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Tenemos nuevo concurso, oh my god. De cara al estreno de Hellboy II: The Golden Army, cortesía de UIP, el Salón del Mal tiene para entregar a sus maléficos lectores una espectacular figura de colección, poleras, jockeys y afiches oficiales de la película. Debido a la magnitud del premio, para este concurso deberán ser creativos y como todos saben utilizar sus dedos para teclear.... tendrán que hacerlo con un poco más de dedicación. Así que, en síntesis, deberán crear una breve historia de Hellboy en Chile, enfrentándose a alguna figura de la mitología nacional. (Para los vagos, pueden ver algunos ejemplos de personajes aquí)

Pueden crear una descripción a rasgos generales, un esquema guionizado con diálogos, ustedes deciden el formato. El único requerimiento es que su extensión mínima (o cercana) sea de una página de Word (o su procesador de texto favorito) en Times New Roman tamaño 12. BIEN escrito, dedíquenle  algo de tiempo. Para esta ocasión, pueden participar desde cualquier punto del país. Envíen su historia como archivo adjunto a DRMALO@TERRA.CL, con sus datos personales (Nombre, ciudad). Los premios a repartir pueden encontrarlos después del salto.

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Hasta el próximo miercoles 27 de Agosto.

Assisti Hellboy 2 por estes dias, e como sou um fã tanto do personagem quanto do diretor, eis aqui um pequeno review sobre o filme.

Hellboy 2 - O Exército Dourado (como deve ser traduzido aqui no Brasil) tem lançamento previsto para 5 de Setembro de 2008,  faltando quase vinte dias para isso o filme já pode ser encontrado na rede há uma ou duas semanas em uma qualidade formidável.

Dirigido pelo já famoso Guillermo del Toro, conhecido por diversas outras obras que incluem A Espinha do Diabo, Labirinto do Fauno bem como o primeiro número da franquia, este segundo filme segue a sequência de fatos apresentados no primeiro filme. Hellboy ainda faz parte do Departamento de Defesa Paranormal bem como seus amigos Abe Sapien e Liz Sherman. O diretor do departamento continua tendo seus conflitos com o vermelho de uma forma mais atenuada, porém com certa ligação paternal.

A história em si não tem muito de interessante para os que não tenham muito interesse pelo personagem e pelo universo ali apresentado no primeiro filme, ela segue uma lógica simples de um mundo oculto que vive junto ao nosso, mas que nossos olhos muitas vezes não podem ver. Criaturas fantásticas como elfos trolls e goblins existem, mas ao contrário de Harry Potter (antes que façam por si a referência) os elfos neste filme tem uma certa semelhança com o Senhor dos Anéis.

Os Elfos são uma raça de humanóides longevos que parecem ser os reis das criaturas ocultas. No passado teriam convivido pacificamente com os humanos até que um vazio existente em nossa espécie, chamado no filme de ganância, teria causado uma enorme guerra que somente foi interrompida quando o rei elfo Balor aceitou a criação do Exército Dourado pelas mãos de um ferreiro goblin.

O Exército por si era invencível, totalmente sem coração ou piedade, o que fez com que o remorso do rei apertasse ao ver a destruição que estava causando. Dessa forma um pacto de não agressão é feito entre homens e criaturas sobrenaturais que envolve a divisão de uma coroa responsável pelo controle dos construtos dourados. Após dividirem a coroa em três, os autômatos são guardados e escondidos pelo rei, sendo ele aparentemente o único conhecedor da localização.

Uma das peças da coroa é dada aos humanos, enquanto as criaturas das trevas permanecem com uma, dessa forma ninguém mais poderia usar o exército dourado indestrutível novamente.

Milênios se passam, chegamos ao presente dia onde o Príncipe Nuada resolve aniquilar os humanos por alguns motivos não tão bem explicados, mas que são basicamente o domínio da raça humana sobre nosso planeta, para isso ele parte coletando os pedaços da coroa e tomando para si a localização bem como o controle do Exército Dourado.

A história segue num ritmo tranqüilo, com alguns clichês que acabam por não empolgar e com certas cenas que poderiam ter sido mais bem editadas ou trabalhadas, uma fotografia excelente faz parte do pacote bem como um magnífico trabalho de pós-produção.

Ainda sobre a parte visual, notei aos primeiros minutos de filme um trabalho de maquiagem e efeitos especiais que fizeram, para aqueles que assistiram o Labirinto do Fauno, uma referência bem clara. Seja na técnica usada ou mesmo na textura das muitas criaturas apresentadas no filme.

A estética de Hellboy 2 consegue ser um mix do Labirinto e de Hellboy 1, cores claras e alegres são usadas de forma que este trabalho não caia na mesmice de coloração predominante de azul em ambiente escuros que caracterizam certos elementos dark, distópico e noir muito presente em filmes de temática mágica ou ocultista dos dias de hoje.

