Episode 103 - Top That - Watchmen, Resident Evil 5, Dollhouse, Lie to Me [Archive]

masherscf

03-10-2009, 08:02 PM

Watch now. (http://revision3.com/trs/topthat/)

This week in Movies:
Back in episode 9 of TRS, Alex, Dan, and Jeff discussed Watchmen in the show's very first comic book segment. Now, with the unfilmable comic has hit the big screen, and it'll take the entire segment to get it all their reactions out. Behold: Watchmen (http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/).

This week in Video Games:
The demo of Resident Evil 5 (http://www.residentevil.com/) received a very polarized reception. Now Alex, Dan, and Jeff have played the full game, and have some very strong feelings.

This week in TV:
Joss Wheden, the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog, could seemlingly do wrong. Then came Dollhouse (http://www.fox.com/dollhouse/).
Does Tim Roth have what it takes to elevate yet another procedural to the level of must-see tv? The guys check out Lie to Me (http://www.fox.com/lietome/).
Check out totallyradshow.com (http://totallyradshow.com/)!
Email us! fans@totallyradshow.com
Visit the Totally Rad Show forum! (http://www.revision3.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23)

eddielee

03-10-2009, 08:06 PM

i say this often but I REALLY mean it this time:

BEST

OPENING

EVER.

masherscf

03-10-2009, 08:09 PM

i say this often but I REALLY mean it this time:

BEST

OPENING

EVER.

Say that with a tear...

wideawakewesley

03-10-2009, 08:10 PM

I think my favourite intros are all ones where the guys are dancing (or fighting). Dan was soooo close to cracking up in one shot there.

Love it!

p.s. Large xvid link isn't working

gglynn00

03-10-2009, 08:11 PM

i say this often but I REALLY mean it this time:

BEST

OPENING

EVER.

WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CAN NOT BE UNSEEN!!!!:D I'm scarred for life...

lobasuu

03-10-2009, 08:38 PM

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/457/jefferb.jpg
The most intense moment in TRS history? Definitely.
(It's Jeff taking a deep breath before his Watchmen review)

cucumberboy

03-10-2009, 09:04 PM

The Watchmen discussion makes the "TRS has gotten boring" thread obsolete. Great segment.

damnedeyez

03-10-2009, 09:07 PM

I'd never heard of the intro movie until I searched youtube for Top That

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ00laVt62c

...I wish I hadn't.

stevev1

03-10-2009, 09:12 PM

don't post often...but intro was so rad that it just needed to be given props on :D

lavahot

03-10-2009, 09:17 PM

I might not have been paying well enough attention in my European history class, but how is calling Dan a minstrel racist?

jerenisugly

03-10-2009, 09:23 PM

Intro, was hilarious.
Watching Jeff review Watchmen brought me great joy. I too feel like the movie was made for me. That's a great way to say it, because Dan was right this movie doesn't have a whole lot of legs. It made 10mil more than Madea made a couple weeks back. Point being, movies like this don't and won't come out very often. Such a special experience. Great review, but I wish it was longer cause there is so much to say. I like how the guys try and keep their time down, but this deserved more. Maybe because I feel this story is so precious.

cole-w

03-10-2009, 09:31 PM

Wow, the intro....I haven't laughed that hard in awhile.

Amazing.

chuckles

03-10-2009, 09:32 PM

I think my favourite intros are all ones where the guys are dancing (or fighting). Dan was soooo close to cracking up in one shot there.

Love it!

p.s. Large xvid link isn't working

It isn't? Could you try again? If still doesn't work, please do a traceroute to bitcast-a.bitgravity.com and post the results here.

Thanks.

-chuckles-

mrblank

03-10-2009, 09:35 PM

I remember seeing those parody Garfield strips that took out Garfield's thought bubbles and showed you how crazy and sad Jon was.

thehal

03-10-2009, 09:36 PM

I just watched the Segment on Watchmen, and I wanted to give a thumbs up to Dan. I couldn't agree more with ya. I just felt like he might get some hate from the forums... I know he has before, so just wanted to throw some props to him.

az0madman

03-10-2009, 09:57 PM

I don't know how they ever got through that intro done without laughing. That was awesome.

Actually agreed with all three of them for the first time when it came to Watchmen. I was with Alex when it came to watching it before reading it. There were a lot of people who started to read it but never finished and now want to finish, and I think this movie helps push through the comic easier. It'll definitely give more motivation to read it as opposed to trying to read it before the movie but not getting into it and never finishing it.

I agree with Jeff in that it felt like a movie for me, for the ones who read it. I was worried that other people wouldn't like it when I watched it, but surprisingly enough, people did like it without even reading it.

And finally, I'm with Dan in that there were a lot of moments that were emotional in the comic that I felt nothing for in the movie. I can't really say I hated it or liked it, but it is good for what it is, which is a movie trying to capture the Watchmen.

Surprised about the love for RE5, though I kind of expected that once you got past the learning curve, it'd be fun. Seems though, from what I heard on L1sten Up at least, co-op is what really made it fun.

pruben

03-10-2009, 10:00 PM

This is maybe the best intro ever (as good as The Last Dragon intro)
I was blown away by that. It was CRAZY! I can't get it out of my head. Is it possible to vote on #103 now?

I'm looking so forward to see Watchmen(a Whole month until it arrives cinema in the area :(). Watchmen sounds like movie of the year. I have to admit I haven't read the graphic novel, but tose reviews made me read at once when I arrives back from the cinema(one month :(). This is the movie I'm looking forward to see in 2009 (besides Avatar and Public Enemies). It can't be bad when all of them agree that it is a great/perfect movie.
A norwegian reviewer at a huge show said that the movie was bad, story didn't work at all and horrible acting(he gave it 2 of 6 (like 1/2 of 5)), but I think that's the worst reviewer in Norway (he said a norwegian, low-budget movie for kids had great acting). Another reviewer said it was movie art (gave it 5 of 6).

Resident Evil 5 looks like a great game. Shooting zombies, co-op, great game design(as Dan said). I want to try Resident Evil 4 as well.

point5o

03-10-2009, 10:09 PM

I think you guys were trying to think of Garfield without Garfield (http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/)

masherscf

03-10-2009, 10:10 PM

DannyT brought up some good points about box office. www.boxofficemojo.com crunched the numbers and came up with comic movies with similar box-office profiles.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?view=daily&id=comicbookcompvs.htm

It seem that the closest match is "The Incredible Hulk."

frankiethewaffle

03-10-2009, 10:43 PM

I didn't get the opening at all. Still laughed though. I thought it was "Breakin' 2" or something. Seeing the actual movie clip from the posted links made it even funnier.

I want to see Watchmen more than ever. If Jeff loved it that much, being such a fan, I guess I can't go wrong. I want the graphic novel too. I do understand what Jeff said about being afraid that people will settle with the movie as the only reference. Not so in my case. I never thought I'd like Lord of the Rings. I tried reading The Hobbit as a kid. Could not get it in any way. After seeing the movies I went back and read the book. With the visuals it was great to read. Graphic novels help in that area. (I just can't read fiction.) I will take Alex's advice in seeing the movie first, so I am not distracted by expectations.

RE5 demo I liked. Didn't play enough to get into the controls, but they were not far off from what I am used to in a RE game.

I am not surprised about Dollhouse. I don't think I'd get into it either. Remember that this idea is forced from Joss Whedon too. It went something like, Eliza Dushku got some producing deal and she went to Joss for the show. So it is not the same kind of idea from Whedons' brain like Buffy, Firefly and Angel.

The Large XVid is not the only file with problems. As I tried to download the HD QT, one it was really slow. That could have been traffic and timing. It finished early. I thought it may be the "chrome" browser as I am new to it. At the start of the email, it stopped. So the download was incomplete.

diane

03-10-2009, 10:44 PM

This ep was amazing. Wonderful!

I took my dad to see Watchmen. The last movie he saw in a movie theater was when he took me to see Unforgiven before my Sophomore year of High School started. It was the last real movie we sat down and watched together simply because life got really busy and well, DVDs became more popular and they have a pause button.

He has yet to see the new Batmans or Iron Man, he has never had any interest in comic books and their properties. He prefers Westerns and Crime Dramas on DVD and unless it is about the Civil War he won't read it.

When we left the movie he asked me to get him the book for Father's Day.

I am so happy that I had the ability to watch such an important movie with him that really shows why I love not just the book, but comics in general. It was so huge.

Now I can't wait to see Star Trek with my mom. She raised me on Original Star Trek. I was a Vulcan for Halloween in 1st grade. To see that movie with my mom and Anakin, mindblowing.

This is going to be SUCH a good year.

And as a Buffy fan, I am let down by Dollhouse. Ugh.

masherscf

03-10-2009, 10:53 PM

And as a Buffy fan, I am let down by Dollhouse. Ugh.

I'm going to be stubborn. I have no where else to be on Fridays. I'll be sad when it ends after the 13th episode because Joss Whedon will never make another TV-series.

frankiethewaffle

03-10-2009, 11:37 PM

Ok after seeing the end email I have to add this. "The Farside" is the best comic strip ever. I thought someone would have DQ'd it because it was mostly a panel.

But, I can still describe my top twenty Far Side comics. When I learned that Gary Larson was retiring, I felt worse than when I heard that "Cheers" was ending.

BTW my favorite, hands down, didn't even have a caption. It was a guy hammering rivets into a missile and his partner standing behind him with a blown up, brown paper bag ready to slap it and make it explode. That is true humor and makes me giggle to this day.

jordinho

03-10-2009, 11:44 PM

I agree with Dan about Watchmen. I feel like a 1986 comic critiquing 1986 perceptions of superheroes, needs to have a 2009 movie that critiques 2009 perceptions of superheroes. I liked the movie, but Dan's argument got me thinking about what the largest theme of Watchmen is: superheroes as they appear in comics can only exist in comics, otherwise the logic that keeps that universe cohesive falls apart. I would have loved to have seen a Watchmen movie that takes into account the last 10 years of superhero movies. Instead, this movie can't stand on its own as an achievement. Copying the Mona Lisa completely only using a crayon and a napkin would be very impressive (which this movie is), but it's nothing more than a proclamation that it could be done. It isn't a statement itself.

Further more, comics and superhero movies have changed so enormously in the last 20 years, that the groundbreaking portrayal Watchmen provided is no more relevant to comic book superheroes now, than the 95 theses are to current protestants. It's acquired and applied knowledge that is no longer looked at outside of its own context. Watchmen is 1986. Everything in this film is 1986. Again, the film's statement is not that comic book superheroes are unrealistic, but that Watchmen could be filmed, and that's it. I know more about the Catholic Church and its practices than Martin Luther did; I know more about the avenues that protestantism opens up for religion and yet I'm not a subscriber of any religion at all. I can read (and read about) Martin Luther and acknowledge the contribution and the stunning nature of his work, while understanding that nailing the 95 Theses to the Church door can only happen once. That moment is gone, and now we can only appreciate it in its own context. We can't recreate that action today, unless it is a reaction to today's issues.

The Watchmen film does not do that. It reiterates a twenty year old message. We've already seen the mutant registration act a million times. We've seen Marvel: Civil War. We've seen the Irredeemable Ant-Man. We've seen Demon in a Bottle. We've seen The Dark Knight. And now we've seen Watchmen again. Doesn't this seem like a needless recap?

unclekoolaid

03-11-2009, 12:25 AM

jordinho

03-11-2009, 01:02 AM

Loved this episode! I also agree with Dan and applaud him for standing firm on his opinion about Watchmen. I have many issues with the movie but I will only mention that I'm surprised no one mentioned the soundtrack and how totally out of place it was, it really made some scenes that should have been dramatic feel really cheesy. IE: The riot scene, Vietnam, the ship sex scene.

I totally agree with that. I liked the use of Dylan in the opening montage scene but it was a really obvious music choice as well. I know the title of the song is in the comic but it really does seem out of place in my opinion. The most indefensible song choice was Ride of the Valkyries. It was already used to great effect and notoriety in Apocalypse Now. When I saw the scenes with those songs I just thought of other movies.

lordstandley

03-11-2009, 01:13 AM

I wish I could have seen the faces on anyone watching you guys film the opening, them just standing there clueless just wondering what the hell was going on. Priceless! I had tears in my eyes, oh my god.

RE5 was my most anticipated game I was not going to buy, but after hearing Alex say the controls are actually good after you get used to them, I am definitely on this day one again. I find myself siding with Alex and his opinions for most games and I figured Alex would hate this control set up for sure. And to hear him say it is actually great for the game and he loved it, I'm back in.

And Steve put up the absolute best Far Side comic that Gary Larson did when Jeff mentioned The Far Side, aweosme!!

gm_wil

03-11-2009, 01:35 AM

http://homepage.mac.com/wilknoble/earmuffs.jpg

What a great fuckin episode! The passion is back! Shitya!

Jeff - yer a funny sunnuvabitch. That first shot of you dancing by the car made me throw my head back in laughter.

Watchmen - I'm actually gonna wait for the DVD because I heard there's an extra hour of the film. I like seeing the Director's cuts. My brother has a giant HD tv and great sound system so I'd like to do the movie justice. Just read the book this year on your recommendation and really liked it . . . didn't love it, but liked it. (I think its been hyped up too much IMO). I had to skip the pirate parts too . . .

You guys were talking about an actor being able to portray being an empty shell . . . well, I'm gonna get blasted for saying this, but Kurt Russel is as charismatic as they get and I think his portrayal in "Soldier" impressed me. Someone like him being a blank slate and void of anything? (Fire away)

Too bad about Dollhouse. I'll let you guys be the G Pigs on that one.

My brother is also a big fan of that game so it sounds like I'll have to finally become a part of its history and team up with him.

Great episode fellas!

-

yssman

03-11-2009, 01:46 AM

While I for the most part agree with Jeff on the overall goodness that was Watchmen, I really can't get past the ending. It just didn't sit right with me. But, then again, I have to agree with some of Dan's points as well. A lot of depth was missing, small points that could have been made easily throughout the movie. One that has bothered me particularly was the lack of showing the progressive disconnect of Dr. Manhattan from mankind represented by his increasing unwillingness to wear clothing. We only see him in the "speedo" or naked, never the full suit, or the shorts. That, and I really feel like the lack of the news stand characters didn't wrap up some parts of the story, in much the same way I would have liked to have seen the therapist address his Rorschach issues at home.

But overall, it was a good movie. The fact that we could get 88% of the book on film, well, I can't complain too much. Jeff is right, we did win. Add to Watchmen with Batman, Iron Man, and even Star Trek... Its our year for sure.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Still, I'm sad that I'll be stuck here in Michigan to miss the big live show. Short on cash, and with school back from spring break, I couldn't make it out. Damn.

siraim

03-11-2009, 01:47 AM

Loved the episode and loved the passion.

Favorite comic? Calvin and Hobbes. hands down. I'd like to get a shout out there for Bloom County though.. long live Opus.

murphy1d

03-11-2009, 01:49 AM

Excuse me....

http://redherrings.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/bill_n_opus.jpg

siraim

03-11-2009, 01:52 AM

I'd never heard of the intro movie until I searched youtube for Top That

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ00laVt62c

...I wish I hadn't.

It burns..

siraim

03-11-2009, 01:54 AM

One that has bothered me particularly was the lack of showing the progressive disconnect of Dr. Manhattan from mankind represented by his increasing unwillingness to wear clothing. We only see him in the "speedo" or naked, never the full suit, or the shorts.

He was in a full suit at the interview.. but I get what you're saying. We didn't see it progressively change.. his disconnect came through dialogue and assuming the audience was picking up on it.

dh_jin

03-11-2009, 01:56 AM

HAHAHAAH AMAZING INTRO!!! HAHAHA

Rad Background~

haha steve is hilarious, and what about boondocks? great comic strip and great tv show. and yeah never knew calvin and hobbs was a comic strip…

watching the watchmen later today so i'll post more later :)

forbizzle

03-11-2009, 02:05 AM

To Dan's point on Watchmen. Lord of the Rings was faithful to the spirit of the books without doing a literal translation. There's a small fraction of people that are upset that there was no Tom Bombadil, and some people don't understand why Liv Tyler was in the movie at all. But when you read some of the back-story and pay attention to how certain themes were borrowed and put into other scenes, the whole movie came off as a tribute.

