Double

I know plenty has already been said in various places about what the rating is or isn't going to be for this film, what imdb is showing on its site, and that there has been talk of an appeal, but I've been looking for some concrete information on this. I was reading at Chud.com just now and found this post in a thread on the main section of the message boards there about recent MPAA ratings:

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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/th...t_id=1000747548

"Constantine"*** (rated R for violence and demonic images) Warner Bros. Pictures

*** Intends to appeal to the CARA appeals board.

(It means that WB wants Constantine to get PG-13)

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You need to be a subscriber to get into the hollywoodreporter site so I don't know if what it says there is just more rumour or fact.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned somewhere else, by Adrian or somebody.

EDIT: The Chud link is here.

I still have one of Tim Seelig's pieces as my wallpaper. If people like Tim get some publicity and perhaps even some work out of this site then it gets a thumbs up from me.

Hey look - the site got mentioned in the New York Post.

newyorkpost.com article

I've just finished reading Haunted and I liked it a lot. This would be a good one to give to someone who didn't already know the character, to explain what it's all about.

I liked seeing the 'I've seen hell blaze through these streets' line as used in the international trailer for the film. I thought it was made up just for the trailer and I didn't realise that it came out of the book.

I really liked the tour of London sites John gives in this one. I walk past a lot of these places going to work every day and I love all that bloody history stuff. I'm constantly amazed at how many tourists leave flowers at the memorial for William Wallace in Smithfields.

This is probably my favourite after Dangerous Habits, as a complete story.

I bought a copy of this on my way into work this morning. My first visit to a comics shop. I blanked that last panel the first time I read it. It just didn't register properly. I was sure I must have seen it wrong. It wasn't until I looked at the page John posted that I looked at it again and yes, it really is. Good grief.

I noticed things missing too. The mirror scene is different from the one on that German site, and the scene with him jumping off the car and catching that floaty white thing isn't there.

EDIT: Come to think of it I can think of other things missing too, like whatever he does with the bug in the box, and the dragon's breath thing. I suppose there's lots of things they cut down for the comic.

I've just seen this press release about a HD DVD of this film that Warners are supposedly going to be bringing out later this year.

Press release

It says that some Constantine HD DVD clips are going to be shown at a press conference.

Um, sorry to muddy the waters, but I have no problem seeing those skeletons right there on the screen without going through all that palava. I know nothing about computers so I have no idea what browser I have that might be making a difference. Just thought I'd mention it as Adrian seems to be getting it in the neck.

I sent the 630 meg .mpeg out to Rogan and Ade today, I'm making another run tomorrow to post one to James - anyone else in the UK want one ?

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I'd take you up on that, John, but hopefully there's already one on its way to me from another source. Thanks anyway.

Keanuweb.com has an article from the Feb 2005 issue of Sci Fi magazine on the film which seems to sum up more or less everything, from a sci fi fan's point of view.

The article mentions a "whoa" in the script that was dropped. Just as well. I can imagine people throwing things at the screen if that had been left in.

Ah, that's interesting. I didn't realise that was Ellie.

(I see James has been busy on imdb lately. )

I found this in an interview up on Dark Horizons, if it adds anything:

Question: What are the burns on your shirt?

Answer: Oh, there's a character, Midnite, and I want to use the chair to surf the ether and he doesn't want me to, so he digs his hands into me and it burns, so I kind of beg him.

I didn't pick up that Tilda Swinton was being ironic either. Come to think of it though, I'm sure I read an interview a while ago where Keanu gave away more of what happens in that scene, something about John giving Gabriel a demonstration of what pain feels like for humans. If that's right then it sounds better to me.

I've just finished Son of Man.

Things I liked:

The references to Southend. I have bad memories of day trips there when I was a kid. It's about an hour due east of London by train. Its supposed to be a jolly seaside resort full of East London/Essex types. Its a dreary place.

The initial reaction to babies which is explained at the end. Liked that.

I also liked the way John has to do the dirty jobs (at the end) that no one else has the courage to do.

I liked the way John explained that this story was about the male fear of rape etc.

I didn't really like the way John was talking to the reader in this one. It's a personal thing I suppose. It just seemed a bit too clever and self aware to me. I also wasn't impressed by the grossness of Harry. I think that it would have been more frightening if it had been handled a little more delicately, with a sudden reveal at the critical moment, like Alien (I still get nightmares from that film).

I have a question though... Did John have power over him at the end or not? Did he do what John ordered because he said it or because of what John threatened to do if he didn't? If not, then did John take the £100,000 from Norman for doing nothing?

Thanks very much guys.

I don't like the way Gabriel is all sweetness and concern and wants everyone to go to heaven. Otherwise I like it.

I got as far as their Beeman character and it is so GD overplayed.  Like some medevil Bond flick - one with the tongue in cheek Roger Moore in it.

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That's the Son of Man arc isn't it? I think that camped up works better than when you try to go all mock serious. I'd rather watch Moonraker than some trumped up ooh aren't we clever piece of pretentious shite like a certain trilogy* starring Constanteen himself.

 

 

*Some good special effects though

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For some reason this post prompted me to order Son of Man from Amazon yesterday. I got in before the last posting date so I should get it in time for Christmas. That's my Christmas present to myself sorted out.

Maybe its one reason why they moved the film into 2005, to get it as far away from The Passion of the Christ as possible to avoid comparisons.

Double, James and myself reckon that the dripping, bloody feet could belong to a character who shows up at the ends of the Dangerous Habits storyline.

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Yes, that's what I was thinking, and if it's done via the deceased former owner of the trainers then I think that's quite clever.

Of course I could just be indulging in a bit of wishful thinking.

I just watched it on low resolution on the main warnerbrothers site. It took ages to load up though.

I DO like that dripping feet scene. Wonder whose feet they are though - there's a discarded trainer at the side.

I'll be impressed if they put that bit in the film as shown in the comic, actually. How often do screen devils do something that blasphemous?

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I'd be really impressed if that's in the film. I thought it was a very powerful image in the comic. Was it in the script you saw?

Also via krix's site. I decided I like peoples attitudes here (even when they are generally fed up about the film), and the way they analyse the books. Then I read the online issues James linked to on the last site and liked those (I bought them later on). Then I decided to start reading the trades, and liked those too.

Really? I don't remember the topless Keanu shot in the first trailer. I'll go and check again.

I upgraded to Media Player 10 before watching, and it worked fine for me.

EDIT: Well, its twice as long as the teaser trailer, and I have no idea if visually it's the same as the MTV one but the audio is certainly different. I'm not bothered about the MTV one any more, like Maddi.

OK. I still can't see the MTV one. I think I must have the wrong kind of browser. But the new MyMovies one is here.

EDIT: - That site's been a bit busy today because it's also got the Batman Begins trailer.

I'll have to work on that. Various websites are reporting a new international trailer available today on MyMovies.net but I can't get a response from that site to check for myself.

ARGH!

 

I can’t see the trailer: the film is flickering between normal frames, and black frames!

 

WHY is this only happening to ME!!??

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I'm having a similar problem. I can hear it but not see it. Rats. I'm going to have to wait until its in a downloadable version.

If anyone is still interested, in the US if you buy the Matrix box set they are giving away a bonus DVD full of Constantine stuff. Club Keanu has lots of new pictures up now.