Set in a world similar to Sin City, Watchmen takes place in a cold dark world where evil is good, and good is evil. Even the heroes are not squeaky clean like Superman or Ironman. The Comedian is rough around the edges to say the least. He would do things most people would view as villain-esque. The closest comparison would be a philandering Punisher type hero.

Rorschach seems to be most peoples favorite. He sees things in black and white as his inkblots project this theme. The blots also serve to show his changing expressions. He has seen horrible things and is willing to do whatever it takes to serve vengeance to criminals.

Dr. Manhattan has had his atoms re-assembled by a scientific machine he was trapped in by accident. Now he is detached from humanity, but could be the one that could save them from nuclear annihilation. He has a love for the Silk Spectre II. But because of the disaster he can not give her the emotional satisfaction she needs. He is a lonely sort and only his superpowers make him interesting.

The Night Owl II can see in the dark and has a great invention named “Archie” that can fly and shoot fire out of it. He is one of the duller characters and a bit of a dork. The story seemed to revolve around him but only because the Silk Spectre II is his love interest. You start to sympathize with him a little towards the end, but not enough that he would be the favorite character.

Ozymandias is an unusual character as he is super intelligent. And not in a “gigantic brain” cheesey way. They say he can dodge a bullet he is so fast. He is always thinking ten steps ahead. With his brain power anything could be possible. A true mastermind and doesn’t have the physical weakness that you would think a brainiac would.

All these diverse heroes working together is a bit of an oddity. But that’s what makes Watchmen unique in it’s dark world and twisted scenarios. They are more human in their flaws and I think that’s what endures them so much to us. We can’t relate with the Bruce Wayne or Superman archetypes. But we understand emotional scarring that the Comedian, Silk Spectre II  and Rorschach deal with. The people that they save are ungrateful and even riot to have masks removed. How like real life, the villains are idolized and the real heroes are villainized.

Firstly, it’s good to recognize that there would be no Star Wars without Lucas. That said, the idea that Lucas birthed has taken a life of it’s own, branching off franchises worth billions of dollars in gaming, memorabilia, TV shows, and many other areas of life. From Star Wars bedding to Star Wars t-shirts, the influence of the artwork that his mind created has inspired a generation.

Some may argue, to such a point that it is the generation who have now taken possession of the true idea of what is “Star Wars”. When Lucas decided to start directing the prequels, many fans rejoiced, only to later flee in horror at what was to take place.

First, it is worth nothing that Lucas did not direct much of the original Star Wars series. One might dare say he was relegated to the role of a screenplay writer with little much else. The producers had the ultimate say, and had definitely helped to take Star Wars in a much different direction than what Lucas had intended.

Not so, the second time around, and perhaps with devastating results. Star Wars had become Lucas’ playground for his imagination and whatever desires he wanted. His little daughter liked boy band N’sync, so Lucas thought he had the right to allow N’sync members to become Jedi in the film. Despite the often bad image given to executive producers as being “corporate fat cats”, had producers been still in charge of the Star Wars series’ direction, this type of insanity would have never come to pass.

So outraged were the fans that tens of thousands signed petitions to stop him. They succeeded in preventing what they viewed as an assault on the series by the creator himself. At the very least Justin Timberlake was not seen waving light sabers. But fans were in for a surprise of a different sort.

Whatever anyone may think of Jar Jar, even George Lucas himself conceded the massive damage done to the series by the two eyed and perhaps even mentally ill creature, by removing him from the next parts of the series after protests against his inclusion had swelled in size. A cut of the film without Jar Jar has been released by fans, and it seems notably improved from the original cut. The decision by Lucas may have had more to do with his family and his own desires than anything else. The presence of Jar Jar was severely reduced, to some fans relief, but for many the series had died the moment Jar Jar set foot on the screen.

Perhaps George Lucas has lost all touch with the fanbase. George once said at a luncheon that the Empire Strikes Back was the worst Star Wars, despite the fact that many if not most Star Wars fans consider it to be the greatest.

It seems like all we see in the movie industry is sequels and remakes. If that is not the case then it was a book or comic strip. Are there no original ideas left in this world? Saw 5, High School Musical 3? Rocky Balboa (6th one in the series). When do you draw the line or cut em off? It seems as long as the sequels keep making money, the producers will keep at it. I know it’s no big news that movies are all about money in Hollywood. But we as movie goers need to stop supporting this drivel.

Look at Japan, they have original concepts and amazing imaginations. They think outside the box and actually use their brains. They still care about cinema as an art form. Sure there are some exploitative animes and B films, but they don’t have as many as America does. “The Ring” came from Japan, and was a refreshing revamp to the horror saga. Their horror films get inside your head, and you think about them long after you leave the theater. Whereas American films you forget about the second you walk into the parking lot.

