So it was announced the other day that The Watchmen Director's Cut will be hitting a few select cities in a theatrical release: Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, and New York. What gives? Minneapolis but not Chicago? Really? Don't quote me here, but according to a quick search online Minneapolis is the 16th largest metro area in the U.S. with 3.5 million residents. Chicago on the other hand is the 3rd largest city in the U.S. with 9.7 million residents. What gives? Who is paying whom? Chicago is ignored AGAIN! I for one would really like to see the Director's Cut of Watchmen in the theatre. I will not be traveling to Minneapolis for this privilege. I will wait for the Director's Cut to come out on DVD and will watch it then. New York? Of course, it's a given, it is the largest frickin metro area in the U.S. so of course it would be showing there. LA? Again, LA is always the #2 spot for any spectacle, it is the 2nd largest metro area and Hollywood is right there, so ok, I get that one too. Lastly, Dallas has 1.3 million residents. So why Dallas? I guess because it's in Texas and things inevitably end up there for some reason or other. It's such a huge state, things end up there more often then not. Just look at South by Southwest, the #1 music showcase in the county is in Texas, granted it's in Austin, which from what I understand doesn't really count as Texas, but still. So, why no love for the Windy City? Mayor Daley must have pissed someone off somewhere again, because I can't figure it out. I wish I could have been in on that meeting where some Hollywood execs where deciding where to screen this, just to hear the logic behind this.

The theatrical cut was very entertaining, giving this comic-based movie a thumbs up from yours truly, and believe me that is saying something because I am one hard to please fan-girl. (The only moment in the original film that I absolutely HATED was the extended sex scene in Nite Owl's ship, yeah I never will hear Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" the same way again, and THAT really pisses me off!) Since I managed to enjoy the theatrical cut of Watchmen, I can only imagine that I will enjoy the Director's Cut that much more. Looking forward to a scene that I know they filmed that never made it to theatres: the original Nite Owl Hollis and his death scene. It's not like I'm that morbid of a gal, I just wanted to see MORE of Hollis. He was one of my favorite characters from the comics. The "unfilmable" graphic novel worked as a film. It's different than the comic, it has to be because of the very nature of the source material. The comics work as comics, and they are meant to be enjoyed as a sequential story, panel by panel. They couldn't capture that on film, for obvious reasons and I am glad they didn't try. The film makers took the elements of the story that spoke to them and filmed in glorious detail for the world to enjoy. Rorschach is by far the most complex character but it was the same in the comics. Silk Spectre was two-dimensional at best, again this does not differ from the comics. The Golden Age Silk Spectre was MUCH more interesting in the movie and easier on the eyes. Both the Golden Age and Modern Silk Spectre were sort of eye sores in the comics, if you ask me. The Comedian works well in the film, he even comes off sexy, which was hard to portray in the comics, so the Golden Age Silk Spectre's relationship with him makes a little more sense. And yes, I know LOTS of folks did not like Ozymandias in the film, but I did. He was pitch perfect. He wasn't suppose to be some over-the-top villain, which many people forget. Nite Owl was good, and his costume was way better in the movie. In fact most of the costumes looked better in the film, with the exception of Rorschach's, they stuck to Gibbons vision of him exactly. This movie ended up being BETTER than I ever expected. I think I enjoyed it so much because I had such LOW expectations for this film. I didn't think it was possible to film Watchmen , but these guys pulled it off.

The Director's Cut and the Theatrical Cut hits stores July 21st. I guess that will just have to do for us comic fans in the Chicago area.