How much do you have to understand Watchmen to do a frame by frame translation? Is it taking the easy route?

As for feeling sad that there will be people out there that the book is redundant, I would take a look at the sales figures. It's been selling like hot cakes, and there are TONS of people that would have never read the book, if the movie was not made. I'm one of them.

mltvcocktail

03-11-2009, 03:16 AM

I'm surprised that none of the guys mentioned Foxtrot when talking about comic strips. It's about as geeky as you can get, case in point below:

http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/ft/2009/ft090208.gif

jordinho

03-11-2009, 03:25 AM

He was in a full suit at the interview.. but I get what you're saying. We didn't see it progressively change.. his disconnect came through dialogue and assuming the audience was picking up on it.

I think he actually is talking about the full body costume they make Dr. Manhattan wear. It's like all black spandex and looks ridiculous. After that he has a black tank top and what look like panties and then just the V-shaped speedos and then nothing. I just looked in the book and he's also wearing jeans in one early flashback, pretty funny.

dannyt

03-11-2009, 03:29 AM

You guys were talking about an actor being able to portray being an empty shell . . . well, I'm gonna get blasted for saying this, but Kurt Russel is as charismatic as they get and I think his portrayal in "Soldier" impressed me.

-

...you would say that. :)

siraim

03-11-2009, 03:31 AM

I think he actually is talking about the full body costume they make Dr. Manhattan wear. It's like all black spandex and looks ridiculous. After that he has a black tank top and what look like panties and then just the V-shaped speedos and then nothing. I just looked in the book and he's also wearing jeans in one early flashback, pretty funny.

Dang road trip.. it's been a while since I've read the book.. can't wait to get home and check out the clothing progression now. :)

joeyrock

03-11-2009, 04:35 AM

I'm with you Dan on Watchmen. I just got back from seeing it earlier this evening, and finished the book yesterday... cutting it close :D I'm really curious to know how I would of reacted to it if I hadn't read the book. I'm usually a "read the book after" type person. So I thought I'd read the book first this time... since it's given so much praise. Plus I'm into Lost big time so it's interesting to see what Lindelorf has used of Watchmen on that show. The rules of time in Lost and Watchmen are certainly the same. Then there's the whole Egyptian theme that's emerging with Anubis and the smoke monster and so on. Rose and Bernard, the same names as the newspaper stand man and his wife... loads and loads of stuff.

(Spoilers ahead)

Okay, I'm going to say it, I preferred the ending in the film. In the book the squid comes out of nowhere. The US and USSR coming together out of fear Manhattan generates the same result in a far more believable and succinct manner. It works better on so many levels.

The other problems I had with it were cosmetic, the age makeup was about 30 years out of date. Some of the CG was decidedly ropey. The glass Mars clock and the exploded view tank were just an nvidia tech demos, good ones. But I think we've come to expect better. Plus it took me a little while to get over Manhattan's uncanny valley lips. You could look past it due to budget and the amount of work they had to do though.

Dan and Alex said something about Crudup's work (I've deleted the show already so I can't check), which I thought was great by the way, and his inherent sadness, despite not showing any emotion. I think there were two thing that made that work. The vocal acting obviously, and actually the slightly distant nature a CG face has. It was almost like the uncanny valley failure was working for character (apart from the lips no forming phonemes properly) That's an interesting phenomena, I can't think of any other times that's happened.

neverendingwhitelights

03-11-2009, 04:58 AM

I think in a perfect world Summer Glau would have been the lead in Dollhouse... and the Sarah Connor Chronicles would not exist.

gojira

03-11-2009, 05:02 AM

This is one of the best TRS episodes top to bottom by far.

First off, the intro. Amazing. When I read the episode title was "Top That" I knew what was coming. And it was funny as hell. I don't know how you guys got through it. It's definitely in the top 5 TRS intros.

I know a lot of people who read Lord of the Rings because of the movies, so it's possible the same could be for Watchmen. I personally read both basically in anticipation of the movies.

I also wasn't floored by Dollhouse. But I've always regretted not watching Firefly until way late. So I have no problem giving the show a chance. I don't love Eliza Dushku either but I always thought Michelle Trachtenberg was much more annoying on Buffy (even in the Season 8 comics).

I'd also like to note that The Pretender was indeed awesome.

Calvin and Hobbes is by far my favorite comic strip. One of the best gifts I ever got was the complete collection.

jordinho

03-11-2009, 05:04 AM

Oh yeah I almost forgot, I wanna echo all the other comments about this episode. Very nice!

jackocat

03-11-2009, 05:37 AM

Good call on Dollhouse guys. Sometimes you got to call a turd a turd even if you like the creator.

ch28kid

03-11-2009, 05:55 AM

I love how Dan analysis the movie. I agree 100% what Dan was saying about watchmen. When Dan analysis watchmen, it sounded sooooo professional.

Jeff was so emotional when he was reviewing, you can almost hear this silent in the room when he was recording.

I watch all 103 shows, I must say this Movie analysis was one of the best!

joeyrock

03-11-2009, 06:05 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu8l0q4rgcg

andy-joe

03-11-2009, 06:15 AM

first time I ever have agreed to Dan and not Jeff on a movie.

I'm with Dan on Watchmen.

gm_wil

03-11-2009, 06:29 AM

...you would say that. :)

http://homepage.mac.com/wilknoble/yep.jpg

-

quence

03-11-2009, 06:38 AM

I'm actually disappointed that you guys didn't wait longer to review Dollhouse. While your points were definitely valid, I really believe that the show is improving every week, and I'm actually enjoying it. I know that Dan of all people should have faith in Joss Whedon to deliver the goods.

