Happy Birthday Guillermo del Toro!  You turned 44 today and you're already the master of fantasy/horror.  From your underrated Blade II to your highly praised Pan's Labyrinth (which is one of my favorite movies), you've broken the barrier showing fantasy films can carry as much weight as dramas.  Now you're tackling The Hobbit, which has been announced will be broken up into two movies.  I cannot wait for this epic to hit theaters.  Keep going strong Guillermo!

In 2004 Hellboy made a ripple on the ever-growing superhero movie scene that was swallowed up in the wave of larger fare such as Spiderman 2. It was somewhat of a shame, as Hellboy featured one of the comic world’s more interesting and most entertaining of protagonists; one third repentant demon, one third Dirty Harry, one third moany teenager.

What Guillermo del Toro did with Hellboy should be admired, particularly in light of the fact that the film is essentially a big amusing failure. Part of the agreement in casting the ideal Ron Perlman in the lead role was that the budget ended up slashed. As a result, demon-hunter Hellboy ends up fighting the same monster over and over and over. And over. It wasn’t even that interesting a monster (on a barely related note, Sammael in fact looked far more like the hybrid of a Predator and a xenomorph than that monstrosity that turned up in AVP2 did). Also, the introduction of the character of John Myers, who was meant to be the awestruck human who eased us into this not particularly alien world of demons and whatnots, managed to weigh the film down more than any number of budget constraints could.

But due to an abundance of style and wit the film was crowd-pleasing enough to take a decent handful of cash and run for the hills. Combining that with the numerous Oscar wins and noms for del Toro’s stunning Pan’s Labyrinth, and a sequel to Hellboy was almost guaranteed.

So comes Hellboy II: The Golden Army, an embarrassingly colour-by-numbers sequel. Oh sure, they’re pretty spectacular colours (gone is the obnoxious dark blue tone of Hellboy that made the film too dark at times to even see – yes, it was nearly as obnoxious as that nauseating green hue from the Matrix sequels). But as I will continuously point out here again and again, production values cannot excuse a bad film’s badness.

Hellboy II has much of what you could ask from a sequel (and what many sequels nowadays fail to cash in on): the best of the cast return, the worst character has been written out and the action and spectacle have ante-upped considerably. Ron Perlman is so perfectly comfortable as Hellboy we could imagine he never took the make-up off in the last four years. Selma Blair sexes up her goth image from the first film to a far more pleasing degree. And while Doug Jones’s Abe Sapien still fails to crossover from comedic support to central character, his own voice is actually far more suited to the character than David Hyde Pierce’s over-stuffy re-dubbing for the first film. Best of all, Agent Myers is gone, although the fact that the film should even take a second to explain where he has gone (Antarctica) shows a level of compassion for the terrible character that he does not even deserve – no doubt audiences would have been happier to be left imagining all the terrible things that might have happened to him since the last film and be done with it.

What’s missing is the sense of doom from the first film. Here an embittered elf is determined to reap his revenge on mankind. Hellboy has to stop him. But the first film (and the comics as well, I understand) spent so much time highlighting how Hellboy himself was the doom of the world, that this plot seems bizarrely secondary, like an episode of a Hellboy TV show, or one of the admirable but similarly ignorable animated Hellboy movies, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron. There are a few references to Hellboy’s greater (evil) purpose, but by in large the plot of this film seems to wish to overshadow it, which it simply cannot.

So yes, there’s evil elf (Luke Goss), and he has a trollish henchman, and they try to control a giant mechanical army. And Hellboy tries to stop him, by going largely against the book, and against his new father figure, ghost-in-a-suit Johann Krauss (whose very existence raises far too many questions). And all the way along it’s very very pretty. And Abe falls in love with evil elf’s twin sister. And it’s utterly unbelievable.

The fairest way to continue this review is to completely tear the film apart and then talk for a time about how pretty it is. Cause then we’ll all feel much better.

Hellboy was a funny film. There was wit, and an underlying sense of fun and joy in the subject, but that is largely gone here. Hellboy’s quips have become so stock that the film asks us to laugh purely based on the delivery. “And stay down” shouts Hellboy as he slams his bulky opponent to the floor. Ok, why not? Maybe there is no more suitable line available, but I’m certain anything would have been funnier. Even the cleverest line of the film, delivered by a disturbing infant growing out of some monster, is delivered with clumsy gurgling. It’s quite a shame really.

There are numerous other things to nitpick at, such as the sequence battling the tooth fairies in which the “red shirt” agents are boringly picked off one by one, or the Men in Black-stolen scene at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense where Jeffrey Tambor’s FBI chief stumbles through his lines so awkwardly it seems he never saw the script (oh yes, it’s clearly meant to look like he’s flustered, but it makes for terrible cinema).

But Hellboy II’s biggest failing is it is patronising – oh so patronising. Perhaps more so than recent Spiderman or Superman films. And it’s a tragedy coming from the same filmmaker who broke so many rules with Pan’s Labyrinth. Even Agent Myers looks like a helpful narrative construct compared to some of the scenes in this film. For example, the emphasis on the connection between the two elf twins could not be any more heavy-handed. By the time we reach the film’s climax only two people in the audience don’t know what’s going to happen to the villain and neither of them are expected for another five or six months. Speaking of babies, the baby plot adds almost nothing to the film bar a bone of contention between Hellboy and Liz. So Hellboy has to grow up now; well he always did – that was the point of the first film, why does he need a baby (babies) to change that?

Countless parodies have been done in the last few years of how to make a sequel to a superhero film, and disturbingly it is Hellboy II, a film that could have been groundbreakingly (or at least tremoringly) different, that hits almost every single clichéd note. The superhero is unveiled to the public (in a slow-motion musical explosion sequence that is simply terribly executed), the villain implies that the hero is more like the villain than those he protects (queue Willem Dafoe-style cackling), the people he protects turn against him, he is left mortally wounded but saved by love, etc. It’s so by-the-books it could bring you to tears. It even concludes with Hellboy triumphantly “quitting the force”, only to leave himself and his team stranded in Northern Ireland (they strut triumphantly in the opposite direction of their plane). There are no excuses, not from a director who has become such an icon filming a source material that has been considered so out of the ordinary. He co-wrote the script with Mike Mignola himself!

All that considered, it is very pretty, and in the end this was always going to be a test run for del Toro’s shot at The Hobbit. And the clockwork-fetishist has undoubtedly impressed, with his team creating some remarkable visualisations. The Troll Market, although perhaps not as grand in scale as it might have been, is so brilliantly laid out, and populated by such bizarre and interesting beasties that one doesn’t know what to admire most. Make-up, puppetry and animatronics create creatures that are as much Uruk-hai as they are Skeksis, a wonderful combination of available technologies – further hinting at what joys The Hobbit might bring.

Most enjoyable of all is the film’s opening, in which the story’s prologue is narrated in a marionette-style fashion that recalls Anders Rønnow Klarlund’s 2004 film Strings. Charming, if far too early a peak for the film.

The sequence in which the elemental god covers the city in glowing grass could not have been done better without flying Miyazaki in to show them how it should be done. Character designs, such as the legless goblin (with a surprisingly authentic Northern Irish accent), the elf king and Death (truly noteworthy) are all the signs of a master filmmaker, who is simply slumming it with an incomplete script. The final battle against the clockwork army in the clockwork palace atop a clockwork floor is notable not just for the impressive choreography but also for being a CG action sequence which never really feels confusing. It’s a sign of just how far the technology has come and the good it can do in the right hands.

Alas these were the right hands at the wrong time. A beautiful experience does not a good film make. While del Toro is clearly still learning – he has admittedly created here a villain who is not just evil for the sake of it as in his previous films – we certainly should have expected more from this, and it goes to show that in terms of storytelling he is still far behind his compatriots Cuarón and Iñárritu. It had been such a strong summer in terms of blockbusters, it’s somewhat of a tragedy that a director so reliable should let himself down so greatly.

2/5

I have no idea how they carved this.  If you don't recognize the creature, he's from the film Pan's Labyrinth.

I can't wait to see what they carve this year!

Pau for now...

If I was asked to recommend a recent dark fantasy film to anyone, it'd be Pan's Labyrinth for sure. Watching it made me feel like I was drowning with my eyes open, looking upwards at a kaleidoscope of sunlight and when finally fighting my way to the surface, wondering if I should go down once again just to see the display one last time.

Pan's Labyrinth is a show which, while grounded closely to a story about the tragic circumstances of a girl and the people around her in Spain during World War II, also handled the fantasy aspects as fantastically as they could. It was magically done, as magic should be: mysterious and eye-opening. While the visuals astound the viewer, the plot takes the pivotal role of delivering Pan's innate darkness in a real, cruel way.

One could say I found Pan's to be close to perfect and I would not disagree. It's rare that I come out satisfied from watching a show involving my favourite genre, and even less so to this degree. I am smiling with my eyebrows furrowed inward.

]]> http://truusathome.wordpress.com/?p=24 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:50:33 +0000 truusk http://truusathome.sv.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/pans-labyrinth/ I've put a movie at my website and it is such a lovely song.

I didn't go into this movie expecting it to be the next Citizen Kane (mind you I can't understand the hype over that film either!) but I did expect to be entertained by it and thankfully for the most part I was. A few of the original cast are missing and have been replaced so the movie feels a little different from the first but still once you get around that it doesn't make that much of a difference. Besides which Selma Blair is still in the movie so it isn't that bad... one day I must figure out this attraction to brunettes I have going on, at least she is age appropriate for me! Another bit of a let down with the movie is that Hellboy seems to have locked himself in a darkened room and has been listening to My Chemical Romance between the first and second movies - it could be just me but he does come across as a touch emo and angst ridden.

Visually this movie is fantastic - the mythology of the first movie has been expanded upon a great deal there are now trolls, elementals and my personal favourite the tooth fairies. Trust me kiddies you won't want to be clapping anytime soon to show your belief in them.. nasty little buggers! The opening scenes that sets up the premise of the movie has been done with wooden puppets and models against painted backdrops - it sounds cheap but it does look so very cool.

The standout for me however in this movie were the elves - these aren't the tree hugging, namby-pamby poetry readers that we are used to. They're cruel, vicious and unrelenting - they do have a touch of the tree hugger about them I will admit as the main villain's hatred of man stems from what humans have done to the earth. Maybe it is some comment on the environment that is trying to be brought to bear here - but really with explosions and sword fights my mind is more focused on the shiny things than any message.

Reading on IMDB I have just discovered why I loved the visuals in this movie it was directed and written by Guillermo del Toro who was also responsible for Pan's Labyrinth and I enjoyed that for the same reasons. He seems to love taking fairy tales and turning them into products of our nightmares.

Anyway I enjoyed the movie probably not as much as I was hoping to but as far as sequels go it isn't too bad if you unplug your brain at the theatre door and just go in to be entertained - I did and I was.

Whoa, the first and hard to find Kyuss record Sons of Kyuss is blowing a hole through my head. John Garcia's voice is like the second coming of Danzig, straight up Glen Jr. It doesn't sit well in my mind to imagine watching Kyuss live, I mean even with a time machine it would be strange, they'd have to really go off and I'd expect lots of feedback noise, they are too tight on record, way too tight, my one and only complaint I've had for about ten years. It's pretty obvious that living so isolated in the desert must have meant a certain amount of conventional 1990's attitudes towards music were thrown out, like if you can't listen to the same tape in your car all day, every day, for one week straight then it's no good, doesn't matter if it's alternative or whatever. I imagine Fugazi, Nirvana and Sonic Youth mattered very little to that scene, while the Stooges and ZZ Top were considered kings. Must note: two drug addicted older people who introduced-me-to/spoke-fondly-of Kyuss are by all accounts dead to me now so when I put on Kyuss I always turn into a teenager and get a bit creeped out.

Walking through a nice neighborhood in the sun yesterday afternoon I saw:

- ugly old rich people

- two squirels fighting over an Oreo cookie

- super hot model chick

- teens arguing with a mother

- cop with a mustache eating a donut and drinking coffee

- suburban skate rats laying in a parking lot sipping on slurpees

- mysteriously empty tennis court

Watched Tarsem's The Fall. Without a doubt it has the potential to become one of my favorite films, it satisfied and surpassed some expectations, but I think it takes a special piece of imagination to love it and make the fantasy real enough to understand and appreciate. There's Old Hollywood, English as a second language, ancient ruins, hearbreak, abusrd historical reference, morphine, amazing costumes, colors, and a story-within-a-story. Three hundred percent better and ten stories taller than Pan's Labyrinth, for real.

First the whole audience was angry crusties, unsure why we even went, but doing a funny dance turned everything into this choreographed experiment with subtle triggers to the mob mentality. I was in awe. Five hundred ideas a second and running down wet alleys to find nothing on the edge, just power lines with frayed wires sending sparks into the sky. Had one of those surfer pullover hoodies that resembled concentration camp clothing and this made for guilty feelings where they didn't have to manifest. Some extra prolific contact made it easy to hold hands and talk bullshit.

Too bad my shoes have almost been worn to shit after a few weeks. There exists in the memory that supplies the consciousness that I consider to be practically in control of my psyche a notion that I should only wear running shoes from outerspace. Need that technical upperhand when dealing with a pavement and around 5 kilometers a day of walking. The relationship between the cuff of my pants and the tongue of my shoes has been important to be for the last 15 years, never forget.

Siblings of the Spirit: in the familiar wasteland of acquaintance and friendship it is the bond represented through almost silent familial likeness and corresponding hierarchies of thought development. These are the ones you have something to learn from and something to teach to, what this is remains a mysterious unknown that speculation sheds no light on.

Children of the Mind: are born out of necessity and overlapping crisis and triumph of the human experience. Particular audience that should be exposed to certain quintessential thoughts that manifest out of this particular mind, regardless of personal contact or knowing who each other are. Nothing unified.

Aguardemos então as próximas proezas do diretor infernal, entre elas O Hobbit e Hellboy 3.
  

CLIQUE NAS FOTOS PARA AMPLIÁ-LAS.
Para ver os papéis de parede que preparamos com Hellboy, CLIQUE AQUI.
Para ler toda a matéria publicada na Veja, clique aqui.
Leia os verbetes do Hellboy e de seu criador Mike Mignola na Wikipedia (em inglês).
Visite o site oficial de Hellboy, o fansite de Del Toro e o site oficial de Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Visite a página de Mike Mignola no site Comic Book Database.
Leia textos sobre o filme em O Globo e na revista Contigo!.

Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones

In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again. (Story taken from www.imdb.com)

Guillermo Del Toro surelly knows how to awake feelings and senses in a film. Everything works perfect here: the actors, the costumes, the music, the scenes. I must admit this is not a story for children as it has some very cruel scenes even for me, but you will love it.

The Wall Street Journal reports that scores of indie films are finding "there's no room at the multiplex." In Wednesday's story headlined "Glut of Films Hits Hollywood," writers Lauren A.E. Shuker and Peter Sanders report that Hollywood, flush with cash, has produced a flurry of movies, all vying for "too few slots in theaters each weekend." In other words, movie distribution has become "a free-for-all" and the least likely to win a place on the big screens are independent features. So what does this have to do with Latin American films? 

Everything, I think.

After all, as the story points out, if a Spanish-language film by a white guy with box office cred and an actor with thespian talent to spare -- Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro -- can't get anyone interested enough to bankroll the release of their diptych of the life of Che, then what chance will movies currently being released in Latin America, by actual Latin filmmakers, have at gaining an audience? In Argentina, this dearth of space at multiplexes is being blamed for slowing that country's phenomenal rate of film production. In the U.S., it's been a long while since we've seen a movie like Pan's Labyrinth or, for that matter, Y Tu Mamá También, get marquee play in American theaters. Now, of course, the directors of those films can get their movies made and distributed to a wide audience, but what about emerging talent, such as Gerardo Naranjo? His Drama/Mex got a brief release in the U.S., but will his second feature, Voy a explotar, get seen beyond festivals?

Here's the problem -- and one Latin American films will increasingly face, if this story is correct: These movies often vie for space at art house cinemaplexes with American indies, not to mention other foreign competitors. And if the WSJ is to be believed, the trend of too many movies being released into theaters has not even peaked yet.

So what can Latin American filmmakers do? Do they have any possibility of getting an eye-share of captive American audiences in the near future? Has the film festival circuit become the de facto distribution system for indie and foreign films? (And even here, the article points out, the festival circuit is overwhelmed by submissions: More than 3,600 feature films were sent to the Sundance Film Festival for consideration this year alone.)

Do Latin American filmmakers need to increasingly look to their native countries to find an audience? Will they need to look at other forms of distribution? Will the lack of screens kill the new millennium Latin American movie industry? 

Let us know what you think in the comments section.

A matter of minutes ago, I finally managed to track down Act III of the fabulous 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog'. This little bit of internet viewing nevana is created by the one and only Joss 'Buffy' Whedon, and the official site can be found at http://www.drhorrible.com/, but I missed i when I could watch Acts II and III for free and had to youtube it. I guess the closest thing of Whedon's other work that it can be compared to is that fantastic musical episode of Buffy. The one where they all suddenly break into dances and heartfelt musical numbers, as if you could get such a thing mixed up with another episode. It's a rather tongue-in-cheek tale of a wannabe evil genius (Horrible), fawning over a sweet innocent girl of a love interest (Penny), and his campaign against his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer.

I love how Whedon portrays geeks (although Dr. Horrible isn't quite as much as a nerd as Jonathan, Warren and...that other one), and he should really think about doing more musicals in such a tone, they're so much fun!

In today's film news, Guillermo del Toro has signed up with Universal to make them 4 films (all based on novels). After he's all done with a little film called The Hobbit, mind you, which looks set to take up the next 4 years or so. But all the same, GDT is GDT, and two of the films he's set to direct are Frankenstien and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How cool is that?! It's perfect GDT territory, and I'm sure he'd be able to do so a fantastic job on both.

The other two is an adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, which I haven't read, but is some sort of WWII/Sci-fi thing...I'm intrieged... and the other is a book by Dan Simmons that has yet to be released named 'Drood' about the last, dark days of Charles Dickens, that mixes fact and fiction together. 

I really love del Toro. If you haven't watched Pan's Labyrinth, go do it now.

Why are you still here? GO!

And for everyone that has seen it, well done, you are worthy. And this completes today's film-related geek out.

I've always been curious about the loch ness monster but this is the first feature film I'm watched that focused on such a mythical creature. Even though there's a lot of CGI, it doesn't take away the emotional aspect of the story, which is about growth and maturity (which is reflected physically by the monster). This reminded me of a lighter version of "Pan's Labyrinth" (because of the backdrop of the story is World War II) and "Free Willy" (during the final sequences). I found myself really rooting for the good guys and despising the "bad guys" to the point of vocalization! Not only that, I was really touched during the film's emotional parts, such as the interactions between the main character and his father. Sci-fi action and drama aside, this also has comedic moments such as when particular characters would greatly exaggerate statements and those that were listening at the time would roll their eyes or look at each other with disbelief. Moments like that doused a little bit of the darker side of the film. Like most great children's movie, this has darker moments and real peril which makes it that much more exciting, which means adults can enjoy the film as well.

Child's Play
[ 4 stars out of 4 ]

When I was younger, I never thought dolls were creepy... until I saw this movie. The first time I saw this was when I was about six or seven years old. I was scared out of my wits but I couldn't help but keep watching. More than ten years later, this is still one of my favourite movies because this is the film that made me fall in love with motion pictures. This picture was released more than twenty years ago but the jolts are still there. Three best scenes include: Chucky's first kill, when the mother finds out that Chucky is alive, and the final showdown. Catherine Hicks, Alex Vincent, and Chris Sarandon all played plucky characters so it's not hard to root for them. Hicks is especially good in this film because she gave various expressions that are perfect for certain scenes. I'm surprised she settled down with "7th Heaven" for more than ten years and didn't focus on her film career. I think she would've flourished if she branched out. The movie is fast-paced; an hour into it, we're already in the final confrontation, leaving twenty minutes of first-rate suspense. When the last frame arrives, the audience will get this feeling that the nightmare is just beginning. This movie definitely deserved sequels, but none of them could match the intensity of the original.

Matchstick Men
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

Nicolas Cage gives a really entertaining performance as a con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder who finds out that he has a fourteen-year-old daughter. Eventually, she learns of his true identity and the audience wonder how far it will go. Of course, the film takes a darker turn when one of the con jobs goes terribly wrong. I remember watching this back when it came out on DVD and was completely blown away by the trippy ending. But I think what's most impressive by watching it the second time was how it gathers momentum prior to the astonishing finish. The only thing that sets this movie back a bit is its seemingly lost beginning. But when it finally found its footing, everything else was consistent and fascinating. Other brilliant perfomances include Sam Rockwell, as Cage's partner in crime, and Alison Lohman as Cage's daughter. Just when you think you feel one way for a character (especially toward the second half), everything suddenly flips upside down several times. This requires a close viewing in order to fully appreciate the bigger picture.

Details
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Ron Pearlman, Selma Blair
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Status: US - 11/7/08 / UK - 20/8/08
Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Synopsis: The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so as Hellboy and his team returns they must save the world from the rebellious creatures. Now, as the creatures who inhabit the spiritual realm gear-up for an all out attack on the human plane, the only one capable of saving the Earth is a tough-talking hellspawn rejected by both worlds.

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Reviews

Sight and Sound - Michael Atkinson

Easily the most enjoyable of recent comic-book movies - if only because it was conceived with a measure of what-the-hell brio and because it dared to mix 90 per cent self-mockery with 10 per cent unpredictable pathos.

The New Yorker - Bruce Diones

The fabulist director Guillermo del Toro gets a hefty budget to continue his comic-book franchise with this action-packed fantasy about a heroic demon (Ron Perlman) and his fellow beasties (Selma Blair, Doug Jones).

The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw

Smart, funny and touching, a film which is more than just action, it's a romcom with monsters.

New York Magazine - David Edelstein

This season’s crop of computer-generated superhero blockbusters has been more than decent (even the shambolic Hancock has a good gonzo moment or two in the first half), but am I the only one who’s jaded by the sight of special effects throwing other special effects through walls?

The Village Voice - Chuck Pearlman

Hollywood's Endless Superhero Summer rolls on with the arrival of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, from Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro.

The Independent - Anthony Quinn

Guillermo del Toro serves up another witchy brew of ghouls, guns and gizmos as his demon-hero Hellboy (Ron Perlman) endures both a media backlash and a relationship wobble with his pyrotechnic sweetheart Liz (Selma Blair).

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Starring: Ron Perlman as Hellboy, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss

What's it about? Hellboy, a boy from..hell, wouldn't you know, is now all grown up and working for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence with his girlfriend, Liz (Selma Blair). When some creatures, namely Prince Nuada, decide to start a rebellion against the human race, it's up to Hellboy and co to step in and sort things out...and they go to Antrim in Ireland (seriously!).

It's been a summer of superheroes, but while many of this year's releases have shared common ground, with the Marvel movies even overlapping and sharing cameos, Hellboy is in a world of his own. Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro captures this world with lavish sets that boast the most amazing colour schemes. Anyone who has seen Pan's Labyrinth will know what to expect. Del Toro is making his mark by adapting a certain style that he will no doubt apply to the upcoming Hobbit movie. There's something refreshing about Hellboy too thanks to the old school costume design: no CGI heroes or batsuits; just lots of facepaint and elaborate outfits.

Unfortunately, while it all looks impressive, the plot meanders along with no real climax. Much of the storyline focuses on Hellboy's relationship problems with his girlfriend, Liz (Blair) which would be fine if it were balanced out with a decent showdown between Hellboy and his enemies. As it is, Hellboy comes up against the same villain (Prince Nuada) on several occasions so that by the time the finale rolls around, there's nothing too surprising on offer. There are some interesting looking creatures on show here but none pose any real threat to Hellboy. We know that the hero always wins in these movies...but it would be nice to have that certainty shaken.

