"While waiting in line for the screening of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I overhead someone say that Guillermo del Toro's latest is being seen as his audition tape for The Hobbit," observed Jonathan Pacheco in his review for The House Next Door. Of course, Del Toro already had the directing gigs for the two Hobbit films before Hellboy II hit theaters, but that won't stop audiences from evaluating the current parade of fairies, demons and evil elves with Del Toro's Middle-Earth-to-be in mind.
Needless to say, it's a narrow perspective.

It would make more sense to expect that these upcoming features will negotiate between the gothic horror of Pan's Labryinth and the blockbuster approach of Hellboy II. In the latter work, it's clear that Del Toro has more interest in placing these loony supernatural beings in relatively conventional action sequences, allowing the specificity of the characters to create a sense of ingenuity. Pan's Labryinth, on the other hand, offers a single package of storytelling: The art direction, special effects and even the violence directly relate to the drama. The best case scenario for the Hobbit films would be a happy medium: Glorious visuals that reflect Tolkien's deeply involving mythology.

In my recent celebratory rant about the new Latin American cinema classics, I failed to mention any films from Chile. This was not my intention, but admittedly I am not familiar with that country's film production, as most Americans are not. The most well-known contemporary Chilean filmmaker is probably Raoul Ruiz (or Raúl Ruiz), who is likely more associated with French cinema and is considered even more generally to be an international filmmaker. Like Ruiz, a lot of Chile's filmmakers left their country 35 years ago when Pinochet came to power. Fortunately, since Chile became a democracy again in 1990, film production there has been on the rise and will fortunately one day be as big as neighboring Argentina's film industry.

Chilean cinema could have a boost thanks to Lionsgate, which has just picked up Rodrigo Ortuzar's All Inclusive for U.S. distribution. The film, about a family trapped at a resort when a Hurricane hits its Yucatan location and co-starring Street Kings' Martha Higareda (pictured), is set in and was co-produced by Mexico, which is fine considering the association allows the film to be lumped with recent partially Mexican films like Under the Same Moon and the Spanish-language work of Guillermo Del Toro. Lionsgate also handled distribution for last year's U.S.-produced Spanish-language film Bandoleros, Lionsgate has yet to announce a release date for All Inclusive.

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."

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.

One of the best things about life here on Cinematical is that I receive a crash course in comic books that I'm unfamiliar with. The world of graphic novels and comic books is a pretty daunting one, especially when every other title is being optioned by a big studio.
There are so many of these characters that I've known in passing or via their movie adaptations that I don't even know where to begin reading.

And that's coming from someone who's (somewhat) in the know! I can't imagine how it looks from the outside. I try to imagine these poor souls going into a comic book shop and saying "So, um, which comic was the movie based on?" and getting laughed at. And with Hellboy, that's a lot of people, including yours truly.

That's why I love the guys at ComicMix -- they know their superhero stories, and they're eager to share them. You can go there, quietly print their lists up, and take them to Amazon.com without needing to talk to a single judgmental soul. Now, to coincide with the release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, they've put together a best of Hellboy list for those unfamiliar with his comic incarnation. And I know after you've seen the movie, you're going to want to pick up Seed of Destruction and The Corpse. They sound like the perfect beach reading to me!

[Thanks to Rick Marshall, who always keeps us in the loop]

Speaking with Cinematical in Los Angeles, director and writer Guillermo del Toro was enthused and excited to talk about the challenges and triumphs of his latest film. "The biggest challenge (for Hellboy II: The Golden Army) was to say "Let's remain loose and interested and happy and crazier and more free in the second movie. ... And the second-biggest challenge was to make a 200-million dollar movie with 85 (million). ..." Del Toro also spoke about the film's mix of slapstick and the supernatural, the pleasures and pitfalls of practical effects and what he'd say to someone concerned that his upcoming task of directing The Hobbit would mean too much time spent away from him crafting his own unique visions for the big screen. (Warning: Brief snippets of foul language included within.)

