ah cinephiles
I’ve spent the day in Wexford (cute town) sitting in cafes with the guy who runs the hostel here discussing the academy awards race (he just wrote his predictions for the coming race for the newspaper, is a former film review and just had a book published on the passion of the Christ. Is also putting together a book for the Saving Pvt. Ryan 10th anniversary (the beach scenes were filmed here) and promised to get me a copy. How I love discussing film with other nuts. In that vein – here’s the latest on Watchmen (Watchmen is the grandaddy of all graphic novels. And the one that is most important not to screw up – from the director’s comments I have hope, although I’d like to know about casting) my fave bits in bold: “The idea of Watchmen is not to do a CGI movie, but to do it when it’s necessary. Like when Doc Manhattan goes to Mars, there’s an issue here, we’ve got to figure that out. We can’t go to Mars, I know, a lot people are going to be disappointed by that – but I just don’t have the money. Antarctica also, there’s no Carnac built there. I know, again, we should probably build it and then go film it there, but I don’t think they’re going let us do that. So those two things right off the bat you can think about. Dr. Manhattan himself, what do you do, how do you make him – how do you render him. Rorschach’s mask. There’s things that have to be dealt with and figured out. But I think that the appetite for me is to make a movie that feel’s more like Taxi Driver than like Fantastic Four, again. So it’s a balance.”Zack also says, “go see 300!” as the best way to help Watchmen (maybe even get a bigger budget) and includes that the studio doesn’t “understand why it’s not Fantastic Four. I have to remind them, I go, ‘look, it’s much more Strangelove than Fantastic Four,’ which they don’t like hearing.”
Passed the Kennedy homestead today. Also more roadside art – which Ireland seems to have a whole bunch of public installations; giant scultures (today of reeds and cattails), carvings in hillsides, etc. Hopefully the rain will let up tomorrow and allow me to get to the wildlife reserve. I also want to take some photos around town of some sculptures (including John Barry – the founder of the US Navy) and of all the fishing boats in the habour – there’s a lovely promenade out by the water. And an old bull fighting ring (the ring is gone, but there’s a statue there). Doing some work around the hostel, rather than paying, and probably watching some films tonight. Depending on the weather, I’ll be back in Dublin tomorrow, or maybe Glendalough.
Tags: Travel
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