Hellboy's accomplice and friend, Abe Sapien (Jones) is possibly the most sympathetic character, soft spoken and gentle and thus an obvious contrast to Hellboy who resembles a 20-something slob. The twins, Prince Nuada and Princess Nuala are interesting but their resemblance to those elves from Lord of the Rings is almost distracting. In fact the movie is ripe for comparison to other films..outside of the Pan's Labyrinth similarities, it contains a scene surely plucked from Burton's Edward Scissorhands, complete with Danny Elfman music.

Hellboy is enjoyable enough but it doesn't leave you wanting more and it hasn't convinced me to watch the sequel either. Best superhero movie of 2008? Still Ironman for me!

Hellboy (Perlman) and his assorted band of freaks – including firestarter girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) and man/fish Abe (Doug Jones), are still fighting paranormal monsters here on Earth but their actions are meant to be top secret. Which annoys the hell out of the showboating Hellboy who believes he should be getting the credit for all the bad guys he’s beating, so against orders he makes sure the press get a good glimpse of his mug. Instant notoriety follows, but there’s one bad guy Hellboy hasn’t reckoned on and that’s Prince Nuada (Goss in spooky make-up and Matrix leather coat). Nuada plans to resurrect the fabled Golden Army and crush all of mankind, so now everyone is counting on Big Red while he’s facing a seemingly indestructible enemy.

Director/writer Guillermo Del Toro has taken the Lord of the Rings route here with an epic mythological story of evil tooth fairies, elfish beings and monsters, and set piece battles and underground locations of awesome magnitude and imagination. There’s a really nice spiteful edge to everything but not enough of the great humour that made the first Hellboy movie stand out. That said one scene where Hellboy and Abe Sapien get drunk together while talking about women troubles and listening to Barry Manilow’s Can’t Smile Without You is bound to go down as something of a classic. However, this is nowhere near as deep, disturbing or profound as Pan’s Labyrinth, but it will certainly amuse during this washout of a summer.       Dee Pilgrim

[By Anthony]

Guillermo Del Toro, the acclaimed director of Pans Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies, is a fan of team ICO's. In an interview with Edge magazine Del Toro said that "There are only two games I consider masterpieces: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus,".

With a director of his calibre giving a massive thubs up to videogames, does this mean that hollywood might start considering making good movies from game franchises now? I don't think so. What I do think, is after seeing what Del Toro did with Pans Labyrinth, he'd make a damn good director on adaptiations of both of the Team ICO games.

I'm saying watch this space for two fantastic videogame movies. Thanks to PS3 Fanboy for the image topping this post.

Although comparison of this film with The Dark Knight is entirely expected given the chronological closeness of the two and their places within the comic book genre, I don’t think the comparison really serves either film with any fairness.

The Dark Knight has been garnished with praise beyond belief and no doubt it is an outstanding film. But it’s by no means the be all and end all of comic book movies. It’s a beautifully-created mess of a film that is very good but exhausting given the bleak worldview, relentless thematic ideas and huge performance of Heath Ledger. It leaves a space for a film like Hellboy 2 to fill, a comic book movie that eschews the engagement with real crime and overtly political issues that The Dark Knight hits and rather provides a phantasmagorical fantasy story-book world in which an audience can exist fall.

Guillermo Del Toro’s previous film prior to Hellboy 2, Pan’s Labyrinth, is among the finest pieces of work created on this side of the millennium. One of its key charms is the imagination that he manages to bring to the piece, specifically to the set design and the monsters he creates as part of the fantasy world of the lead character. Although I would argue that perhaps Hellboy 2 goes one monster too far in its array of fantastical beasts, eventually becoming an veritable conveyor belt from Del Toro’s mind, the sheer wealth of design ideas here and the consistent ability to avoid getting bogged down with overarching themes and plot gives this film a lightness on its feet that makes it both charming and hugely enjoyable to watch. Maybe it’s somewhat hollow but I think to start walking into every comic movie post-The Dark Knight expecting to watch a coruscating deconstruction of superheroes and relentless ‘dark’ storytelling is both dangerous and unwarranted. Surely there is no one who really wants to see constantly dark comic book movies because at some point, there becomes a need for entertainment to burst through and for movies to make sure they understand their place as escapism. I loved The Dark Knight, but I don’t want to go into a Hellboy film an be engaged on issues of national security, surveillance and domestic terrorism.

Hellboy 2 is fun, funny and breezy, never taking itself too seriously and providing a great slice of entertaining escapist cinema with set design and imagination to rival anything around.

Read Cassam at Screenjabber's thoughts on the film here.

If only Hollywood filmmakers had even half the imagination that Mexican director Guillermo del Toro possesses. Then perhaps the crop of lacklustre blockbusters that assault us every summer would be able to rise above their empty narratives. Like the brilliant Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a tour through del Toro’s eye-achingly vast imagination. The sheer delight of watching the myriad creatures and locations flit across the screen is more than enough compensation for what is really nothing more than an average plot.

