While Andy is playing with Woody he accidently tears him. Woody ends up on a shelf, then in a garage sale, and finally in the hands of a collector. This collector is Al from Al’s Toy Barn and he has a collection of Woody’s Roundup toys that he intends to sell to a Japanese museum. Buzz decides that since Woody rescued him that he should return the favor. Buzz and some of the other toys set out for the real world and go to rescue Woody. While Woody is in Al’s apartment he finds out that there used to be a television show about him and that other characters exist and that there were also toys of them. These other toys are also in Al’s collection and Woody ends up making friends with them. Buzz and the others eventually track Woody down to Al’s and try to rescue him. All things escalate and they end up at an airport try to rescue Woody and the other toys. They eventually do and then return home to Andy’s with two new toys by their side.
Having a sequel to one of the best animated films of all time is an impressive thing, but only if it is done right. PIXAR did it with Toy Story 2!! It lived up to the reputation that its older counterpart had laid out for it. Unfortunately I did not think the second was as good as the first. Don't get me wrong, I still loved it, and still do. Toy Story 2 did not have the same flare as the original and that is probably for a few reasons. For starters we couldn't be as impressed with the animation this time around because it was PIXAR's third computer animated film and other studios were doing 3D movies as well by then. Another reason it didn't capture me as much was because I was four years older then and that four years between ten and fourteen can make a big difference and can change kids a lot.
Despite the fact that I did not find it spectacular, it still was a good movie. Some of the things that we briefly saw or heard in Toy Story were expanded upon in Toy Story 2. For example Mrs. Potatohead appears and so does Andy's dog. The most interesting thing from Toy Story to Toy Story 2 was Al and Al's Toy Barn. Seeing where Buzz and some of the other toys came from reminds us that they really are toys and at the same time shed some light on the characters. Along the lines of characters; Woody had the most development in this movie. We got to see that Woody had a back story which was the television show that he was based off of. Woody's Roundup was like Howdy Doody meets Roy Rogers with a touch of Lassie in it as well. We found out that Woody really was a classic toy which is why he was a cloth pull string toy and not like Buzz who is all plastic with sound chip technology to make his noises.
All the characters in this film go through changes. The old characters go out into the real world and we get to see their true colors of personality. Buzz meets and defeats his arch nemesis Emperor Zurg. Then to top it off we meet all sorts of new toys that become characters. They were Jessie the yodeling cowgirl sidekick, Bullseye who is Woody's horse, and Stinky Pete the grumpy old prospector. Each of these toys has their own story that eventually adds to the main story of this film. Also these characters added new members to the cast of talent. Joan Cusack took on Jessie and did a marvelous job. Kelsey Grammer played the angry and evil Stinky Pete and did as brilliantly as he has in all his other roles. We also had the hilarious Wayne Knight as Al from Al's Toy Barn. These actors added so much life to the new characters that it really helped to mesh everything together perfectly to be able to make a decent sequel. Toy Story 2 really was a good film; it went to infinity, however, not beyond. Don't let me be the final judge for this movie; you should still see it yourself. No matter your view on Toy Story 2 we still have Toy Story 3 to look forward to in 2010!!
Run time: 92 mins.
Directed by: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and Lee Unkrich.
Written by: John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Ash Brannon, and Andrew Stanton.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, and Wayne Knight.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Toy Story 1995
Ever wonder what it would be like if your toys were actually alive? Well imagination has no limitations in this computer animated movie about the secret lives of toys…
Woody (Hanks) a pull string cowboy toy is best friends with his owner, Andy (Morris). When Andy’s birthday comes around he gets a Buzz Lightyear (Allen) Space Ranger action figure and he starts to forget about Woody. Woody starts to feel jealous and comes up with a plan to lose Buzz just before Andy and family move. However, the plan goes wrong and Woody knocks Buzz out the window. The other toys see this and attack Woody. Woody goes to save Buzz and reclaim his honor and place among Andy’s toys. While saving Buzz they get lost at a gas station, taken to a pizza restaurant, and eventually end up in Andy’s next-door neighbor’s house. Andy’s next door neighbor, Sid (von Detten), is a bad kid and destroys toys, so Woody sets out to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile Buzz has had acceptance issues with being a toy and all, thus, making Woody’s mission of teach Sid a lesson and escape to Andy’s house all the more difficult. They eventually devise a plan and teach Sid a lesson he won’t soon forget, and then they escape with the help of Sid’s toys. After escaping Sid’s they see the moving truck pull out and must figure out how to get onto it. Fortunately Buzz is strapped to a rocket and they blast to infinity and beyond and return to Andy safe and sound.
Toy Story was one of the most influential and pivotal films in my life. I was only ten years old when it came out and it was the first animated feature that I saw multiple times in theaters. I saw Toy Story three times in theaters and one of those showings had the music video for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” preceding it. At another showing the reel for the start of the film was all screwed up and we had to wait for them to fix it so we could see it again. Since I was ten at the time, the half hour we waited was a very long time. Toy Story is one of the movies that inspired me to pursue a career in animation, and although I am 2D, I still love and want to learn 3D someday. The other movies that brought me into animation will surface in time as soon as I write the reviews for them. I remember before Toy Story was released; that Tom Hanks was on Good Morning America talking about what pixels are and just how many went into Woody’s head alone!! This stuff fascinated me then and still does to this day, which is why Toy Story will remain as one of the most revolutionary films to come out, ever. As a matter of fact it was just declared as a historic picture due to it having been the first entirely computer animated feature film. Toy Story was a film that changed a nation and more than that an industry. Toy Story went to infinity…and beyond.
As well as being one of the most innovative films ever; Toy Story had all the makings of a great film. If you cannot relate to the thought of what your toys were like when no one was around and if they came to life, then you might not have had a childhood or you are just strange. I always wondered if my toys lead lives of their own without me. PIXAR made that wondering into a reality and at the same time they taught us lessons about acceptance, trust, faith, and most importantly; friendship. The many lessons in this film helped to set the bar for the future PIXAR films. Not only the bar in storyline but the bar for animation, characters, cast and so on. For movies the first impression is the most important and Toy Story broke the mold on new animated features. That was what all the other PIXAR films have had to live up to and they all have, thus, bringing forth a standard.
Toy Story originally started out as a story about Tinny the tin toy from the short Tin Toy. As the story changed so did the characters, and it evolved into the buddy story between Buzz and Woody. Another fun fact about the movie is that Billy Crystal was going to be in it, however, he turned it down only to later regret doing so and then he got to play Mike in Monster’s Inc. Speaking of casting; PIXAR set the pace for their uncanny ability to cast well. All the characters in Toy Story are played so well by the actors that breathed life into them, that the movie would not have had the same effect if other actors had been in their shoes. Toy Story is an all around wonderful and amazing film and I could really talk about it all day and probably write a thesis on it, however, I am going to spare you and let you get back to playing with your toys and showing them how much you appreciate them. Go grab your favorite old toy and sit down with it and indulge in Toy Story with your old buddy.
Run time: 81 mins.
Directed by: John Lasseter
Written by: John Lasseter
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, and John Morris
Woody (Hanks) a pull string cowboy toy is best friends with his owner, Andy (Morris). When Andy’s birthday comes around he gets a Buzz Lightyear (Allen) Space Ranger action figure and he starts to forget about Woody. Woody starts to feel jealous and comes up with a plan to lose Buzz just before Andy and family move. However, the plan goes wrong and Woody knocks Buzz out the window. The other toys see this and attack Woody. Woody goes to save Buzz and reclaim his honor and place among Andy’s toys. While saving Buzz they get lost at a gas station, taken to a pizza restaurant, and eventually end up in Andy’s next-door neighbor’s house. Andy’s next door neighbor, Sid (von Detten), is a bad kid and destroys toys, so Woody sets out to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile Buzz has had acceptance issues with being a toy and all, thus, making Woody’s mission of teach Sid a lesson and escape to Andy’s house all the more difficult. They eventually devise a plan and teach Sid a lesson he won’t soon forget, and then they escape with the help of Sid’s toys. After escaping Sid’s they see the moving truck pull out and must figure out how to get onto it. Fortunately Buzz is strapped to a rocket and they blast to infinity and beyond and return to Andy safe and sound.
Toy Story was one of the most influential and pivotal films in my life. I was only ten years old when it came out and it was the first animated feature that I saw multiple times in theaters. I saw Toy Story three times in theaters and one of those showings had the music video for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” preceding it. At another showing the reel for the start of the film was all screwed up and we had to wait for them to fix it so we could see it again. Since I was ten at the time, the half hour we waited was a very long time. Toy Story is one of the movies that inspired me to pursue a career in animation, and although I am 2D, I still love and want to learn 3D someday. The other movies that brought me into animation will surface in time as soon as I write the reviews for them. I remember before Toy Story was released; that Tom Hanks was on Good Morning America talking about what pixels are and just how many went into Woody’s head alone!! This stuff fascinated me then and still does to this day, which is why Toy Story will remain as one of the most revolutionary films to come out, ever. As a matter of fact it was just declared as a historic picture due to it having been the first entirely computer animated feature film. Toy Story was a film that changed a nation and more than that an industry. Toy Story went to infinity…and beyond.
As well as being one of the most innovative films ever; Toy Story had all the makings of a great film. If you cannot relate to the thought of what your toys were like when no one was around and if they came to life, then you might not have had a childhood or you are just strange. I always wondered if my toys lead lives of their own without me. PIXAR made that wondering into a reality and at the same time they taught us lessons about acceptance, trust, faith, and most importantly; friendship. The many lessons in this film helped to set the bar for the future PIXAR films. Not only the bar in storyline but the bar for animation, characters, cast and so on. For movies the first impression is the most important and Toy Story broke the mold on new animated features. That was what all the other PIXAR films have had to live up to and they all have, thus, bringing forth a standard.
Toy Story originally started out as a story about Tinny the tin toy from the short Tin Toy. As the story changed so did the characters, and it evolved into the buddy story between Buzz and Woody. Another fun fact about the movie is that Billy Crystal was going to be in it, however, he turned it down only to later regret doing so and then he got to play Mike in Monster’s Inc. Speaking of casting; PIXAR set the pace for their uncanny ability to cast well. All the characters in Toy Story are played so well by the actors that breathed life into them, that the movie would not have had the same effect if other actors had been in their shoes. Toy Story is an all around wonderful and amazing film and I could really talk about it all day and probably write a thesis on it, however, I am going to spare you and let you get back to playing with your toys and showing them how much you appreciate them. Go grab your favorite old toy and sit down with it and indulge in Toy Story with your old buddy.
Run time: 81 mins.
Directed by: John Lasseter
Written by: John Lasseter
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, and John Morris
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Prologue to Potter
Good day to all my new and loyal fans out there. Over the course of the past few days I have rewatched all of the Harry Potter movies. November has always reminded me of Harry Potter only because the first two had originally come out November 16th 2001, and November 15th 2002. They also tend to have a lot of holiday charm to them, thus, this is the perfect time of year to feast your eyes upon the movies about the boy who lived.
Nonetheless, over the course of the next little while I shall be reviewing each and every single Potter movie, followed by an editorial article full of my opinions and ideas on these films. Please keep in mind I am and have been an avid Potter fan since before the movies e.g. I read the books and was very invested in all other Potter themed things I could get my hands on. Q.E.D. I feel that I am a credible source to put forth judgment onto these films. I am not trying to sound conceded or anything but I want you to understand I am not a fan of one or the other but a fan of both the movies and the books, so please take my criticism with a grain of salt and enjoy the reading.
Nonetheless, over the course of the next little while I shall be reviewing each and every single Potter movie, followed by an editorial article full of my opinions and ideas on these films. Please keep in mind I am and have been an avid Potter fan since before the movies e.g. I read the books and was very invested in all other Potter themed things I could get my hands on. Q.E.D. I feel that I am a credible source to put forth judgment onto these films. I am not trying to sound conceded or anything but I want you to understand I am not a fan of one or the other but a fan of both the movies and the books, so please take my criticism with a grain of salt and enjoy the reading.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Adaptationism (editorial)
This is the Dawning of the Age of Adaptationism…
Through history; art has gone through many movements such as impressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc., and it seems that film had gone through some as well like noir or expressionism and then it really hasn’t had any major movements since then…until now. Folks, I am officially dubbing this current and not so obvious movement of film as Adaptationism. What adaptationism entails is that at least 80 percent of the movies coming out today, especially, in Hollywood, are adapted from other things. For example numerous films today are adapted from Children’s’ fantasy novels, comic books, television shows, videogames, or they are a sequel to a film, thus adapted from the first, or even a remake, therefore, adapted from the original.
Now don’t get me wrong people I am not complaining 100 percent here, because I fall in with the crowd and am thoroughly entertained by some of this. My issue with it, and the reason I am naming the movement, is because it seems Hollywood has lost its way. They are doing films for pure money and not the love of doing films anymore. These are all made as just plain old fan pleasers. It’s disgraceful!! It’s disgusting!! Do something original for G-d’s sake please!!!
Perhaps it is just the fact that I am still sour from recent movies, or just that now I am older and look at movies with a wealth of knowledge, or it could even be that for once in my life I am right. A few years ago when the comic book adaptation revolution started taking hold, I thought I bet this will be awesome; however, obviously I was wrong. Majority of the comic book movies have royally stunk and the good ones are few and far between or they are directed by people who actually care about the film itself. Prime example would be the new Batman movies. They are amazing and blow the roof off Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. The Hellboy movies have been decent if you are into Hellboy and that could be because they have the creator there helping out. This could also explain why the Sin City movies are great. I am not entirely sure that my theory on the creator being there is true only because the master himself; Stan Lee, has been helping on all the Marvel movies and they are not all making the cut. The changes he has brought to Spider-man all made the third installment into garbage, same goes for X-men. Let us remember the first Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider, etc. None of these were that great, in fact they stunk. They were only made for the money and that is why they have surfaced into silver screen existence. It truly is shameful, people. Now with Marvel being bought out by Disney it continues to justify my position on Hollywood’s money grubbers.
In the case of remakes and sequels it may be worse. There have been seldom decent remakes in the past few years. Tim Burton has tried his hands at the remake business a couple of times; once with his flop of the Planet of the Apes, and then again with his surprisingly enjoyable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Some do not call that a remake due to it being different and more closely related to the book than the first movie. The master director, Spielberg, himself is even guilty of garbage. War of the Worlds was one of the worst films I have ever seen and then Spielberg continues with his line of bad films by joining forces again with Lucas to bring out the 19 year long disappointment known as Indy 4. Then there was also the third version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and now there is the Journey to the Center of the Earth!! What is going on?! They were classics before because they were so amazing then and it should stay that way!! Does no one have an appreciation for the way things were before? It seems as though with film that history truly is doomed to repeat. Sequels are what really get my goat. By saying sequels I am including prequels as well since they too are based off of the original story. One of the masters in film making had made the biggest mistake by creating prequels for his movies; namely, Star Wars. The new trilogy is actually not liked near as much as the old by the true Star Wars fans, however I get more into that in my reviews of them. Disney continues to pump out sequel after sequel and now DreamWorks animation is following their footsteps. I just sit here in disbelief with how these directors, writers, producers, actors, anyone in Hollywood can sit there and let this garbage continue to happen. Complete and utter rubbish!!
Attention Hollywood you guys need to wake up and smell the coffee and I am not talking about your five dollar grande caramel macchiato, but the actual real stuff called LIFE! Film is not all about nickels and dimes, people, it was originally created as a form of art and it should remain that way. I actually want to congratulate those out there who continue to do film for what it was made for and that even includes M. Night Shyamalan, whose work I do not like, but it is still original to a degree. Michel Gondry, the Coen Brothers, all Independent filmmakers, PIXAR, you guys know where it’s at, and how things should be made. The other original stuff coming out nowadays are comedies and although they can be stupid and not recognized by the academy as good films they are still original and do not fall into Adaptationism. One of my friends, Baggy, gave this movement a different name; “The Bowel Movement.” I couldn’t agree with him more. I also am not alone in my views as another friend, Dave C., showed me an article on IGN written by Brian Linder. He said “Anyone who's been following the movie business lately will know that studios have become fairly gun-shy when it comes to greenlighting new original projects. Instead, they're leaning heavily on established concepts from other mediums like comics, TV, and games -- the idea being that if a narrative's brand is already part of the collective consciousness, then there's less risk involved.” He was writing about the rumored and possible idea of a Guitar Hero movie (go here http://movies.ign.com/articles/885/885557p1.html).
All I am trying to say in this article is that we should not forget our roots. Never forget where you came from and why you are doing the things you are doing. Film is an art form which is also a money maker, not the other way around. Has Capitalism grown so much that we must monopolize every industry? Art is subjective, thus, open to interpretation, and it seems that interpretation nowadays is all about the cash. Create films that make people cry, laugh, and be scared but create them to evoke emotion and not anger, disappointment, and an empty wallet. While a lot of these adapted films are cool and fun to see most of them are just money making flops that take up silver screen space. Hollywood, you need to get it into gear because if one fan’s faith is dwindling on your abilities to make good films, then you can pretty much guarantee that there are others whose are too. Good luck Hollywood…
Through history; art has gone through many movements such as impressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc., and it seems that film had gone through some as well like noir or expressionism and then it really hasn’t had any major movements since then…until now. Folks, I am officially dubbing this current and not so obvious movement of film as Adaptationism. What adaptationism entails is that at least 80 percent of the movies coming out today, especially, in Hollywood, are adapted from other things. For example numerous films today are adapted from Children’s’ fantasy novels, comic books, television shows, videogames, or they are a sequel to a film, thus adapted from the first, or even a remake, therefore, adapted from the original.
Now don’t get me wrong people I am not complaining 100 percent here, because I fall in with the crowd and am thoroughly entertained by some of this. My issue with it, and the reason I am naming the movement, is because it seems Hollywood has lost its way. They are doing films for pure money and not the love of doing films anymore. These are all made as just plain old fan pleasers. It’s disgraceful!! It’s disgusting!! Do something original for G-d’s sake please!!!
Perhaps it is just the fact that I am still sour from recent movies, or just that now I am older and look at movies with a wealth of knowledge, or it could even be that for once in my life I am right. A few years ago when the comic book adaptation revolution started taking hold, I thought I bet this will be awesome; however, obviously I was wrong. Majority of the comic book movies have royally stunk and the good ones are few and far between or they are directed by people who actually care about the film itself. Prime example would be the new Batman movies. They are amazing and blow the roof off Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. The Hellboy movies have been decent if you are into Hellboy and that could be because they have the creator there helping out. This could also explain why the Sin City movies are great. I am not entirely sure that my theory on the creator being there is true only because the master himself; Stan Lee, has been helping on all the Marvel movies and they are not all making the cut. The changes he has brought to Spider-man all made the third installment into garbage, same goes for X-men. Let us remember the first Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider, etc. None of these were that great, in fact they stunk. They were only made for the money and that is why they have surfaced into silver screen existence. It truly is shameful, people. Now with Marvel being bought out by Disney it continues to justify my position on Hollywood’s money grubbers.
In the case of remakes and sequels it may be worse. There have been seldom decent remakes in the past few years. Tim Burton has tried his hands at the remake business a couple of times; once with his flop of the Planet of the Apes, and then again with his surprisingly enjoyable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Some do not call that a remake due to it being different and more closely related to the book than the first movie. The master director, Spielberg, himself is even guilty of garbage. War of the Worlds was one of the worst films I have ever seen and then Spielberg continues with his line of bad films by joining forces again with Lucas to bring out the 19 year long disappointment known as Indy 4. Then there was also the third version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and now there is the Journey to the Center of the Earth!! What is going on?! They were classics before because they were so amazing then and it should stay that way!! Does no one have an appreciation for the way things were before? It seems as though with film that history truly is doomed to repeat. Sequels are what really get my goat. By saying sequels I am including prequels as well since they too are based off of the original story. One of the masters in film making had made the biggest mistake by creating prequels for his movies; namely, Star Wars. The new trilogy is actually not liked near as much as the old by the true Star Wars fans, however I get more into that in my reviews of them. Disney continues to pump out sequel after sequel and now DreamWorks animation is following their footsteps. I just sit here in disbelief with how these directors, writers, producers, actors, anyone in Hollywood can sit there and let this garbage continue to happen. Complete and utter rubbish!!
Attention Hollywood you guys need to wake up and smell the coffee and I am not talking about your five dollar grande caramel macchiato, but the actual real stuff called LIFE! Film is not all about nickels and dimes, people, it was originally created as a form of art and it should remain that way. I actually want to congratulate those out there who continue to do film for what it was made for and that even includes M. Night Shyamalan, whose work I do not like, but it is still original to a degree. Michel Gondry, the Coen Brothers, all Independent filmmakers, PIXAR, you guys know where it’s at, and how things should be made. The other original stuff coming out nowadays are comedies and although they can be stupid and not recognized by the academy as good films they are still original and do not fall into Adaptationism. One of my friends, Baggy, gave this movement a different name; “The Bowel Movement.” I couldn’t agree with him more. I also am not alone in my views as another friend, Dave C., showed me an article on IGN written by Brian Linder. He said “Anyone who's been following the movie business lately will know that studios have become fairly gun-shy when it comes to greenlighting new original projects. Instead, they're leaning heavily on established concepts from other mediums like comics, TV, and games -- the idea being that if a narrative's brand is already part of the collective consciousness, then there's less risk involved.” He was writing about the rumored and possible idea of a Guitar Hero movie (go here http://movies.ign.com/articles/885/885557p1.html).
All I am trying to say in this article is that we should not forget our roots. Never forget where you came from and why you are doing the things you are doing. Film is an art form which is also a money maker, not the other way around. Has Capitalism grown so much that we must monopolize every industry? Art is subjective, thus, open to interpretation, and it seems that interpretation nowadays is all about the cash. Create films that make people cry, laugh, and be scared but create them to evoke emotion and not anger, disappointment, and an empty wallet. While a lot of these adapted films are cool and fun to see most of them are just money making flops that take up silver screen space. Hollywood, you need to get it into gear because if one fan’s faith is dwindling on your abilities to make good films, then you can pretty much guarantee that there are others whose are too. Good luck Hollywood…
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
What happens when an elf prince plans to overthrow his father and try to take on the humans with an arsenal of indestructible robots? He gets matched against the agents of the B.P.R.D. including the giant ugly demonic red ape known as Hellboy.
1955 Professor Broom (Hurt) read Hellboy (Perlman) a bedtime story telling the tale of when magical creatures and humans lived in peace. A war had eventually arisen between the two and the king of the elves saw that after many a battle too many of the magical creatures lay dead so he had a goblin make him an indestructible army. However, after the king saw that this army destroyed too many humans he decided the army should never battle again. He removed his crown that controlled the army and split it into three pieces; one for the humans to keep and the other two for him to hide. The humans and magical creatures called a truce that the humans would remain in the cities and the magical creatures to the forests. The king’s son Prince Nuada (Goss) disagreed with this plan and was thus exiled. Current day; and the Prince is still exiled but has been in training and has been tracking down the piece that the humans have. Nuada steals it from an auction and the aftermath is left for the members of the B.P.R.D. to investigate. The B.P.R.D. gets a new agent to act as a superior to Hellboy; Johann Krauss (MacFarlane), who is an ectoplasmic entity that was a medium, could talk to ghosts, when he still had a body. Krauss and the others find a trail of breadcrumbs that opens a can of worms in this battle between man and magical creatures. They end up traveling across the globe to Scotland where they find the golden army. Hellboy challenges Nuada’s right to rule these mechanical monsters, and then they begin their epic battle. Naturally good triumphs over evil and the natural world is once more saved from the supernatural world.
I really liked this Hellboy. Most of it was better than the first; however, it still had small room for improvement. The most phenomenal thing about this movie was definitely the creatures. Oh my G-d they were cool. I hope you saw Pan’s Labyrinth because these monsters were just as cool as the ones in that movie, which of course makes sense since they were directed by the same fellow. This movie truly continued with the mysterious feel of the comics, cartoons, and first movie. The gang is eventually led to this place called the Troll Market and it looks like if you combined Diagon Alley, from Harry Potter, with Mos Eisley Spaceport from Star Wars A New Hope. It only looks this way to me because it is full of a plethora of different creatures and they are all so intriguing looking as though each of them has their own back story. I think it looked like Diagon Alley because it had a lot of interesting shops and things. There was even a guy who had a miniature castle on his head!!
The story was good and solid at least. There were not really any plot holes; however, the movie strayed away from the main plot a few times because there are two love stories going on in the film. They play a small part so it is not some big deal and does not distract from the big picture, but I think the movie could have done fine without them. The action sequences are through the roof with amazing acrobatics and just crazy situations that the stars are put in to do battle in. There were fights in the middle of the city street just below the Brooklyn bridge, and fights in the troll market streets, a fight in the locker room at the B.P.R.D., and of course a fight in the chamber where the golden army was for so many years. There was good comedy, crazy gizmos, a short scene with John Hurt, and even a very young Hellboy. Keep your eyes peeled for the helmet of Kroenen, evil knife wielding undead Nazi from the first movie, in the background at the B.P.R.D. somewhere. If you enjoy the comics, the cartoons, or the first movie then I am sure you will like this one as well. Go grab yourself some popcorn and take a seat at the movies for another good comic to silver screen summer movie.
Run time: 110 mins
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, and Jeffrey Tambor
1955 Professor Broom (Hurt) read Hellboy (Perlman) a bedtime story telling the tale of when magical creatures and humans lived in peace. A war had eventually arisen between the two and the king of the elves saw that after many a battle too many of the magical creatures lay dead so he had a goblin make him an indestructible army. However, after the king saw that this army destroyed too many humans he decided the army should never battle again. He removed his crown that controlled the army and split it into three pieces; one for the humans to keep and the other two for him to hide. The humans and magical creatures called a truce that the humans would remain in the cities and the magical creatures to the forests. The king’s son Prince Nuada (Goss) disagreed with this plan and was thus exiled. Current day; and the Prince is still exiled but has been in training and has been tracking down the piece that the humans have. Nuada steals it from an auction and the aftermath is left for the members of the B.P.R.D. to investigate. The B.P.R.D. gets a new agent to act as a superior to Hellboy; Johann Krauss (MacFarlane), who is an ectoplasmic entity that was a medium, could talk to ghosts, when he still had a body. Krauss and the others find a trail of breadcrumbs that opens a can of worms in this battle between man and magical creatures. They end up traveling across the globe to Scotland where they find the golden army. Hellboy challenges Nuada’s right to rule these mechanical monsters, and then they begin their epic battle. Naturally good triumphs over evil and the natural world is once more saved from the supernatural world.
I really liked this Hellboy. Most of it was better than the first; however, it still had small room for improvement. The most phenomenal thing about this movie was definitely the creatures. Oh my G-d they were cool. I hope you saw Pan’s Labyrinth because these monsters were just as cool as the ones in that movie, which of course makes sense since they were directed by the same fellow. This movie truly continued with the mysterious feel of the comics, cartoons, and first movie. The gang is eventually led to this place called the Troll Market and it looks like if you combined Diagon Alley, from Harry Potter, with Mos Eisley Spaceport from Star Wars A New Hope. It only looks this way to me because it is full of a plethora of different creatures and they are all so intriguing looking as though each of them has their own back story. I think it looked like Diagon Alley because it had a lot of interesting shops and things. There was even a guy who had a miniature castle on his head!!
The story was good and solid at least. There were not really any plot holes; however, the movie strayed away from the main plot a few times because there are two love stories going on in the film. They play a small part so it is not some big deal and does not distract from the big picture, but I think the movie could have done fine without them. The action sequences are through the roof with amazing acrobatics and just crazy situations that the stars are put in to do battle in. There were fights in the middle of the city street just below the Brooklyn bridge, and fights in the troll market streets, a fight in the locker room at the B.P.R.D., and of course a fight in the chamber where the golden army was for so many years. There was good comedy, crazy gizmos, a short scene with John Hurt, and even a very young Hellboy. Keep your eyes peeled for the helmet of Kroenen, evil knife wielding undead Nazi from the first movie, in the background at the B.P.R.D. somewhere. If you enjoy the comics, the cartoons, or the first movie then I am sure you will like this one as well. Go grab yourself some popcorn and take a seat at the movies for another good comic to silver screen summer movie.
Run time: 110 mins
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, and Jeffrey Tambor
Hellboy Animated: The Sword of Storms
The gang at the B.P.R.D. stumble across another paranormal mystery in this action packed animated feature complete with swords, demons, Asian folklore, and everyone’s favorite big red demonic hero; Hellboy…
A professor of Asian folklore receives a scroll in a mysterious package. This scroll holds the spirits of two demon brothers who have the powers of lightning and thunder. These spirits posses the professor in hopes of figuring a way out of their prison and back into the real world where they will release their dragon brethren and rule the world. The B.P.R.D., Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, is called in to investigate and Hellboy discovers a katana. Upon touching the katana Hellboy is immediately taken to an alternate world where he goes through demonic trials on his way to solving the mystery and getting back home. He first faces six floating head demons, then a half woman half spider, then a demonic turtle like creature with water in its head, then a whole host of monsters that end up tricking him into breaking the sword and freeing the demons. He frees the demons and then is taken back to the normal world where the demons seek to dominate, but Hellboy doesn’t see eye to eye with them. Hellboy finally figures a way to defeat the demon brothers and trap them once more for all eternity.
This is a great add on adventure for all Hellboy fans out there. It does not have some spectacular animation in it but it is well put together. The whole style and feel of it reminds me of a cross between the Gargoyles cartoons and Scooby Doo. The design of everything is pretty seamless with both the movie and the comics. It is not as stylized as the comics only because to harness such style in animation would take a lot more work, time, and money. However to keep the continuity from the movie they kept the same cast and actually added one or two more to the lineup. Peri Gilpin voices the Field Director of the B.P.R.D.; we may remember Peri from Frasier where she played Roz. Even though you cannot see the people behind the voices, having the same cast makes it a better film. The look of the monsters and demons of this were cool looking as well. There really weren’t that many squid like creatures in this like there were in the first movie.
Besides the design being cool, the story was interesting as well. The Sword of Storms has its own story behind it that is revealed over time through the course of this flick. Just like in the movie all the things that happen throughout the film eventually come together to wrap up the mystery of this story. This was also written by the creator of the comics so it had a good chance to be pretty successful from the get go, at least with the fans of the comic books. Unfortunately it was a straight to DVD release so it was not some big theatrical extravaganza but that is okay because it is not on par with being an animated feature otherwise it would have been more stylized and so on. There really isn’t anything too special about this except that it sheds more light onto Hellboy and brings him to a new form of media. It really is a cool animation to watch though since it is Hellboy and is just another action packed supernatural film. So if you are feeling the need for more Hellboy besides the comics and movies then I suggest the animated Hellboy movies as well.
Run-time: 73 mins
Written by: Mike Mignola, Karen Inwood Somers, Tad Stones, Matt Wayne
Directed by: Phil Weinstein and Tad Stones
Starring: Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Peri Gilpin
A professor of Asian folklore receives a scroll in a mysterious package. This scroll holds the spirits of two demon brothers who have the powers of lightning and thunder. These spirits posses the professor in hopes of figuring a way out of their prison and back into the real world where they will release their dragon brethren and rule the world. The B.P.R.D., Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, is called in to investigate and Hellboy discovers a katana. Upon touching the katana Hellboy is immediately taken to an alternate world where he goes through demonic trials on his way to solving the mystery and getting back home. He first faces six floating head demons, then a half woman half spider, then a demonic turtle like creature with water in its head, then a whole host of monsters that end up tricking him into breaking the sword and freeing the demons. He frees the demons and then is taken back to the normal world where the demons seek to dominate, but Hellboy doesn’t see eye to eye with them. Hellboy finally figures a way to defeat the demon brothers and trap them once more for all eternity.
This is a great add on adventure for all Hellboy fans out there. It does not have some spectacular animation in it but it is well put together. The whole style and feel of it reminds me of a cross between the Gargoyles cartoons and Scooby Doo. The design of everything is pretty seamless with both the movie and the comics. It is not as stylized as the comics only because to harness such style in animation would take a lot more work, time, and money. However to keep the continuity from the movie they kept the same cast and actually added one or two more to the lineup. Peri Gilpin voices the Field Director of the B.P.R.D.; we may remember Peri from Frasier where she played Roz. Even though you cannot see the people behind the voices, having the same cast makes it a better film. The look of the monsters and demons of this were cool looking as well. There really weren’t that many squid like creatures in this like there were in the first movie.
Besides the design being cool, the story was interesting as well. The Sword of Storms has its own story behind it that is revealed over time through the course of this flick. Just like in the movie all the things that happen throughout the film eventually come together to wrap up the mystery of this story. This was also written by the creator of the comics so it had a good chance to be pretty successful from the get go, at least with the fans of the comic books. Unfortunately it was a straight to DVD release so it was not some big theatrical extravaganza but that is okay because it is not on par with being an animated feature otherwise it would have been more stylized and so on. There really isn’t anything too special about this except that it sheds more light onto Hellboy and brings him to a new form of media. It really is a cool animation to watch though since it is Hellboy and is just another action packed supernatural film. So if you are feeling the need for more Hellboy besides the comics and movies then I suggest the animated Hellboy movies as well.
Run-time: 73 mins
Written by: Mike Mignola, Karen Inwood Somers, Tad Stones, Matt Wayne
Directed by: Phil Weinstein and Tad Stones
Starring: Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Peri Gilpin
Hellboy
Hellboy
In the absence of light; darkness prevails. There are things that go “bump” in the night. They are the ones who “bump” back…
1944 The Nazis are combining black magic and science to open a portal to free the beast Ogdru Jahad from its prison. This monster will destroy all of their enemies and bring about an age of chaos to the world. Things go awry when a squadron of American Soldiers along with their paranormal advisor, Professor “Broom” Bruttenholm (Hurt), attack the Nazis and thwart their attempt of domination. The portal closes up, however, it had been open long enough to let something through. Prof. Broom accidently finds what came through the portal; a red baby boy with horns and a right hand made of stone. He takes him in as his son, and he and the entire remaining soldiers band together to form the B.P.R.D., Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Sixty years later the remaining Nazis are back at their old tricks and trying to open the portal once more. This time they have to do it differently since this “Hellboy” came through the portal. The Nazis need Hellboy (Perlman) because his right hand of rock is actually the key to open the portal and summon Ogdru Jahad. Unfortunately the Nazis need other sources of power to open said portal so they look to the recently resurrected Rasputin for guidance. Rasputin decides to be a puppet master of the members of the B.P.R.D. and play them right into his hand. All hell breaks loose when Hellboy makes a decision for himself as to if he wants to remain on the side of good or join the forces of evil.
