and sound too and is only $21.

Click here for a direct link to order : Watchmen: Director's Cut (Warner)

Quote:
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

Considering the high expectations and the strong following, anything less than spectacular from this freshly-minted transfer would not suffice. Thankfully, the 1080p/VC-1 encode (2.4:1) delivers stunning picture quality that is sure to please fans. Not only does it faithfully reproduce 'Watchmen' as it was shown theatrically, but it also embodies a beautiful cinematic appearance that remains consistent throughout.

Stylistically, the film is drenched in heavy, dark shadows, so black levels are very important to the overall effect. Fortunately, they don't falter and are exceptionally well rendered, coming across as inky and intense with objects clearly distinguished in the darkest areas of the picture. Details are remarkably sharp and distinct, which only adds to the terrific dimensionality of the image. Facial complexions are equally impressive, appearing natural with incredible lifelike texture. Contrast is intentionally muted for a dreary tone which complements the subject matter, but offers plenty of visibility of background information with crisp, clean whites. The palette consists generally of pastel colors, and they yield a strong, bold tonality with accurate vividness.

If there are any nitpicks, it would the minor banding around Doctor Manhattan's blue glow and in the blue flames that burst from Archie's thrusters. However, they only occur for less than a second in a couple of scenes and are barely noticeable while enjoying the film. As such, I find them to be negligible, since they don't distract from the otherwise gorgeous film-like quality of 'Watchmen' on Blu-ray.

The Audio: Rating the Sound

Marking Warner's first venture into the DTS-HD Master Audio codec, the lossless soundtrack on this Blu-ray edition of 'Watchmen' is nothing short of reference quality. The sound design isn't dependent on a loud, aggressive, in-your-face attitude. Rather, it remains focused on subtle ambiance and generating a believable environment for this parallel universe of masked avengers.

Dialogue reproduction and character interaction is perfectly discernible, even in the whispered conversations of Laurie and Dan, and remains fixed in the center of the screen. Dynamic range is clean and spacious, conveying terrific differentiation between the highs and mid-levels while in the middle of all the thunderous action. The original musical score by Tyler Bates fills the entire soundstage with great separation and room penetration, feeling warm and wide. Imaging is convincing as atmospheric effects nicely extend the soundfield into the background, enveloping the listener with great depth, clarity and definition. Pans are smooth and seamless, with no loss to details as objects move between the channels. Low-frequency effects carry a hefty and nicely refined punch, adding serious weight to each action sequence.


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Kal

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ecrabb
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:29 pm    Post subject:

Sweet. Thanks for the reminder. Ordered.

TOTAL reference/demo material. Can't wait to watch it again.

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kal
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:52 pm    Post subject:

ecrabb wrote:
Sweet. Thanks for the reminder. Ordered.

TOTAL reference/demo material. Can't wait to watch it again.

SC

Me too - it's ordered as well. The reviews of the actual movie are pretty good too (I don't just watch stuff stuff that looks and sounds good). Wink

Kal

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ecrabb
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:37 pm    Post subject:

Oh yeah, it's definitely a good movie. Like I said before, a little slow-moving at times, but overall very enjoyable - and a little something for everybody. Good story, good effects, very well shot, some great black scenes (yay!), and great sound. Oh, and the soundtrack is really excellent from the title sequence all the way to the end credits - I think I liked about every song in the movie.

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kal
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:04 pm    Post subject:

Enjoyed the movie. It's long but it doesn't really feel as long as you'd think. The story's a bit thin I found but the interesting stuff was all the character development/backstories. The movie has a really slick style to it. *LOTS* of fancy camera shots.

Kal

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drice1234



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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:28 pm    Post subject:

I think that this was only the 2nd or 3rd movie that I quit watching before the end. It just was not for me.
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WanMan



Joined: 19 Mar 2006
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:46 am    Post subject:

Last night the wife and I sat up until Midnight to finish watching the Watchmen. Fun movie. Love the visual style of this film. Characters were interesting. For some, a bit too long and insufficient to justify the ending. For me, on the other hand, it will grow on me.

I remember one of Asimov's short short stories in which a decision had to be made where a bad outcome resulted in either of two options. The chosen option was to allow the planet Earth to begin a runaway radioactive condition and thus in some distant end would not support human life. This option was chosen because it served to force man off of the planet and into the stars.

I can see this Asimovian solution in the Watchmen and wonder if the original writer was a fan. I really like the Rorschach character and see how the actor is being chosen for future remakes of Freddy Krueger. BTW, did anyone note that the [in]famous Rorschach ink blots have now lost their copy-protection and Google has posted them, and their acceptable interpretations, on the Internet? Crazy. Mr. Green

And the whole alternative universe in historic fashion was entertaining. Not a popular movie SE Asia I imagine.

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ecrabb
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:34 am    Post subject:

drice1234 wrote:
I think that this was only the 2nd or 3rd movie that I quit watching before the end. It just was not for me.

Wow, that's amazing. It's extremely rare I start a movie and don't finish it. It has to be REALLY bad. I know it was long, but I'm surprised it wasn't interesting enough to sit through - even if you weren't "into" it.

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nuttall_chris



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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:02 am    Post subject:

Watched this tonight with my wife and son without any idea how "adult" this movie was. I was expecting this to be just another "superhero" movie that would be ok for my 10 year old son. I was wrong. This movie is NOT child friendly in the least, I guess next time I should check the ratings before watching with my son.

Chris.
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WanMan



Joined: 19 Mar 2006
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:11 am    Post subject:

nuttall_chris wrote:
Watched this tonight with my wife and son without any idea how "adult" this movie was. I was expecting this to be just another "superhero" movie that would be ok for my 10 year old son. I was wrong. This movie is NOT child friendly in the least, I guess next time I should check the ratings before watching with my son.

Chris.
Maybe you should read this.
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nuttall_chris



Joined: 08 Mar 2006
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:05 pm    Post subject:

WanMan wrote:
nuttall_chris wrote:
Watched this tonight with my wife and son without any idea how "adult" this movie was. I was expecting this to be just another "superhero" movie that would be ok for my 10 year old son. I was wrong. This movie is NOT child friendly in the least, I guess next time I should check the ratings before watching with my son.

Chris.
Maybe you should read this.


I saw that....turns out Watchmen is rated 18A. In the end it's my fault for not looking at the rating AND reading some of the reviews before letting my son see the movie.

Ultimalty I felt the movie was a little over the top and could have been much more "kid friendly" by reducing or eliminating the "hard core" gore and sex scenes. A lot of the gory scenes could have been included but shot without the direct views of the action. For instance, when Rorschach used the meat cleaver to repetivly hack into the guys head that had murdered the little girl or the scene when Rorschach was in jail and the grinder was used to cut the arms off the guy....both of those scenes could have been shot differently while still containing the same message but without going over the top. Also the attempted rape scene with the comedian went much further than it needed to.

There was potential for a great movie here but it turned into to much of a slasher movie to really be enjoyable Sad

Chris
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