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In the dust of the last Unscripted chat, which featured Hancock stars Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman, we've got something even more otherworldly -- Hellboy II: The Golden Army director Guillermo del Toro chatting with two of his stars, Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, in the latest round of Unscripted.

The trio were feeling a bit frisky when they entered Moviefone land to record the interview, and they discuss favorite movies and monsters, poke some fun at James Lipton, and delight in some low-brow humor. Watching del Toro in this clip, I can only hope that his future includes more of the humor present in the clips. There's a lot more to this man than creepy creatures.

And there's one additional, cut clip above, tossed to us scavengers here at Cinematical. Check them all out, and be sure to hit the theaters and see Hellboy II this Friday.

In a movie season of superheroes, it is no easy task to stand out -- even if you're bright red with a giant stone hand and a tail. But I dare you to find one other superhero out there with as much swagger and love for kittens as Hellboy. Check out this new trailer for the fantasy-action flick Hellboy II: The Golden Army above which, conveniently, poses as a helpful public service announcement from Hellboy (Ron Perlman) himself ... along with his trademark kitty.

In Guillermo del Toro's second installment of the comic book adaptation, the uneasy truce between humanity and 'the invisible realm' has come to an end. A ruthless leader with the ability to walk in both worlds has gathered a mythical 'Golden Army' to, in so many words, kick ass and take names. So who else can we turn to other than Hellboy and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development to save the world once again?

Del Toro started the first wave of viral sites for the film with HetFet and Squeaky Clean Waste Management back in April. But with the exception of hardcore fans, I don't think many of us got on board with the campaign. In the end, it was a better idea to have Red make the rounds with the American Gladiators, Chuck, and an appearance on The Actor's Studio with James Lipton. My personal favorite is his audition for mun2, but I'll leave it up to you to decide which one you like best.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army opens this Friday.

With the arrival of this weekend's Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, we find ourselves (once again) discussing *damn* how great a genre filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is. I mean, he's a wonderful filmmaker all around, but I include the word "genre" as an indication of my respect for the man. He's so knee-deep in horror, dark fantasy, and pulp fiction that I doubt he'd even WANT to do a straight courtroom drama. (I'd go see it though.) One of the most creative storytellers since the also-awesome Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro hopes you'll want to take another spin with Hellboy this weekend, and that got us thinking ... if you could convince the director to do another sequel, which would it be. And why, knucklehead?

For me, I'd love to see another movie in the vein of The Devil's Backbone, but then again ... I wouldn't really want a sequel to that particular masterpiece. But fine, once the man is all done with his Hobbit movies, I say let him resurrect the Blade franchise. His chapter was (far and away) the best of that series.

At yesterday's press day for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the eloquent, elegant Guillermo del Toro had plenty to say about crafting the sequel to 2004's Hellboy, which we'll have at Cinematical closer to the film's opening; he also dropped a few facts and thoughts about his upcoming job helmingThe Hobbit. On the 'facts' front, del Toro mentioned that The Hobbit (which may be two films, one adapting the original novel and the other bridging The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with new material) will have a very different look than some of his other films: "The Hobbit will be (presented) in 2.35-to-1. ..." Translating cinematographer to English, that means that The Hobbit will be presented in widescreen, all the better to capture the hills and dales of the Shire.

Del Toro also spoke about the potentially tricky task of making his two Hobbit films in the wake of Peter Jackson's wildly successful trilogy, as well as what kind of material he might bring to a second movie -- and the tricky question of what Tolkien-created material Peter Jackson has the rights to (and can be used to create the two Hobbit films) and what material Jackson does not own the rights to (and can't use in a film). Del Toro's answers may have been short on detail, but they were long on vision. "What we're talking (about) is, obviously, utilizing the materials that are available to us, and the discipline has been to try and know, for my part, everything else -- not to know it and use it, but to know it and not step on those things.