OPENS: July 11, 2008
RATING: PG-13
GENRES: Dark Fantasy, Comedy, Steampunk
NO SPOILERS
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of three-time Oscar-winner Pan’s Labyrinth as well as Blade II and the original Hellboy) is on a roll, according to mainstream movie critics, who hail him as everything from the next Hitchcock to the next Ovid.
Although not all the critics loved the film – almost 9 out of 10 gave it positive reviews – which is an accomplishment for a genre film since the mainstream press seems hellbent on dismissing anything with an out-of-this-world imagination.
Not so with Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Critics universally praised del Toro for his unique visual style and ability to set a mood like not other directer working today. Also, the actor playing the title role, Ron Perlman (TV’s Beauty and the Beast) an unlikely action hero at age 58, was praised by most as being at the top of his game.
Of the few negative comments, some found fault with the story as too simplistic or unbelievable, as if they forgot they were watching a social commentary disguised as a horror comedy about a big red demon who cut off his horns, loves kittens and decided to fight for the good guys.
The absurdity of life is the message, guys.
Del Toro’s next films: Doctor Strange in 2010 and in 2012 – The Hobbit (official prequels to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy)
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"Starting with characters created by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, writer-director Del Toro, whose one-of-a-kind Pan’s Labyrinth won a trio of Oscars in 2007, is almost alone in his ability to re-create on screen the wide-eyed exhilaration and disturbing grotesqueness that is the legacy of reading comics on the page.” – Kenneth Turan
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“It definitely gives us our money’s worth in the sheer volume of its imaginative fantasy creatures and it’s that rare superhero-movie sequel that’s better than the original.” – William Arnold
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“Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography).” – Dana Stevens
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“Here’s the problem: too much razzle-dazzle. Not enough Ron Perlman.” – Robert W. Butler
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“In a season of endless comic book superheroes, Hellboy II is a unique visual feast.” – Jay Stone
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“Guillermo Del Toro’s stylish sense of wonderment makes for the best superhero movie of the summer. ” – Colin Covert
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“in the right hands, digital effects, creature design and directorial elan can work together to give you the best sort of willies.” – Michael Phillips
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“Del Toro crafts a stellar comic book sequel, boasting visuals that are as imaginative as the characters are endearing.” Tomatometer
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A very thoughtful and thought-provoking film combining the metaphysical, the spiritual and the human element, The Nines is directed by acclaimed screenwriter John August and stars Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis and Elle Fanning.
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RATING: R (For brief drug use and mild sexuality)
NOW SHOWING: On DVD
GENRE: Science Fiction
NO SPOILERS
In these days of multi-million-dollar special effects extravaganzas, movie studios seem to be pumping most – if not all – of their budget dollars into getting flashier and more impressive computer-generated imagery on screen.
But, every so often a lower-budget film comes along that reminds us of the power of great writing in filmed speculative fiction; how an audience can me moved and come to love a movie through its characters and by deft story telling.
The Nines is one of those films. It succeeds as a science fiction movie without space ships or with computer-animated cartoons as main characters as is all the rage these days.
Unfortunately, during this film’s original theatrical run during late 2007, it was lost in the shuffle of Holiday blockbuster wannabes and was relegated to just a handful of theatres in just the biggest U.S. cities. Luckily, thanks to home video, The Nines now has a home on DVD and is available to all.
Like recent lower-budget speculative fiction films like Donnie Darko and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Nines uses story and character in the contemporary world to pose its ”what if.” This is a lesson we’ve known since The Twilight Zone first appeared on TV screens in the 1960s.
So, big-budget studios, listen up. The secret to how a good movie is made: You need to start with a great story.
The fact that a great story is at the heart of The Nines should be no surprise. It was written by director John August, the writer of such screenplays as Go, Titan A.E., Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and the forthcoming movies, Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam and Dark Shadows.
The problem with writing a review for The Nines is that the film is set up like M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. There is a surprise ending that would spoil full enjoyment of the film if you knew what it was before you start watching it.
What I can say is that the film is set up as a triptych of sorts, a series of three short films starring the same three actors centered around the characters of Ryan Reynolds (Blade: Trinity, Amityville Horror, and the forthcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine) who plays Gary, a troubled actor; Gavin, a television show runner; and Gabriel, an acclaimed video game designer.
None of those stories appears to be the least bit science fiction or fantasy until the final scene of the final story. That’s when it all comes together as a metaphysical fable to appeal to those living in the 21st century’s Internet age.
Reynolds is joined by independent cinema star Hope Davis (American Splendor, Six Degrees) as the characters, Sarah, Susan and Sierra. Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls) plays the characters Margaret, Melissa and Mary.
The cast and acting are top-notch and that quality of this film never falters helps the viewer suspend disbelief enough for this weird ride of a movie.
Reynolds shines playing three distinct characters in a self-obsessed actor, a big-hearted TV writer and a devoted family man. Davis is downright spooky as her character walks a line without letting the audience truly know of her character’s real intentions or motivations until the very end.
But it is Melissa McCarthy’s performance that is the standout. Her character is the heart and soul of this film and the actress pulls it off. It is through her eyes that we ultimately realize what is going on.
The movie is rated R for foul language and brief drug use and sexual situations in the first of the three vignettes about the action movie star, although these scenes are much less disturbing than many of the blood-gore shootouts in many PG-13 summer blockbusters these days.
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Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of July 4 -6, 2008.
RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]
Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.
Listed below are the Top 10 most-popular FanDominion posts of June 2008:
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According to critics, it’s a toss-up between Hancock and Speed Racer for worst big-budget film of 2008.
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OPENS: July 2, 2008
RATING: PG-13
NO SPOILERS
Will Smith has a new big-budget blockbuster film out this 4th of July weekend and most film critics hate it.
In Hancock, Smith stars alongside Jason Bateman (Juno) and Charlize Theron (Aeon Flux) in a film about the ultimate super anti-hero.
Of particular note is the phrase “Super Zero” that has shown up in many, many of this film’s negative reviews.
Of those who do not like Hancock, most took particular time to point out that the film contains gritty, realistic violence that normally is reserved for R-rated films.
Also noted as negatives were a haphazard script and a confusing and undeveloped plot.
Of the few who liked the film, Hancock was praised as being daringly original. Particular praise was given to the on-screen chemistry between Theron and Smith.
Watch the trailer: (Warning some minor spoilers)
A choice selection of Hancock film reviews follows:
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"Almost any moviegoer should be able to find something to enjoy, but it's hard to imagine anyone liking this mishmash from beginning to end."- Colin Covert
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"In this summer of superhero movies, Hancock stands out like a homeless beggar on a millionaire's yacht. " – Rick Warner
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"Hancock suggests new visual directions and emotional tonalities for pop. It’s by far the most enjoyable big movie of the summer.” – David Denby
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“Hancock is indigestible. It’s a movie with an identity crisis that seems to offer one gentle pleasure but instead offers a harsher experience by far. It’s very, very strange.” – Stephen Hunter
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“Hancock will likely post strong long weekend figures, but just watch those numbers plummet as the word gets out. A superhero can overcome many things, but not a movie that goes off the rails.” – Tom Charity
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“The movie feels trivial as an emotional piece and never takes off as an action movie. The special effects are ho-hum, and in the dramatic scenes, the actors seem to be feeling a lot more than the audience. That’s never a good sign.” – Mitch LaSalle
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“It has to be emphasized that though the film’s trailers carefully hide it, Hancock has a blisteringly profane tongue. How diatribes that would make a stevedore blush got a PG-13 rating is a question for another day.” – Kenneth Turan
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“Yet once the vulgar comedy dissipates, we’re left with poorly photographed, bullet-riddled summer-action mayhem. The only thing drunker than Hancock is the editing and camerawork.” – Wesley Morris
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“What starts out with a sense of quirky fun loses direction and devolves into a mishmash of story lines. The finished product is so poorly conceived and misguided that even Will Smith, with all his charm, can’t save it.” – Claudia Puig
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“It depresses me to think of all the preteens who’ll be sitting through this, since it squeaked by with a PG-13 rating; the violence and the general abrasiveness are a genuine drag.” – Michael Phillips
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“one of the weirdest studio movies in some time, and not one without precedent. Superhero satires tend to get regarded as passable comedies, but they’re often loaded with pertinent social commentary. As long as America continues to obsess over good guys in funny costumes, there’s a benefit to satirizing them: It helps us understand the mania. .” – Eric Kohn
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Below is a list of the top-grossing science fiction, fantasy, spy fi and supernatural horror/dark fantasy films first released in North America in 2008. They are listed in order of worldwide gross as of June 29, 2008.
KEY: Rank (Overall rank) Title [Genre] – Worldwide Gross | U.S. Gross (U.S. Rank)
COLORS: GREEN = still in theaters; RED = lost money; BLACK or BOLD ITALIC = Broke even or better
Source: Box Office Mojo, various press reports
Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of June 27-29, 2008.
RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]
Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.
Longtime fan Jack Speer passed away early in the morning June 28, 2008. A member of First Fandom (FF), he was inducted in the FF Hall of Fame in 1995 and was the FGoH (fan guest of honor) at the 2004 Worldcon.
He died as approximately 3 a.m. Saturday morning in his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as discovered by Ruth, his wife of many years.
In the mundane world, John Bristol Speer was a retired lawyer who resided in Albuquerque since 1962; previously, he was a Democrat state representative from the Bend, Washington area during 1959-1961.
Jack was a giant in science fiction fandom, a founding member of N3F, FAPA and the original historian of science fiction fandom.
His 1944 Fancyclopedia has spawned many imitators over the years (including one on this site) and his 1939 book, Up To Now: A History of Science Fiction Fandom, is still used as a reference almost 70 years after first publication thanks to its recently resurrected electronic form on efanzines.com.
Fellow science fiction historian Harry Warner credited Jack Speer as “the first to stress [fandom's] subcultural aspects. Single-handedly, he made fandom’s ayjays something entirely different from the mundane amateur journalism groups.”
During his early prankster days in fandom, Speer was also known by the fannish name, John Bristol (his first and middle name sans surname).
A fandom innovator, he is also credited with being the father of the fanzine mailing comment.
Jack was the second editor of N3F’s The National Fantasy Fan in the 1940s, after founding editor, E. E. Evans.
LINKS:
Please feel free to leave your remembrances of Jack in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
* Special thanks to Robert Lichtman for fact-checking details of Jack Speers’ life.