Posts with tag Doug Jones
'Hellboy II' Interviews -- Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Mike Mignola
Filed under: Action », Universal », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Speaking with the press in Beverly Hills, Guillermo del Toro casually tossed off a line that sums up the spirit of his most recent film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and the tone he and his cast achieved: "When you go see a movie called "Hellboy," already there's an implicit, assumed certain sense of goofiness; you have to then say 'Look, we know we're pulpy, we know we're different, but we take ourselves seriously, and we want to entertain." Mike (Mignola, creator of the Hellboy comics) said it: He's not the Hell Knight, he's not the Hell Spawn, he's not the Hell Lord, he's the Hellboy. ... "
Much of the pleasure in the Hellboy series comes from the mesh and mix of the sensibilities of del Toro and Hellboy's creator Mike Mignola; I asked del Toro about the challenge of adapting someone else's material. How much of it is a struggle, and how much of it is a pleasure, to find ways to make someone else's creation yours? "I said in the past that, obviously, no matter how respectful you are of the material there's a moment ... I made the analogy that it's like marrying a widow; you have to be very respectful about the late husband, but at some point, you're going to get in bed, and the late husband is not gonna matter anymore, or it better not. And I think it's the same with material; there's a point where you go "I have only my instincts to guide me through this section ..." But, it's co-exploring. In the case of Hellboy, I've been blessed with a guy like Mike (Mignola), who is the most generous landlord of the Hellboy real estate; he says, essentially, move in, decorate as you want and make it yours."
Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Universal », Theatrical Reviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Imagine one of the Star Trek crews transported to Tolkien's Middle Earth, or Buffy and her Scooby gang whisked away into the heart of Narnia. That's how Hellboy II: The Golden Army can feel, as you watch a cartoonish-looking, cigar-smoking demon fight gorgeous creatures right out of ancient folklore (and one Miyazaki-esque nature deity). Your reaction to such a contrast -- as fascinating, jarring or downright repellent -- will likely influence your feelings about the latest film from Guillermo del Toro, a sequel to his 2004 adaptation of Mike Mignola's graphic novels. The writer-director's previous film, Pan's Labyrinth, was a favorite of mine, and while Hellboy II doesn't quite measure up to that film's richness of character and story, it is still visually extraordinary.
I came into this film entirely ignorant of the Hellboy universe ... much like with Sex and the City, although it seems bizarre to compare Mignola's characters to Candace Bushnell's. I haven't read the graphic novels and I hadn't even seen the first movie (it was impossible to find a rental DVD of Hellboy in Austin last week, which may bode well for the popularity of the sequel). And yet, unlike Sex and the City, I didn't feel as though I must have missed something in order to fully appreciate the film. Hellboy II gives us virtually no backstory on its main characters, but that's not necessary, as the setup becomes obvious almost immediately. Sure, there were a few scenes where the comic-book fans were laughing and I didn't get the joke, but it didn't bother me and I never felt lost or confused.
Holy 'Hellboy II' Images!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
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A whole crop of new Hellboy II: The Golden Army photos have popped up over at Yahoo Movies. Like, a lot of them. There's also the promise of a new trailer premiering tomorrow, so make sure you head back there for that. Hellboy II: The Golden Army, of course, is the sequel to Hellboy -- and it's directed by the always-nutty Guillermo del Toro. Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones and Luke Goss, Hellboy II once again follows the planet's toughest, roughest superhero as he goes to battle against a merciless dictator and an unstoppable army of creatures. This just has awesome written all over it. You can check out another image below, then click on either to check out Yahoo's gigantic gallery.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits theaters on July 11.
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First Look at Selma Blair in 'Hellboy 2'... From the Neck Up!
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Images »
Granted, it's not like Selma Blair's Liz Sherman is some strange creature covered in prosthetics, but I find it amusing that the first picture we're getting of her, which has gone up on the Hellboy II: The Golden Army website, is just of her face. Well, her face and neck, so you can see her necklace. Selma looks great, serious, and a good deal of tough, but I wish we could see more of her -- something recognizable from the Hellboy universe, instead of just digitally-created smoke. Without the environment, and clothing, she's just Selma Blair, not Liz Sherman. Fortunately, this is only the beginning of the images coming our way this week. In the next few days, Universal will be releasing pics of Abe Sapien and Hellboy. Stay tuned!
Guillermo del Toro Wants to do Frankenstein
Filed under: Horror », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
We could really use a new adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It could be a faithful film, which would have certain relevance in a time when genetic research and other culturally debated scientific progresses, medical or not, continue to mark us as a God-aspirant species. Or it could be an updated or altered adaptation, to make the relevance more obvious. I think James Whale's films about the doctor and the monster are terrific, and we already have the greatest variation -- Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein -- but I'd personally like to see a new take on the original novel. Well, according to JoBlo, the guy who would most like to take the reigns on that idea is Guillermo Del Toro. During a visit to the set of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, JoBlo's Jason Adams quoted Del Toro as saying he "would kill to make" a faithful "Miltonian tragedy" version. Apparently when Kenneth Branagh tried to do this 13 years ago with his Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, there was an unshot version of the script by Frank Darabont. Del Toro claims that draft was, according to Adams, "pretty much perfect." I admit I never bothered with Branagh's film. I'd rather watch "Johnny 5" play the monster than Robert DeNiro (or at least watch the robot read the book, as he does in Short Circuit 2). So, I can't directly say what didn't work about the adaptation. All I know is that it seems to have been pretty much disregarded by everyone. That said, I'm also not the biggest Del Toro enthusiast in the world. I'm not going to exclaim that he needs to make this and that he would deliver the best Frankenstein ever. I would, however, love to see him make the attempt.
Meet the Real Silver Surfer
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
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Eight weeks before Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters, a number of Youtube videos have popped up featuring a giggly fat man in silver body paint and bald cap who walks around what looks like Venice interacting with the locals and declaring himself to be the real Silver Surfer, as opposed to the toned figure on the billboards. "I wanted to play myself and they said 'no.' I wanted to play Mr. Fantastic and they said 'no.' Racism. It's because of my skin color." I'll say this for Fox's viral marketing department -- at least these clips are mildly amusing. The best one features the chubby Surfer actually attempting to surf. "It's a beautiful morning," he says, chatting up a guy next to him who is also about to go out. "Kind of reminds me of the great deepness of space, you know? Kind of goes on forever." He then takes a running start at the water and freaks out because the water is too cold.
The other three videos aren't quite as good as the surfing one, and the one where he offers "surfing lessons from the Silver Surfer" on the street corner cuts way too fast for us to discern anything about what's going on. Fox should hire a cameraman who knows the principles of comedy a little better. Nevertheless, like I said, it's pretty funny if you're looking for something to watch on a rainy day, as it actually is today. I'll close by reiterating the point of the whole thing -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opens in theaters on June 15.
Doug Jones Dishes on Hellboy and FF Sequels
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », RumorMonger », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Like any good movie fan, I have my own fully developed set of pre-dispositions when it comes to certain actors/directors/writers, etc. You know how it is -- there are some people you just inherently trust to provide you with quality work. Likewise, there are similar characters which immediately instill feelings of fear and disgust. This doesn't mean you can always predict the quality of a film brought to you by one of these folks (for instance, I love William H. Macy, and dude is in some awful movies), but it does give you somewhere to start. For me, Doug Jones is very near the top of the list, despite his somewhat atypical body of work. I can't speak to the quality of every film Jones is in, but I can almost categorically promise that I will love his performance in it.Delightfully, Jones has signed on to two of my very favorite comic book franchises, landing major character roles in both Hellboy and The Fantastic Four. Jones has recently completed work on FF2, and is gearing up for work on Hellboy 2, and in the downtime chatted just a bit with IF Magazine. He said to expect a lot more screen time for Abe Sapien in the Hellboy sequel, and a great buddy role with Hellboy. Of the Four he said very little, because he wasn't sure what he was allowed to discuss. He did, however, note: "I'm going to play it safe and say that it would be difficult to introduce the Silver Surfer without Galactus having some kind of presence in the film."
Geek Bytes: 12.21.06 - Weird Wonder Woman Rumors
Filed under: Action », RumorMonger », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Geek news I found while taking a break from Wii Sports, as the game suggested:- Let's start things off on the right foot with a quickie from the 300 team: Soundtrack.Net, a site rarely referenced here in the Geek Bytes, has a nice little piece on the scoring of 300 by Tyler Bates.
- Have you been by the Transformers: The Movie website lately? I have, sorta by accident. It appears as though they've added quite a bit of stuff.
- CBR, a website which is frequently linked here in the Bytes, is running with some weird exclusive about Wonder Woman casting. There's really very little to the story so far, except the name Blythe Metz and a crappy MySpace. Stay closely tuned to Cinematical for full coverage of this rumor if any actual news surfaces on this front.
- Sci Fi Wire says the fantastic Doug Jones is done being the Silver Surfer for now. With any luck, we'll all see him back again for the certain third film in the franchise.
- Interested in the Fantastic Four trailer, but not interested enough to shell out some bucks and watch Night at the Museum? No problem, just swing by the SHH message boards, and read a brief, exciting play by play.
Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Marvel Musings
Filed under: Action », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », The Geek Beat »
Some stray thoughts I've been pondering while not caught up in the NFL and NCAA football seasons or Marvel's Civil War:
Are you following the events of Marvel's Civil War summer crossover spectacular? Was I the only one to get an instant mental picture of Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire slugging it out upon hearing the Iron Man casting information shortly after reading the latest Amazing Spider-Man? And who else is getting tired of the Iron Spider suit? I suppose that's all good and well, since he's getting a costume change soon enough anyway.
Speaking of, what do you make of the Robert Downey Jr. casting? Is it wrong that one of the first thoughts which crossed my mind was "let's see, Tony Stark has been an alcoholic struggling with inner demons in the past, while Robert Downey Jr. has been ..." See where I'm going?
Doug Jones Loves Being the Surfer
Filed under: Action », Casting », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Among True Believers, there are very few Marvel characters more universally respected and loved than the Silver Surfer. When fans heard the Fantastic Four sequel would heavily feature the hero (so heavily they named the film after him), we rejoiced mightily. The first flick was slightly sub-par, but promise of the Silver Surfer on the silver screen was enough to give anyone hope for the future of the franchise, particularly because it will draw heavily from a classic Lee and Kirby collaboration. To complete the excellent news, it was eventually announced that geek favorite Doug Jones would bring the Surfer to life. And Jones, it seems, is quickly learning to share fans' devotion and respect for the character he'll be portraying. After reading up and doing his homework on the Surfer, Jones had nothing but praise: " As my research into this character continues, I am falling more and more in love with him ... his valiance, his nobility, his stance for truth, hope, faith, and his history of self-sacrifice. So I fully understand why his fans are talking so much about his introduction appearance in this sequel, and why they would be concerned with who plays him." As far as I'm concerned, they've picked the perfect man for the job.
[via The Doug Jones Experience]
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'The Dark Knight' DVD and More 'Batman 3' Rumors
Discuss: On Political Satire, Righties vs. Lefties, and Abused Film Critics
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