Watchmen - March 2009

Watchmen - March 2009

The story is set in an alternate 1985 where superheroes exist, Richard Nixon is still president, and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union are at an all-time high. The vigilante Rorschach is investigating the murder of the Comedian and uncovers a plot to discredit and murder various heroes. Rorschach discovers a far wider-ranging conspiracy involving his colleagues' past which could completely change the course of history.

It all begins with the paranoid delusions of a half-insane hero called Rorschach. But is Rorschach really insane or has he in fact uncovered a plot to murder super-heroes and, even worse, millions of innocent civilians? On the run from the law, Rorschach reunites with his former teammates in a desperate attempt to save the world and their lives, but what they uncover will shock them to their very core and change the face of the planet! Following two generations of masked superheroes from the close of World War II to the icy shadow of the Cold War comes this groundbreaking comic story - the story of The Watchmen.
"Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen?"

Directed by Zack Snyder
Produced by Lloyd Levin, Lawrence Gordon and Deborah Snyder
Written by Alex Tse and David Hayter
Release Date: March 6th, 2009
Genre: Action / Drama / Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Casts:

• Patrick Wilson as Daniel Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
• Billy Crudup as Dr. Jon Osterman / Doctor Manhattan
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Edward Blake / The Comedian
• Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
• Malin Akerman as Laurie Juspeczyk / Silk Spectre II
• Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
• Stephen McHattie as Hollis Mason / Nite Owl
• Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
• Matt Frewer as Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic
• Niall Matter as Mothman

A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, "Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the watchmen?

The Day the Earth Stood Still - December 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still - December 2008

The 2008 remake about an alien and his indestructible robot will star (Keanu Reeves) as Klaatu, Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson, (Jaden Smith) as Jacob, and (Kathy Bates). Gort has not been cast at this time and will most likely be created using FX.

The remake of (The Day the Earth Stood Still) will supposedly remain true to the original movie, however there is a chance the remake will more likely remain true to the short story upon which the 1951 movie is based. In either case the alien 'weaponry' seems to have been upgraded. In addition to a city going dark, and a very brief look at the new Gort, the film trailer shows a cloud of black smoke, capable of rapid movement and disintegrating matter on contact.
In the 1951 movie, Gort is described as one of a race of robots created by the planets to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. If the 2008 remake follows the short story by (Harry Bates), "Farewell to the Master" upon which the 1951 movie is based, it will be revealed at the end of the movie by Gort himself that he is the master, and not Klaatu.

In the original movie, a flying saucer orbits Earth, and lands in Washington, DC, on the Mall. Klaatu (Michael Rennie) steps out and is shot by a jumpy soldier. Gort (Lock Martin), an indestructible robot steps out of the spacecraft and proceeds to melt all the weapons, including tanks, without harming a single human being. Later, the Earth comes to realize that Gort has used very little of his power to make this happen.
While lying on the ground, Klaatu orders Gort to stop, and is then taken by the military to a hospital from which he later escapes in order to learn more about this planet called Earth and its human inhabitants. He meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her son. Billy Benson (Billy Gray) takes Klaatu on a tour of Washington DC finally stopping in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Klaatu reads the words uttered by Lincoln many years ago and realizes that there might be hope for Earth.
When they begin to suspect him, he reveals himself, along with the news that Gort is a member of a race of super-robot enforcers invented to keep the peace of the galaxy and will destroy the Earth if provoked. Klaatu is pursued and shot and killed by the military. Before Klaatu dies, he tells Helen to go to Gort, and say these words Klaatu Barata Nikto. If she does not, Klaatu tells her Gort will destroy the Earth. Helen makes her way to the ship and finds Gort. As Gort moves towards her, she repeats the phrase over and over. Gort picks her up and takes her into the ship. Gort then retrieves Klaatus body and through their alien science, resurrects Klaatu.

Directed by : Scott Derrickson
Written by : David Scarpa and Ryne Douglas Pearson
Produced by : Paul Harris Boardman, Gregory Goodman and Erwin Stoff
Release Date : December 12, 2008
Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Casts:
Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, an alien messenger
Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson, a microbiologist who works at Princeton University and inducted by the government into investigating Klaatu
Kathy Bates
Jon Hamm as Dr. Granier, a NASA official who recruits Helen into a scientific team investigating Klaatu.
Jaden Smith as Jacob, Helen's rebellious eight-year old stepson.
John Cleese as Dr. Barnhardt.

Plot Summary: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is 20th Century Fox's contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu Reeves portrays Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman (Jennifer Connelly) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission – and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth."