I thought it was interesting how del Toro managed to create an entire "world" that was completely unknown to the real world, and disguising it, so that its secret entrances blended into the real world. (like in the troll market). He really takes on his own sense of mythical creatures and interprets their classic descriptions to his own imagination
You're a stupid face Leah... ha ha. Anyway, I totally agree with you. Guillermo is one of the most creative and interesting directors i can can think of. He seems to have an infinite capacity for creating new beings. I really like how he plays with the idea of mystical creatures in a modern world. He shows the mystical beings dying out and he makes you feel for them. They almost serve as a metaphor for our imagination and our ties to nature. As the world modernizes at an astonishing rate we see that we are leaving behind who we are.
del Toro is an incredible visionary and generally he does amazing work. But even though, visually, Hellboy II was fantastic, I could not see past the terrible acting and lacking story plot. I think that along with creating outstanding worlds with visual effects and costumes he should also think about how the actors play into a movie. Cause to be honest, it was painful to watch, even with the cool visuals. So, as Tom and Leah said, creating sweet look stuff is del Toro thing, but maybe he should start thinking about working harder with the acting and plot. Cause if you cover a poop with sprinkles...... it may look nicer... but it still smells like crap.
Haha, Tom (P) nice metaphor with the poop... and Tom (O), thanks for calling me stupid.
I agree that the acting and plot leave a lot to be desired. The fact that there is little background given to the sub-plots and little explanation to things made it harder to pay attention (although, i also blame the fact that I have not seen the first Hellboy for my lack of understanding).
Even in the second film, the characters do not seem to be developed enough for the viewer to relate to them on a deeper level, and because there is no connection, there is less suspense in the possibility of Hellboy's death.
Oh yeah. The acting is horrid at parts (David, "I Gizzed in my pants"). But you can't expect a lot from a high budget super hero film. Thanks to Guillermo though the movie was at least bearable, in fact i liked it. But just wait till Pans Labyrinth. movie. is. awesome.
I really liked Blade II, even though I haven't seen the first Blade. Wesley Snipes did a great job as Blade. The action wasn't too overwhelming, and it looked very believable. The action also didn't take over the plot, which i thought was well developed and very follow-able.
Blade II Awesome movie. Probably just as good if not better then the first blade. The first blade is better in the end though because it's the first one. Anyways, again we see Guillermo do his thing with crazy ass creatures. The evolved vampires in this movie are definitely on my top five list of vampires, they're probably hanging around the top three even. That is a very competitive and long list mind you. The action was pretty bad ass and I enjoyed nearly all of it. The one problem i had is that every now in then they would go into this totally animated thing that would make the characters look like they're in the Matrix. This detracts from the realism and rigidness I feel the movie is shooting for. I don't know if that Guillermo's idea or what, whoever it was should know never to do it again.
Tom O..... watch your language. but i really enjoyed Blade 2. ive seen it multiple times, as well the the first and third movies.... three sucked. but we are talking about two. so, blade 2 was excellent. again, del toro... work with the actors.... it was lacking. he also has a fetish for the guy who played hell boy. cause he is in this movie too. Tom O i agree with you, matrixy thing.... annoying. and the costuming is definitely early del toro, not as big budget. and the plot was certainly better than Hellboy II.
And david. Wesley Snipes may kill legions of vampire mutants..... but an Audit kills Wesley Snipes. not so tough now eh?
Shut up David. First things are usually always better then subsequent things because they are first. You know it and i know it, so don't try to lecture me on how I have to judge movies by their merit, especially when it comes to Blade. Guillermo really only has a few very high quality films, Pans Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, and Cronos. I haven't seen Cronos but people seem to like it. So maybe we actually should have watched those three movies, we definitely would have gotten a better view of Guillermo as a director. Tom. That was hilarious.
Tom, I don't think that the movie really shooting for realism. It's an adaptation of a comic and I think the "characters looking like they were in the matrix" along with the over the top action and costumes make it feel a lot like watching a comic.
I definitely think that del Toro could work with some of his actors on better delivery. And i also a agree that Blade II got a little "Matrix-y" (especially the scene when the old guy throws Blade's sunglasses to him from 50 feet away, and Blade catches them perfectly.... CHEESY) I didn't really know that Blade was adapted from a comic, but that would explain a lot of the over the top characters and costume choices. I would disagree with David - there are some deeper morals to the movie - Blade II definitely touches on the "you can't escape who you are, no matter how hard you try" theme, with the exchanges between the girl vampire and Blade
nice double post leah. David, the whole point of this movie is for Blade to kill people... the comic books were written for lonely, 35 year old, Funyon eating, mountain dew chuggin, WOW playing, mouth breathing, virgin men who have nothing better to do than sit around and welll..... knuckle children... thats all im gonna say here. But i feel like all we have done is criticize del Toro.... so i will say that despite, the first two movies acting to be a general failure, the visual prowess that del Toro has is incredible!!! the imagination it takes to bring these to life is staggering. i completely approve of what he does, and Pans labyrinth which is the next movie we will watch is remarkable so some good reviews are going to be gracing this blog.
I really liked this movie!! I thought it was an interesting plot, and i was surprisingly ok with the fact that it was in spanish. I will say that I was a little disappointed with the "fantasy element" in the movie, and found myself wishing that there were more scenes involving the mythical creatures. But what was done graphically was very well done, and as realistic as fiction can get (unless you believe that...)
I BELIEVE IT LEAH!!!!!! MYSTICAL CREATURE AND FAIRY TALES ARE REAL!!!!!! but seriosly i do. anywho. leah basically took the words directly out of my mouth. incredible movie. and i certainly loved the graphic violence... such as the bottle scene.... the knife in the guys mouth scene.. and where he gets shot right in the face. also del Toro's signiture style scences made much more sense in the plot, which had been a problem before, but this time it went really well. i know he did write the others, but this showed him as a true artist not just some cheap puppeteer who worked for hollywood.
sorry tom... of course i believe in magic- i'm still waiting for my hogwarts acceptance letter (it will come.... the owl just got lost). Anyway - i wouldn't say i LOVED the graphic violence, but i liked that it was realistic, and not too excessive. (i did have to close my eyes once or twice though). It definitely fit in with the plot, and i'm glad that they didn't try to sugar coat the violence at all. I agree that this film better fits with del Toro's style, since it feels more like an artistic film that simply one trying to do well at the box office.
I love this movie. So much so that when I saw some prick give it a bad rating on Rotten Tomatoes I created an account so that I could rip him a new ***hole... Oh my God!!! hahahahahahahahaha. I went to Rotten Tomatoes so that I could show you guys the link to his horrid review but I couldn't find it anywhere. He must have removed it. Epic win. Back to the movie. Guillermo's masterpiece (Devil's Backbone is also very good but it has nothing on his), we finally see his true potential in this film. The creatures, plot, themes, are all fantastic. Again, we see this harsh modern world meshing with ancient fantasy, a common thread throughout all the movies we've watched. I like how it's open for debate in the end wether the fantasy was real (It was real and if you think otherwise you're a fool).
I thought Pan's Labyrinth was more light on the fantasy elements than the other Del Toro movies we watched. I guess that matches its more serious tone. The fantasy elements that are there definitely feel Del Toro-ish and I think it's the best of the movies we watched.
This is my seventh year teaching film, and ninth overall. I got my B.A. in journalism in 1998 from the University of Minnesota, then worked as a sports writer at The Star Tribune for awhile. I eventually went back to the U for my master's degree in English education, and started teaching in 2001.
I live in Minneapolis with Susan (wife, works at General Mills), Jack (son, born in August '08), and Gunnar (dog, a PBGV -- look it up).
19 comments:
First Movie: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
I thought it was interesting how del Toro managed to create an entire "world" that was completely unknown to the real world, and disguising it, so that its secret entrances blended into the real world. (like in the troll market). He really takes on his own sense of mythical creatures and interprets their classic descriptions to his own imagination
You're a stupid face Leah... ha ha. Anyway, I totally agree with you. Guillermo is one of the most creative and interesting directors i can can think of. He seems to have an infinite capacity for creating new beings. I really like how he plays with the idea of mystical creatures in a modern world. He shows the mystical beings dying out and he makes you feel for them. They almost serve as a metaphor for our imagination and our ties to nature. As the world modernizes at an astonishing rate we see that we are leaving behind who we are.
del Toro is an incredible visionary and generally he does amazing work. But even though, visually, Hellboy II was fantastic, I could not see past the terrible acting and lacking story plot. I think that along with creating outstanding worlds with visual effects and costumes he should also think about how the actors play into a movie. Cause to be honest, it was painful to watch, even with the cool visuals. So, as Tom and Leah said, creating sweet look stuff is del Toro thing, but maybe he should start thinking about working harder with the acting and plot. Cause if you cover a poop with sprinkles...... it may look nicer... but it still smells like crap.
Haha, Tom (P) nice metaphor with the poop... and Tom (O), thanks for calling me stupid.
I agree that the acting and plot leave a lot to be desired. The fact that there is little background given to the sub-plots and little explanation to things made it harder to pay attention (although, i also blame the fact that I have not seen the first Hellboy for my lack of understanding).
Even in the second film, the characters do not seem to be developed enough for the viewer to relate to them on a deeper level, and because there is no connection, there is less suspense in the possibility of Hellboy's death.
Oh yeah. The acting is horrid at parts (David, "I Gizzed in my pants"). But you can't expect a lot from a high budget super hero film. Thanks to Guillermo though the movie was at least bearable, in fact i liked it. But just wait till Pans Labyrinth. movie. is. awesome.
Second Movie: Blade II
I really liked Blade II, even though I haven't seen the first Blade. Wesley Snipes did a great job as Blade. The action wasn't too overwhelming, and it looked very believable. The action also didn't take over the plot, which i thought was well developed and very follow-able.
