It’s interesting how after a decade of successfully (for the most part) adapting comics to movies, they’ve for the most part run out of populist, A-list all-ages properties and begun putting the more critically acclaimed but not-for-everyone titles into production at the same time. For example, Sin City, which is out next week, Watchmen (in pre-production), V For Vendetta (currently shooting), Death: The High Cost Of Living (Gaiman is directing, but we will reserve judgement) and a reportedly very dark, very Year One-esque Batman (out in June – check out the revamped website). Yeah, okay, they’re also still making Ghost Rider and they botched Hellblazer, but my point is still valid. It’s time for grown-up comic movies.

For starters, Sin City is looking to be fantastic. Bradley’s Almanac was lucky enough to attend an advance screening and gives it great praise – I know Brad’s an old-school comic book geek like myself, so that endorsement carries some weight. Superherohype.com has a couple interviews with the women and the men of the film, while Comic Book Resources expresses no gender bias with their coverage. iFilm has some interview video clips with the cast while Coming Soon! has an interview with director Robert Rodriguez. Achtung Baby! has compiled a bunch more related links as well. I don’t know if I’ll be there opening night, but I would certainly expect I’ll be seeing it sometime next weekend, though maybe I should catch up on reading the original graphic novels in the interim – you know, so I can be suitably impressed with how well they stuck to the source material.

Meanwhile, Chud.com has an extensive three-part interview with Paul Greengrass, director of Watchmen. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) where he talks about his plans for the film, his history with the novel (he has one!), how it’s still relevant today, and how they’re going to manage Dr Manhattan’s, um, package. Gotta say, after reading this, I’m very impressed with Greengrass’ attitude towards the source material and have pretty high hopes for the film. And while he has no involvement with the film, Comic Book Resources talked to Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons and he said that the script, “was excellent; a better script than I could have imagined being written”. Again, another good sign.

And decidedly non-comic booky or highbrow, I watched 13 Going On 30 yesterday – shut up – and as lightweight trifles go, it wasn’t bad at all – shut up. I think I prefer Jennifer Garner in the goofy comedic role rather than the ass-kicking ninja ones. It seems more natural for her. Shut up. However, one thing about the whole time shift thing was kinda weird to me. Instead of instantly growing up, a la Big, which to my mind would have been the logical response to a wish to be 30, Jennifer Garner was instead fast-forwarded 17 years through a life she’d have lived anyways, essentially turning a 30-year old mind back into a 13-year old one. Meaning that instead of wishing dust, all she really would have needed to accomplish this would have been some moderate head trauma.

Some music bits – Laura Cantrell’s Humming by the Flowered Vine will be out on June 21 on Matador (see the fancy cover art?) and Billboard has some info on Ryan Adams’ Cold Roses, due out May 3 – the same day that he’s scheduled to play the Phoenix here in Toronto, despite there being another show also booked there the same day… Nice to see that Rachael Yamagata makes an appearance on the new record.

Check out this Doves electronic press kit, featuring interviews and making-of footage from the Some Cities sessions (Quicktime: 300k / 100k / 56k).

np – The Oktober People / The Oktober People

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