Hey folks, Harry here with another selection of HELLBOY views -- this time from Pyul and then some from New York city. There was a screening in Miami last night that I hear went extremely well, but I've yet to get reviews from that screening.... Buuuuuut... It seems HELLBOY is kicking mass quantities of ass. Here ya go...
Caught several films this week that I’m dying to write about. Here’s the two everyone’s wondering about: Hellboy and Dawn of the Dead.
Hellboy
Holy fucking Christ on a cracker Gordo, this kicked ass. I loved this film with every fiber of my being. Hellboy achieves new levels of comic book cool thus far unattainable in other franchises…is that enough AICN fanboy gushing for you? Should I have added a reference to me washing my balls before the movie so no one would object to picking them up after they were blown out the back of my seat?
Now that I’ve gotten all that fanboy tweakage shaken out of my system, lets get down to the nitty gritty. You’ve read Quint’s take. You’ve read Moriarty’s pleadings for you to give this a chance. But is it really that good? Well, kind of.
You see, all the ribbing of AICN aside, the first paragraph is no lie. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. It hit me just right, washing over me in such a way that it seeped down into the cracks and crevasses of my fanboy soul and satiated the urge, the desire, nay, the ravenous hunger to see a REAL fucking comic book movie. Spider-Man, I loved Spider-man. X2 kicked all sorts of ass. Daredevil, I liked it but feel no need to own it. But these are MOVIES. They feel like movies, play like movies and really come across as Comic Book heroes set in a Hollywood universe. Hellboy’s different. Hellboy is actually a movie set in a Comic Book Universe. The framing, the colors, the shorthand between characters. It’s all straight out of a comic book. And this isn’t like the Hulk or Creepshow which were made to LOOK like comic books; rather this FEELS like a comic book brought to life.
It’s an odd thing: the trailers sell this movie just like they sold The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That’s been the talk since the first one showed up, and much like a night of heavy tequila drinking followed by furious puking, the mere thought of that taste in our mouths again make it water with disgust and wretch with anxiousness. But here’s the kicker. Hellboy is EXACTLY what the League PROMISED to be but completely failed to deliver. Hellboy is the film I wanted to see last summer but was sucker-punched instead. Hellboy is not simply an adaptation. It is a love letter to Mignola’s comic. And it’s a great one.
Ron Perlman is a modern day Roddy McDowall, bringing so much presence and charisma to characters weighed down by 20 some odd pounds of makeup. His Hellboy is the Wolverine I’ve always wanted but have yet to see on film. Don’t get me wrong, Hugh Jackman’s great, but he’s always struck me as a gruff pretty boy Hollywood version of Wolverine. Ron Perlman’s Hellboy IS Wolverine. When he chews a cigar, he fucking chews a cigar…he doesn’t pansy ass lip it. The way he spouts off lines like “Mmmm…Nachos,” and sells it with just the right amount of machismo and comedic timing is wonderful. Perlman is genuinely funny, knowing when to bring just the right amount of camp to sell the role.
And this film has plenty of camp, but just the right amount. It’s fun and funny, but never to the detriment of a scene. All of the seriousness, the angst and the pathos is woven just right between threads of the strange and the downright aloof.
But what this film comes down to is this: Is this what you’re looking for? For those in search of comic book bliss, yes, this very much is. It’s an amazingly fun ride. But if the idea of The League of Extrodinary Gentlemen done right flexes your sphincter tighter than a Backstreet Boy’s doin’ some time in the pokey, well, this ain’t your bag. And it’s not for everyone. There are segments of this movie that are just going to downright chafe those that are critical of this kind of movie. But for geeks, for those with a love of this type of material, this is utter cinematic joy.
Dawn of the Dead
Constant AICN whipping boy James Gunn wrote the script, a completely untested and brand spanking new director helmed it and it’s a remake of a film that is treated like the Citizen Kane of zombie movies by many hard core film geeks. So this films not only going to suck, it’s going to go down in AICN history as one of the worst films of all time, right?
Nope. Not a bit of it. Dawn of the Dead rocks. Hard.
What? Did I just write those words? Did I just SERIOUSLY write those words? Yes, folks, I did. And I meant them. This movie is seriously one truckload of fun. But to elaborate, I have to go to the original material. You see, I’m not the worlds biggest fan of the original. Oh, I like it quite a bit, but I just don’t love it. I never really took issue with the idea of a remake because in my mind they desecrated that sacred ground over a decade ago with Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead. Now, I really dig Savini’s remake, but Night of the Living Dead was always a film that I felt was so perfect it didn’t NEED to be remade. But it was, and once you’ve dug up the body, you might as well go to town. Dawn of the Dead never sat right with me. Like I said, I dug it quite a bit, but as with many well regarded horror films of the 70’s, I felt there were tonal inconsistencies. Dawn was such a great serious film riddled with moments of awkward camp like undead Hare Krishna’s and SWAT Team snipers that can readily perform abortions. It was just odd, and I always felt that without those few moments, the film would be truly great. So in my mind, it was somewhat ripe to be remade. Not that I was ready to accept the writer of Scooby Doo and The Specials as the man to do it.
But, man, did this work. And what made it work is that while this is a remake of a Romero film this ISN’T an attempt to make one. Instead, this is the John Carpenter film we all wish John Carpenter still made. Mixing in elements of The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape from New York, this film becomes simply another segment of the Romeroverse, another story told in the ongoing saga of the end of the world. So why not call it something different as Harry suggested in his script review herehttp://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13363 ? Well, quite simply, this movie borrows it’s premise straight from the original and calling it anything different would still get it tagged as a Dawn of the Dead ripoff. So why the hell not go full tilt and immediately draw the comparison from the get go? But while the premise is exactly the same, and there are a few minor, borrowed elements (albeit all of which are treated differently) like the fun in the mall, a pregnant women, and an escape attempt, the bulk of this movie is very different. For one, while this is survival horror, it is entirely laden with action that doesn’t just involve screaming and running. The action is tense and the zombies are fast (and occasionally creative). This film is less about the angst and woe of the last stand of humanity and more about fear and ass kicking.
And the kills in this range from the wonderfully painful to the downright cringe inducing. Sure, some of them look somewhat digital, but you realize that they have to. There are bits in this movie that you could never have stuntmen do, like a long shot of backing over zombies in a truck, bits that are just both cool and darkly humorous but also provide a genuine feeling of “HOLY FUCK! THEY’RE EVERYWHERE!” But it also has a soul. You feel for several of these characters. There’s a genuine feeling of loss and a lack of hope that guts those that are still alive.
Sarah Polley is wonderful, bringing the great solid strong leading lady with flaws charm that she has done many times before. Ving Rhames is fantastic, with Director Zack Snyder letting him be all the badass he can be. Here Ving exemplifies the John Carpenter quality I was talking about, proving to embody all the best that John Carpenter poured into his serious heroes. And Mekhi Phifer brings just the right amount of pathos and desperation to round things out.
This movie really caught me off guard. I wanted it to be good, but I just wasn’t convinced going in. Now I am. This movie’s going to clean up. While hardcore Romero fans may find themselves dissatisfied with this, most moviegoers are going to find this a fun, actiony, creepy zombie film that grabs you from the start and never lets go.
Pyul Mactackle
Ok - that's Pyul's take -- we've had reviews from Texas and the West Coast.... How is it going on the East Coast? Well... here's Monkey Zunkle to fill you in....
Hey guys,
The good news is, I have another "Hellboy" write-up for you to add to the pile. The bad news is that I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before.. This movie is FANTASTIC!
I got to attend a smaller screening in New York City hosted by Sony/Columbia, and Guillermo Del Toro and Mike Mingola were present. Guillermo made a great intro, recapping the negotiations for Ron Perlman ("They said 'How much you need' / I said '85' / They said '65' / I said "OK", and then they gave a Mexican 65 million dollars to make this movie with his ideal star with complete creative freedom").
I wasn't too familiar with the comics, and this made the movie so enjoyable-- The whole thing is so original, especially after many franchise "popular" superhero movies. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I first saw "Dark City"... a very refreshing and new story with great characters. The effects are superb, especially Abe Sapien's fluttering wet eyes.. great blending of live action and CGI. A complex story that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. And a GREAT score... I'll have to look into who did it, but it reminded me of, again, the underrated "Dark City" score as well as some of the music from "Attack of the Clones". I was worried that this would be just a movie for boys.. that girls wouldn't get much out of it, but after seeing Selma Blair's character as well as Hellboy's heart (what a great hero-- strong and giant on the outside, loving and young within), I think a lot of female audience members will relate somewhat. Li! ke the best superhero stories, these characters are searchers.. alone, conflicted, and passionate. Hellboy's problems seem somehow much more realistic and down-to-earth than even Batman and Spidey's.
This movie needs good word of mouth, so take friends and enjoy this fresh and fantastic movie with a truly unique universe. It was a fun screening-- Thanks to the Sony people... they gave out shirts and caps and also had cleverly themed snacks (red cupcakes, hot tamales (sp?) and Redbull, HB's drink of choice). And thanks to GDT..it was great seeing him so enthusiastic, he seemed to be really proud, and he should be (his dedication and passion about his vision reminds me of Peter Jackson). On that note, props to the studio for taking this gamble and trusting that Perlman was BORN to play this part.. let's hope he and the movie are embraced.. If not in explosive box office, then surely in DVD land...
Monkey Zunkle, over and out
Ok - also from New York is Gaspode...
Harry, I know you've had a ton of Hellboy reviews already, but thought you might like a review from del Toro's New York screening last night. -Gaspode
On this past Wednesday night, director Guillermo del Toro stood in front of a small group of maybe 50 people and said, What you are going to see is a Mexican given $60 million, the right star, and a shit-load of freedom!' Hellboy had come to New York.
Okay, at this point, you're already thinking to yourself, 'Another Hellboy review? Has AICN become hellboyreviews.com?' Maybe so, but I hope I can add a few bits of information to the discussion other than the obligatory 'Ron Perlman rules in this movie!' and 'Del Toro is a god!' type of comments that seem to dominate these reviews. The god in question was a bit nervous; even though his Texas and LA screenings had been enthusiastically received, it can be a bit daunting to show your new baby to a bunch of jaded press people, many of whom work in the genre. True, these guys can be effusive in their praise for something they like, but they're also more than happy to rip a film to shreds when they don't.
Let's get this out of the way right now. I loved this film. There will now be a short pause for the cries of 'Plant! Plant!' In my defense I can only say if I was a studio plant, I'd actually expect to paid for my work, instead of taking time out to write this for free. And if I really hated Hellboy, I'd happily be trashing it right now in order to save people eight bucks at their local multiplex.
By now, you all know the gist of the movie. If not, some spoilers will follow: Rasputin and his cronies team up with the Nazis during WWII to open a portal and bring some Lovecraftian demons to Earth. They're stopped by US army troops, accompanied by a young Professor Broom. Rasputin gets sucked into the portal, the good guys win, and Broom discovers a baby demon who looks an awful lot like Lil Hot Stuf but with a stone hand. Meet Hellboy.
Cut to the present day, and Rasputin has been resurrected, ready to pick up where he left off half a century ago. Broom (John Hurt) has teamed up with the government to form the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense). Their star player is Hellboy (Perlman) a cigar-chomping, wise-cracking monster hunter with the mental age of a teenager. Other agents include Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) a clairvoyant fish-man, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a seriously fucked-up pyrokinetic now living in a New York mental institution, and John Myers (Rupert Everett), a fresh-faced FBI guy who's brought in to act as Hellboy's unofficial babysitter. When Rasputin resurrects an ancient demon called Sammael, it sets a series of events in motion that ends with the aforementioned portal getting opened again, and Hellboy discovering what his actual role in the universe is.
I know, I've skipped over an awful lot of detail there, but there's no point in recapping the plot, which has already been spelled out elsewhere. Let's talk about some of the things that really make this film work. Number one has to be Perlman. Del Toro was willing to knock $25 million off Hellboy's price tag in order to get the actor, and it's the best money never spent. I can't possibly imagine Vin Diessel or The Rock in this role, or any of the other bone-headed studio suggestions made over the past five years. Perlman is Big Red; case closed. Not only is he physically perfect for the role, he brings the prosthetic makeup (created by Rick Baker's Cinovation Studios) to life in a way that many actors could never do. His dialogue is spare, making every word count, and del Toro has given him some great one-liners. But that aside, there's also a great emotional core to Hellboy as well. This is a guy who's basically indestructible and yet his great vulnerability is his love fo! r Liz Sherman, around whom he can barely put two words together. In one terrific scene, a jealous Hellboy takes to the rooftops to spy on Liz and Myers, who he thinks is putting the moves on his girl. He meets a kid taking care of his pigeons, who eventually offers the big guy cookies and romantic advice. 'Just go down there and tell her how you feel!' the kid tells him, and Hellboy tries to explain (with a mouthful of cookie) why that won't work, suddenly realizing, 'Plus you're like, nine, you're not old enough to give me advice!' It's a great moment.
