MOVIE CHAT: HELLBOY

Welp, just got back from the premiere. I'm too tired to do a review tonight, but will try tomorrow night. I'll tell you real quick about being there though...

We got to walk down the red carpet, and guess what? Not ONE press person took our picture, LOL! We said hello to Ron Perlman, who was very nice, and I saw LeeLee Sobiesky (sp?) waiting on line for the girls room. I thought I saw Joe Dante ahead of me at one point, but when I went to go look for him in his seat I couldn't find him...so I'm not positive it was him. It looked like his hair though, and he has very distinctive hair. Said hello to Cabin Fever director Eli Roth (had a feeling he would be there, he's such a fan boy!), and sat next to this guy:
http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/photoal..._as_bletch.gif

When he got up to talk to some friends, I asked his son...I know your dad is in a movie I have in my DVD collection that I watch all the time...what movie is it? Of course, Independance Day. I said, oh yeah! I LOVE that movie, but a couple of my internet friends by the name of Reved and Fozzy think its a piece of crap! Ok, I didn't really say that to him. But I whispered it to my left. Anyway, we sat with some really fun college aged guys who all have parents in the industry, and talked about all the other superhero movies for half an hour before the film started. (Which was the best part of the evening). We laughed our butts off. The actor's kid should be a pro comedian. The ushers were walking around giving out all sorts of free food...between us we had ice cream and popcorn and sodas and hot dogs and liquorice and milk duds! LOL! I didn't think to save the Hellboy popcorn bags or drink containers..they were just paper, but maybe I should have. [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img]

Ok, tired now, must sleep, lots of meetings tomorrow!

Well get some sleep so that you can post a review later on today. I mean i'm still going to go see it friday, but I don't mind hearing a few spoilers beforehand. [img]wink.gif[/img]

Here's what the VIP passes looked like!
3.75 x 8.75 hard glossy plastic! Nifty! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

http://members.aol.com/rcktctyrcrds/HELLBOY.jpg

I never said ID-4 was crap! Sure, it shoulda been written to be more than WAR OF THE WORLDS in the present day, & the comedy should have been toned-down (couldn't stand the crop-duster-drunk who becomes the hungover-hero in about 10-minutes flat). But it seems to be the Devlin & Emmerich WAY, considering their other team-up movies.

PLEASE tell me HELLBOY doesn't turn into League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen with supernatural rather than mythic 'heros', please... [img]graemlins/gulp.gif[/img]

Though, with a statement like this -

Quote:

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...talked about all the other superhero movies for half an hour before the film started. (Which was the best part of the evening).

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">am led to believe the movie didn't impress you.

<font color="#339900" size="1">[ March 31, 2004 01:22 PM: Message edited by: reved ]</font>

"PLEASE tell me HELLBOY doesn't turn into League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen with supernatural rather than mythic 'heros', please... "

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Yeah, well kinda. I bought "League" the other day btw, I didn't mind it as much as everyone else, apparently. And I thought it was slightly more texturally interesting than Hellboy, sorry to say. But it least it was WAYYYYYY better than The Hulk.

Hellboy is not a bad movie. As I feared, it mines as much of Brian Singer's originality as it possibly can. I felt like I had seen the movie already. It borrows a lot from X-Men...not the big action scenes, but the more backgroundy parts that are just part of the overall atmosphere.

I never read this comic, so I can't speak on how "faithful" it is, I can only comment on it as a stand-alone story and in that respect it is not all that unique. Some of the religious iconicism had me rolling my eyes. It could have been ANY symbol at the climax of the movie...I wish they had used a different one.

We did get our quick "origin" tutorial at the beginning (similar to X-Men 1), but other than that we are inserted into the middle of a story. It isn't hard to follow, but we're missing a part of the tale (Selma's part) that may have been the most interesting bit.

Selma Blair was darling and beautiful. Ron Perlman seemed slightly miscast by comparison. His signature character is one of soft spoken, quiet power, and that is indeed what he played here again. However, in a comic book action movie, one expects a little more VAVOOOM coming off the lead actor. His vibe was just kinda anti-climactic. Everytime there's all this carnage exploding around him, he just mopes through it, grumbling, "Oh, yeah, this is my job, it's what I do." yawn.