Would anyone disagree with me that the first season of Buffy was horrible? It's kinda cute to watch now just because we know what's coming in later seasons, but compared to the rest of the show, it's incredibly cheesy, there's no character depth, and the storylines are laughable. Shows need time to grow. (And I can think of many things worse than Faith throughout the show's run)

Anyway, aside from my ranting, this was a fantastic episode! Can't wait to see you top it (that) with next week's.

trsjeff

03-11-2009, 06:50 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu8l0q4rgcg

I disagree with most of that (obviously), but it was fascinating to watch.

-Jeff

dexter

03-11-2009, 06:56 AM

I might see watchmen when it comes out on dvd but having never read the graphic novel or really know anything about it, is it a movie someone who knows nothing about the characters or story or anything could enjoy or just for fans? I really dislike reading comics, i always end up seeing whats comming up on the next frames and such and its just distracting. Loved this episode by the way.

artofwar420

03-11-2009, 06:59 AM

HOLY SHIZ! That intro was hilarious, OMG, the outtakes were expectantly funny as well. Really great show guys.

torx

03-11-2009, 07:16 AM

super gnarly intro!

jeff totally pulled some moves, lol, resembling the original guy from teen witch
i can only imagine what the neighbors and passing people were thinking

kinda looked like jeff was about to well up or get "misty" when talking about watchmen, when he said the movie has allowed geeks to finally take over

great show as usual.
frightrags.com zuuul lol

smitten_lily

03-11-2009, 07:28 AM

I always watch movies first before reading books because I want to be surprised and emotional when I watch a movie. When it came to Watchmen I had read like the first 15 pages before the movie. The opening credits was indeed amazing and clever. When I realized that they were saying the exact lines and translating exact images from the comic to the screen I was truly amazed. I really have to disagree with Dan. For a long time whenever it came to adaptions we have always expected the material to be close to its source and when its not fans are surely disappointed. I think its a greater challenge to take lines out of the book that was written a long time ago and bring them to life today.

After everything that has been released based on books, comics, and video games we needed this to show that it is possible to be true to source material. Even though the movie is almost line for line of the book it will not prevent me from reading it further but only makes me more excited.

On another note I really loved the music in the movie especially 99 red balloons in another language.

dannyt

03-11-2009, 07:59 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu8l0q4rgcg

Aside for his assumptions of what "Zack Snyder is interested in" I completely agree with this-- he says everything i felt much better, including a better movie adaptation reference "The Shining"

-d

jordinho

03-11-2009, 08:02 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu8l0q4rgcg

This guy is incredibly articulate until the last 30 seconds when you peel back the surface and see him mocking Zack Snyder with a cheap American accent while trying to set himself apart from the sheepish masses who like stuff that's not all the way pretentious. It's funny, if you cut it up along the lines of American and British people mentioned, the American always got the shaft: Kubrick didn't really like Stephen King's novel but did something interesting with it. Brit: 1 Yank: -1 Moore's Watchmen comic was politically interesting and radical while Snyder's Watchmen was overlong and boring. Brit: 2 Yank: -2 Christopher Nolan's Batman films are art house action movies while Zack Snyder is just "Zack Snyder. Y'know? Hey...hey!" I guess that is a negative and highly nuanced critique of Snyder... Brit: 3 Yank: -3 Hey...hey!

summx

03-11-2009, 10:29 AM

really great episode, it kinda rectified some of the "boring" comments in that other thread.

The intro was amazing, my sister used to force me to watch teen witch daily and this was just hilarious since we make fun of that scene all the time.

The movie segment seemed to really let you guys talk freely about the movie without real time or tangent constraints

The game segment was fun and you guys seemed really in to it, rather than just reviewing it for the sake of creating content for the show.

The TV i didn't care for since i don't care for dollhouse.

pruben

03-11-2009, 11:37 AM

Favorite comic strip must be:

Ernie
or
Dilbert
or
Calvin and Hobbes

I haven't read much garfield, but he I like the character very much.

-jedibitch-

03-11-2009, 12:47 PM

Loved the epsiode! Especially the intro!!

I am more excited now for Resident Evil... I am glad the controls get easier cause I sucked hard at the demo.

Oh and I love garfeild!

cucumberboy

03-11-2009, 12:48 PM

Speaking of geeky comic strips. Everyone here should check out Robotman. The strip later lost the main character, Robotman, and changed name to Monty and it's now not nearly as funny. The humor is very reminiscent of Monty Python.

masherscf

03-11-2009, 01:52 PM

I disagree with most of that (obviously), but it was fascinating to watch.

-Jeff

The guy spouts a lot of stereotypical nonsense.

It's depressing when mainstream media shows their dislike and lack of understanding of geek culture. It offends me when people say that catering to the tastes of geeks and fanboys is somehow flawed.

joeyrock

03-11-2009, 02:35 PM

This guy is incredibly articulate until the last 30 seconds when you peel back the surface and see him mocking Zack Snyder with a cheap American accent while trying to set himself apart from the sheepish masses who like stuff that's not all the way pretentious. It's funny, if you cut it up along the lines of American and British people mentioned, the American always got the shaft: Kubrick didn't really like Stephen King's novel but did something interesting with it. Brit: 1 Yank: -1 Moore's Watchmen comic was politically interesting and radical while Snyder's Watchmen was overlong and boring. Brit: 2 Yank: -2 Christopher Nolan's Batman films are art house action movies while Zack Snyder is just "Zack Snyder. Y'know? Hey...hey!" I guess that is a negative and highly nuanced critique of Snyder... Brit: 3 Yank: -3 Hey...hey!

