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A ton of reviews from the Big Apple about HELLBOY!

Published at:  Mar 28, 2004 1:41:13 PM CST

Hey folks, Harry here with a host of reviews from the New York screening of HELLBOY that Ron Perlman and Selma Blair attended and hosted. Overall - the reviews each have a nit-pick here or there, but overall everyone seemed to love it. Seems Hellboy is finding his way into the hearts of folks that have never read the books... very cool. Here ya go....





Hey Harry... 'Shepard' here. You published my advance review of "Intolerable Cruelty" a while back which I got a kick out of. Just got back from an advanced screening of "Hellboy".
 


I was not very familiar with the Hellboy character going in, I could probably sum up my knowledge of the character in three sentences. I dug the concept, but I thought the advertising for the movie was terrible.
 


I know comic fans must be anxious about if the Hellboy movie is faithful to the comic. I'm afraid I can't answer that. Now, I enjoy reading a comic when there's one around, and I like comic book movies. Of course, I also consider "Batman Forever" the greatest comic book movie ever made, so I probably just killed my credibility with everyone here.
 


But "Hellboy" is a darn fun flick, the best I've seen this year.
 


I saw it at the Loews in Times Square. Ron Perlman and Selma Blair were on hand to say a few words before the screening, which was pretty neat, never happened to me before. People passed out free posters afterwards too. Two trailers: "13 Going on 30", which made me laugh exactly once, and "White Chicks" (?), an amusing and brave concept that doesn't look like it had enough in it for a movie.
 


Where was I going with this?
 


Oh yes, Ron Perlman. An excellent performance of a very cool character. I really grew to enjoy this character (who I'd never read a comic about before). Like Peter Parker, he's an Everyman superhero, but while Peter Parker is our idealistic selves, Hellboy comes from that part of us that dominates more of our day than we care to admit. He gets mad. He can be lazy. He enjoys creature comforts like chocolate and television. He says "aw, crap" a lot -- just like me.
 


But he can be so surprisingly tender as well, and the scenes of him just plotzing on a bench with Liz Sherman (Selma Blair, who really doesn't do much in this movie) are more touching and more human than similar conversations between regular humans in some movies.
 


An amazing makeup job as well. Hellboy didn't just look real, his personality came through as well.
 


What I liked best about this movie was its humor. Every so often a deadpan line or complaint would get slipped in among the general strangeness. Between the plot material and the style of the jokes I was reminded of "Ghostbusters", my favorite movie, on more than one occasion. There are three truly great, applauseworthy jokes: the introduction of a building (I dare not spoil), the line "That, I don't like", and the conclusion of a heroic superherolike leap. I wish the humor had been used consistently.
 


The movie starts with an overlong sequence during the days of World War II. This flick takes far too long to get moving. A portal is opened, and it looks like the result of "Scroll of Town Portal" for you Diablo II players. The CGI in this film always seems a little computer-gamish, and it's one of the movie's weaker points. I'm not the CGI-basher type, but, well, I've seen rays of energy and the like done better. On the upside of the WW2 sequence, I was quite touched, for some reason, with how Professor Broom gives baby Hellboy a little bounce when he holds him for the first time.
 


We get into a plot of some sort eventually. What I liked about the plot of Hellboy was that it was never built up as some sort of epic confrontation between Hellboy and an old nemesis (even though there was significance to it). The movie really treated itself as just another day in the life of Hellboy, it's all routine for him, etc. etc., even when the most important of things are happening. There was no forced sense of occasion injected into anything.
 


The plot has weaknesses, however, and when one sits down and thinks about it, it's sort of hard to figure out why things happen. Characters sort of go places and do things for no reason, and things often don't hang together. The detective work of the film doesn't hold up under analysis, and many things are left unexplained to the point of nonsense.
 


And Abe Sapien is underused, and splitting up two buddies is not a good way to keep humor going.
 


But the scene of the really big hammer smashing the underground bridge is cool enough to make you forget things like that, right?
 


This is not a great movie, not one I'll hold up as a triumph of the genre. But it was consistently entertaining, often beautifully shot, filled with some good laughs. A decent enough time at the movies. I'd give it a B. Granted, I could just have enjoyed it 'cause it had kittens in it. I love kittens.
 


-- Shepard


Now we have Mr. Bullseye...




Hey Harry this is Mr. Bullseye back again after giving a heads up on Cold Mountain I have just gotten out of the NY advance screening for Hellboy. Let me state that all my knowledge of this subject comes from your site so IM not a follower of the comic. I was mainly interested in the movie because I like Del Torros work and you seemed to be pumped for it. Ron Pearlmen and Selma Blair(50 times hotter in person) introduced the film at the beginning. Ron said the movie was as accurate to the source material as it could be so I took him on his word. I went in with a clean and unbiased mind and I liked the movie but not for the reasons I thought I would.
   

From the trailers I thought I was going to be saying damn that was cool did you just see that, but I only said that a few times. I found myself saying damn that was funny a whole lot more. The movie doesn't take itself a seriously as lets say X-MEN or Spider Man. If you think about it you couldn't have a movie about a giant red stone fisted demon boy take itself to seriously and expect it to work. I thought Pearlmen did a great job of acting through his prosthetics, he either learned what not to do after his role in Star Trek Nemesis, or he had a better makeup team. I lean towards a better makeup team because of Del Torros past work and Ron had experience working in a lot of makeup when he was the beast on TV's Beauty and the Beast. The movie moved along and I never lost interest, the fx were great you can see how much farther along the digital stuntman has come since the God Light fight in Blade 2(Gumby Vs Poky).
   

Now to what I think could have been done better.

Some spoilers ahead.
 
   

When we first see baby Hellboy I wasn't sure what to think half my brain said is that the best fx they can do the other half said well Its kind of hard to make a demon baby boy look real so I can give them a pass on that. I don't feel they established Rasbutin enough. I know his story and I was left with questions like why and how did he come to work with the Nazis? I also didn't like how he was there and then he wasn't It felt like he would just pop out of nowhere. For a main villain I wanted to have him more established. One character who didn't need  more story was the crazy ninja gas mask wearing Baron Von Chop and Slice( I don't remember his name). Every scene he is in is a treat he is like some crazed half human half automaton( he likes to turn it up to 11).
   


End Spoiler
 
   

Overall I would give it an A-, but if we ever got an extended version it would be an A+ in my book.




Next we have Selma Blair's Bitch Jay from New Jersey...




Hi Harry, long time fan of aintitcool.com 
 
    

This is my first posting since looking over this site since 98.  Today I was privileged to catch a screening of a movie that was made with blood, sweat and tears and alot of respect and admiration.  That movie was HELLBOY BABY!!!!
 
   

This film had it all, cool one liners that all film geeks have come to love but for some reason are kind of prehistoric in today's cinema.  It has true heart, action that wont stop or let you go at anytime during its run.  Likeable characters that you immediately care for and know the danger they face is something that would make Spiderman run back home to aunt Mays house.
 
   

Ron Pearlman and Selma Blair where in attendance tonight and they mentioned what a masterpiece of film making we were all about to see.  They also mentioned how Del Toro worked so hard on hellboy that it almost killed him.  I must say that after watching Blade 2 I was confident that Del Toro would deliver the goods and I tell you people in my opinion he tops it!  Here is a guy that really cares about film making and not just here to make a quick buck.
 
   

So far Del Toro and Sam Rami and Peter Jackson are three directors today that really are about delivering the goods.  I just wish George Lucas wouldn't be so uptight in the prequels and just let go this commercial bullshit that ruins good ideas and a great time at the theaters.
 


Well that's all I have to say about my experience tonight but before I go I just want to say that when you walk into Hellboy next week BUCKLE UP!
 


This is Selma Blairs Bitch Jay from NJ, signing off.



Next is Diomedes...





Hi Harry,



I'm a fan of your site but I?ve never sent you anything before - I'm sure the last thing you need is yet another HELLBOY review, but maybe you can use this.




I was able to catch last night's sneak preview of HELLBOY at the Loew's E-Walk in NY, NY. Though I'm not much of a fan of (hellboy) comic books, or comic book inspired movies for that matter, when the chance to see this sneak preview came along I jumped on it. When I got the tickets a week ago, I was informed that Del Toro and Mignola would be at the theater to present the movie - needless to say I was geeked.


About twenty minutes after the show was scheduled to begin, the collective audience's jaw dropped, as, rather than seeing a swarthy, somewhat overweight Mexican and his partner in crime approach the two mics at the front of the theater, a fine ass Selma Blair and her on-screen partner, Ron Perlman, approached the mics to present the movie. Perlman gave a heartfelt introduction to HELLBOY, noting that Del Toro put a lot of love into the film, and that, more than anything, Del Toro's film was an homage to Mignola's work.


The lights dimmed as the trailers for two flicks that I plan to avoid at all costs rolled, then HELLBOY started. The musical score impressed me immediately - it fits the movie perfectly. I was next impressed, taken aback even, by the amount of comedy in the film - I wasn't expecting this at all. There were a lot of funny moments throughout the movie, and fortunately they were all intentionally funny moments. The plot progressed very slowly at first, probably due to the requisite introductory action sequences more than anything else, but while the story lagged there was plenty of comedy, action and suspense. Soon enough, though, the plot began to advance nicely, while the action and humorous moments kept coming. By the end of the movie, I was thoroughly satisfied, and glad that I decided to come see the movie. I was even more surprised to see that my fiancé liked the movie more than I did. She was expecting this to be the worst movie ever, and just before Blair and Perlman materialized, she told me that I owed her big time for dragging her along with me. As the end credits started to roll, I saw that she was smiling as she confessed to having loved the movie. Part of this is probably due to her very low expectations, but I'm sure a lot of it is undoubtedly due to the movie's romance between Hellboy and Liz. She said she didn't expect the movie to be so funny and romantic.


Hellboy is a great character. I'm definitely going to check out one or two of Mignola's comics now, and, if this movie is as big of a box office success as I expect it to be, hopefully I'll be looking forward to a sequel in the near future. I think it will be successful because there really is something for everybody in this movie - the non-comic-book-dork girlfriends of comic book dorks lucky enough to have girlfriends are going to be surprised at how much they like, even love this movie - it's definitely a first date kind of movie. This is not a bad movie, nor is it the greatest movie of all time (of this year even), but I would definitely recommend that people go see it.



Thanks, Harry, and keep up the good work.


call me Diomedes.






And lastly we have this one...




Hey, I got a chance to see Hellboy in New York last night with a special introduction by Ron Pearlman and Selma Blair. When the two came out, the crowd erupted in cheers. After cheers of "Selma I love you" and "Ron I want your baby", Selma began talking about how proud she was of the movie and how hard Guillermo had worked to stay close to Mike Mignola's material. She also stated that the movie was as close to the comics as they could make it, and then she passed the mic onto Ron. Once again the crowd erupted into cheers when Ron spoke. Ron didn't have much to say. Cracked a joke, then stated how excited he was to be a part of Hellboy, and to be working with Selma, and then hoped we would enjoy the movie, and with that they made their exit as the cheering continued.


Seeing as Hollywood is picking up every possible comic book to turn into a movie, I am very very afraid for my childhood heroes. They have fucking destroyed Catwoman. Did the fucking director as George Lucas for help? I was afraid to see this movie because I didn't want it to be a piece of crap and start a downward spiral for all comic to film adapatations. Boy was I glad that I was wrong. Hellboy owned everyone's ass. The movie played and during the film I heard many different reactions. The audience laughed at every amazing line of dialogue that Hellboy spoke, cheered when fighting villains, got silent when the film got emotional, and of course you could hear all the "oooohhh's" and "aaaahhhh's" when Kroenen would be the badass that he is. Since I have never read a Hellboy comic I can't say if it was a faithful adaptation or not, but I have seen much of the art that is featured in the comics. There were shots in the film that I know were taken right from the comics. One of my favorites is when Hellboy goes to visit Liz (Selma Blair) and he's standing on top of a wall looking at the Psychiatric Ward that she's in. The angle is from behind Hellboy as he stands there like a statue with his tail slightly curled up. Just an amazing shot. The make-up in the film was amazing. Never at one moment did I think that there was a person with pounds of make-up on when Hellboy or Abe Sapien were on screen. The two looked totally believable. The acting is the movie was excellent. At all times I saw and heard Hellboy and Abe, never did I once think of Ron Pearlman or David Doug Jones/David Hyde Pierce. These actors WERE the characters. The casting by Guillermo could not have been better. The movie surprised me with the amount of heart that it had. Scenes between Hellboy and Liz were spot on. The love story here doesn't seem tacked on, and I found myself feeling for Hellboy when he tries to speak his heart to Liz and he just can't. Very touching scenes which stand out in this movie.


I did have some problems with the movie. The big one was character development. There isn't a whole lot in the film. Now that I think about it, there wasn't much at all. We never truly find out the history of the characters and why they are the way they are. We learn where Hellboy was found and how. We never learn about his growing up living in secrecy, we never learn about Abe's past, all we get for Abe is about 3 lines which are supposed to leave us satisfied. For me, Abe turned out to be my favorite character in the movie, and apparently the woman behind me liked him too cuz she simply couldn't shut up about him.

Unfortunately, he was only in the movie for a short while. The movie shows us a glimpse of Liz's past, but nowhere near enough. The scene also seemed forced into the film, and didn't really fit in. We never hear any backstory for John Myers. All we are told is that he's transferring from the FBI. Nothing else. Another big problem for me was the lack of plot.

There didn't seem to be one, other than finding and killing Rasputin and the demon creature thing. There needed to be something more. The movie felt short, and perhaps they couldn't fit enough into the length, but I would have rather sat through a longer movie with a good plot than a short movie with hardly any. Maybe Guillermo and co. didn't know how the movie would fare and decided to keep it short and sweet to save money, after all who would have thought Ron Pearlman would be the leading man in a big budget movie?


Kroenen owned the screen at all times! He was brought to screen as fucking badass. He stole the show with his presence in every scene. He is the modern day Darth Vader. Hell, he's even got the breathing down. God I hope we get some deleted scenes on the dvd with just Kroenen kick ass. This is a movie that people MUST see as it is going to be one of the better comic adaptations that Hollywood is putting out, as they continue to rape all of our childhood heroes by having them dress in crappy looking costumes and making dumb ass casting decisions *cough*halle berry as catwoman*cough*. But thankfully we have people like Chris Nolan and Kevin Smith who will be putting together good comic book films. Hellboy rocks. Go see it.


Harry, keep up the awesome work on the site.

-BoogiePop



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    Readers Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 1:46:28 PM CST

    i

    by cuervojones

    and i

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 1:48:08 PM CST

    Did anyone catch those two NY and L.A. preview showings this wee

    by terry_1978

    Damn my Indiana residence...I keep hearing mixed reviews about this thing, I gots to see for myself!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:00:15 PM CST

    hellboy

    by seahawk

    i wanna see it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:04:48 PM CST

    Here is the review I sent to Harry...

    by frank black

    Not quite as extensive as the ones posted, but more of my initial gut feeling...

    Harry,

    I

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:31:52 PM CST

    Worst Movie EVER

    by mpfanatic

    I got to see this movie in class On thursday night and had a Q&A session with Del Toro and Ive got to say that this was one of th worst movies I have ever seen and thats a lot for me to say, I like everything I liked Daredevil and Even Batman and Robin this is by far 10 times worse than Batman and Robin. PLEASE DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It was not funny, it made no sense continuity wise, it didnt explain anything the effects sucked IT BLEW

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:34:03 PM CST

    SERIUOSLY WORST MOVIE EVER

    by mpfanatic

    There are about 400 people in my class which is taught by Leonard Maltin and the whole class was groaning, when the flick was over people walked out to the bathroom and all you could hear were comments about how aweful the movie was, Maltin had trouble asking Del Toro and his crew questions because he knew it sucked too, and he usually never has trouble asking questions I was HUGELY dissapointed

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:34:43 PM CST

    Chronicles of Riddick = Matrix Reloaded; Hellboy = League of Ext

    by prof. pop-cult

    Well?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 2:50:41 PM CST

    Batman Forever - best comic book movie ever??

    by iamjacksuserid

    Jesus god NOOOOO!!!! Not only one of the absolute worst comic book movies, but one of the worst movies period of all time! You did, however, redeem yourself in my eyes with your mention of Ghostbusters, if that's any consolation.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 3:15:11 PM CST

    I wanna see Hellboy

    by bane

    I'm not expecting too much from this movie. Never read the comic so no nitpickiness coming from this movie. Trailers look okay, but not enough of Pearlman in them. Look, for those complaining how bad this movie is.....let's just face it its a COMIC BASED MOVIE!!!!!!! These movies aren't artsy-fartsy, potential oscar winners or super-deep. They are big money blockbusters that allow you to escape reality for about 2 hours. Hopefully it will be closer to Batman, X1 and X2 and Spidey than Daredevil and Batman and Robin.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 3:17:56 PM CST

    Oh Please, this movie did not blow by a long shot, what are some

    by the founder

    This movie was good, not great or the end all of comic to films. It's was quite entertaining, and I'll be seeing it again.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 3:28:38 PM CST

    Whose bright idea was it to show the Behemoth in the recent comm

    by terry_1978

    I was waiting to be surprised by it when I go to see the movies, bloody marketing showcasing all the damn money shots so soon.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 3:56:46 PM CST

    SAVE HOWARD STERN

    by notchjohnson

    SAVE HOWARD STERN. Don't let the "Hillbilly Taliban" religous right steal our right to free speech. SAVE HOWARD STERN. First, they came for Howard Stern, but I didn't listen to Howard, so I didn't care. Then they came for Kevin Smith. But Kevin Smith sucks now, so I didn't care. By the time they came for my "Alien vs. Predator" DVDs, there was no one left to speak for me. STOP THE ONCOMING WAVE OF CENSORSHIP. SAVE HOWARD STERN. Notch out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 3:59:47 PM CST

    Still not convinced...although I do believe that first review

    by gere's assgerbil

    It all just looks so ridiculous in the trailers. If it's so funny, why aren't they showing that in the advertisements? I'm still predicting Hellboy to get stomped on by the Rock next weekend.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 4:03:11 PM CST

    George Lucas

    by mevsme29

    George still fucked up Star Wars

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 4:15:23 PM CST

    No way

    by billemic

    There's no way The Rock will beat Hellboy. Walking Tall is just not a strong enough film. The bad-ass Nazi with blades from the Hellboy TV spots is 10x cooler than anything in The Rock's movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 4:27:22 PM CST

    Hell's NO. ARGHHH! NYC Loews

    by fartboy

    Where to begin.

    I too was at the NYC loews premiere (along with five close friends). Theater 13 in case anyone doubts it, selma and ron in front for like 2 minutes (filmed for dvd), spotlight on them, fucked up projection on screen for first five minutes, "big" for girls and "white chicks" were previews.
    We are a mix of comic book freaks who (collectively) loved spider-man, LOTR, and x2 in terms of geekness -- HATE the star wars prequels (though phantom menace is alright). Anyway, Hellboy suffers from fanboyitis.
    It's all style over very little substance. What's good about this film? The special effects, makeup, and visuals. Abe Sapien is also a wonderful realization of pure imagination. I want to see a movie about him. Alas, he is only on screen for ten minutes.

    Kroenen (sp?). The single-most badassed badass since Vader. Think Darth Maul/Vader mixed with Spider-man and Wolverine.

    Ron Perlman also gives an alright performance as hellboy but this is not saying much.

    Who is Hellboy? Wolverine without the charisma or heart. He a friggin asshole who has as much charm as Vin Diesel. If you like Vin Diesel, you will love Hellboy.
    If you like Emeril Lagassi, you will love HEllboy. If you liked every friggin bully who kicked you in ass when you were a kid, you will love Hellboy.

    Problems:

    1)plot -- there is none. After and astonishing opening sequence (think the end of raiders with a touch of the opening of x-men and saving private ryan) the film falls flat.

    2)music -- WHY have dawson's creek music disrupt an otherwise classical score. Think daredevil soundtrack.

    3)weak characters. All we see is effect -- no cause. Why are these slug creatures gonna invade earth again?

    4)can't decide if it's camp or serious. I wish it had been serious because the camp is just not funny. I hate one-liners!

    5)violence against women. You know how selma blair uses her powers at the end? Someone has to slap her in the face. SOMEONE HAS TO SLAP SELMA BLAIR IN THE FACE for her to use her superpowers? Great message for the pg-13 crowd. What's next, kickin wonder woman in the ass for her to use her magic lasso? Grow up Del Toro.

    6)PLOT HOLES GALORE.

    If you NEED to see a movie that is 20% awesome but 80% ass (with great special effects), see hellboy. If not, save it for the astonishing Eternal Sunshine.


    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 4:44:34 PM CST

    Ads are not great, movie is good.

    by bdt

    I saw the movie in Austin before I saw the TV ad. (I did see a kick-ass trailer, though). Recently, caught the TV ad for Hellboy and immediately thought how it didn't seem to capture the spirit of the movie at all. However, I hate trailers that show all the good parts of a movie and then go to the movie to find an extended version of the trailer with no surprises.
    If you don't like the ads, don't form your opinion on the ads...go see this movie. It is totally enjoyable and entertaining. Although I am not familiar with the Hellboy novels
    the movie did appeased my love of comic books by capturing the look and language perfectly. Those who complain about plot gaps... often, when I pick up a comic book, it is part of a series that starts within it's own frame of reference and history. The success of any individual comic book or graphic novel, for me, is how immediately I connect to the characters and their dilemas du jour. Often there is much more to the story and plot than I know, but the gaps in my knowledge don't bother me....sometimes they even make it more fun, 'cause I have to "fill in the blanks" with my imagination. Some of the FX, although entirely acceptable, weren't the best I've ever seen, but, had they been much better, they may have overwhelmed the story and characters (as often happens in this kind of movie).
    One last thought....as I said, I saw the movie in Austin. I had to meet someone in the lobby when the credits started rolling. Ron Perlman walked right past me to go outside for a breath of fresh air and then back past me into the theater for the Q & A. I was impressed by his demeanor and body language... he seemed kind of anxious about the film and if people liked it. He is a big guy and definitely had a "presence", but at the same time, he seemed vulnerable, like he really cared, about his performance about the efforts and hard work Guillermo del Toro, and like he was hoping everyone enoyed the movie. When he walked past me back into the theater, and I watched his back disappear through the theater doors, he reminded me of Hellboy going to meet Liz. This is a wonderfully-crafted movie. The concept, he visuals, the writing and the performances all came together under the direction of del Toro. When I saw it, I just had a good, old-fashioned truly fun movie-going experience. The kind I had when I was a kid. It is the kind of magic you'd think some of these TBers had forgotten how to experience. Too bad for them.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 5:20:20 PM CST

    Picked up Hellboy #1 last week

    by archduke_chocula

    and thus zapped all the money out of me, was it worth it?

    Hell fucking yes......now I must pick up #2!!!!!!

    and rob a bank for #3,4, and 5

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 5:37:53 PM CST

    Leonard Maltin is a bitch and should not be teaching anything!

    by jon e cin

    I am fucking glad I am not in that class..geez..

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 5:55:38 PM CST

    Water me then!

    by frank black

    I wish I was a plant, and I'm sure the way my review comes off is why Harry didn't use my review, but I'm just a regular guy. I'm surprised people didn't like the movie because I thought it captured the Hellboy mood perfectly. I wasn't crazy about Blade 2, so I had my misgivings, but after the "Devil's Backbone," I was sure he could pull it off, and he did. I think people are honestly really, really jaded. Hellboy is a really unique character with wit and charm and the movie has a lot going for it. What I want to know is why Star Wars always leaks into these talkbacks? Can't people judge movies on their own merit? It's like every one is trapped in the mindset of a 13 year old. Who cares whether people like or dislike Star Wars? There are so many movies that came before Star Wars that were fun and cool like "The People That Time Forgot," "Island at the Top of the World," and all of the Sinbad movies. People need to expand their horizons a little.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 6:01:29 PM CST

    raping my childhood...

    by yeah i'm a jerk!

    is it just me or does anybody else feel their childhood being raped everytime the teen titans cartoon comes on cartoon network. dammit, slade's codename is "Deathstroke"!!! and starfire is supposed to be hot! the sailor moon reject is not hot, and has pupils in her eyes. did the animation team even bother to read the teen titans comics? anyway i hope hellboy lives up to the hype. and batman forever? god i hated that crap.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 6:33:10 PM CST

    I loves me some George Lucas smackdown

    by iamlegolas

    Oh, and HELLBOY will own you all. You'll be scrambling for the nearest comic books store afterwards, buying up all the comics so you can tell lie to your friends "Yeah I read the comic way back when...", bring on HELLBOY 2 !!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 6:47:12 PM CST

    Teen Titans

    by billemic

    I haven't watched an entire episode but every time I see a clip or even five minutes of the show, it convinces me that I *never* want to watch an entire episode of Teen Titans. It's like they took the worst aspects of anime, bastardized the Teen Tians concept, and put it in a Powerpuff Girls blender. But the new comic book - written by Geoff Johns - kicks royal ass and is more than worth checking out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 6:51:30 PM CST

    I have negative people...

    by spectrebeeyatch

    These guys who are claiming the movie blew and etc. These guys are most likely asses from other studios or the guys who helped make LXG and are just pissed off someone made a much better movie than they did.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 7:08:38 PM CST

    hey mpfanatic

    by payton 34

    Thanks for you intelligent insight. Why with your misspelling and truly remarkable sentence structure you have truly enlightened us all. The fact that you actually paid for a class taught by Leonard Maltin (?), well that just speaks for itself.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 7:54:13 PM CST

    Why I don't listen to you

    by maulrat

    Because you went to film school... wanna make movies? find yourself a story.. no documentaries because they're too easy.. if its that hard to find a story... steal someone elses, or get someone with some personality to write a story for you.. pick up a fucking DV camera (cheapest option) and go shoot something or someone worthwhile.. but until then, you know dick about making movies until you have something down.. and noone I know in th efilm world will listen to you because a) you were taught by the single most irksome film critic in recent history, a man that makes me want to watch Ebert.. but mostly b) because you went to film school and still don't have anything down... the sheer complexity of making a motion picture, especially one with layered special effects, is often missed by most viewers and critics, which is probably WHY Harry and co like most things that pump out of Hollywood. I've got a friend who was a film student and now he's busy planning his first film about unemployment.. a topic he knows quite a bit about now.. problem is of course that while he learned how to create a film, he never did enjoy the finished product.. he never had a passion for it.. my first short film (which was utter garbage) had more heart and better production and cinematography.. (and he freely admits that) he saw it as an assembly line as opposed to a creative outlet.. and he had no respect for the process until he was faced with it... so... pick up a camera, lay something it down with it... produce it yourself.. then I will listen to you, and then I will take your attempt to stop me from watching something like Hellboy seriously.. Just letting you know.

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  • Mar 28, 2004 8:50:42 PM CST

    Shopping at the EnigMall.

    by bdt

    trailer. teaser trailer. TV ad.
    The point of the best of the above is to make one feel really excited about a movie or even the idea of a movie without knowing too much. (SKY CAPTAIN..... comes to mind).
    Enigmall is right, though, ads and Trailers are a different animal, not a movie itself. And let's face it, the most money for advertising has no correlation with how good a movie is or even a hit movie and is certainly not an indication of whether I will like something. Most of the time, a trailer is a concoction from the studios and how much money they are willing to spend hyping something and may not have any connection to vision of the director. But, don't you get excited when you see a really, really good trailer?
    BTW, excuse my ignorance, but what is an "ASS CHICKEN" and if there is such as thing, why no "Ass Chicken Soup for the Soul? The Wit and Wisdom of AICN Talkbacks" Or is ass chicken a concept so gross, I don't really want to know? Okay, I'm sorry I asked.