There's an amphibious character...I was so distracted by how much he was a carbon copy of C3PO, that it took me a while to realize it was the voice of David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane from Frasier). His imitation was so identical, you gotta wonder if he'd been practicing it since he was a child.

John Hurt was the soul of the movie. His appearance was altered enough that at first I thought it was just a guy who looked like him a bit. Nice transformation.

Jeffrey Tambor played Ron's government nemesis. I thought it was odd that Tambor was taller than Perlman throughout the film, I would have stuck an extra 3 inches in Ron's Frankenstien boots meself.
Strange casting in Tambor, didn't really work for the character.

The best bits were the comedic ones, and they seemed like they were spliced out of a different movie, and somewhat forced to boot. It looked like they were not exactly sure what kind of movie they were making. If you listened to the director's speech before the film started, he spoke that he had this incredibly strong unwavering vision that took him 5 years to bring to fruition. Maybe so, but it really doesn't LOOK that way.

The music was nothing more than exactly what you would expect. The sound effects often drowned out the dialog, and the theatre had the volume so loud I had to watch the whole thing with tissues in my ears.

Eh, I give it a C+ to B-.
It needed more cats.
Looking forward to hearing your take on it!

I never read HELLBOY comics, so don't know what stature HB has besides being stocky in a trenchcoat. But Ron Perlman is 6'3", difficult to find someone noticably taller. A nemesis would likely be shown larger than a 'hero', give the demon some form of handicap against his foe, if only height. Sounds like a committee-meeting choice; with Tambor standing on a few phone-books during face-to-face encounters.

OH NO!! I totally despised League-oEG! ...See? I don't even want to spend the time to write-out the full title anymore! [img]wink.gif[/img] SFX over acting & story.

COMEDIC bits?! I miss the 70's & 80's so damn much... When grim movies didn't feel the need to 'lighten-the-mood' with silly banter jokes & stereotypical characters added for chuckle-purpose only.

NO! I wasn't kidding! David Hess really did a couple of guests spots on that show. (this whole April Fools Day thing just pisses me off)

And, Tambor wasn't his ENEMY. I'm sorry, I used the wrong word. If that were the case I would agree with you. No, he was just the inevitable whiny goverment bureaucrat, they were actually supposed to be on the same side. It would have worked better if he had been 5'6", rather than taller than the HERO!

Eek. Just with your use of the word 'inevitable' in that sentence, sounds like a throwaway-character, a stereotype we could do without. A name added just to fill-in the cast-list.

I'm too farkin' narcissistic, dammit! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Maybe this weekend.

GAWD!! "But it least it was WAYYYYYY better than The Hulk." Don't put it like that!!! That's like saying Jurassic Park was WAYYYYYY better than TOHO's Godzilla vs. Mothra movie...

And shucks. Sounds like Ron Perlman just got to reprise his role from City Of Lost Children with prosthetics. ...remembering earlier Perlman work in some 80's 'Beauty & The Beast' TV-series... AAHHHH... He wasn't in MANIMAL too, was he?

<font color="#339900" size="1">[ April 01, 2004 12:27 PM: Message edited by: reved ]</font>

Quote:

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Originally posted by reved:
He wasn't in MANIMAL too, was he?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No, that was David Hess.

[img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#339900" size="1">[ April 01, 2004 12:55 PM: Message edited by: rocketmaster ]</font>

Oh, you've gotta be shitting me!

(Today, am disbelieving everything I hear, so time to check IMDb... [img]wink.gif[/img] )

Thought so, it was Simon MacCorkindale. Nice try. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<font color="#339900" size="1">[ April 01, 2004 01:07 PM: Message edited by: reved ]</font>

C'mon. In these types of films, when isn't there some foot-stomping bureaucratic little jerk whining about the hero not following "the rules"?

M'kay, it's not April 1st anymore. I meant the main actor, Simon = Manimal, not David Hess in guest appearances (which I haven't checked-out yet anyways).

Well. Fozzy said he was going to see Hellboy on Friday. WHERE'S OUR REVIEW FOZ? What did you think?!