Kubrick was American, but we'll take him if you don't want him :p He also mentions Terry Gilliam positively but you didn't mention that.

This is the thing with Kermode is he's old and set in his ways, but he knows what he's talking about. He also isn't afraid of being wrong so he'll rip into a film or some one (hilariously) in a rant about the death of cinema or something.. (youtube his review of POTC at world's end).. and even if you comepletely disagree, he's reliable and you'll get a good show. Which is why the podcast is so popular.

I thought his review of Watchmen was pretty close to Dan's so I thought I would post it. :)

dredericktatum

03-11-2009, 05:20 PM

That BC video game? BC's quest for tires. Played it on the ol' C64 as a kid after a long day of waiting for the internet to be invented.

rabidbadger

03-11-2009, 08:15 PM

I don't know how they ever got through that intro done without laughing. That was awesome.

They didn't. Check the (Best. Outtakes.) Ever. :D

rabidbadger

03-11-2009, 08:21 PM

Excuse me....

http://redherrings.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/bill_n_opus.jpg

Absolutely, and not to forget the Godfather of socio/political comic strips (bloom county, doonsbury, calvin and hobbes in some ways) Pogo.

If Jeff has never read a pogo compilation he really should. For some reason I think that if anyone of you whippersnappers could appreciate Pogo, it's Jeff.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/WaltKelly_Pogo_1964-03-08_96.jpg

pikamookie

03-11-2009, 10:11 PM

EVER EVER EVER>

I never post but I had to this week. BEST! BEST BEST BEST.

vash

03-11-2009, 10:34 PM

I have to agree with Jeff and Alex on Watchmen. I understand where Dan is coming from, but I think Jeff is right. And agreed, not everybody will like it. To me it was the equivalent of Dark Knight to me in terms of it being a comic book movie. I mean Dark Knight was accessible to mainstream audiences, and that's fine, but it sort of feels special being able to walk out of Watchmen and go, "They might not get it, but damn was that amazing." My jaw was still on the ground when I left. So I came back the next day and picked it up by watching it a 2nd time haha.

The fight scenes I think were astounding. Well filmed.

Enough was said about Rorschach I think but not enough was said about some of the other actors really. I thought Malin Ackerman was ok, decent, hated Carla Gugino, hated the guy who played Nixon, he was a parody really. I actually thought Patrick Wilson did a great job as Nite Owl II. Especially the end scene with Rorschach. Matthew Goode was just strange. Really strange. I don't think you could've done this movie with A list actors really. I think that's also what made this movie special.

Also was I the only one put off by the soundtrack? I realize it was sort of time period set, but I would've enjoyed an original score here and there, and I think it would've given Watchmen more heart. But I will say the Bob Dylan song was perfectly set in the beginning.

vash

03-11-2009, 10:35 PM

Also that intro was just awesome.

black_magic

03-12-2009, 02:05 AM

What did you guys think about the soundtrack?

My general stance is that commercial music doesn't belong in films. When the first song (during the opening credits) started I was willing to forgive it... it's the opening credits after all, but then 'hit' after 'hit' came, and I felt it really didn't belong, and took me out of the movie.

Is that the case with anybody else, I really thought the guys would have mentioned something about it, but I was wrong/

msmags

03-12-2009, 04:50 AM

I know almost everyone before me has already said it but I'll say (or type) it again - this intro was the most hilarious freaking thing I've seen. I literally laughed my ass off (don't know what I'm even sitting on now).

Thx guys! :D

loungepotato

03-12-2009, 08:43 AM

Alright, so, I'm aware that I'm super late to the game, but this was the first TRS episode I have seen. And I was greeted by a Teen Witch reference.

Thus the validity of love at first sight has been proven to me. I LOVED it and could not stop laughing for the life of me.

I'm sort of in the middle on Watchmen. I appreciated it being almost exactly the way I saw it in the novel, and it was amazing what they did, but I also agree that it was missing something. Of all the things it included and got right, it also left out most of the things that had strong resonance with me, like the side story about the psychologist. In general, I found the movie very entertaining, but not as good as the novel. Maybe a rewatch would change my mind, though.

heyseuss

03-12-2009, 09:44 AM

gm_wil

03-12-2009, 02:52 PM

Alright, so, I'm aware that I'm super late to the game, but this was the first TRS episode I have seen.

http://homepage.mac.com/wilknoble/morpheus.jpg

Welcome to the RAD world . . .

-

slicefate

03-12-2009, 06:59 PM

I have my own views of the watchmen movie and I've had a few discussions about, as I'm sure you all have. But it wasn't until I watched this episode that I realized how many different views people are going to have about this movie.
I really wonder how people who didn't read the book are going to feel about the movie. I talked with a friends wife who hadn't read the book and wasn't' sure how she felt about it. She's not one to hide her feelings about things and does usually have an educated well placed answer to questions, but this movie, I think, kind of confused her.

lieutenant-com-data

03-12-2009, 07:20 PM

Great Opening. Teen Witch was one of my favorite guilty pleasures that Disney gave to me. I thought that was how high school was going to be.. Sure it was a horrible movie, but I enjoyed it.

If you guys don't know, which most of you probably do, The Nostalgic Chick did a review on this movie.

Go to Thatguywiththeglssses.com to check it out...