    Hellboy is cool. See it and judge for yourself.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 8:52:02 PM CST

    Hellboy character origins, and a bit of Teen Titans

    by toonimator

    Titans first: No "Deathstroke" is probably a Business Standards & Practices decision. A character with "Death" in the name? The creators of the show may have simply anticipated BS&P nixing the character's alias, and opted to go with his real first name instead, or it may've hit during storyboard reviews. Only they know. Leave it alone. And the cartoon can't really become the comic. The "classic" Teen Titans of the Wolfman era (which I've admittedly not read... dammit DC, put out cheaper softcover editions of the collections!) had a big cast of characters, and loads & loads of drama. It was the X-Men of DC, as many have stated. It was a big ol' superhero soap opera. The Titans cartoon is not that, can't be that. It wouldn't fly. Most cartoons can't get away with having continuity, let alone storyarcs, even though 13-episode seasons is roughly equivalent to a monthly comic book. They COULD, in theory, be true to the source. But that source has BAGGAGE. One problem with adapting most DC comics is they take place in the DC universe (same can be said for Marvel, too), and to be "true" to the source, you'd have the inevitable crossovers popping up, references to events that take place in other titles, mentions of various superheroes & villains that aren't really part of that book's cast. So the best way to handle it is to set it apart. Titans does that well, not depending on the shows that came before, but still able to include the DCU (Speedy, Aqualad, references to Batman) without getting too crazy. ///// anyway, back to Hellboy. Specifically, Hellboy origins. What we got in the film, for those who haven't read the comics, is near-exactly what we've gotten over the last 10 years in the comics. Abe's history is the same in the comics, except we see the abandoned lab he's found in, and the broken suspension chamber next to his intact one. That's it. One other scene from his past shows up during the "BPRD - Hollow Earth" miniseries, where he recalls his first encounter with Hellboy, while BPRD scientists have got him wired up in another tube, conducting endless tests, feeding him fish while never cleaning the tank (there's fish bones & heads floating around him). Hellboy hears of it, says it isn't right, even defys Prof. Bruttenholm to rescue Abe because he remembers going through tests growing up. So he says "That's enough", pulls Abe outta the tube, and takes him out for a ham sandwich. As for Liz, her origin's a BIT different. Her power first manifested in a big explosion (no "not again!" bit), but as the result of a neighbor kid making fun of her ponytails. That was it. "Hollow Earth" also gives us her first encounter with HB, where she's in a room being monitored from a two-way mirror, a dude in a hazmat-ish suit is bringing her meal of sandwich, milk & apple, while she yells for him to stay away, it's not safe, what happened, how many people did she kill, why won't anyone talk. She reaches for the man, but he freaks & runs away. HB walks in, sits down, she says "Aren't you afraid I'll burn you?" and he says "Nope" as he hands her a Tootsie Pop. "Abe Sapien vs. Science" MIGHT have some more inner monologue of Abe's history, but I'm fairly certain he's revealed no memories before being found under that hospital. Plot development's a bit "off" in the film, but that's largely due to the mish-mash of several HB stories. Rasputin doesn't even reveal why he's aiding the Nazis until "Wake the Devil", where the aftermath of the summoning is shown (he & the Nazis weren't in the ruined church, they were elsewhere; no portal, nothing. The whole ceremony was to summon Hellboy, only he arrived where the Americans were). So Rasputin's telling off this Nazi commander guy, saying that his ceremony was a success, and it's not the Third Reich that he was truly helping; there'd be no place for them in the new world, the new reich he'd just enabled with Hellboy's arrival. He DID want to unleash armageddon, ragnarok, free the Ogdru Jahad (7 gods of chaos in the film; 7 beings who are One, the Dragon, in the comics). Hellboy's got the crown of fire, his horns are often accelerated in growth when powerful demons/goddesses/etc gain power over him and/or force him to confront what he is. But Mignola's left a LOT of it vague. We don't see much of his youth, eiher (in the books, he's fully grown & working as a field agent 8 years after his arrival). We see his first taste of "pamcakes" in a brilliant 2-page story. His 2-year old little self, with a few whiskers already, tasting & loving "the pancake" causes hordes of demons in Hell's capital city to scream in despair. Then we get another one in an issue of "Hellboy: Weird Tales" where a still-young HB & his dog Mac find the hangar containing the alien ship found in Roswell, and some of the goo leaking from the ship (or the aliens? I forget) is lapped up by the dog, who turns into a big mutant monster who runs amok, until he pukes the stuff up :) Loads of fun. All the Hellboy books are great. It's "Buffy" in a way, horror, action, comedy and some VERY campy moments. Great one-liners, very unique. Lots of great glimpses of folklore from around the world. And monkeys. Cyborg apes, gun-toting chimps. Odd non-sequitr appearances by aliens. Lovecraftian god-demons. Monsters. Goblins. Fairies. Changelings. Pig-creatures, ancient Egyptian gods in mongrel form, living Iron Maidens, giants made out of human fat, vampires, werewolves, harpies, zombies, Nazis, pulp heroes come to life, mermaids, bog witches, chicken-foot huts, flying vampiric-type heads, dragons, ghosts, wizards, demons... all in a light-hearted beautiful package. The stories aren't really "serious", and aren't meant to be, but the comic as a whole, the ideas, the presentation, that can be taken seriously as a work of art. It's a great example of comic storytelling, lighting, color, fun. Whether or not you enjoy the movie, the comics are NOT to be missed. But you'll probably enjoy the movie even more if you've read some of the books.