Where's my review??? Hey, let's remember that I don't have the internet at home so the only time I can reply is when I get into work. [img]wink.gif[/img] hehe

OK, i'd give it a 3 (out of 5). And yes Tambor was miscast in that part, although I did like that they left him in the underground. Did you notice that bit after some of the credits rolled??? I agree with RocketMaster that it's all been seen and done before and much better. Perlman seemed to be sleepwalking thru the movie. The movie borrowed, as RocketMaster mentioned, from the
X-men movies as well as the Angel tv series for it's "feel". I will say that I enjoyed this more than Blade II, another Del Torro film, but it was no where near as good as Cronos. I like Selma Blair, but she also seemed to be going thru the motions in her role, although I get the feeling they didn't give her alot to work with.

'Hellboy' Topples the Rock at Box Office

By DAVID GERMAIN
.c The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A wisecracking demon from hell took down The Rock for the weekend's box-office title. ``Hellboy,'' starring Ron Perlman as the comic-book superhero with red skin, horns and a tail, debuted as the top flick with $23.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Rock's ``Walking Tall,'' a remake of the 1973 vigilante-justice tale, opened in second place with $15.3 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, ``Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,'' fell to No. 3 with $15.1 million, lifting its 10-day total to $50 million.

The weekend's other new wide releases followed: Disney's animated cow tale ``Home on the Range'' at No. 4 with $14 million and Julia Stiles' love story ``The Prince and Me'' at No. 5 with $10 million.

Having five movies pull in $10 million or more is a rarity for early April, typically a slower time at theaters. The range of movies left something for all audiences, from G-rated family adventures to teen romance to violent shoot-'em-ups.

``This weekend was like the classic movie-goers' weekend. You had all these different genres represented,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. ``If you wanted lots of choices, they certainly were there for you.''

The overall box office rose for the sixth-straight weekend. The top 12 movies took in $114.5 million, up 40 percent from the same weekend last year.

That string of up weekends began with the blockbuster debut of Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ, which continued to hold strongly. ``The Passion'' came in sixth with $9.9 million, raising its total to $330.1 million.

Distributor Newmarket Films expanded ``The Passion'' to 3,408 theaters, up about 200, in anticipation of a solid run through Easter next Sunday.

Hollywood's domestic revenues for 2004 are just over $2 billion, about 6 percent ahead of last year's.

That's a solid springboard for the busy summer season, whose May releases include the animated sequel ``Shrek 2,'' Brad Pitt's epic ``Troy,'' the vampire yarn ``Van Helsing'' and the end-of-the-world tale ``The Day After Tomorrow.'' Following in June are ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' and ``Spider-Man 2.''

A cult attraction compared to better-known comic books such as ``Spider-Man'' and ``X-Men,'' ``Hellboy'' managed to draw a broad audience with its mix of dark humor and nonstop action.

Perlman plays a demon raised by a loving adopted father (John Hurt), who grooms the hero to work for a government paranormal bureau disguised as a waste-management operation.

The movie presents a working-class hero fighting for good despite his demonic pedigree and wistful longing for the affection of a beautiful colleague (Selma Blair).

``He's a plumber. He rides around in a garbage truck. How's he supposed to get the girl?'' said Tom Sherak, a partner in Revolution Studios, which produced the movie for distributor Sony. ``You think of the title `Hellboy,' you think of the end of the world, but it turns out to be a fun movie.''

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

1. ``Hellboy,'' $23.5 million.

2. ``Walking Tall,'' $15.3 million.

3. ``Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,'' $15.1 million.

4. ``Home on the Range,'' $14 million.

5. ``The Prince and Me,'' $10 million.

6. ``The Passion of the Christ,'' $9.9 million.

7. ``The Ladykillers,'' $7 million.

8. ``Jersey Girl,'' $5.1 million.

9. ``Dawn of the Dead,'' $4.4 million.

10. ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,'' $3.6 million.

OK, i've seen five of the top ten movies. Anybody do any better than that?? [img]wink.gif[/img] hehe

This was posted on the board over at the official Hellboy website by Del Torro.

