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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

‘Watchman’ More Than Blue Phallus

The nudity versus violence battle raged on in America last weekend with the opening of the brutal superhero epic/soft-core porno “Watchmen.” Teenage boys and their unsuspecting girlfriends showed up in droves to the film’s opening, oblivious to what they were about to see – and folks, this ain’t no “X-Men.” So began the “Watchmen” blue penis scandal. The film, based on the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore, takes place in an alternate 1985 America where superheroes, called Watchmen, have mostly retired. But when one of the Watchmen is violently killed, a plot is exposed to kill them one-by-one to ensure nuclear war. The only Watchman with superpowers, Dr. Manhattan, is a glowing blue Godlike being with unstoppable and impenetrable abilities. He also coincidentally appears nude in about 80 percent of his scenes/Alex Gratzer, WSU Evergreen. More here.

Question: Evergreen columnist Alex Gratzer contends brutal, soft-porn “Watchmen” is a bold addition to the rising maturity of American culture." Do you agree?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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