Hellboy is an exceptional comic adaptation. The look, the feel, the entire illusion that is created in the comics is brought to life in this film. Everything in this movie matches the comics as well as Sin City matches its counterpart graphic novels. The entire movie is fairly dark and at times a little saturated just to help with the fact that it is all about dark magic and the paranormal. The look of the characters had to be my favorite thing. Hellboy was unbelievable having Ron Perlman play him was a perfect choice. Ron has a large jaw and wide mouth and that is perfect for the grimaces that Hellboy makes while in battle or on the case. Ron Perlman is also good because he is of adequate size and Hellboy is no small guy. I remember Ron when he was in Alien Resurrection and he seemed like the witty wise cracking guy, which is also what the character of Hellboy is like especially during the fights. Hellboy’s catch phrases include “Oh crap” and “Son of a…” It just worked out really well, at least in my eyes. The not as famous as he should be; Doug Jones plays Abe Sapien the incredibly smart and psychic aquatic man. Doug also plays the man in most of the monster suits in a lot of movies; look him up because you might find it interesting. Selma Blair took the role of Liz Sherman the pyrokinetic woman that constantly leaves and comes back to the B.P.R.D. I really think anyone could have taken on this role but for some reason I really like Selma in it. I think it is because she plays a very good quiet girl that can explode at any moment and that is exactly what Liz Sherman is like. To top off the amazing cast they have John Hurt as Professor Broom. John Hurt always works as a wise old man and with his scratchy voice it just adds a lot of character to this character who has seen a lot of creepy and incredibly things.
As for the rest of the movie; the storyline was good. It actually combined a few of the comics or rather a lot of parts from different Hellboy comics. There was a little love story in it, but that is because it is in the comics and it really doesn’t distract from the main storyline, it actually helps play into it because it is used as a character development device. Even all of the CGI matches well with the action sequences and the rest of the look of the film. There is a good amount of comedy, action, and drama in this movie and it is all well balanced. Hellboy is a good film to chill out and watch. It goes down as one of my favorite comic book to silver screen adaptations. If you like the supernatural, monsters, or comic books then this is a good pick for you to spend an evening with.
Run time: 122 mins.
Written by: Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Briggs
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, and Rupert Evans
In the absence of light; darkness prevails. There are things that go “bump” in the night. They are the ones who “bump” back…
1944 The Nazis are combining black magic and science to open a portal to free the beast Ogdru Jahad from its prison. This monster will destroy all of their enemies and bring about an age of chaos to the world. Things go awry when a squadron of American Soldiers along with their paranormal advisor, Professor “Broom” Bruttenholm (Hurt), attack the Nazis and thwart their attempt of domination. The portal closes up, however, it had been open long enough to let something through. Prof. Broom accidently finds what came through the portal; a red baby boy with horns and a right hand made of stone. He takes him in as his son, and he and the entire remaining soldiers band together to form the B.P.R.D., Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Sixty years later the remaining Nazis are back at their old tricks and trying to open the portal once more. This time they have to do it differently since this “Hellboy” came through the portal. The Nazis need Hellboy (Perlman) because his right hand of rock is actually the key to open the portal and summon Ogdru Jahad. Unfortunately the Nazis need other sources of power to open said portal so they look to the recently resurrected Rasputin for guidance. Rasputin decides to be a puppet master of the members of the B.P.R.D. and play them right into his hand. All hell breaks loose when Hellboy makes a decision for himself as to if he wants to remain on the side of good or join the forces of evil.
Hellboy is an exceptional comic adaptation. The look, the feel, the entire illusion that is created in the comics is brought to life in this film. Everything in this movie matches the comics as well as Sin City matches its counterpart graphic novels. The entire movie is fairly dark and at times a little saturated just to help with the fact that it is all about dark magic and the paranormal. The look of the characters had to be my favorite thing. Hellboy was unbelievable having Ron Perlman play him was a perfect choice. Ron has a large jaw and wide mouth and that is perfect for the grimaces that Hellboy makes while in battle or on the case. Ron Perlman is also good because he is of adequate size and Hellboy is no small guy. I remember Ron when he was in Alien Resurrection and he seemed like the witty wise cracking guy, which is also what the character of Hellboy is like especially during the fights. Hellboy’s catch phrases include “Oh crap” and “Son of a…” It just worked out really well, at least in my eyes. The not as famous as he should be; Doug Jones plays Abe Sapien the incredibly smart and psychic aquatic man. Doug also plays the man in most of the monster suits in a lot of movies; look him up because you might find it interesting. Selma Blair took the role of Liz Sherman the pyrokinetic woman that constantly leaves and comes back to the B.P.R.D. I really think anyone could have taken on this role but for some reason I really like Selma in it. I think it is because she plays a very good quiet girl that can explode at any moment and that is exactly what Liz Sherman is like. To top off the amazing cast they have John Hurt as Professor Broom. John Hurt always works as a wise old man and with his scratchy voice it just adds a lot of character to this character who has seen a lot of creepy and incredibly things.
As for the rest of the movie; the storyline was good. It actually combined a few of the comics or rather a lot of parts from different Hellboy comics. There was a little love story in it, but that is because it is in the comics and it really doesn’t distract from the main storyline, it actually helps play into it because it is used as a character development device. Even all of the CGI matches well with the action sequences and the rest of the look of the film. There is a good amount of comedy, action, and drama in this movie and it is all well balanced. Hellboy is a good film to chill out and watch. It goes down as one of my favorite comic book to silver screen adaptations. If you like the supernatural, monsters, or comic books then this is a good pick for you to spend an evening with.
Run time: 122 mins.
Written by: Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Briggs
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, and Rupert Evans
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