Again, I wasn't expecting to see that from you guys. I'm still laughing.. Ok time to go back and watch the rest of the show. lol :)

diane

03-13-2009, 12:19 AM

On a side note, are the fist pump t-shirt or the Rev3 store t-shirt going to come in babydoll cuts? I am not built to wear mens shirts. Well, except as night shirts.

simontrent

03-13-2009, 01:57 AM

I really enjoyed the Batman easter eggs at the start of the opening clips of Watchmen. The First Nite Owl saving Bruce Wayne's Parents? With the Batman comic posters in the background made me smile. lol

lordstandley

03-13-2009, 07:18 PM

I never had much interest in any of the comics in the paper, besides The FarSide. But I did love Footrot Flats in the school library.
I liked Garfield when I was younger, but then I grew up and realized he was kind of dumb. I absolutely love Calvin and Hobbes now but when I was younger there was too much going on that I just didn't understand.

rabidbadger

03-13-2009, 08:24 PM

BC: I feel I need to make my mark on the world.
Thor: Jump off a cliff.

I LOVED B.C. as a kid.

http://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/hart_j/hart_johnny_bc.jpg

cucumberboy

03-13-2009, 09:28 PM

http://www.universalexports.net/Graphics/humor/robotman.jpg

http://www.universalexports.net/Graphics/humor/roboman2.jpg

http://www.universalexports.net/Graphics/humor/roboman3.jpg

gm_wil

03-13-2009, 10:33 PM

http://homepage.mac.com/wilknoble/calvin.jpg

One of the Calvin strips I think of every time it snows...

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rabidbadger

03-14-2009, 12:02 AM

how come the bad comic strips hang around for ever (blondie, garfield), and the good ones "vanish" (calvin, bloom county, Far side) ?

damnedeyez

03-14-2009, 12:43 AM

how come the bad comic strips hang around for ever (blondie, garfield), and the good ones "vanish" (calvin, bloom county, Far side) ?

Probably has to do with are they in it to make money or make art/a point?

I'd say it was fan base, but the good ones you mentioned all retired themselves.

babnert

03-14-2009, 09:23 AM

Hilarious Intro - Had to rewatch it because I was laughing through it the first time.

Watchmen - Gotta agree with Jeff and Alex, I had just finished reading the comic before seeing the movie and it was amazing - after reading I thought to myself theres no way it can live up to that and it came pretty damn close. The only problems I had with the movie were Nite Owl 2s costume and Bubastis just being thrown in there (the guy sitting next to me said wtf is that thing?) so someone who isnt familiar with it I can see being confused during it.

RE5 - I loved 4 and am excited to play this one eventually, glad to know the controls dont kill it.

Dollhouse - Thanks for the review, if you guys say it gets better ill watch but for now ill pass.

My favorite Comic strip of all time - Calvin and Hobbes by far.
Also my 5th grade teacher use to have a far side calender and at the start of each day he would read the single panel comic to the class, it was a special thing that I still remember being cool.

optimus187prime

03-14-2009, 02:24 PM

Best intro eva, and there have been many a good intro. I cant believe I have seen that movie as many times as I have, seems like a Dan pick.

cucumberboy

03-14-2009, 06:52 PM

how come the bad comic strips hang around for ever (blondie, garfield), and the good ones "vanish" (calvin, bloom county, Far side) ?

Both Blondie and Garfield are kind of... dumb. I think that might have to do with it.

enemy33x

03-15-2009, 12:15 AM

yup, i love love love this show. been watching for a while (&yes this is my first post on a rev3 board...im not a forum guy).

i have to say though... after viewing the watchmen review (&RE5 review), i think that dan has to come to the reviews more prepared. now i know there are a number of dan fans out there. and thats cool. but the man was simply ranting this time around. he couldnt put a solid argument/sentence together during that discussion. i agree on some of his points (which i think he said...again, he completed very few examples/points...lol).

my gf & i were looking at each other every time he spoke, just wondering if he was gonna make a coherent statement. but we were both so glad every time jeff & alex cut in to make a quick rebuttal. their opinions were far more structured & thought-out and by far, less flimsy.

that being said...

of course, i couldnt see the show without dan. he brings a great balance to the show. jeff & alex on their own wouldnt be as much fun. and you can tell, together they have a great chemistry. especially, when jeff & dan have those big bro/little bro moments and differing opinions.

i was just wondering, after watching so many of their shows... does anyone think dan needs to put his thoughts & opinions together a little more before showtime? yes, the mistakes are funny... i dig that... with all three of them. but just when you think the real discussion/review is starting with dan, it doesnt. he stumbles so much.

am i alone on this?

babnert

03-15-2009, 01:54 AM

am i alone on this?

I see where your coming from but I think a lot of people will have to disagree, even if he rambles on and isnt making coherent statements I think his point gets across and most people dont mind it. But i guess it can get annoying if its done too much, I dont have a problem with it though.

rabidbadger

03-15-2009, 02:24 AM

This episode I specifically watched Dan talk. I don't think he's stumbling, he is trying very hard to say precisely what he wants to say. He is just as articulate, and smart, and quick as the other two guys in normal conversation, but when he wants to say something very specific, and important to him, he takes the time to say exactly what he means.

I wish more people would do that in real life.