I just wonder how much repetitions Americans can possibly take? Rambo 15? Saw 20? Scarily enough, these seem like real possibilities. You could eventually see those movie posters and not be dreaming. They saw that “Watchmen” won’t have a sequel. Ahh, but they never said it wouldn’t have a prequel, gotcha! They could do a story about the original watchmen. The producers and marketers never quit thinking how they can milk a movie concept for all it’s worth. Why did they need to remake “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” the original can not be outdone.

I recently gained another perspective when I went into a book store. Yes, books, they’re those things with paper pages that you look at. First off, I noticed tons of these best sellers had been made into movies or were about to. Secondly, I noticed when I left the store someone said “I don’t really read books anymore” that pretty much sums up American culture. Nobody reads anymore. Movies are never as good as the books. We can never fully match the amount of imagination in our minds using a movie to portray it. I love movies myself, but I realize how much our culture has shifted away from books and the imagination. Losing creativity and imagination is never good for a society that wants to progress.

This Friday I look forward to seeing “Watchmen”. There haven’t been many great movies so far this year, and I’m hoping this will be one of the year’s best. It has the CGI and great comic storyline to be right up there with Dark Knight. But will it be a let down? The critics in newspapers and media are cutting the film down, saying it is all wrapped in “misogyny” and won’t live up to the hype. Some fans of the comic that saw early previews loved it, others not so much. After watching trailers since last fall, I agree, there is definitely a lot of hype to live up to.

Zach Snyder and the crew used the Watchmen comic as their personal handbook and tried to make the best film possible. Many producers thought the movie was “unfilmable” because their are so many facets in the story with multiple characters each with their own storyline. How can you get attached when you are following six heroes? I’m hoping they can pull it off, Zach Snyder did an impeccable job with “300″ so I trust him to do the same with Watchmen. I’m sure he knows his career could be smudged with a giant flop as well as anyone else knows.

Rorschach is a hero who has ink blots that shift around on his mask. Very different from you quintessential hero, but I think it’s cool. Its hard to explain to non-comic enthusiasts what Watchmen is about and why it’s so cool. It is similar to Batman in that 5 of the 6 are heroes without superpowers, more the vigilante types. Rorschach is the one investigating the murder of his fellow hero, The Comedian, it could be a corporate or government agency hunting them down? Or a super villain? So the story is a mystery wrapped in an over-arching mystery.

There are many moral stories surrounding each character and Rorschach’s ink blot mask represents the black and white morality he believes in. Whereas many other’s believe in grey areas. So this film may be too morally complex for the average person who likes the Superman type characters. These heroes look out for the people, but no one watches over them. If this film flops it could hurt the comic-film industry as a whole. I like the Iron Man and Dark Knight films and hope they keep coming out with good ones, and not butcher my favorite comics like (Avengers), my fingers are crossed.

The movies that brought us up, and the ones that severely let us down. Here is a recap of last year’s movies busts and blockbusters.

Worst:

Max Payne: Had very high hopes for this film, the video game is amazing with ground breaking effects. The movie is droll and doesn’t have the style or spectacular feel that Max Payne did. A decent casting job with Mark Wahlberg, but a flop non the less. Not even worth a rental.

Space Chimps: With so much marketing and fake hype for the film, some people may have accidentally gone to see this cheesey film. With so many better alternatives from Pixar and Dreamworks, why would you bother?

The Bucket List: Nobody wants to think about their own mortality so why would we wanna watch two old guys do a bunch of stuff before they die. Even if it is two of the better actors in Hollywood (Nicholson and Freeman). Isn’t the point to enjoy your life not watch two other people enjoy theirs for two hours?

Swing Vote: As a Family Guy skit says “How does he (Kevin Costner) keep getting work?” The film centers around a guy who has the one vote to determine the presidency. Points for trying, but this could never happen, once the voting deadline is over, it’s over. It’s more implausible than sending people to Mars.

Best:

Wall E: Great animation, Pixar does it again. They never let us down do they? Wall E is a lonely robot who falls in love with Eve an advanced robot. He ends up following her to her spaceship on a crazy adventure. Great musical score and the robots interactions have lots of chemistry.

The Dark Knight: Heath Ledger’s acting as the Joker is phenomenal. Chris Nolan directs another fast paced Batman film that centers around the Joker and Two Face. We get to see the fall of Harry Dent and how he slowly becomes Two Face. “Why so serious?”

Slumdog Millionaire: Combine Bollywood, Huckleberry Finn, and Oliver Twist, and you come out with this brilliant, sentimental, hilarious, and ultimately uplifting epic of survival in an urban world of cataclysmic poverty. The cinematography is beautiful, and the performances shimmer. It’s been years since the movies have produced such an affecting story about the power of friendship.

