I liked "From Hell" but it wasn't his story. Close, and it stood on its own (I think).
Now I just read this article about the filming, and the fact that Natalie Portman (as Evey) is willing to shave her head and James Purefoy (as V) will never be seen onscreen without the mask, well, I'm hesitantly hopeful...
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posted
I agree with you about 'From Hell'. I thought it was a nice movie and wasn't disappointed in it at all.
quote: Adapted for the screen by the Wachowski brothers, the folks who bought us "The Matrix" trilogy,
Hmmmm.
quote: British actor James Purefoy has been cast as the enigmatic V – who can be described as a Guy Fawkes–type character –
If you listen closely, you can just hear the befuddled heads of millions of clueless Americans being scratched.
quote: Joining Purefoy is recent Oscar–nominee Natalie Portman as Evey, a woman she describes as no "damsel in distress…she takes matters into her own hands."
Rut roh. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!
quote: Given the current political climate, it‘s easy to see why some people might have reservations about a movie that glamourises characters who could be seen as insurgents and even Portman admitted that she‘s struggling to decide if V and Evey are freedom fighters or terrorists. "That‘s the big question," she sighed, although she was quick to point out that the film celebrates the "power of people [and] the right to revolt."
This one paragraph really irritates me. Is it a big question when the nazi types raise their banner and start sending people to the camps, whether or not it is morally right to revolt? :/ Since Ms. Portman is Jewish, I hope she didn't have to think too long.
quote: But what can we expect visually from a film that‘s based on images already burned into fans minds courtesy of David Lloyd‘s stunning artwork. Well director John McTeigue explained he intends to use Lloyd‘s graphics as "leaping off points" and wants to give London a "neo–futuristic" look that will compliment the dark tone of the script.
Fine and dandy.
quote: And what of the fans? Well it‘s true that some hardcore "V For Vendetta" aficionados have expressed concern that, given the Wachowski‘s involvement, the film will be a victory for style over substance and that the Moore‘s original message will get lost in a flurry of special effects. But Joel Silver disagrees. "This is more people centred than The Matrix [and there‘s] not so much reliance on the CGI in effects," he said while McTeigue stressed that his movie will stay true to "the themes of the graphic novel and runs close to what Alan Moore wrote and tried to say." Add to this that all the post–production will be done in the UK and it would appear that the project‘s British heritage is being carefully preserved – even the film‘s official logo has been amended and now comes straight from Lloyd‘s artwork.
I'm easy. My bar is really low for adaptations. Unlike some of this forum's more naive members, I expect Hollywood to screw it up and am prepared. Just buy me dinner first, o.k., Hollywood?
quote: Will Moore himself be involved? Well apparently Larry Wachowski has spoken with him and the hope is that "V For Vendetta‘s" co–creator will take a more hands on role when the production moves to the UK. But one things for sure – "V For Vendetta" is a one shot deal and there will be no sequel as Silver confirmed, saying "This is it, it doesn‘t go past this."
posted
It's so weird that this film is being made now, as dystopian futures have fallen out of favor in stories, and yet utterly appropriate. It will be very interesting to see if, rather than keeping the nuclear war scenario that was originally used in the series as the rift through which the fascists gained power, they go with a much more difficult yet potentially more rewarding explanation that the fascists just used fear of terrorists to gradually accrete power around themselves.
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I was hesitant when I heard about this from the start. I have deep, profound doubts about how what is probably Moore's most difficult and controversial work is going to be put on the big screen as a blockbuster. Not only does it bathe in some pretty dangerous issues, it's also firmly based in a British culture, which American movie makers translate into "financial death" (see Constantine). The story progresses strangely, too. We're given a protagonist we know nothing about who takes in a girl and then, in between terrorist acts, subjects her to philosophical tests and torments as he brings her to a grim and chaotic enlightenment.
Doesn't sound like a movie a lot of people would really want to see.
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Actually, I've always considered 'V' some of Moore's weakest work. His protagonist has super human powers and can pretty much appear and disappear at will, do anything and go anywhere without any real explanation. The leader and the fascists are all these cardboard evil types with no real personality. So, what you have here is almost a Rambo situation. Indeed, this is what I fear the film will be with Portman as sidekick.
What makes the story interesting, gives it humanity and sets it apart, is the nice writing, the character of Evie, and her brutalization and subsequent transformation at the hands of V. One of the things in the movie that I'm really interested to see what they do with is Evie's torture at the hands of V for the sake of enlightenment. Given current events, this has the potential to be a very powerful touchstone for a lot of people, as well as a potential pit that the director can fall into if he's not careful. The transformation of Evie through this torture could easilly fall flat or seem false.
posted
Yeah. Parts of the story definitely lack humanity. And V can be pretty unrealistic. They need to cut down on the sheer amount of terrorist acts, because after a while it gets kind've tiring to see him striding through throngs of armed guards and flaunting authority nonstop about five times over.
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