Aw, thank you! I'm really glad, not only that it makes sense outside of the confines of my brain, but also to find that it rings true for others - I think because the only responses to Watchmen I've really seen have been either massively enthusiastic or the terrifying aspects of the fandom, I was worried I was going to offend people by thinking it was kind of tired and dated :s
Reservoir Dogs is one of my favourite films ever, and is well worth a look if you're not particularly bothered by a lot of violence and strong language :D Having said that, though, that might actually feel kind of dated these days, because so much of it just became so iconic and quoted and influential. I really like it, though, much more than Pulp Fiction (which seems to be the one that's always held up as the masterpiece) - it's a lot tighter, a lot more intense, and a lot less transparently "I'm trying to make a cult classic" than Pulp Fiction.
Heh, the theory-geek bits of Watchmen were the only reason I might have gone to see it. I didn't, as a) more violence than I care to pay money for in that context and b) I'm not familiar enough with the original medium for the parody to really work.
But I have a lot of fun reading people's deconstructions of it, and/or drunken rambles at parties among comic book geeks savvy enough to discuss beyond "ooh fun yay" (which was my boyfriend's response, along with "there was a lot of wood in that movie" when I asked him about the nudity -- he is not so much into literary criticism.)
And I should put Miéville on the list of authors to check for the next time I'm in the library -- I keep wanting to read more serious literature but I am too easy for genre fiction. So lit fantasy is a good compromise.
I think you do have to be very familiar with the genre to get the most out of it, yeah. I'm not sure galvani found it quite as geek-interesting as I did, out of having less familiarity with the tropes at hand. And if you ignore the strength of its ideas, there's a lot about it that's really quite clunky as a film.
It's awfully fun to deconstruct :D I like watching things where I can slot all the pieces into a reading as I'm going - and one of my favourite things about finally becoming active on lj again has been having an outlet to share them where I don't feel as horribly guilty that I'm boring people.
Sounds like Miéville would provide exactly what you're looking for - what I've read isn't without its problems, but Perdido Street Station is very much full of serious, thought-provoking ideas, while still having all the genre elements. I'm assured that his other adult-targeted stuff is great, too.
From what I've heard, the comic version of Watchmen is very different to the film version. I've only read the comic and not seen the film, so take this as you will
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Oh LOL, I <3 Nick Davis. At the end of the stint he did with us on the sf MA, he tried to teach a lesson on sf in non-text media that essentially involved us introducing him to Shatner's cover of Rocket Man while he sat there going ...right, well, yes... in that way that he does. Good times
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Reservoir Dogs is one of my favourite films ever, and is well worth a look if you're not particularly bothered by a lot of violence and strong language :D Having said that, though, that might actually feel kind of dated these days, because so much of it just became so iconic and quoted and influential. I really like it, though, much more than Pulp Fiction (which seems to be the one that's always held up as the masterpiece) - it's a lot tighter, a lot more intense, and a lot less transparently "I'm trying to make a cult classic" than Pulp Fiction.
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But I have a lot of fun reading people's deconstructions of it, and/or drunken rambles at parties among comic book geeks savvy enough to discuss beyond "ooh fun yay" (which was my boyfriend's response, along with "there was a lot of wood in that movie" when I asked him about the nudity -- he is not so much into literary criticism.)
And I should put Miéville on the list of authors to check for the next time I'm in the library -- I keep wanting to read more serious literature but I am too easy for genre fiction. So lit fantasy is a good compromise.
Reply
It's awfully fun to deconstruct :D I like watching things where I can slot all the pieces into a reading as I'm going - and one of my favourite things about finally becoming active on lj again has been having an outlet to share them where I don't feel as horribly guilty that I'm boring people.
Sounds like Miéville would provide exactly what you're looking for - what I've read isn't without its problems, but Perdido Street Station is very much full of serious, thought-provoking ideas, while still having all the genre elements. I'm assured that his other adult-targeted stuff is great, too.
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