Se no primeiro filme tivemos poucas criaturas fantásticas, nesse filme temos uma grande coleção, pois a interação dos personagens com o mundo sobrenatural é muito mais intensa. Temos desde fadas dos dentes vistas de uma ótica bem particular (embora cruel) até mesmo um Golem colossal de rochas, que aparece em um momento muito interessante do filme, passando por uma comitiva de músicos bem peculiares.

Talvez o maior truque e momento do filme tenha sido a referência feita ao destino de Anung Un Rama (o nome verdadeiro de Hellboy) como a besta do apocalipse cujo destino não mudará. A cena no qual esse assunto é utilizado possui um dos personagens mais bem caracterizados do filme: A Morte.

Não temos uma morte clichê com foice, nem mesmo uma donzela que mostra uma bela visão da pós vida, mas sim uma criatura que se assemelha a princípios religiosos, fazendo uma referência a anjos caídos e a seres além de nossa compreensão. Novamente a estética adotada no Labirinto aparece, a morte possui asas não muito grandes repleta de olhos vivos e sinistros, o que lhe falta no rosto bem como no homem branco e magrelo do Labirinto.

Existe realmente um personagem que remete muito à plástica do homem pálido de pernas finas do, o personagem chamado Chamberlain aparece quando o príncipe elfo Nuada exige um encontro com seu pai, o cenário deste encontro dá a clara sensação de ser uma fábrica abandonada onde as criaturas têm de se esconder mesmo sendo uma realeza.

É inserido no time dos mocinhos um novo personagem, Johan Krauss, no entanto a personagem peca em carisma e em utilidade uma vez que parece apenas uma cópia de Abe porém etérea enquanto Abe mantém-se como um bom "Tritão" deste universo.

A ausência do rapaz bonzinho do filme anterior é sentida de leve. Colocado no primeiro filme para criar um conflito amoroso entre Hellboy e Liz, neste filme faz-se apenas uma pequena referência a ele. Se for um erro de continuidade ou mesmo se o ator não aceitou (ou pode) trabalhar nesta continuação não é de meu conhecimento.

O hotsite produzido para o filme é muito bonito, encantador visualmente, tem bastante conteúdo que nos revela a possibilidade de extras deslumbrantes num lançamento em DVD, porém peca pelo peso excessivo, peso esse causado pelo uso indiscriminado da tecnologia Flash.

Embora ainda tenha apenas conteúdo em inglês, no lançamento do filme em terras Brasileiras pode ser uma boa forma de expandir o conteúdo caso a empresa responsável traduza o hotsite, resta aguardar que mesmo com tamanha demora do lançamento por aqui (ainda mais nos presentes dias) o cuidado seja redobrado para que a obra tenha toda sua integração multimídia explorada.

Por fim o filme fica como recomendação aos que gostam do gênero de ação com toques emotivos e cômicos. Existem pontos românticos que fazem  função de roteiro que não apenas "amor empurrado goela abaixo" para vender o filme na realidade Hollywoodiana.

Sem dúvida aqueles que procurarem um filme de entretenimento com uma história razoável e uma estética fina de tamanho esmero encontrarão em Hellboy 2 - The Golden Army (Hellboy 2 - O Exército Dourado) uma bela obra para coleção e diversão.

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy.

Also Known As:
HBII
Hellboy 2
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Hellboy II
Hellboy Sequel
Production Status:     In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres:     Action/Adventure, Suspense/Horror, Thriller, Adaptation and Sequel
Running Time:     1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date:     July 11th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:     PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:
Dark Horse Entertainment, Lawrence Gordon Productions
Studios:
Universal Pictures
Filming Locations:
Budapest, Hungary
London, England
Produced in:     United States

IMDB link

Download:

http://rapidshare.com/files/137056034/4634361b24161bbefb493e59c9ea2dbc8821f177

http://rapidshare.com/files/137057521/52319d79d4aa2e2930c093bb5bcf419c63a86dd8

http://rapidshare.com/files/137058224/eab3c68351e76654bcfd0acfe4083adfec3dbaf5

http://rapidshare.com/files/137058650/d0fc10e652e1fcc8c8cdf7e88ca2bee32e92885c

http://rapidshare.com/files/137061802/6bf8cd9d34ec58cc1890af41474680847f2852a7

http://rapidshare.com/files/137062717/a692e4dda39d5894bf560dc024f52066e95e797d

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http://rapidshare.com/files/137064877/e0de88c9bd345b89fe62b80de23ccb580d3db91c

