Special effects carry 'Hellboy 2'
By Bruce R. Miller, bmiller@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Sunday, November 09, 2008
If you're a "Sopranos" fan, you just might want to dip into what's left of the 401k. Tuesday, the complete series arrives on DVD.
No, there aren't missing scenes that would help explain the ending. But there are plenty of violent family scenes to make your Christmas look tame in comparison.
Studios are releasing "treasures," too. Disney has Donald Duck and Annette Funicello tributes. Paramount salutes Audrey Hepburn and Warner Bros. celebrates its holiday and war films.
Want something a bit newer? Try "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the man behind "Pan's Labyrinth," the new installment tosses out so many odd characters it's like spending a weekend at the "Star Wars" cantina.
In many ways, del Toro's work has stronger ties to the original George Lucas trilogy than the three prequels produced just years ago.
"Hellboy 2" is filled with so much, it seems like we wandered onto a new planet and have to run just to keep up.
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is one of a handful of aliens charged with helping the FBI. Other weird creatures are threatening the world and, naturally, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is required to keep the peace.
Hellboy, a red hunk with a mean temper, just wants to crush some bones. His girlfriend (Selma Blair from TV's "Kath and Kim") and best friend (Doug Jones) persuade him to do otherwise. They track the bad guy (who looks a lot like a Harry Potter villain) and win the support of the guy's sister.
The Earth opens, the skies part and the battle begins.
"Hellboy 2's" special effects don't just unfold, they spill out. No detail is spared. Even Lilliputian creatures get del Toro's full attention.
And Perlman? He's a fun guy who finds laughs in the oddest situations. Considering he spent a handful of years as the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast," he's well-equipped to make Hellboy a full-bodied guy. When he's protecting a baby from an unctuous creature, he's at his ironic best.
More "Hellboys" are obviously on the way. But this franchise (based on a graphic novel) would be ideal on television. It has the campy humor of "Batman," the appeal of "Star Trek."
Also this week:
TV: "7th Heaven," season seven; "Cosby Show," complete series; "Mind of Mencia," season four; "Scrubs," season seven; "Sopranos," complete series; "Streets of San Francisco," season two; "Walt Disney Treasures: Chronological Donald, Mickey Mouse Club Presents Annette"
Film: "301"; "The Apprentice"; "Beer for My Horses"; "Boys in the Band"; "The Hanoi Hilton"; "JFK"; "Quo Vadis"; "Roman Holiday"; "Sabrina"; "Star Wars: Clone Wars"; "Sunset Boulevard"; "This Christmas"; "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage"
No, there aren't missing scenes that would help explain the ending. But there are plenty of violent family scenes to make your Christmas look tame in comparison.
Studios are releasing "treasures," too. Disney has Donald Duck and Annette Funicello tributes. Paramount salutes Audrey Hepburn and Warner Bros. celebrates its holiday and war films.
Want something a bit newer? Try "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the man behind "Pan's Labyrinth," the new installment tosses out so many odd characters it's like spending a weekend at the "Star Wars" cantina.
In many ways, del Toro's work has stronger ties to the original George Lucas trilogy than the three prequels produced just years ago.
"Hellboy 2" is filled with so much, it seems like we wandered onto a new planet and have to run just to keep up.
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is one of a handful of aliens charged with helping the FBI. Other weird creatures are threatening the world and, naturally, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is required to keep the peace.
Hellboy, a red hunk with a mean temper, just wants to crush some bones. His girlfriend (Selma Blair from TV's "Kath and Kim") and best friend (Doug Jones) persuade him to do otherwise. They track the bad guy (who looks a lot like a Harry Potter villain) and win the support of the guy's sister.
The Earth opens, the skies part and the battle begins.
"Hellboy 2's" special effects don't just unfold, they spill out. No detail is spared. Even Lilliputian creatures get del Toro's full attention.
And Perlman? He's a fun guy who finds laughs in the oddest situations. Considering he spent a handful of years as the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast," he's well-equipped to make Hellboy a full-bodied guy. When he's protecting a baby from an unctuous creature, he's at his ironic best.
More "Hellboys" are obviously on the way. But this franchise (based on a graphic novel) would be ideal on television. It has the campy humor of "Batman," the appeal of "Star Trek."
Also this week:
TV: "7th Heaven," season seven; "Cosby Show," complete series; "Mind of Mencia," season four; "Scrubs," season seven; "Sopranos," complete series; "Streets of San Francisco," season two; "Walt Disney Treasures: Chronological Donald, Mickey Mouse Club Presents Annette"
Film: "301"; "The Apprentice"; "Beer for My Horses"; "Boys in the Band"; "The Hanoi Hilton"; "JFK"; "Quo Vadis"; "Roman Holiday"; "Sabrina"; "Star Wars: Clone Wars"; "Sunset Boulevard"; "This Christmas"; "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage"
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