Lewis Carroll

March Hare: …Then you should say what you mean.
Alice: I do; at least - at least I mean what I say -- that's the same thing, you know.
Hatter: Not the same thing a bit! Why, you might just as well say that, 'I see what I eat' is the same as 'I eat what I see'!
March Hare: You might just as well say, that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!
The Dormouse: You might just as well say, that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!

https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/188638/1/The-Mad-Hatters-Tea-Party,-Illustration-From-Alices-Adventures-In-Wonderland,-By-Lewis-Carroll,-1865.jpg

enemy33x

03-15-2009, 05:38 AM

he has a hard time figuring out what he exactly wants to say : )
that review was a little painful to watch. it does happen quite a bit throughout
their series run. im sure he doesnt mind a little constructive criticism (a lil' more
preparation). but i did see that post dan put up there from the BBC critic.
i'll give him props for stating thats what he wouldve liked to have said. lol

kinneas123

03-15-2009, 09:01 AM

I share your sentiments about Watchmen, Dan. Visually, I found it beautiful. I loved Rorscach and Dr. Manhattan. But even so, the movie felt lifeless at times. There were some high points (the sequence showing Manhattan's transformation comes to mind), but I'm left wondering what Snyder intended to achieve with a word for word adaptation of 12 comics condensed into a 2 and 1/2 hour movie. That approach might have been more succesful with a multipart miniseries that included ALL the content of the graphic novel, but the moment you start making cuts, you take away the story's soul. If the story had been re-imagined, it may have been able to work, but as it stands, the movie feels very incomplete. I ultimately enjoyed the movie, but it didn't live up to the novel's legacy and I won't be recommending it to non-fans or watching it again.

killorbytes

03-15-2009, 01:54 PM

So yes, of course the opening was excellent, but I gotta hand it to the guys, especially Jeff and Dan for just going for it. Besides being dead-on (Jeff, how long did you practice to nail that dance?), the opening was almost cringe-worthy, but I couldn't look away. I'm wondering how many takes it took to get Dan's performance sans smiles?

I laughed out loud and was compelled to do my very first forum post.

Awesome guys, just awesome.

pen-15

03-15-2009, 04:46 PM

Thanks to this show I got to see a film that I honestly might have skipped. Watchmen will remain one of those films that literally change my life in how it will be something that is in everyday normal conversation for me. The characters, the themes, and the visuals will never leave my memory.

Thanks for putting on an incredible show TRS.

cool_moe_dee_345

03-15-2009, 06:19 PM

On Lie to Me, these guys need to do their research. For serious. Lie detectors DON'T work. That's why polygraph results aren't generally admissible evidence in court proceedings. A polygraph can kind of sort of maybe measure stress levels, but that in no way implies that a person is lying. Any conclusion you would draw is mostly based on the personal prejudices of the analyst reading the results rather than actual science. If you have a good, reliable analyst, you can get by okay, but in that case you're just dressing up a guy who's good at guessing what other people are lying about with a bunch of fake science. That's the central problem the show has - it's stuck halfway between science and reality and doesn't do a very good job of defending its premise. A skeptical viewer will have serious problems the first time they see somebody plugged into a polygraph machine. As a show, it's okay, though the lead has all the warmth and personality of a dead fish and the cold, sterile offices and sets (along with some seriously hit or miss acting on the part of the guests) makes this a step-below-average bog-standard procedural.

rabidbadger

03-15-2009, 06:32 PM

I can personally attest that lie detectors don't work. When I was a teen the big fad was to have all potential employees take a polygraph test before being hired. This was for a friggen busboy job at a restaruant. Well, I took the test, they refused to tell me how it went. But for whatever reason I didn't get the job.

Few weeks later the next job sent me back to the same polygraph place and I refused to take it unless they told me why I failed the first one. They hemmed and hawed, and said I had stolen from a previous employer. Er, I HAD NO previous employer, and I was a good kid and had NEVER stolen anything in my life. I refused the test and walked out.

masherscf

03-15-2009, 11:48 PM

This episode I specifically watched Dan talk. I don't think he's stumbling, he is trying very hard to say precisely what he wants to say. He is just as articulate, and smart, and quick as the other two guys in normal conversation, but when he wants to say something very specific, and important to him, he takes the time to say exactly what he means.

I wish more people would do that in real life.

Actually, I have my theories about Dan and why he seems so brilliant sometimes and befuddled other times. I have some experience in these matters.

Suffice it to say, I do the same thing in my classroom when I get excited. I completely forget the word I wanted to use.

However, anyone who mistakes Dan's occasional stammering as lack of eloquence couldn't be more wrong.

capty99

03-16-2009, 06:00 PM

I just had to say the intro was my favorite yet-- epic.

bjkrautk

03-16-2009, 07:21 PM

Enough was said about Rorschach I think but not enough was said about some of the other actors really. I thought Malin Ackerman was ok, decent, hated Carla Gugino, hated the guy who played Nixon, he was a parody really. I actually thought Patrick Wilson did a great job as Nite Owl II. Especially the end scene with Rorschach. Matthew Goode was just strange. Really strange. I don't think you could've done this movie with A list actors really. I think that's also what made this movie special.

I was surprised to hear Jeff say something similar about Gugino, which really stood out to me. I had said on another thread that Watchmen (to me) is very much about the type of person who would don a costume to fight crime...and what happens to that person when that gets taken from them. Sally Jupiter wasn't one of the masks retired by the Keene Act, but instead by the birth of Silk Spectre. Gugino played Sally as every bit the mother who pushed her daughter to fulfil the life she lost. Later in life, she carried no regret for what happened in the past, but the nostalgia for who she was (and how she looked) in her youth.

Allow me to ask: do you (and Jeff) not like the performance because you don't like the character? Is Sally someone that it's even possible to like?