Hellboy II: The Golden Army tenía una buena carta de presentación en nuestra agenda. En primer lugar, la repetición de Guillermo del Toro en la silla de director nos impone cierto respeto ante una película de fantasía, pues ha quedado claro que el tapatío tiene una particular y única visión sobre lo que cuenta. De hecho, en la secuencia inicial, el mexicano nos antoja lo que tiene en mente con un armado visual que juega con nuestras más infantiles imaginaciones y, al mismo tiempo, nos presenta a los personajes principales de esta entrega. A manera de cuento -y en la voz de John Hurt, quien repite, por escasos 5 minutos, su papel de Dr. Broom- conocemos al Ejército Dorado que da título a esta película y al Príncipe Nuada, así como las razones de la guerra que están por iniciar. La cosa es que todo eso se queda ahí: en una promesa que Del Toro no supo cumplir. En gran parte, Hellboy sufre de dos problemas. En primer lugar, los actores parecen ahí puestos de manera obligatoria, por contrato y no por gusto. Selma Blair está totalmente fuera de lugar, a pesar de que su personificación como Liz Sherman en la primera parte fue buena, ahora se nota desbalanceada y ajena a lo que está pasando en pantalla. Es un retroceso brutal en su carrera, pues pareciera que estamos viendo a la misma Blair de A Guy Thing o The Sweetest Thing, con la única diferencia de que aquí maneja fuego. No hay más ese matiz que vimos en la primera parte. Doug Jones está aquí engrandecido. Pero no por su actuación como Abe Sapien (aunque también es el Angel de la Muerte y el Chamberlain, criaturas de la cinta y que Del Toro sabe que con Jones puede personificar casi lo que sea), sino por lo que parece un exceso de confianza o un ego enardecido. Abe Sapien pierde todo en esta película. La sensatez que el personaje poseía y que jugaba a ser contraparte de Hellboy, se ve opacada por una delicada y tambaleante historia de enamoramiento con la Princesa Nuala que parece metida con calzador en un guión aparentemente escrito al vaporazo. El único que parece estar más o menos en su media actoral es Ron Perlman, lo cual no es tampoco un punto positivo de la cinta.

El segundo problema, como lo podrán imaginar, es el guión. No tiene una dinámica de continuidad interesante, no está hilado para llevarnos de la mano a conocer la historia del Ejército Dorado ni los conflictos de los personajes. Medio se quiere tocar una serie de problemas que parecerían extraordinarios para desarrollar, como la aceptación, la paternidad, la xenofobia -línda crítica hecha por Guillermo del Toro a los medios de comunicación, eso sí-, el amor, el compromiso y el sacrificio. Había tanto por explotar con el proceso de adaptación a una vida en pareja entre Sherman y Hellboy o, por otro lado, tanto que mostrar con un Abe Sapien que asume el control de la agencia y ninguna de las dos cosas se lleva a cabo. Si en la cinta anterior el guión recaía en este rito de transición de niño a hombre que todos debemos pasar y en los conflictos de aceptación de uno mismo que se deben superar para evolucionar como persona, en esta nueva entrega, todo eso parece estar olvidado. Estamos ante la exhibición de la pobreza creativa y, como resultado, tenemos una película que busca posicionarse como cinta de acción trepidante pero que no logra encender más allá de la mecha húmeda que se apaga inmediatamente. Y lo peor es que todas las oportunidades argumentales no se desecharon para darle paso a un verdadero desarrollo del enfrentamiento de los antagonistas. El Príncipe Nuada parece un villano venido a menos de la serie Buffy, en lugar de representar este peligro absoluto que debería ligar a Hellboy con su pasado, sus historias, su infancia y sus más internos temores. O, por hablar de cuestiones más globales y de repercusión para la humanidad entera, no tiene el poderío que representaron Rasputín y Kroenen en la primera parte. Vaya, la presencia de Nuada no deja de sentirse como un simple pretexto para que Guillermo del Toro desarrolle una fantasía visual en la que explote sus más íntimos monstruos sin sentido o profundidad. Este guión parece de una película cualquiera de serie B, sólo con Hellboy y compañía como protagonistas. De principio a fin le falta ese subtexto que sí vimos en la cinta anterior. Y no es que falten motivos, porque hay muchos. Pero se quedan en el tintero y en la esperanza durante los 120 minutos que dura la cinta.

Visualmente no tiene ningún conflicto. Es más que conocida y aplaudida la capacidad imaginativa que tiene el director mexicano para crear un mundo en el cual poner su historia. Desde su primera película, con un presupuesto irrisorio, Del Toro ha sabido crear escenarios y contextos visuales que acompañen a sus personajes. Hellboy II: The Golden Army parece una de esas películas por encargo que Guillermo hace para conseguir financiamiento para sus proyectos personales. Ya lo vimos con Blade II y con Mimic. Pero parecía tener cierto respeto y cariño por el demonio rojo. Ojalá sea por cuestiones de encargo que esta cinta le quedó así. Porque si no, deberíamos estar preocupados todos, pues el siguiente proyecto del tapatío es The Hobbit -y su segunda parte, secuela que ni debería existir, a menos que vayan a partir en dos el libro, lo que se me hace igual de ilógico- y ahí Del Toro tendrá que llenar los zapatos de un Peter Jackson que supo poner a la Tierra Media en pantalla como nadie lo hubiera imaginado. El problema es que si lo hace como en Hellboy, la Tierra Media perderá mucho de su grandeza.

