After Watchmen, Bring On Next 'Unfilmables'

Film 'bites off more than it can chew'

(NEWSER) - The task of putting graphic-novel classic Watchmen onscreen may be more than any filmmaker can handle, critics say—though director Zack Snyder did win over Roger Ebert. Some impressions:

• "Stumbles and sometimes falls on its top-heavy ambitions. But there are also flashes of visual brilliance and performances that drill deep into the novel's haunted soul,” writes Peter Travers in Rolling Stone.

Michael Cera and original storytelling make this a winner

(NEWSER) - Critics generally love the inventive storytelling of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a very modern romance that stars Michael Cera. It's based on a graphic novel, and it shows.

• Joe Neumaier, Daily News : "Plugged into some kind of mental electrical socket by director Edgar Wright, this is a romantic adventure for the ADD age, a pop poem for Millennials that could just as well be titled Scott Pilgrim vs. the Old Ways of Storytelling."
• Eric D. Snider, Film.com : It's "an exuberant mixture of comic books, video games, and hipster romance," tied together with "unconventional filmmaking techniques." It might be the norm in 10 years, but "for now it's almost revolutionary."

(NEWSER) - Comics fans are just a little miffed by Marvel’s $4 billion acquisition by Disney: “SOOOO NOT HAPPY! Spider-man should not be co-mingling with Goofy,” reads one blog post. The problem, Linda Holmes writes for NPR, is “one of perception: Put simply, Marvel has a cool factor and Disney doesn't.” Marvel devotees don’t “see themselves as close cousins of people who love Donald Duck just because there's drawing involved.” More»

(NEWSER) - Monsters vs. Aliens battled its way to the top this weekend, grossing $58.2 million, Entertainment Weekly reports. A staggering $32.6 million of that total was from 3-D showings, helping the family flick best Watchmen as the year’s top opener. The Haunting in Connecticut scared up $23 million for second place, while Knowing ($14.7 million), I Love You, Man ($12.6 million), and Duplicity ($7.6 million) rounded out the top five. More»

(NEWSER) - Patrick Wilson has had many brushes with fame, but it’s fairly certain his role in the hotly anticipated Watchmen will finally make walking down the street a chore, New York reports. He’s done studio films before (remember The Alamo?), won praise for his role in Little Children, even dated Scarlett Johansson, but no dice: “Most people outside the business, it’s safe to say, have no idea who I am.” More»