After a couple of title cards explaining Hellboy’s origin, we open on army base on Christmas Eve, 1955. A young Hellboy is put to bed by his surrogate father Professor Bruttonholm (John Hurt) with a bed time story about an ancient battle between humans and mythical creatures. In a stroke of creative brilliance, Hellboy, whose only experience of the world outside the army base is 1950s children’s television, imagines the characters in the story as wooden marionettes.

As Bruttonholm’s story goes, Balor, king of the Elves, built an army of 70 times 70 indestructible clockwork warriors (the Golden Army of the film’s title), which could be controlled by those of royal blood as long as they remained unchallenged. The Golden Army was so merciless in its destruction of the human forces that Balor called for a truce: the humans would keep the cities, and the creatures would keep the forests. Balor took steps to prevent the Golden Army being raised again, but his son, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), resented his father’s peaceful ways and went into self-imposed exile, vowing one day to finish off the humans.

Fast forward to the present. Prince Nuada has declared war on humanity, and begun work on resurrecting the Golden Army. Cue Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). As in the first film, it is their job to save the world from otherworldly forces. But there are other problems. Not only does Hellboy have to come to terms with the fact that he may never be fully accepted by those he is trying to save; but he also has to deal with his burgeoning relationship with Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), his on-again, off-again girlfriend of the first film.

What stands out most in Hellboy II is the sheer inventiveness of Guillermo del Toro’s designs. It’s in the aforementioned prologue, and it’s in almost every other scene in the film. There is such a huge attention to detail, that you’ll need to watch the film several times before you see everything there is on offer.

This is especially evident in the “Troll Market” sequence. Hidden beneath Brooklyn Bridge, the Troll Market like a folklorish Mos Eisley, with every kind of creature you could imagine, and then a load you probably couldn’t. It’s a sequence made for DVD: you could rewind and watch it again and again and notice something new each time.

But what is most impressive is that a large portion of these peoples and places have actually been built, as opposed to rendered with computers. From your run-of-the-mill trolls and goblins, to fantastically original designs such as the Angel of Death (one of the best creature designs I have seen in any film), they are there, interacting with the other characters, and that’s more than impressive in today’s CGI-driven cinema.

Special mention must also go to Doug Jones, the actor behind not one, not two, but three of Hellboy II’s creatures: Abe Sapien, the Chamberlain (a pale-skinned, rectangular-headed officiator), and the Angel of Death. He was also one of the humanoid insect things in del Toro’s Mimic (1997), as well as both the Faun and the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth. Jones is surely one of cinema’s greatest living performers: he gives his characters each their own personality, despite usually being buried underneath prosthetics.

That the look of Hellboy II is its best aspect is a blessing, because the narrative is nothing to get excited about. It’s not bad, by any means; the story moves along nicely, and the characters are likable enough (especially the three main leads: Perlman’s Hellboy; Blair’s Liz; and Jones’ Abe).

But the plot lacks the urgency that could have raised it above ordinary. Sure, we’re told about the awesome destructive power of the Golden Army, but other than the prologue and the (admittedly well-staged) climax, we never get the sense that it’s much of threat. And the main villain, Prince Nuada, menacing as he is, is absent from the majority of the film.

This is not to say that del Toro’s script (from a story by del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola) is without merit. There are some standout scenes, most notably when Hellboy and Abe have a few drinks (a scene which got the film’s biggest laughs). Gone is Hellboy’s weakest link, Rupert Evan’s Agent Myers, which makes sense; Myers served as the audiences foot-in-the-door to Hellboy’s universe, which is unnecessary in a sequel. And there’s a new face (well, bowl) in Johann Krauss (voiced by “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane), a by-the-book, disembodied ectoplasmic spirit in an antiquated containment suit. Krauss adds to much of the film’s humour, but little to the plot.

What problems that may exist in the narrative are irrelevant, when every plot development brings another meticulously crafted creature or location for us to marvel at. In a way, Hellboy II is a perfect companion piece to this summer’s other comic book blockbuster, The Dark Knight. While the latter is a taut, complex, and cerebral thriller, Hellboy II is a light comic romp, more eye candy than brain candy. And there’s nothing wrong with that, when the candy is so sweet.

Director Guillermo del Toro is a visual filmmaker with two distinct styles. His mainstream cinema releases are big-budget action-packed hits like Blade 2 and the original Hellboy. In contrast we have a very deep and thought-provoking man who can construct dramatic masterpieces with an intense fantasy style such as Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone. Both styles are very different and both work extremely well, but unfortunately the problem with Hellboy 2 is that both styles are thrown together and both are heavily compromised as a result.

You see, Hellboy 2 is neither glossy mainstream cinema nor dramatic fantasy; it is an uneasy mishmash of both, and  spends far too much time switching between the two to be able to find a balance. The action is underplayed in order to create more of a sense of the fantasy, but unfortunately the fantasy is also far too underplayed in favour of short and disappointing action sequences. The original Hellboy had such a strong narrative and was action-packed but this sequel fails to live up to that. It seems to have missed out on the golden rule of sequels and just not been able to better itself.

While X-Men was a great story-based film which familiarised us with the characters, the sequel X2 could just run with action from the outset yet still retain a great narrative. However, the story in Hellboy 2 just isn’t strong enough on its own to make a great film and it relies too heavily on spectacle and the visual flair of the director. This weak plot means that the viewer loses interest, and the subtleties in action and pace throughout the picture mean that we are made to expect a huge action sequence for the finale. However the last act doesn't live up to these expectations and just fizzles out.

Having said all that, there is still plenty to enjoy from Hellboy 2. There is no denying that Guillermo del Toro is a genius when it comes to his film-making style. Correctly branded in the trailer, he really is a "visionary director" and throughout the whole film every frame has been carefully and lovingly crafted to look amazing. As with his previous work he really has gone to extremes to create a film that is stunning to watch. The characters, locations, creatures and visual effects are impressive and worth the price of admission on their own. When it comes to syle, this is an epic film. The characters are well cast, although the lack of John Hurt and Rupert Evans (as the adopted father and the new recruit) hurt the film somewhat, and they are sorely missed.

Luke Goss is amazing to watch once again after an equally impressive role in Del Toro’s earlier film Blade 2. Ron Perlman proves again that there couldn’t be a more perfect choice for Hellboy. He plays the role with delight and passion, although he doesn't t seem to be quite as ‘cool’ as he was first time round - but maybe that's down to the script. The chemistry between him and Liz, played again by Selma Blair, is priceless and works well in providing the film with a comedic element.

Another interesting relationship is between Abe Sapien and Princess Nuala and this also leads to some very funny moments, but also some much needed personal drama. The film contains a lot of comedy elements throughout, as did the original. Hellboy has a lot of comic one-liners, some of which are extremely funny. There is also good use of slapstick, especially with Hellboy and Abe Sapien arriving at a fight drunk. The character of Johann Krauss, voiced fantastically by Seth MacFarlane, with his unpredictable German accent is also a source of great amusement. The comedy in the film works extremely well and helps it to maintain its slow pace.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an interesting film, but disappointingly nowhere near as good as its predecessor. It is, nonetheless, still a lot of fun with plenty to enjoy. No doubt we will have to wait a few years for the return of Hellboy as Del Toro is now going to be dedicating a lot of his life to The Hobbit films, but we won't see them until at least 2011, so enjoy this piece of Del Toro action while you can.       Russell Gomm

Now, this is something I'm looking forward to - the advance Melbourne screening of the new Guillermo Del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY) film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which takes place on Monday, August 18, 2008 at Cinema Nova as part of Popcorn Taxi Melbourne.

Yes, I have a vested interest - I'll be hosting the event in Melbourne - but I am genuinely interested in seeing this latest installment in the Hellboy series - due totally to it's director.

The man is a genius.  His films are so multi-layered, visually stunning and awesome (in the true sense of the word) in their execution.  And he really does manage to take you to another world - it's the ultimate in escapism.

And, I'll confess that I'm a bit of a comic book movie junkie - which means that I'm also pretty hard on the various adaptations out there (I have to admit the news that Hollywood is adapting Captain Marvel has me a little worried - wasn't he supposed to be a generic version of DC's Superman done by another company?  (We all know how well the last Superman movie did)  And isn't his "normal" alter-ego a 12 year old boy?  (Shades of Harry Potter, perhaps?  Perhaps not).  And, if memory serves, DC included a character in their Superman series called "Captain Thunder" as a parody of Captain Marvel, who rubbed his belt to activate his powers yelling "Thunder!" (snicker, snicker).  I have to say that watching a character on screen that has to yell "Shazam!" - which is also the title of the upcoming film - to activate his superhero-ness could have me stifling the odd giggle.  Doesn't bode well.  That said, William Goldman is on the writing team, so there is some hope ... But I digress), but just from watching the trailer of Hellboy II, I'll admit to being a little bit excited about this one.

So, I'm also very excited that we're also going to be hosting a phone hook up with Guillermo Del Toro to undertake a Q & A after the screening - live from Berlin!

Oscar Hillerstrom from the Sci-Fi Channel will be conducting the interview in front of a live Sydney audience at Greater Union Bondi (who will watch the movie simultaneously with the Melbourne audience) asking Guillermo questions from both Sydney and Melbourne, which we're coordinating via the wonder of modern technology - and it promises be a fascinating and insightful evening for all those who are a fan of Guillermo's work.

Apart from anything else, it's a chance to see the movie a full 10 days before it's official Australian release on August 28 - and everyone likes to be ahead of the crowd.  Well, I know I do, anyway!

For full information about the screening, get along to the Popcorn Taxi website - and I'll see you there!