Calificación: 3.5 de 10. Y no tiene menos por lo visual y por un score relativamente bueno de Danny Elfman.
Recomendación: Esperen a que llegue a su canal de películas favorito. No gasten en ella.

Guillermo del Toro lo que hace con sus películas es conquistar nuevos territorios de la imaginación, asegurándose de que sea difícil para el espectador encontrar precedentes para los espectaculares escenarios y criaturas que constantemente llenan el encuadre, creando una sensación de inmersión que es difícil sacar de la mente ya saliendo de la sala. En especial la escena del mercado de trolls tiene la capacidad de darle a la audiencia una leve sensación de levantamiento sobre la butaca, como si el hecho de que están en un cuarto oscuro viendo una imagen proyectada sobre una pantalla fuera la verdadera fantasía irracional, ya que la “fantasía” que la cámara explora detenidamente es tan orgánica que parece mas bien capturada que creada. Del toro llega hasta a sacrificar la coherencia narrativa de su relato con tal de poder llevar al máximo su expresionismo barroco (la aparición tan conveniente de la muerte), algo que a pesar de todos los dogmas, el espectador agradece.

A pesar de todos los desvaríos que la historia toma, el tema constante de del Toro sigue firme: la fantasía en la realidad, y la realidad en la fantasía. Todos los mundos extraños que se visitan existen, según la trama, paralelamente al nuestro, incluyendo el mundo cuya rebelión dispara el conflicto del largometraje (aquí hay una suerte de discurso ecologista-anticonsumista, el cual la verdad no es desarrollado del todo…aunque también puede verse como una metáfora de la rebelión de la imaginación contra el rígido y hambrientamente expansivo mundo moderno) Esa es la fantasía en la realidad. Por el otro lado, los personajes presentados, a pesar de ser monstruos y por ende formar parte de estos escenarios fantásticos, son más humanos que la mayoría de los humanos que he visto en obras recientes. Se enamoran, tienen problemas de pareja, crisis de identidad (“You have more in common with us than with them”), envidia, celos, se llegan a identificar entre ellos a pesar de sus diferencias, se echan sus chelas mientras corean una cancion cursísima (en un magistral manejo de tono, del Toro nos da una escena que bajo la tutela de cualquier otro, hubiera dado pena ajena, pero que aquí brilla por su espontaneidad y naturalidad) y al final lo que mas quieren es ser amados, aunque no sea por el mundo, por lo menos por alguien mas como ellos. Esa es la realidad en la fantasía.

Ahora que va a dirigir “The Hobbit” (a mi en lo personal el libro me gusta más que la saga de los anillos), podemos estar seguros de que nos sentiremos chicos frente a la interminable extensión de la imaginación de Guillermo del Toro, que con este largometraje da prueba final de que ha asimilado sus influencias estilísticas para crear algo nuevo, dando paso así al término, “del Toroesque” el cual denota un estilo visual característico que nunca pierde su sentido de juguetona ironía (que mas queda por decir de una película que comienza con un doctor narrándole un cuento de hadas, ¡al hijo de Satanás!)

Mientras Hellboy 2: The Golden Army finalmente se estrenará por este lado del mundo a final de mes, por las tierras gringoides ya comienza a hablarse sobre Hellboy 3... Aun cuando la agitada agenda de Guillermo del Toro hará que la película no vea la luz antes de cuatro años. Precisamente, no hace mucho el director hablaba sobre la saga de “Hellboy” como una trilogía. La primera película sobre su nacimiento, la segunda respecto a sus decisiones juveniles y la tercera trataría sobre volverse adulto y enfrentar las consecuencias de esas decisiones. “La tercera sería sobre enfrentar tu destino, si algo así existe, y hacer la decisión definitivo", señalaba el mero mero.

La gente de MTV se acercó a Mike Mignola, creador del personaje, y le preguntó respecto a la tercera entrega. Así, se encontraron con "una pequeña disputa" sobre el objetivo del cierre de la trilogía:

"El problema es - lo que Del Toro me habló es que "Hellboy III" sería el final de Hellboy y es allí donde tenemos el gran conflicto. Mi versión de Hellboy en los cómics es una historia con un final, pero me tomará 15 años en llegar a el. Si él hace "Hellboy III" y es la muerte de Hellboy, me dejaría con el cómic a medias... pero yo no estoy terminado aún".

Si siguen leyendo, tendrán un pequeño spoiler sobre Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Están advertidos al respecto: "Mi Hellboy no va  a tener hijos", señala Mignola en contraste a la historia de la segunda entrega. "Mi Hellboy va a morir, pero yo quiero ser el que haga eso. Si del Toro hace mi final, no habrá muchas sorpresas cuando yo llegue al final del cómic".

En todo caso, Guillermo del Toro no ha señalado explícitamente que está buscando un final en donde el personaje estire la pata. No, y es que también el creador agrega que "no hemos pasado mucho tiempo hablando sobre cual sería su versión  de la historia, y tampoco gasto mucho tiempo pensando al respecto". Pese a ello la preocupación está en su mente y aunque el personaje del cine a explorado territorios que no ha trazado en su cómic, Mignola no puede sino pensar que del Toro está concluyendo la historia.

En definitiva, aunque el director mexicano tiene que preocuparse de "El Hobbit" antes de meterse de lleno a una tercera película, no hay nada definido y existen más dudas que respuestas, Mignola señala que si la cosa no termina como quiere, y su final es la mejor forma fílmica de avanzar "eso quedará entre del Toro, mi terapeuta y yo". Y es que "aun estoy haciendo crecer a Hellboy, no he terminado con el personaje aún".

Desde: Splash Page

Dirigida por Guillermo del Toro y protagonizada por Ron Perlman como Hellboy y Selma Blair.

The premise isn't particularly interesting (not to mentioned the flawed culmination) and the script isn't a gem either but what pulls this film through is the vision of writer-director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth). He picks out a story that allows him to stay true to the Hellboy mythology but also provides him with the scope to fill the film with wondrous visuals.

The strongpoint of both Hellboy movies is the exploration of the characters and their conflicts with an undercurrent of humor. The scenes depicting the humanlike aspects of these paranormal crime fighting creatures works really well in both films. Hellboy, Liz, Abe and even the newly introduced Klaus kept me happy. The conflict for these supercreatures is still the same. They are trying to fit into the world they inhabit and help but despite their efforts humans continue to reject them.

If you are put off by weird creatures, crazy insects and a lot of gunk, you might not like the Hellboy universe. Otherwise, I believe this is a worthy successor (in fact, it is a bit better) to Hellboy and will be liked by most of those who enjoyed the original.

P.S. Some critics have pointed out that the plot of this film is quite similar to that of the third film in the Mummy series that released this weekend. Judging by the savage reviews of that film, this would be a much better watch.

Usually if I don't see a movie a week or two after it's release, I don't make a point to see it...especially in the summertime, when the glut of movies can be overwhelming. But for Guillermo Del Toro, who directed and produced one of my favorite movies ever, "Pan's Labyrinth", I figured I would make an exception. So I drove all the way to Zanesville, OH to see it with my brother, the OTHER half of "Popcorn and a Soda" and once again, we were witness to another average film.

For whatever reason, a majority of the films we see together usually are disappointments. I don't know if I would call this movie a disappointment per se, but it definately didn't live up to the expectations that I had for it. Although I enjoyed the first "Hellboy", I wouldn't call it a classic. So this one kinda falls right in line with the original...but I thought the original was better.

Here's MY take on "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". Guillermo has a vision. And usually it has a lot of creatures in it. And unfortunately he spends maybe a little too much time working on the monsters and not enough time developing the script. Although no "X-Files", I have a hard time with the overall theme of this movie and that is "love". Yes..."love". A love between Hellboy and Liz. A love between Abe (the fish guy) and a princess. The love of mankind. The love of the fable world of fairies and trolls and mythical creatures. Lots of love everywhere. And it gets a little old after awhile. Plus...when the highlight of a comic book action hero movie is a fight between the main character and a giant plant, you know ya got some issues. And that is what happens here.

And once again, I'm all for special effects, but they can't carry a movie (the first couple of "Harry Potter" films proved that theory. They got MUCH better once the effects became more in the background) and the creatures of this film almost overwhelm every scene that they are in. Character development of this film is somewhat stagnant, even with a surprise in the storyline about Hellboy's future and an addition character that I found to be interesting (he's made of a "mist" that can leave his suit at anytime). And an additional disappointment was "The Golden Army" of the title. Basically a bunch of giant robots that get very little screentime and didn't justify their name in the title. Also the main villain, who looks like he could have come from any of the "Blade" films, was very weak.

Overall I think this movie will do just as well on DVD. Nothing to rush out and plunk down $10 for...

Overall Raiting: C

The Mrs. and I had a much needed date night yesterday.

We grabbed some food at this fancy mexican restaurant called Chipotle. :)

Went to Half Price Books to find some baby books for fathers-to-be (me!). I bought Scott Mactavish's The New Dad's Survival Guide. To my surprise, HPB had three brand new copies of The Prisoner: Volume 4, on DVD, of which I was missing (yay!), but decided not to buy (boo!). I also passed up the chance to buy a used copy of Norwegian black metal band, Dimmu Borgir's, World Misanthropy DVD for only $15 clams (double boo!). My frugality can be disgusting sometimes.