Equally well cast are John Hurt, in an all-too-small role as Broom, Jeffrey Tambor as obnoxious FBI big-shot Tom Manning, and Everett playing the naïve but well-meaning Myers. It took me a little while to get used to his presence in the film until I realized that Myers was actually the audience POV character, and that many of the major plot points were being seen through his eyes. But for my money, the two most pleasant surprises were Liz and Abe. Selma Blair does an excellent job as the mentally scarred pyrokinetic, who has virtually no control over her abilities. And Doug Jones is amazing as Abe Sapien. Visually, it's one of the most stunning-looking makeup-heavy characters ever put on film, but Jones, a veteran mime and suit performer brings him to life with ease. Ironically, the most impressive part of his performance may well go ignored, namely the sequences in which Abe is swimming, either underwater or in a tank. After the screening, del Toro confirmed that all of tho! se scenes were shot 'dry for wet,' which meant there was no water involved, and Jones was in fact miming all the swimming motions.
As for the villains, Karel Roden is properly chilling as Rasputin, but it's Kroenen who steals just about every scene he's in. Kroenen is a nasty piece of work, a gas-masked blade-wielding monster whose blood has literally dried up in his veins, who sustains himself through pure hatred and an arcane system of clockwork engineering. He's chilling and awe-inspiring and beautiful to look at, in terms of design, costume and makeup. If Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has been paying attention to the response, he and del Toro should re-team and put some kind of spin-off project together.
In terms of the overall look, Hellboy is probably del Toro's most accessible work to date. Like his previous films, every frame is packed with cool little details that will take two or three sittings to absorb. But this time, he's abandoned the psycho-sexual imagery of Blade 2, returning instead to the clockwork theme of Cronos. Like the interior of that film's Cronos device, Hellboy is full of spinning gears and whirring devices, from Kroenen's vest, to a gargantuan set piece that sets up the final act. And let's not forget the Lovecraftian influences of Sammael and the monstrous Ogdru Jahad, the Great Old Ones of the Hellboy universe. If del Toro is indeed planning a Lovecraft project as his follow-up to this film, it's a tantalizing hint of things to come.
Del Toro has also done a masterful job of creating the color schemes of a Mignola comic. There are slate black shadows from which Rasputin emerges throughout the film, the dark reds of Hellboy, the Mignola blues of Abe Sapien (Hellboy and Abe also go by the code names of 'Red' and 'Blue' reinforcing the color themes even further)
By now, anybody reading this is saying, 'C'mon, it's obvious he's a plant; this is a damn love letter!' There are a couple of minor things that bugged me, and I'll mention them here for whatever it's worth. While most of the soundtrack flows beautifully, there is the occasional intrusion of contemporary music, almost as though it had to be included in order to sell some extra soundtracks. I kept thinking of that voice-over after Smallville, saying, 'This showing of Hellboy featured songs by '
My other complaint is David Hyde-Pierce, or his voice anyway. The actor was brought in during post-production to re-loop Abe Sapien's voice, and personally, I think it was a mistake. Abe is a wonderful, mysterious character, and when you hear the voice of Niles Crane coming out of his mouth, it makes you feel like you're watching a Pixar film. I'm not sure if this was a studio decision to sell some extra tickets on Hyde-Pierce's name, or if del Toro had that specific voice in his head, but I would have preferred a less distracting personality instead.
The final verdict? If you're a fan of the comic book, Hellboy will not disappoint. If you've never picked up the comics, it may take you a little time to get with the program, but I think you'll still find it's worth your time. And if you like a good action-adventure film, this is the one for you. Stay in the governor's mansion, Arnie; Big Red is the king now!
Oh, and make sure you sit through the closing credits, or you'll miss a final little tidbit. It's worth the wait.
-Gaspode-