"I am so happy. I feel really delighted with our weekend. Just last friday there were a lot of naysayers that kept predicting we would do between 15-18 mill at the box office. Others kept saying that the critics were never going to get the movie etc, etc... Well, the movie connected with the audience and -in spite of direct competition from other movies- made a whooping $23.5 million dollars opening weekend. #1 position and with an increedible critical reception. VARIETY, NY TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, WALL STREET JOURNAL, JOEL SIEGEL, LA WEEKLY, etc, etc, etc As a matter of fact we rated around 7-3 positive reviews or over in all media. The only high-profile negatives I could spot were Roeper and USA Today. This from a movie that costed almost the same as WALKING TALL with no "marquee name" star and adapted from an "unproven" comic book. I feel very happy and hope you feel the same way. Most of you bguys have been along for the ride. It's not over -not yet- but we have reached port safely and happily. We are starting editing the "EXTENDED EDITION" which features around 20 minutes more of material (mainly focused on relationships) and new VFX. As I write this I feel the overwhelming need to say "Thank you" to each and all of you guys."

How the heck did you find a bootleg DVD of this movie??!!! Did you take a trip to NYC and buy one off the street?

Heh, there are newsstands & grocery-stores around here that get batches of bootlegs of the latest movies usually about 3 or 4 days after opening day. They sell for $7, the price of an evening theatre ticket. They're only good for getting a taste of the movie though, as picture quality is just a little bit off (usually someone in the back of the theatre with a camera & tripod opening day).

I saw a bootleg of Dawn Of The Dead 2-days after I watched it in the theatre, and the matinee I attended was the first showing opening day.

Heh, decided to watch a bootleg DVD of the movie before deciding to spend money on a theatre ticket.

For the character, believe Perlman was the right choice of actor. Always restraining himself from his demonic heritage, it's understandable he'd be quiet, on the brink of boiling-point. Thank gawd his "real name" didn't turn out to be "ONE"... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Except for the WWII "intro" being identical to Magneto's nazi-backstory in X-Men, found the whole movie was a LOT more reminicent of MEN IN BLACK, fighting paranormal rather than alien enemies. Using disinformation & ridicule so the populace won't believe in the NJ garbage-truck-driving paranormal police, rather than zapping witnesses with a Neuralizer-flash.

See exactly what you meant about Tambor's character though. I had to wince at the moment of 'bonding' when Tambor showed HB how to properly light his cigars. [img]graemlins/gulp.gif[/img]

Another wince-inducing moment was HB battling the 'thing' in the subway. Nobody in the background had a face, lots of running & screaming in all directions, pandemonium, EXCEPT for the one girl who just happened to forget a crate of kittens on the floor. "My kittens! Save my kittens!" BLARGH... Yea, believe HB had an affinity for cats in the comics, but it seemed forced in that scene, overbearing, driving-home the same way John Williams soundtracks pound ya over the head to get an emotional response.

del Toro is friggin' delusional. Why would the studio want to release two versions of THIS?! He's lucky if they let him blabber through ONE commentary.

Still, he couldn't POSSIBLY give a worse commentary than Paul Verhoeven! You ever try listening to his commentary of Starship Troopers?
"Reel burgs, CG burgs, reel, cg, reel, cg..."
Only thing that could possibly redeem Starship Troopers commentary track is if you could hear Verhoeven snorting lines of coke continuously...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-...000verscar.jpg

<font color="#339900" size="1">[ April 14, 2004 01:08 PM: Message edited by: reved ]</font>

From the Superhero Hype website...

Hellboy writer and director Guillermo del Toro tells Video Store Magazine that he is planning two separate DVD editions for the film.

"The first edition is going to be a double disc hopefully, and the second edition is going to be a long cut of the movie, 20 minutes added, and you add a third disc to it," del Toro said. "I think you have the chance of the more casual fan just buying the first one, and the guy who really is hardcore going for the second one."

The extra scenes will develop subplots with one of the villains, Rasputin (Karel Roden), and a love triangle with Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Agent Myers (Rupert Evans). In the film, there is only one scene where Sherman and Myers seem to be developing a romantic relationship that makes Hellboy jealous.

"There is a little subplot that was taken from the movie that involved Rasputin's eyes," del Toro said. "That adds a layer of strangeness and beauty to him. There are more scenes between Selma and Rupert, and there's a little bit more of being able to follow those subplots. I feel that they couldn't be in the movie because the theatrical cut has to be a cut that moves to a pace that any casual fan or nonfan can enjoy, and the DVD is hardcore."