Finally, we cruised over to the multiplex and watched Hellboy II: The Golden Army. We both loved the first one and were excited to see the latest installment. There wasn't another single soul in the theater when we walked in and I was able to sit exactly were I wanted to; bit of an A/V snob. It appears that everyone else on the planet was too busy watching that other movie, The Dark Knight.

In a nutshell, I thought Hellboy II was visually stunning (in the vein of Pan's Labyrinth), had some great dialogue, but the seemingly never ending action sequences began to grate on my eyes and ears. The fantastic musical composer, Danny Elfman, provides an amazing sounding score. Go check it out!

It's just stuffed full of beautiful images: stills from the film, conceptual drawings for gadgets, monsters and characters, storyboards, early mock-ups for some of the character prostheses. There's also copious notes from the people involved in the production, an informative introduction from Guillermo del Toro himself and a complete copy of the final shooting script.

So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at some photos I took from the book. If they look funny, blurry or oddly lit, it's from me and not the book itself. It's really hard to get well-lit photos of glossy pages.

Oh, and if you haven't seen the movie yet, then I suggest you don't look at any of the photos after the jump because they could be considered major spoilers.

(PHOTOS AFTER JUMP)

There's just so much good stuff in this book that I really can't do it justice here.

This is just fantastic.

You can see more from the book via this cool page-flipping technology HERE.

Oh, and here's its Amazon.com listing if you want to go ahead and buy it now. You should do that.

Release: 11th July, 2008 (US) / 22 August, 2008 (UK)
Dir: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt

Improving on the original Hellboy was never going to be difficult (and I was a fan of the original), but The Golden Army has done well.

I found it to be just as endearing, brutish and crude as the lead character and it definately had a certain charm to it. Not for the most serious of people, I can understand it's short comings in both plot and dialogue but as long as it's viewed with an open mind and a good sense of humour, this film will not disappoint.

del Toro has brought in some fantastic visualisation and character design, similar to those of his celebrated Pan's Labyrinth as well as the inspired choice to cast Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth McFarlane as the voice of Hellboy's new boss Johann Kraus - "a disembodied ectoplasmic spirit with psychic abilities who maintains a tangible form via a containment suit".

In a sense, it's a shame that the character and comics aren't as established as the likes of Superman/Batman/Spiderman et al, and that people are going to expect the same kind of epic special effects and budget as that is what's expected now with the comic > film genre.

It was great to see more involvement from the character Abe and also a higher standard of acting from Selma Blair whom I'm non-too impressed with for the most part of her acting career.

It's set up for a trilogy, and I can only hope that for the comic's sake that it fulfills where both this and the original fall short and finally does the franchise justice.

I went to go see Hancock while in Tennessee on July 5th.  It wasn't exactly what I was expecting and while it wasn't a super awesome blockbuster it was enjoyable.  With that being said if I knew then what I know now I'm petty sure I would have waited for it to come out on video.  Another great idea for a movie where they rely more on the special effects than the story itself.  BUT, still good, just not as good as I was hoping for.  Not disappointed, just not thoroughly pleased.  They left it wide open for a sequel, but I'm not sure if they will.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  If they do decide to make a Hancock 2 I'll be waiting for it to come out on DVD. ;)

I got to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army while at home in Arizona on opening day, July 11th.  I wasn't the biggest fan of the first Hellboy movie, but I liked it.  I found it to be theater worthy, but just barely.  Well guess what folks... it turns out that Hellboy II is even better than the first.  This is such an amazing trend as of late (sequels being better than the originals).  Hellboy still hasn't attained the comic book movie quality of a Marvel (Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men...) movie, but it seems to be gaining momentum.  Hellboy II was also left wide open for another installment, and I see no reason for them not to do this one.  I'll be standing in line of opening day for Hellboy III when the time comes. :mrgreen:

Sorry guys, no rage reviews this time around.  Two good movies, but only one good enough for the price of admission, and that's only if such movies are your cup of tea.  If you're thinking of going to see one of them, I suggest Hellboy II be the one. ;)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, I was expecting greatness, especially because I was a marginal fan of the first film. Hellboy 2 wasn't bad and it wasn't great. I'd say it had more potential to be great than it did to be bad, but fell short.

There is a strange level of attempted comedy, most of it actually succeeded. The attempts at dramatic romance were painful. An example of this would be a horrible fight/lovers' tiff, which left me thinking "why the hell am I watching this?" Then, shortly after, Hellboy and Abraham are drunk and singing their woes - that was funny.

I think the previous juxtaposition of scenes serves as a pretty accurate metaphor for the film: the good was always followed by the bad and then followed by the good.

At moments I would be thinking film was awful and then I would think it was great - it's a roller coaster of despair and enjoyment.