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  • Mar 28, 2004 9:18:43 PM CST

    Really cool, Toony

    by bdt

    Hey, thanks for the background on the character, Toonimator.
    It was informative and fun reading. Now, does one obtain the Hellboy series only at a collector's shop or can one purchase them at any bookstore that sells these things?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 9:53:43 PM CST

    Can any "reviews" on this movie ever be objective?

    by johnny storm

    Harry has mentioned several times that the director is like his brother. And everybody knows that Revolution (like every other studio) floods these sites with bullshit reviews and plants. I hope Hellboy is as good as this site says. But from people I know at the screenings it's a mixed bag. Some love it and some thought it was the stupidest thing they've ever seen. I'm sure the truth is somewhere inbetween -- not that you'll ever get that here.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 9:59:40 PM CST

    The Punisher

    by alwaysthere

    Looks far better than this movie with HORNboy. And I seriously hate the actor that looks at the comic books, look back at HORNboy and with a shocking look on his face says: "HORNboy!".

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:00:18 PM CST

    Calm down, fartboy

    by terry_1978

    So Liz gets slapped...those kind of occurences happen in comics, it's not that huge of a deal, and it doesn't make me some kind of wife beating psycho because I don't freak out over it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:08:38 PM CST

    Selma slappin

    by billemic

    Yeah, although I don't see why they *had* to have Selma slapped to get her to use her powers, I don't think it's a big deal, and anyone who says "There should be no violence against women in films - EVER!" is a little off...And I sincerely doubt that Punisher will be nearly as good as Hellboy. From what I've heard, Hellboy is pretty much a direct translation of the source material...while any fan of The Punisher will tell you that the filmmakers got it way wrong from the looks of the trailers. The Punisher is NOT a hero.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:22:13 PM CST

    It'll be interesting to see what the REAL reviews for Hellboy ar

    by felatiohornblowr

    'Cause let's face it, AICN is not at all objective about this movie. I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict a thumb's up from Ebert. I also predict that since MGM moved up Walking Tall, Hellboy will have a nice bite taken out of its opening weekend.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:25:49 PM CST

    Plants

    by mr bullseye

    The talkbackers never amaze me. I was called a Miramax plant when I reviewd Cold Mountain, so now Im a Revolution plant. I guess it is out of the question that someone would like the movie. Yeah I must be getting paid for it. Its not my fault I didnt run out to see a bad movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:25:59 PM CST

    mpfanatic, Leonard's class loved this film!!!

    by artofwar

    You really missed the bus on this one, didn't you? First of all you are completely disqualified from making any judgements on this film by admitting that you actually liked Batman & Robin AND Dare-Devil!!! Maybe it's time to reconsider your major. I saw the screening too and everyone I was sitting next to LOVED it. Maltin saw the film before he screened it and that's precisely why he showed it to his class, what an honor for Del Toro to have his film selected for a USC film class screening. Are you sure you were at the right movie?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 10:33:59 PM CST

    Maltin

    by billemic

    As much as I'd love to go to film school, I don't think I'd be able to sit through a class taught by Maltin. Has anyone ever watched his syndicated television show? Probably not because it's basically unwatchable. Ebert at least seems to have a soul.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 11:09:36 PM CST

    Mimic and Blade 2

    by vizzini

    Were both really crappy, but SOMEWHERE in them, i see a good director, or something good, Hellboy looks nice, im very much looking forward to it.

    Oh, and Blade 1 was amazing btw! :)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2004 11:47:58 PM CST

    FARTBOY is an asshole, and so is 90% of the anal talkbackers on

    by rcamacho2278

    So I too saw the hellboy screening in E-walk theatre 2. First off I want to say to anybody else who went, are you amazed at how the theatre fucked up with the lines? I Was there at 4:30 and asked where the lines are in the movie and they said there were none. We stood in the lobby till 5:30 and they just said we could go up at 6:15 but outside a line started for hellboy to go around the block. I was one of the first to get in because I pretented to wait for Chevys that mexican restaurant but it was a MADhouse and totally disorganized. Nothing like 14th st.
    Anyway I wanna say something about white chicks. Reverse racism is Stupid and unfunny. Im spanish, and this movie looks offensive. I hate the wayans they are NOT funny. Marlon wayans single handedly ruined a Cohen bros. movie in Lady killers. And the makeup they use looks like Leatherfaces girlfriend. It's that kinda shit that needs to stop being made .
    Now about the movie, I really can't see how people can complain about a movie thats meant to be just a fun ride. They talk about plot and want things to make sense but Do they EVER in a comic book? No man just enter the world and have fun, but 90% of the talkbackers here are complete anal assholes who will find anything to bitch about and I wonder why these people even go to movies. they should find another hobby if they can never find satisfaction in a movie, And I can tell that the same people that are complaining about hellboy are the same ones complaining about every other movie that comes out,. yet they are STILL watching movies and BITCHING.
    To fartboy, You don't like the fact that salma blair had to be slapped to use her powers? Violence against women? you are the definition to an anal asshole who looks to find fault in the most simplistic things. She could'nt use her powers, she could'nt control it, but getting hit sets her off, Kinda like how maybe your girlfriend snuffs you in the head and you never like that cuz it reminds you of how you got snuffed in school for being such a pussy.
    SIMPLE.
    BITCH....
    I had a friend complain that the movie could have done without that funny corpse who would trash talk and he said it made no sense and they didn't need him cuz they found their way around anyway,. I was like DAMN dude your freakin ANAL, DID HE MAKE YOU LAUGH?? then how the fuck you gonna say it was a waste and the movie could have done without???


    the movie was FUN. B stuff well worth 10 bucks for 2 hours.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 12:48:16 AM CST

    selma's slap: gratuitous and unecessary

    by fartboy

    Anyone trying to justify this is just plain stupid. Give me ONE other classic superhero/action/friggin awesome fanboy movie where the FEMALE LEAD has to get slapped to use her powers. It's simply bad taste -- especialy to female viewers (of which I am NOT). It's dumb, offensive, and has no place in a movie of this sorts (for anyone who hasn't seen the film, selma can't control her powers so she asks her partner to slap her in the face). Amazing how everyone seems to be barking at me because I advocate NOT slapping women for the sake of getting your jollies off.
    Pretty disturbing (and immature) if you ask me.

