The Watchmen movie official blog has been updated with a post by Dave Gibbons, co-creator (along with Alan Moore) and artist of the Watchmen graphic novel, who visited the movie’s set this month.

The photo at right that accompanies the blog entry, which is listed as “Part 1 of 2,” shows Gibbons next to the costume for the Dollar Bill character, a member of The Minutemen, the precursor to the Watchmen superhero team. (Click photo for larger view.)

Of the visit to the set of the Zack Snyder big-screen adaptation, Gibbons starts off his entry with, “It’s perhaps the most surreal experience of my life.”

Here at Geeks of Doom, in conjunction with DailyMotion’s Animation Procreation Contest, we’re giving away DVDs for two of the biggest animation successes.

One winner will receive the following DVD prizes:

— South Park The Hits
— Drawn Together Season 2

TO ENTER: Fill out the form here below and include the correct answer to the following question:

South Park and Drawn Together air on which cable TV network?

Universal Pictures is bringing out the big guns for Hellboy II: The Golden Army! Check out the Hellboy II production site to view the FIRST shot of Hellboy with his Big Baby and send your friends a personalized holiday eCard from the big red guy himself!

Check out the image at right and click for larger view; images of the three previously released posters are after the jump, along with a few tidbits about what you’ll find on the HBII Production Site located at www.hellboymovie.com.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army blasts into theaters July 11, 2008!

Halloween (2007)
2-Disc Unrated Special Edition
Directed by Rob Zombie
Starring Tyler Mane, Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie
Genius Products/The Weinstein Company
Available Dec. 18, 2007

“Go for it. Make it your movie.”

According to director Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects) during a special feature titled “Re-Imagining Halloween,” that is what John Carpenter said when he respectfully contacted him to tell him he was directing a remake of his 1978 classic. Zombie goes on to say that when he decided to remake — sorry re-imagine — Halloween he wanted avoid making a shot-by-shot remake since that movie already exists (agreed). So without any creative input from Carpenter, that is precisely what he did.

This movie is something of an anomaly. It is a remake of an arguable classic, the granddaddy of all slasher movies, the movie to which every A, B, C, and Z-grade horror movie owes its existence. It is also a Rob Zombie movie. What a testament to his directorial abilities that after only two films, the expectation for that label is already this high. There were enough built-in reasons that this movie’s theatrical release had no business being as successful as it was. More surprising, the success wasn’t a result of Zombie fans flooding theaters and inflating the box office, it was actually a really good movie.

In his attempt to make this movie his own, Zombie did more than just update actors and wardrobe, he rocked the original right to its core and restructured the whole story from the ground up. The first half of this movie is the new material and most glaring change to the story. We start in a world previously unearthed in the Halloween universe. Much goes into explaining young Myers’ backstory before the original batch of Halloween night killings.

Juno
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Rainn Wilson
Rated PG-13

Juno: A Very Happy Accident

“Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent.” — Nick Naylor from Thank You For Smoking

“Nah… I mean, I’m already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?” — Juno MacGuff from Juno

“No, I mean, like, for real. ‘Cause you’re, like, the coolest person I’ve ever met, and you don’t even have to try, you know…”— Juno MacGuff from Juno

Nepotism can only get you so far. If you want to stay in the game, you better have some talent of your own to get past the famous last name that got you into the great game. Talent is in the Coppola and Kasdan genes. Jason Reitman has gotten the directing genes from his father, Ivan Reitman — the director responsible for such iconic and subversive comedies as Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Dave to name a few. Jason Reitman made an excellent debut with an adaptation of Christopher Buckley’s Thank You For Smoking in 2005 featuring a career defining performance by Aaron Eckhart. With Juno, Reitman has taken Diablo Cody’s first screenplay and turned it into something memorable and magical. There is no sophomore slump with Reitman, who has given wonderful life to Cody’s inventive and fresh screenplay. Diablo Cody’s own story is the stuff that movies are made of. This year has been a terrific year for first-time screenplays being turned into excellent films. Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead written by Kelly Masterson is another excellent example.

Juno is a refreshing spin on the coming of age genre. If you think you have seen this same story twice this year, think again. Knocked Up and Waitress deal with unexpected pregnancies as well, but in their own ways. Both films add a lot to the comedy mix. Knocked Up is another comic trophy in the Judd Apatow’s growing canon. Waitress is an astounding and bittersweet debut from the late Adrienne Shelly. Shelly’s death is a major loss to all of us. Her debut as a director promised a great second career behind the camera.

Juno is a different take on the material. The film is one of the best films I have seen on growing up in many years. Ellen Page is pure dynamite as Juno MacGuff. Page made quite an impression as Hayley Stark in the criminally underrated film Hard Candy and was one of the few bright spots playing Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand.