Hellboy 2

Guillermo del Toro's fantastical vision of a world inhabited by creepy crawlers, goblins, beasts, the unwanted spawn of Satan, and a man made entirely of a smoky gas (as well as others) leaves the viewer dazzled by the creativity and outstanding visual effects. The story is nothing new; kind of a mesh between the Lord of the Rings, X-Men, and Ghostbusters, but the delivery is spot-on action comedy at its finest.

Ron Perlman is the quintessential misunderstood superhero who loves cats and candy, and just wants to be loved by the people who he secretly protects from the creatures of the dark. He plays Hellboy with such blase frankness that it is impossible to imagine anyone else delivering his understated lines. Aside from his machismo, there is a detectable shred of humanity, as evidenced in his Barry Manilow duet with the fish man Abe, which is not quite as awkward as it sounds, but somewhat fitting and endearing.

The story unfolds quickly and with wild action sequences involving CGI creatures such as tooth fairies, a giant tree creature, and a walrus-looking beast with a retractable metal fist. The compelling thing about this film is not the story or even the creatures, but the sheer imagination and detail that is put into each and every special effect-filled scene. Del Toro has been building a reputation in this arena since he directed Blade 2, since which time he has done Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. He has stepped into both writer and producer roles as well and is working on both the Hobbit and the Hobbit 2, which should both be amazing if his inventive style continues to evolve.

It is difficult to credit the film with an interesting story, or even great acting, but what is truly original is the characters and the world in which they live. Even things as innocuous as a flashback to when Hellboy was a young boy are brilliantly done, complete with intentionally antiquated claymation technology depicting the story within the story. The pace moves swiftly and there is noticeable meticulous attention paid to every detail within this film. Truly an enjoyable piece, I have to give it high marks for the originality and direction. 8/10.

Hancock

Hancock is the story of a reluctant superhero who has feelings of isolation and loneliness due to his unique superhuman speed and strength. His major character flaw however, is the emotional barrier that he has created after unsuccessfully trying to be the hero that the people of LA desperately want him to be. That, and he is an alcoholic.

This is truly a different take on the typical superhero genre, with an added element of compassion and humanity. There is still the suspended disbelief, good comedic scenes and excellent special effects (although a little shaky at times), but this is something we haven't seen before. The tight leather outfit is openly mocked, and Hancock's slovenly drunkard for all intents and purposes creates a visual antithesis of a traditional superhero.

Hancock woke up at a hospital with no memory of how he got there and upon signing out was told to put his John Hancock on the release papers. Thus, his identity was created. Will Smith plays the character wonderfully with exceptional physical presence and attitude. He is a master of comedic timing, and coupled with Jason Bateman, this film kept a smile on my face...until the end.

It's a great idea and story, a brilliant cast (I can't say enough about how great Bateman is - he may be the funniest actor alive) with the addition of Charlize Theron, it has all the makings of a true summer blockbuster, and the eventual box office gross will corroborate that statement. There was a feeling in my gut that I couldn't quite get over near the end though. Peter Berg is a great filmmaker, but he bucks the system with his non-conformist approach. He did that with Very Bad Things, and he did it with the Kingdom. I think the problem is that he is trying to create a comedy, a drama, a bit of suspense and some audience-shocking tragedy all at the same time. It is an unfamiliar feeling, and I kind of wish that he had stayed on the course before the plot twist.

The plot twist. I won't spoil, but it changes the direction of the film completely and even though there has to be the formulaic protagonist personal growth through conflict and resolution, this particular one didn't seem to fit the mold that the first 3/4 of the film created.

Although the title suggests that Smith is the main character, I would argue that it is more of a buddy picture with he and Bateman adding value and reassurance to each others lives from start to finish. I can't complain about that though, the two of them had a very natural dialogue and interaction and made it entertaining and watchable.

I have to give Berg credit for the originality aspect of the story and for landing an outstanding cast and using them wonderfully. I just had some minor issues with the way that the climax played out. Excellent acting all around, great idea and story, and the effects were pretty good (a little shaky and at times on the cheap side). 7/10

Wanted

Every boy's secret fantasy; you're living through a boring and monotonous life when out of the blue you are told that you are the heir to the greatest assassin who ever lived and your destiny is to avenge his death. James McAvoy was perhaps a perfect choice to play the part of Wesley, evoking Ed Norton's narrator character in Fight Club. His inner monologue describes in comedic detail just how miserable of an existence he leads. The transformation that takes place is a little bit too much like the Matrix, but the special effects are excellent, and the pacing is fast and smooth, so it is acceptable.

Timur Bekmambetov brings a unique style of direction that works perfectly for this fantastical comic book adaptation. The visual and special effects are top notch, and as with his previous Russian films - Nightwatch and Daywatch, he is showing his dominance in his respective genre.

The cast left a little to be desired. Although it is fun to watch Morgan Freeman drop F-bombs, he coasted through this role. Angelina Jolie simply used her sexuality to play the appropriately named Fox. Longing gazes at McAvoy and pouty lips only go so far before it gets kind of annoying (in this context). The rest of the assassins weren't utilized nearly enough, as the rag-tag band of secret fraternity members could have been a bit more eclectic and important to the story.

There were some minor details that actually detracted from my enjoyment of the film. The back story of the assassins being descendants of weavers was both weak and unnecessary. There was a little too much time spent on the historical angle, and it was wasted time that could have been spent flipping cars and sending bullets through windows and people. The training of the freshly anointed chosen one could have been a little more relevant as well, and as cool as curving bullets is in theory, getting beat up and working on specific skills as opposed to more practical exercises just seemed unfitting.

The action sequences were excellent. From the opening scene it is clear that this director pulls no punches, and conveys the story on the screen in a way in which no director has before. Truly unique film making. A slight plot twist near the end keeps the story going and leads to a rampaging Matrix-style shootout that is both ridiculous and awesome at the same time.

I really enjoyed this film despite having not read the graphic novel/comic book and having some slight qualms with a few of the details. I bet it was fun to make, and the pacing and action makes it highly watchable. 8/10.

The Incredible Hulk

Marvel Studios has really impressed me with its first two films, but more importantly, its marketing and vision for future franchises and spin offs. The subtle integration of characters is delicately and deliberately placed in the first two films as just a slight tease of things to come. This strategy plays well, creating openings for limitless opportunities, and with the successes of Iron Man and the Hulk, the foreseeable future looks good for Marvel.

The Hulk of 2003 was decent, but still a disappointing artistic endeavor by Ang Lee that was viewed as nothing more than a long, muddled mess of a story with dazzling special effects. The updated version, which for all intents and purposes is the sequel, is much more concise and true to its purpose and audience. Even from the beginning, the entire back story is shown through snippets of newspaper clippings and flashbacks over the course of the opening credits. Too many films of this type (an extensive back story) spend too much time getting the audience up to speed, but this version handles it over the course of just a few minutes.

From there, the story builds with the help of some great actors, and although it is nothing more than a misunderstood science experiment gone wrong, it is an entertaining and reasonable story nonetheless. I think what makes it work is that there isn't a false sense of tension or emotional crescendo, it's just plain fun. The writer, Zak Penn (superhero films and video games are his specialty) does a great job of maintaining the levity with tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and inside jokes that make fans of the genre giddy.

Norton, Hurt, Roth and Tim Blake Nelson were all improvements over the original cast of characters from 2003, but unfortunately Liv Tyler was weak, and much less of a screen presence than Jennifer Connelly was as Betty Ross in 2003.

Some of the special/visual effects along the way were a little bit disappointing, but the final battle made up for that, and the length of the final battle was impressive as usually they seem to fizzle after just a few very deliberate scenes. The real kicker that kept the energy level up was the cameo at the end by Tony Stark (Iron Man) who blatantly set up buzz for a 2011 release of the Avengers (comprised of Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and some lesser known super heroes). As mentioned earlier, Marvel has brilliantly marketed their first two movies, and if the global gross is any indicator of future films by the studio, they will be a major force in Hollywood for some time to come. Hulk good. 8/10.

The Happening

Let me preface this review by saying - I will not spoil anything. M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller follows unsuspecting Northeasterners who fall victim to an unexplained and fatal phenomenon. Never before has a director followed his or her debut (Sixth Sense), which was one of the all time great thrillers with such a piece of garbage (Unbreakable). This alone is cause for suspicion in the actual quality of Shyamalan's body of work. I personally enjoyed both Signs and the Village, but Lady in the Water was absolutely awful, and actually worse than Unbreakable. Anyway, lowered expectations prevail, and I went to see the Happening on the off chance that Night has regained his magic touch.

For a director/writer/producer who typically shrouds his stories and twists in a mysterious web of secrecy, he must have given up on caring on this one. The entire plot from start to finish can be discerned simply by watching the previews. In fact, with the exception of one particular sequence, the most heightened level of tension resides in the first few minutes of the film. Night creates these fantasy worlds that suck the viewer in and make them temporarily believable, which to his credit is what really keeps his films afloat.

This brings me to my biggest concern: This movie is being advertised specifically on the platform that this is Night's first R-rated film. Why? The content rivals his other work, and the graphic sequences would be equally if not more effective if they were left to the imagination. Why make the step up now, knowing full well that an R-rated film will probably gross fewer dollars, when there is already a marketable and proven writer/director behind the project? It doesn't make sense to me, and I can't understand the logic except that Night must have taken some cues from the "gore porn" films of the past few years and wanted to see how his take would do on audiences.

Getting back to the film, the premise is quite intriguing, and elicits some deep thoughts early on, because the looming overtone is not "what is happening", but rather "why is it happening?" Unfortunately, the film somehow loses its grip on the viewer, and eventually the question becomes "who cares?" The end finally arrives, and the questions have only partially been answered, although the explanation is what would be expected. As anti-climactic as the would-be-ending is, the film continues, and actually regains some of its steam, leaving the viewer in the middle of a political current events debate neatly guised as a cautionary tale.

There were some bright spots along the way. The premise alone evokes shudders, and the explanation is somewhat plausible although highly unlikely on so many levels. Many of the scenes are comprised of trademark Shyamalan camera work - lingering and deliberate shots of either irrelevant or foreshadowing people or objects. Blending the eerie music with the mundane makes his movies the thrill rides that they are, and for me, the anticipation of something fresh, new and revealing makes it worthwhile. Perhaps the magic is gone, but the journey is fun. I enjoyed this movie for nothing more than an original story with some good tension.

Wahlberg is pretty good as the easy-going science teacher on the run, but he used his "wrinkled brow, confused and a little bit anxious" expression a little bit too often. Of course, that is his bread and butter, so we can't blame him for that, can we? The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable except for the old recluse, who made for some good seat-edge moments. Overall, it's worth checking out. Definitely creepy and fun. 7/10.

You Don't Mess With the Zohan

I normally don't let reviews sway my opinion, but in this case, they caught me off guard and I'm going to skip the Zohan. It looked funny based on the previews... I'll let you know when it's on Netflix.