The one thing this film really has going for it was that it set-up, very well, sequels and I mean that in the best way possible.

B-

NOTE: I am not a Hellboy graphic novel reader, so I was looking at this film solely as a film.

and then... I saw The Dark Knight and I felt like I had been baptized anew in a fire fueled by angel hair. It is honestly one of the best films I have EVER seen. Only twice in my life have I left an entertainment event with the feeling I left Batman with last night.

The Golden Army begins when an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken; Hell on earth is ready to erupt. Hellboy 2 tells the tale of a ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below, defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Its up to the planets toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red, he may be horned, he may be misunderstood, but when you need the job done right, its time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman), and the B.P.R.D.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) will travel between the surface world and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal, along with his expanding team pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones), and protoplasmic mystic Johann Krauss (James Dodd), the newest member of the BPRD. Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who is accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

A slip-up results in the F.B.I. being forced to reveal the existence of BPRD to the general public. Brash old Hellboy doesn't play well with the public, which only increases the instability of his already-turning-rough relationship with Liz. However, fellow paranormal Johann (who is a sort of ectoplasmic spirit held within a very special containment suit) is far better with the public -- and with Liz, apparently. But in the end they've all got to come together to fight Prince Luke Goss (son of the Woodland King), who, with his army of ghouls, faerie, and the like, is attempting to resurrect a golden army once controlled by his father. .

Taken from:
Link

But that's not what I wanted to blog about. Instead, I've come to praise Yorick Brown, not to bury him.

Remember what I wrote a couple of days ago about Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men? Well, Joss is not the only sadistic bastard out there writing comics. Enter Mr Brian K Vaughan, who recently finished his long tale of a man, his helper monkey and a world full of women.

While I enjoyed all ten volumes of Y: The Last Man (the final volume just came out), the series isn't perfect. There are moments when Vaughan missteps. The plot could do with some tightening. And the hook and setup are so breathtakingly big that it's almost impossible for the ending to satisfy fully.

Warning: Here be spoilers!

The story strand that perhaps worked least for me was Alter's trajectory. She's intriguing to begin with, but Vaughan didn't seem to know where to take her. She ends up as someone who cannot cope and, as an alternative to suicide, tries to get someone else to pull the trigger by being an all-round homicidal bitch. We've had similar motifs with Hero, with 355 (although more subtly, perhaps) and even with Yorick. It doesn't help that there are entire issues that seem to forget completely about her.

Regardless of that, though, issues 58-60 are heartbreaking. 355's death (apart from a flashback to Yorick's intervention in an earlier volume (Safeword) that didn't work as well as it should have) is done beautifully and practically wordlessly, to devastating effect. Pia Guerra's simple yet effective art is at its best in the facial expressions: 355's final look at Yorick, his silent exchange with Alter, and his face as he looks up at Hero, unable even to begin to express what has happened.

Issue 60 is a tricky one: with its "60 years later" conceit, it could easily have fallen flat. And there is something alienating about seeing a world where most of the familiar characters are absent and Yorick appears to be an old, white-haired loon in a straightjacket. My first reaction to the final issue was one of feeling at a distance from the guy we'd just accompanied for several years through a post-gendercidal world, where before he'd always been the ideal screen for all us white, somewhat nerdy male Lit majors to project ourselves onto. But with every flashback filling in glimpses of what happens during the 60 years in between the last two issues, Vaughan hooked me more and more.

At first I would have said that the best, worst moment of the issue is Ampersand's death, euthanised by an old Yorick wanting to spare his friend the pain. It's a simple, touching farewell to a character who, with his Eeps and Cheeps has become as much of a person as any of the human characters. This was topped, though, by the silent, moving last three pages, as our escape artist Yorick gets out of his last fix. Vaughan and Guerra handle it perfectly, giving us and the characters just the right note to end on.

So, on that note: Thank you, Brian K Vaughan. Thank you, Pia Guerra. Thank you, Yorick, 355, Dr Mann, Beth, other Beth, Natalya and, of course, Ampersand. It's been a terrific journey.

And if you break my heart again, Mr Vaughan, I will do real damage to you with the Absolute Sandman vol. 3.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/

This review contains minor spoilers

I wouldn't call the first Hellboy a great film, but I thought it was decent and I enjoyed watching it. I also love Guillermo Del Toros visual style so I thought that this sequel would be at least good for an above average time. Unfortunately I was mistaken and ended up with a film that was pretty dissapointing and not really worth seeing in theaters. It had the occasional redeeming moment but all in all it was not the most enjoyable film. It's so hard to understand though, Del Toro is a phenomenal director and the actors are talented as well. I think where the film failed was the writing, it had an amazing premise and some cool ideas but it was bogged down by needless and annoying attempts at drama and awkward character development.

I'm going to talk about the good parts, since only pointing out flaws is never as much fun and the few things I liked may be enough for some people to warrant spending the ticket price. The best part of the entire film was the character of Prince Nuada, played by Luke Gross. He looked cool, Gross' acting was perfect for the role, and his fight scenes were some of the best I've seen this year. I enjoyed almost every single scene with him in it, and they actually held my attention extremely well - especially the fights which as I sort of said already, were amazing.

I also enjoyed Selma Blair, both her acting and the character itself - except perhaps when she was chanting to herself about fire. I'm going to take a short break from the good bits just to say that the rest of the cast was not very enjoyable, but it may just be my opinion - but then again this entire blog is mostly my opinion.

The art direction and cinematography were all amazing - but that's to be expected from Del Toro. There were some very interesting shots and angles in this film, which provided somewhat of a relief from the story itself. The film just looked really cool; Del Toro has a knack for creating amazing worlds and awesome looking creatures so this film was great to look at - even if it lacked somewhat in substance.

So the film had its moments, it wasn't all bad and I did enjoy parts of it, but overall it was dissapointing and I wouldn't recommend seeing it in theaters. I think if you really liked the first film, or just want to see more of Del Toros visual style than it may be worth renting, but otherwise it's probably better just to avoid it.

Ron Perlman returns in the title role in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

(CNN) -- Will Smith's Hancock wasn't the first superhero with bad habits and a bad attitude. Hellboy, the protagonist of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," has a bit of the devil in him: His skin is red; he has two shorn-off horns on his head, a gargantuan club fist and a long, slippery tail.

He also has a down-to-earth side: a fondness for Cuban cigars, Mexican beer, TV and candy. He has a short fuse and he'd like a little appreciation for his efforts, please.

He deserves it, too.

This rank outsider isn't a billionaire like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. He's not even a scientist like Bruce Banner. He's more of a working stiff, a slugger with a gruff manner and a stogie in the side of his mouth -- but he wants to bat for the right team. (According to writer-artist Mike Mignola, the character was inspired by his father, a cabinetmaker.)

Hellboy -- or "Red" to his friends -- has switched studios since his 2004 big-screen debut, from Columbia to Universal. Not that it shows. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro is still pulling the strings, and the key creative personnel are all back, including Ron Perlman in the title role, Selma Blair as the pyrokinetic Liz (now Mrs. Hellboy), Doug Jones as the piscine Abe Sapien (the brains to Red's brawn), and -- behind the scenes -- cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and art whizzes Stephen Scott and Peter Francis.

Between them, they conjure up one hell of a creature feature.

"Hellboy II" boasts a dazzling multitude of imaginary beings: the deceptively delicate tooth fairies (so called because they eat bone, with a fondness for teeth in particular); the elfin king whose antlers grow out of his head to form a crown; the plantlike forest god that collapses into a strangely beautiful floral mulch right under the Brooklyn Bridge; the magnificent Angel of Death, an old crone who unfurls her wings to reveal a sparkling set of eyes (an avian variation on the creepiest creation in the acclaimed "Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro's last movie).

Then there's the redoubtable Johann Kraus, an officious but in many ways admirable German who only exists as a vapor trail -- except when he's bottled up in an ingeniously modified, but still splendidly archaic, deep-sea diving suit.

When a filmmaker can invest even a puff of smoke with so much chutzpah you know he's on to something. It's wonderful to see del Toro let his imagination run rampant like this. iReport.com: Did you see "Hellboy II"? Share your review

The plot concerns an ancient race that's determined to wage war on humanity, but it's secondary to del Toro's amazing characters.

The Mexican director's first Hollywood movies ("Mimic" and "Blade II") were far less distinctive than his Spanish-language films: "Cronos," "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth." You couldn't really call "Hellboy II" an advance on the latter -- "Pan's" was nominated for six Oscars and won three -- but it's obvious he relishes this material. It's pulpy and hammy and unashamedly lowbrow, and del Toro has the confidence and power to make it his own. The film feels very free, loose and (unusually for a special-effects picture) improvisational.

An outsize personality such as Perlman is in his element here. Even when the wisecracks fall short -- there are an awful lot of "ass" gags -- they are closer to the grubby, subversive impulses of the comic books than the over-hyped, market-tested, industrial-strength blockbuster adaptations Hollywood churns out.

It's not for nothing that the central tension running through this movie is Red's anarchic streak, his sometimes irresponsible need to be his own man in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the "X-Men"-like institution where he works) and in his marriage. Scratch the surface, and this is a film about love and loyalty, figuring out where your deepest bonds lie.

Highbrows may damn "Hellboy II" as a "comic book movie," though even they would have to grant that its wonderful idiosyncrasies indicate brilliance. But it's more than that. Hellboy does so much growing up over the course of these 110 minutes, we may have to call him "Hellman" from now on.

Let's hope Universal stays the course and gives us that opportunity. People as creative as del Toro and his gang need all the support we can give them.