Tropic Thunder: How can you not love this film? It finally takes us away from it all and gives us non stop laughs, one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Robert Downey Jr. as a black soldier, and Tom Cruise as the mad and powerful Hollywood producer. It doesn’t get much better than this. Plus the fake trailers at the beginning of the film are genius.

This list comprises the war films that got us immersed in the action as well as in deep thought. There have been countless war films throughout the century, but these ones seem to stand above the rest. This list if geared for the films with more action rather than emotional stories (Schindler’s List).

10. Braveheart: We’ll never forget the cry “freedom” at the end of the film. Mel Gibson gives one his best performances as the freedom fighting Scot who leads the Scottish in uprising against the British in 1298. Their are so many memorable lines and battles you feel like you took part in the action.

9. 300: This breath taking film directed by Zach Snyder is one of the more memorable war films of the past five years. He takes you along for the ride as 300 Spartans face of against a million Persians in the battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes tries to get King Leonidas (the main character) to submit, but Leonidas will fight to the death before bowing to a foreign king. Stunning cinematography alongside astonishing choreography, filmed completely on green screen.

8. Enemy At The Gates: One of the better sniper films there is and an exceptional tale. The main characters are loosely based on events. It is about two Russian snipers against the best German sniper. The main Russian sniper is Vassili Zaitsev played by Jude Law. His German counterpart Major Konig is played by Ed Harris. It is an intense cat and mouse game where your never quite sure where the devious Nazi major is hiding. The sniper hunt takes place during the Battle of Stalingrad where the fighting is fierce.

7. Kingdom of Heaven: Set in the medieval era this film is the story of a young man who ends up in the middle of the Crusade battles in Jerusalem. This takes place just before Richard the Lionheart sets out on his last crusade. It does have Saladin in it which makes for some amazing battles. There is an epic final battle that everyone should watch. The special effects and siege machines are spectacular in this film. One of the most realistic siege battles to date.

6. Gettysburg: The bloodiest battle on U.S. soil, Gettysburg has thousands of re-enacters marching over the exact ground that the federal army and the army of North Virginia fought on. It shows the three day battle that was a turning point in the Civil War is shown from the perspectives of both sides, highlighting the fight for Little Round Top, and Pickett’s Charge. Other focuses include Longstreet and Lee’s relationship as they have differing strategic opinions, Armistead fighting on the opposite side of his old friend Hancock, and the Chamberlain brothers.

5. The Last Samurai: A journey of a man who trains soldiers for the U.S. and their new ally Japan ends up in the enemy’s camp. As he learns the Samurai’s ways he finds them enduring and is at peace among them. A conflict arises where he must choose between his former people and the Japanese Imperial Regime and the Samurai who are being suppressed. This film has amazingly choreographed Samurai battles and plenty of bokken (wooden sword) training and kitana wielding action. It is set at the end of the Tokugawa era towards the start of the Meji era. Starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe.

4. Full Metal Jacket: A Dark Comedy/War film set in the Vietnam war. With many memorable characters such as Pvt. Joker, Pvt. cowboy, Animal Mother, Pvt. Pyle, Eightball, and R. Lee Ermey as none other than Gny. Sgt. Hartman. With Ermey having real experience as a Gunnery Sergeant the boot camp scenes look very true to life. Stanley Kubrick directs a dark film of soldiers that are under lots of mental stress and how they deal with it.

3. Letters from Iwo Jima: Directed by Clint Eastwood who also directed the American side first in “Flags of Our Fathers”. Shockingly this film was more impressive and had better acting thanks to Ken Watanabe. Watanabe played General Kuribayashi and gives a stellar performance of honor and courage under fire. Obviously this story is the battle of Iwo Jima told through the eyes of the Japanese. It is always peculiar to think what our enemies were trying to do simultaneous to our military actions.

2. Patton: Never was there a more bolder, brazen, fired up General than George S. Patton. This is the film that depicts Patton with his glorious victories as well as some set backs. It gives us a little bit of insight into what the great General was like and how he thought. The film begins with Patton’s career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. The film may be a little long (3 1/2 hours i think) but it’s worth watching if you have the time. Oddly enough George C. Scott plays Patton, I find the name resemblance a strange and funny coincidence.

1. Saving Private Ryan: Set during the D-Day invasion at Normandy. This story directed by Spielberg tells a compelling story of a squad of Army Rangers that set out to find a Private Ryan whose three brothers have been killed. They are to rescue him so he can go home, so that his mother can find some solace. Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) leads this squad and they fight through multiple battles from machine gun nests to Panzer attacks, this film has all the war you could fit in a 2 hour film. The famous Omaha Beach scene is so life like you feel like you have to duck for cover.