Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 March 10

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March 10

Question about the Watchmen movie

I saw this at the cinema today. Is there any particular reason why Dr. Mannhatan (the big blue guy) spends nearly all the movie walking around with his big blue penis hanging out? All the other characters just seemed to accept that the guy was nude. --84.66.18.194 (talk) 00:29, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

The thing is that as time goes on, Dr. Manhattan slowly stops relating or caring to human values or human affairs. This is better shown in the original graphic novel by the way he uses progressively less clothing. If you don't give a damn about mundane values, wearing clothes seems unecessary. That's all the reason there is to it, and it does make a valid point, I believe. — Kieff | Talk 01:01, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to be buying the graphic novel soon. Another thing (which might also be explained in the GN) - are any of the other characters apart from Doc. Manhattan supposed to have super powers? In the film, all the superheroes seem to be slightly faster and stronger than regular humans but none of them seem to be 'superhuman'. It's more like they're just highly-trained martial artists or streetfighters. --84.66.18.194 (talk) 02:17, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, he's the only one with any superpowers. All the rest are just trained fighters. (just finished the GN last night, seeing the movie this weekend, I think...) Dismas|^(talk) 02:45, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Well, Ozymandias does catch a bullet with his bare hand ... Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 20:09, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Right, and that's actually handled rather clumsily in the movie, I thought. They set that up in Rorschach's narration earlier in the movie, and while that gets the job done, it doesn't really convey the fact that Ozymandias isn't like these other guys -- he's not superhuman as such, but he's not just another guy in a costume, either, whereas the other characters are far closer to normal humans -- skilled, brave and lucky, sure, but they aren't ninjas. (In general, I think the movie fails there because it makes everyone way too slick and cool, so you lose most of that contrast. When Nite Owl is beating guys up in the prison in the movie, for example, he's kicking fifty kinds of ass and looking like some kind of an inhuman demi-god. In the original story, he's a paunchy guy in an ill-fitting costume, fighting as unfairly as he can and taking advantage of experience and chaos. Likewise, when Dan and Laurie fight the punks in the alley, it's a pretty short and brutal affair in the comic -- they're fighting hard and fast, and when it's over, they're completely out of breath and have to lean on each other for support, or they'd fall down. That subtlety is pretty much gone in the movie, but that's what you get with Zack Snyder, I guess.)

Anyway, the bullet catch. In the original story, it goes a little differently. Adrian is explaining his plot, and has just revealed that he's already completed it. Rorschach is enraged by it, but Dan isn't buying it. He starts to argue against it: "Rorschach, he's kidding you. His story, it's full of holes. Adrian, your assassination attempt. You couldn't have planned it! What if he'd shot you first instead of your secretary?" And Adrian answers, deadpan, "I suppose I'd just have had to catch the bullet, wouldn't I?" And Dan goes, "You...? Nahh. Come on. That's completely... you couldn't really do that?" And Adrian just smiles a little. In his original notes, Alan Moore describes him as "a perfectly evolved man who takes human capability to its most extreme limit".

In the film, his gauntlet is armored. In the original Watchmen, Ozzy catches the bullet with his bare hand. It's impossible, sure, but that's the point of the character; he has just averted World War III, and catching the bullet is a kind of an symbolic exclamation point that accentuates that feat. He really is on another level than these guys, and he demonstrates it in undeniable and concrete terms. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:07, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

More Song Stuff

Hi again...

the title of the song is Rush and it's really long (like over 10 minutes)

What is it??? It's driving me nuts.  Buffered Input Output 16:00, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Rush by The Pillows is 10 minutes and 11 seconds. Tomdobb (talk)

america(2009 movie)

um i think somebody should make a thing about the lifetime movie america i would do it but i really dont know alot about the movie other then three of the stars and what it's about and i wanna know if anybody is making it or one about the star philip johnson if not u should thanx —Preceding unsigned comment added by Derick chapman (talk • contribs) 18:30, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

I'd be more concerned about your lack of sentences than not having enough info. Knowing the stars and plot is probably enough to get started on a Wikipedia article. Do you have any sources ? For example, is there an IMDB entry for the movie ? StuRat (talk) 19:22, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin -----School Children's participation in opening ceremonies forming the Olympic flag

I was looking everywhere and I cannot find this video. I know it exists, because I saw it once many years ago on TV. I am 85, and used to attend the Chamisso Lizeum in Berlin. I was participating in this event and I would like to show this to my grandchildren. Where can I find this?????? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.251.172.87 (talk) 19:45, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Go to YouTube, the Leni Riefensthal film is there in several parts. Do you know how far into the film the school children's participation takes place? Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 20:10, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

The opening ceremonies are in the early section of the first part of the Riefenstahl film. Pastor Theo (talk) 03:20, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

america(movie)part 2

so i found the movie on imdb but i cant remember how to create a wikipedia page —Preceding unsigned comment added by Derick chapman (talk • contribs) 20:01, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

This isn't really the right place for your questions. Try looking around the Help Desk.91.111.86.221 (talk) 21:22, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

We can probably provide an answer anyway. I suggest cutting and pasting the content from a similar Lifetime Television movie by editing that other article, then doing CTRL+A followed by CTRL+X. See list of programs broadcast by Lifetime. That will put it in the cut buffer. Then just type the name of the article, exactly as you want it, in the search box at the upper, left margin of the page. Wikipedia will then tell you that the article doesn't exist and give you an opportunity to create it. Once you create the blank article, use CTRL+V to paste the old article, then edit it as needed, before saving. StuRat (talk) 21:37, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

America (2009 film) had it's plot copied verbatim from the IMDB plot details. I've tried to do something about it, but if someone else wants to drop by for a look, it would be apprecited. Astronaut (talk) 18:38, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Done! - Eron^Talk 18:54, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. And way better than my effort :-) Astronaut (talk) 20:46, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Apparently someone used my cut and paste advice for evil, instead of for good. StuRat (talk) 00:33, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

Rush song

There is a song by Rush with a chick singing in it. Don't remember the song title, Something about freezing time. Does anyone know who that chick is? 65.167.146.130 (talk) 20:06, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Aimee Mann contributed vocals to the song called "Time Stand Still" from the album Hold Your Fire. See also:[1]. cheers, 10draftsdeep (talk) 21:17, 10 March 2009 (UTC)