WatchmenComicMovie.com Forum

Well, it's been ten months since my last post post in this thread, I still haven't smoked, I've lost fifteen of the thirty pounds I gained from quitting, and I still think that life should be portrayed the way it really is, both here and alternate Watchmen-verse. People smoke, in both worlds.

It seems so simple to me.

Smoking adds to the character of Laurie. Plus, it's part of the story when Laurie accidentally lights "the nest" on fire. Also, so many people have smoked for thousands of years and I think it adds to the culture of the whole story. The Comedian smokes too, it was even in the trailer!

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"It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in."

-John Cale

My congratulations for making it that far, Broken Finger. It's not easy to give up smoking (so I've heard) and I wish you well with that.

For my part, I still think that the smoking adds to Laurie's character. Though what I'd really love to see is when Janey Slater smokes. I very much doubt this scene will make it to the movie, but I love it when she says that she's smoking five packs a day because she's dying and hey, what does she have to lose.

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This is truly a madhouse. And I'm the lunatic running it. I've spent three years wondering if I should be proud or ashamed.

I think smoking is fine in the film, It's not glorified or anything like that, and it fits the period too.

The only thing is I never really understood the cigarettes/pipes they used in Watchmen, they looked bizarre for the sake of being bizarre. They never explained the difference or benefit of smoking them, and I don't see why cigarrettes would have changed so radically (look how little they have changed in the last century or more).

The idea that people will mistake them for crack-pipes is ridiculous. I mean, really? You see someone casually puffing on something like that with smoke coming out, i think most people would assume it's tobacco. It looks more like those old-fashioned cigarette holders than a crack pipe. Also... people do smoke tobacco out of pipes.

But again, i think the casualness of how they smoke will immediatley clue people in that it's tobacco. You dont just puff on a crack pipe while going for a walk, as far as i know. Also, the fact that no one will be apparently on crack will also clue them in.

Broken Finger, just thought you should know: smoking increases cardiovascular risks (includes heart attacks and high blood pressure).

However, the excess risk of heart disease is reduced by half after one year’s abstinence. The risk of a coronary event reduces to the level of a "never-smoker" within 5 years.

Seeing how you have already successfully abstain from smoking for the past 10 months, it'll be great to stay clean of it for good if it's heart disease that you're worry about.

Just doing my part in promoting healthy lifestyle and disease prevention. Sorry for the off-topic post.

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"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward."
- Søren Kierkegaard

Smoking should definitely be in. It's 1985.

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No need. Fine like this.

I think that most threads are really about me, so no need to apologize about "off-topic".

It's actually been nineteen months. It had been nine months as of my last post, plus another ten since then. Thanks, Nostalgia and Curiosity, for feeding my ego. Never get tired of that.

It'll be a year for me next month without any of those disgusting cancer sticks. (yes, I am an asshole reformed smoker! Can't stand the nasty shit now)

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No need. Fine like this.

Do you still dream about them?

Quit 4 years ago before my first kid was born. It's like I never smoked. I'm tempted by them one bit.

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Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music - George Carlin

I hear you, brother. I quit for my son, and I never looked back. I gotta say, Jan 1, 2009, my workplace is banning smoking (on the property). I can't wait to see those poor bastards have to walk out to the road in a snowstorm to light up. Or clean off their cars and take a ride. I'm so sick of sitting in my car at lunch in the parking lot and having to smell that poison blow in through the window.

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No need. Fine like this.

On a related note, did you know that the DVD of Clerks has an anti-smoking message on it (by order of the government)?
It's PC gone mad! Apparently gum company employees are faultless and you should be punished for criticising them in any way...

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[NOTE: Merged here. --"Curiosity Inc."]

One of the many things to get cut from the film that was present in the book, was the culture of cigarette smoking in the world of Watchmen (it's the 80's--DUH), and the number of featured characters in the book that smoked.

I always wanted to see how they would make that weird, Alan Moore- glass pipe cigarette work in a film. It was a disapointing detail to lose.

Hollis Mason, Detective Fine, Laurie Juspeczyk, Janey Slater, The Silhouette, Young Bernie (though he, Det Fine, and some of the knot tops smoke hand rolled cigarettes) Milton Glass (though he was lame ass Wally Weaver in the film), were all more prominent characters that smoked in the book. There are also numerous background characters that are smokers.

My questions is this--In making a period authentic film based in the 1980's, why was ALL cigarette smoking left out of the film? Has anyone watched the original Ghostbusters lately? All of them smoke their asses off--because it's 1984, people smoke indoors everywhere--because that's how the world was in the 1980's; they were soft on smoking. Ghostbusters 2 was much more PC because it was the dreadful 1990's--None of the Ghostbusters or New York citizens smoke--Ray is allowed to smoke a cigar--like the Comedian or Big Figure. Cigars ok...Cigarettes bad?

Was the decision to remove all cigarette smoking a studio one? I was just wondering if anyone had any information that could answer my question.

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Can't Argue With A Confident Man.

Apperantly,someone in the production crew hated cigarettes....(im not joking!)

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•ЯR•

Someone in the production crew?! No, it was the head of Warner Bros, Alan Horn.

http://io9.com/5156140/warner-bros-forc ... old-turkey

On the other hand, the Comedian was allowed to smoke because he's clearly not a hero.

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Nice article, Thanks for that.

I thought it was a significant change in terms of period authenticity. No one smokes in the '80's? Bitch Please.

and it was one of the many things that changed Laurie's identity for the film, and that was unfortunate. I'm pleased that Malin and Zack were on board though. Stupid ass Alan Horn.

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Can't Argue With A Confident Man.

Yeah I noticed it too. It was rather strange actually.

I mean the Comedian still smoked but it might also be because it seemed more of a big part of his character? I can't really imagine him without it.

Still it's funny that the Watchmen movie sort of censored the smoking because it's like....smoking is worse than the violence? XD Of course if they removed the really violent bits it would have taken away from the movie WAY more than the smoking because the violent stuff was kind of like a central thing. The smoking could be removed without changing much.

It's still kind of funny though.

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Artwork by sullen-skrewt. Rorschach ♥.
In Flames - Delight and Angers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSP_ctC8i4I

They just don't want kids who've been brought in by unassuming and unintelligent parents to take up smoking because it looks cool in the movie. But hey, its cool if they pick up a meat cleaver and slaughter some dogs and cleave a dude's head. Because ya know, smoking is bad for you.....

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Am I only speaking in vowels here?

I HATE cigarettes with a passion, but when I saw Tyler Durden in Fight Club looking so bad ass lighting and smoking a cigarette I actually thought for a second "Man, smoking looks bad ass!".

But I didn't take up smoking and still find it disgusting. I dunno, its a stupid detail to complain about but at the same time I wouldn't have cared if they put it in the movie.

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http://vimeo.com/korireaymackey