Blade II
Awesome movie. Probably just as good if not better then the first blade. The first blade is better in the end though because it's the first one. Anyways, again we see Guillermo do his thing with crazy ass creatures. The evolved vampires in this movie are definitely on my top five list of vampires, they're probably hanging around the top three even. That is a very competitive and long list mind you. The action was pretty bad ass and I enjoyed nearly all of it. The one problem i had is that every now in then they would go into this totally animated thing that would make the characters look like they're in the Matrix. This detracts from the realism and rigidness I feel the movie is shooting for. I don't know if that Guillermo's idea or what, whoever it was should know never to do it again.
Tom O..... watch your language. but i really enjoyed Blade 2. ive seen it multiple times, as well the the first and third movies.... three sucked. but we are talking about two. so, blade 2 was excellent. again, del toro... work with the actors.... it was lacking. he also has a fetish for the guy who played hell boy. cause he is in this movie too. Tom O i agree with you, matrixy thing.... annoying. and the costuming is definitely early del toro, not as big budget. and the plot was certainly better than Hellboy II.
And david. Wesley Snipes may kill legions of vampire mutants..... but an Audit kills Wesley Snipes. not so tough now eh?
Shut up David. First things are usually always better then subsequent things because they are first. You know it and i know it, so don't try to lecture me on how I have to judge movies by their merit, especially when it comes to Blade.
Guillermo really only has a few very high quality films, Pans Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, and Cronos. I haven't seen Cronos but people seem to like it. So maybe we actually should have watched those three movies, we definitely would have gotten a better view of Guillermo as a director.
Tom. That was hilarious.
Tom, I don't think that the movie really shooting for realism. It's an adaptation of a comic and I think the "characters looking like they were in the matrix" along with the over the top action and costumes make it feel a lot like watching a comic.
I definitely think that del Toro could work with some of his actors on better delivery. And i also a agree that Blade II got a little "Matrix-y" (especially the scene when the old guy throws Blade's sunglasses to him from 50 feet away, and Blade catches them perfectly.... CHEESY) I didn't really know that Blade was adapted from a comic, but that would explain a lot of the over the top characters and costume choices.
I would disagree with David - there are some deeper morals to the movie - Blade II definitely touches on the "you can't escape who you are, no matter how hard you try" theme, with the exchanges between the girl vampire and Blade
nice double post leah. David, the whole point of this movie is for Blade to kill people... the comic books were written for lonely, 35 year old, Funyon eating, mountain dew chuggin, WOW playing, mouth breathing, virgin men who have nothing better to do than sit around and welll..... knuckle children... thats all im gonna say here. But i feel like all we have done is criticize del Toro.... so i will say that despite, the first two movies acting to be a general failure, the visual prowess that del Toro has is incredible!!! the imagination it takes to bring these to life is staggering. i completely approve of what he does, and Pans labyrinth which is the next movie we will watch is remarkable so some good reviews are going to be gracing this blog.
Third Movie: Pan's Labyrinth
I really liked this movie!! I thought it was an interesting plot, and i was surprisingly ok with the fact that it was in spanish. I will say that I was a little disappointed with the "fantasy element" in the movie, and found myself wishing that there were more scenes involving the mythical creatures. But what was done graphically was very well done, and as realistic as fiction can get (unless you believe that...)
I BELIEVE IT LEAH!!!!!! MYSTICAL CREATURE AND FAIRY TALES ARE REAL!!!!!! but seriosly i do. anywho. leah basically took the words directly out of my mouth. incredible movie. and i certainly loved the graphic violence... such as the bottle scene.... the knife in the guys mouth scene.. and where he gets shot right in the face. also del Toro's signiture style scences made much more sense in the plot, which had been a problem before, but this time it went really well. i know he did write the others, but this showed him as a true artist not just some cheap puppeteer who worked for hollywood.
did NOT write the others* my apologies everyone!
sorry tom... of course i believe in magic- i'm still waiting for my hogwarts acceptance letter (it will come.... the owl just got lost).
Anyway - i wouldn't say i LOVED the graphic violence, but i liked that it was realistic, and not too excessive. (i did have to close my eyes once or twice though). It definitely fit in with the plot, and i'm glad that they didn't try to sugar coat the violence at all. I agree that this film better fits with del Toro's style, since it feels more like an artistic film that simply one trying to do well at the box office.
I love this movie. So much so that when I saw some prick give it a bad rating on Rotten Tomatoes I created an account so that I could rip him a new ***hole... Oh my God!!! hahahahahahahahaha. I went to Rotten Tomatoes so that I could show you guys the link to his horrid review but I couldn't find it anywhere. He must have removed it. Epic win.
Back to the movie. Guillermo's masterpiece (Devil's Backbone is also very good but it has nothing on his), we finally see his true potential in this film. The creatures, plot, themes, are all fantastic. Again, we see this harsh modern world meshing with ancient fantasy, a common thread throughout all the movies we've watched. I like how it's open for debate in the end wether the fantasy was real (It was real and if you think otherwise you're a fool).
I thought Pan's Labyrinth was more light on the fantasy elements than the other Del Toro movies we watched. I guess that matches its more serious tone. The fantasy elements that are there definitely feel Del Toro-ish and I think it's the best of the movies we watched.
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