    And as for "white chicks" being racist -- it is. Then again, so is: "soul man" -- white guy in black face, "breakfast at tiffanys" -- mickey rooney in yellow face, all the charlie chan movies -- white guy in yellow face, "short circuit" -- white guy in brown face, "dennis the menace 2" -- carrot top in brown face, "memoirs of the invisible man" -- chevy chase in brown face, Jaime Kennedy Experiment -- Jaime Kennedy playing an overweight black women, the list goes on...

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  • Mar 29, 2004 12:57:36 AM CST

    You'll all see

    by mpfanatic

    I am not a plant and yes I was at the same class you were dude, 90% of the class hated the movie, it sucked you will all see

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 1:05:42 AM CST

    this film doesn't suck -- it's just not that good.

    by fartboy

    It's a rental at best. In terms of comic book/fantasy movies (the only movies you can really compare it to), its somewhere in the middle of the pack (i.e., better than the crapfests "spawn" and "batman and Robin" but NOT better than "Batman Forever" -- which says a lot). If you like special effects and a kickass henchmen (with a very lame exit), see this film. Love it, whack off to it, do whatever it is that makes you happy. And yes, for the record, EBERT LOVED IT (i.e., the same man who gave "Spawn" 3 1/2 stars loved "HELLBOY").

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  • Mar 29, 2004 2:11:46 AM CST

    I'd say the first Batman was the best comic book movie. Batman f

    by theginger twit

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  • Mar 29, 2004 2:32:39 AM CST

    Is Warner Bros. ever gonna release the extended cut of Batman Fo

    by gere's assgerbil

    C'mon already. We're in the age of DVD extras, so bring it on. With all the focus now on Batman Begins I can assume we'll have to wait a good while longer. I might revise my prediction on Hellboy later this week. Watching TV tonight I saw no fewer than three Hellboy ads and zero Walking Tall ads. They could very well buy a number one opening, but given the impression of the film made by the commercials, I wonder if they wouldn't be better off just saving their money.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 2:41:35 AM CST

    Sensitive fuck heads bitch about salma being slapped but probabl

    by rcamacho2278

    Gimme a fucken break, this is exactly the kinda shit im talking about. Sensitive fuck heads taking a little thing in the movie and blowing it up. So what you think salma can only use her powers when she's slapped. Well did you think of what happens when she's slapped you dumb shit? She fucken kills everything in site. So maybe if you werent so fucken anal you could say, Damn, She shows that if you slap a woman you better watch the fuck out cuz she'll burn the mother fucker.
    but no, your just a dumb shit bitch who gets his kicks from nit picking good movies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 3:32:56 PM CST

    The Hulk

    by cerebud

    Bruce Banner needs to get slapped around sometimes to become the Hulk. It's not unheard of. I think you're a little too sensitive about this Selma Blair thing...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 9:20:57 PM CST

    Extended cut?

    by billemic

    There's an extended cut of Batman Forever? Yikes. The only scene I remember being cut was the one that explains Two-Face's escape from Arkham.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 10:41:08 PM CST

    mpfanatic, you're pathetic

    by artofwar

    90%? Are you sure you can count that high? You're just another sorry loser who hates everything except crap aren't you?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 29, 2004 11:47:30 PM CST

    None of you fucking cunts are fit to utter George Lucas' name

    by indiana clones

    You scrawny pieces of shit. Lucas owns you forever.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2004 3:41:49 AM CST

    Hellboy: hell, boy, it could have been better

    by dano

    What sucked about it was that it could have been better. This is a response to the rabid fandom of the spectrebeeyatch ilk and Storm guy. Mr. Storm, I respect your concerns. And Mr. spectrebeeyatch, you make a great Republican. My geekcreds is that moviewise, I loved X-men, hated Batman and Daredevil (not just 'cause of Affhack), thought Spiderman was servicably good. That Keanu is playing John Constantiine is a fittingly sad, pathetic sign of Hollywood hip casting killing decent source material (although the Newcastle "story" was a letdown enough to give up on that comic completely, anyway). I pray the dumass studio execs never try to do the Watchmen. Never read Hellboy. So.
    The "Hellboy" movie story-- it only sucked at the end. It looked great. Played good enough, without suprises, for five reels, and was a HUGE disappointment because of a tepid, typical, all-CGI, no soul climax. How fitting for a place called Hell. Fine popcorn, and satisfying for anyone who thought Daredevil was cool. For people who like butter- *not* topping- on their popcorn, be prepared to be unimpressed.

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  • Apr 02, 2004 2:10:57 PM CST

    HELLBOY, HELLBOY, HELLBOY, HELLBOY!!! -- WHAT DO YA SAY, COMIC

    by jdanielp

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 02, 2004 8:55:30 PM CST

    Geez, this site hyped up hellboy too much

    by getgo

    After reading reviews and all this talk about hellboy on this site, i went ahead and watched it the other day. Story-line was so-so, movie was kinda long, and there were too many flaws. (SPOILERS) First, the pyro girl can make her body burn into flames, but her clothes don't burn off (not even in the past when she was a little girl), hellboy's resistant to heat yet when he unknowingly touches his hot horns he gets burnt, regular guy gets whacked in the head by a sledgehammer and is still okay, and hellboy and a monster fight and fall really, really deep underground and they end up in the subway (subways aren't that deep underground). So, this is a "watch once" movie.

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