"HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY" (2008) Review
Based upon the Dark Horse Comics character, "HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY" is the 2008 sequel to "HELLBOY", the 2004 hit about a red-skinned demon that works for a paranormal agency of the U.S. government. The sequel is about Hellboy’s conflict with Prince Nuada, son of the King of Elves, who wants to use a clockwork group of soldiers called the Golden Army to exterminate humanity in revenge for the latter’s past hostilities against mythical creatures.
Okay, so what did I think about the movie? About the same as I had felt about the original 2004 film – I though it was simply a good, old-fashioned adventure-fantasy movie, filled with solid entertainment. I never saw anything really exceptional about "HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY". Well, I take that back. There were aspects of the movie that I really enjoyed.
For example, I was happy to see that director Guillermo del Toro managed to bring back most of the original cast from the first movie. I had read somewhere that the studio executives for the original film wanted someone like Vin Diesel in the leading role of Hellboy. Fortunately, del Toro had insisted upon casting Ron Perlman, with whom he had worked before. And all I can say is thank goodness. Perlman established a memorable version of the Hellboy character - not only in the first film, but in this second one as well. Ron Perlman is Hellboy. Granted, Vin Diesel has become a good actor over the years, I really cannot see him portraying the snarky and slightly aggressive demon with a mixture of gruffness, sarcasm and heartfelt tenderness toward his lady love.
Selma Blair reprised her role as Hellboy’s pyrokinetic love, Liz Sherman. And as in the first film, her subtle, yet sardonic take on Liz balanced beautifully with Perlman’s gruff Hellboy. Doug Jones’ portrayal of the fluidic Abe Sapien rose to the level of delicious charm and pathos, especially when his character falls in love with Prince Nuada’s sister, Princess Nuala. Jones also portrayed the androgynous and enigmatic Angel of Death with equal ease. Jeffrey Tambor was just as snarky as ever as director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Tom Manning.
Additions to the cast included Anna Walton, in a sweet and effervescent portrayal of Princess Nuala. Actor and singer Luke Goss portrayed the yang to Nuala’s yin, Prince Nuada. Although the villain of the story, Goss’ Nuada is a complex and fascinating character who desire for the destruction of humanity is not driven by sheer evil. He wants revenge for humanity’s betrayal against the supernatural world and views them – or us – as a potent threat to the future. And I must say that Goss as Nuada wielded a mean sword with moves that would impress (perhaps mildly) the likes of Jet Li. Replacing FBI Special Agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense was Johann Krauss, a German psychic who became an ectoplasmic being contained in a suit after a botched séance. And actor/writer Seth MacFarlane did a hilarious job in capturing the exacting and anal Krauss with a delicious German accent.
Screenwriters del Toro (the director) and Mike Mignola (also creator of Hellboy) created a solid and entertaining tale that centered around Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense’s attempts to meet the threat of Prince Nuada’s plan to use the Golden Army against the humanity. The movie also focused upon the demon’s continuing problems in his relationship with Liz (who is pregnant) and his new immediate supervisor, Strauss. Speaking of the latter, there is a hilarious sequence in which the ectoplasmic being uses locker doors to prove how dangerous he can be.
And what is a HELLBOY movie (or should I say Guillermo del Toro movie) without visual effects? Once again, del Toro enlisted the help of Spectral Motion to create some stunning visual effects. Amongst the most memorable for me were the collection of demons featured in the Troll Market sequence and especially the multi-optical demon voiced by Doug Jones – the Angel of Death. Usually, I tend to be turned off by over-the-top visual effects. Especially when they are pushed into your face by filmmakers eager to show the unusual aspects of their film. In "HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY", del Toro and Spectral Motion managed to refrain themselves by revealing the visuals when the story truly required them.
I am not going to pretend that "HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY" was at the same level as the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, the DC Extended Universe films or "THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY". But I must admit that it was damn entertaining, thanks to a first-rate cast led by Ron Perlman, a solid story and weird and stunning visual effects. I highly recommend it.
"THE ACCOUNTANT" (2016) ReviewI have seen some unusual crime dramas in my life. Most of these films or television programs usually revolved around odd narrative structures, characters in unusual situations or characters with eccentric ticks. And I have also seen the occasional film about autistic characters. But for the likes of me, I cannot recall seeing a crime drama of any form in which the main character is autistic . . . until I saw the recent film, "THE ACCOUNTANT". Written by Bill Dubuque and directed by Gavin O'Connor, "THE ACCOUNTANT" told the story of Christian Wolff, a mental calculator who works as a forensic accountant at ZZZ Accounting in Plainfield, Illinois. Christian also tracks insider financial deceptions for numerous criminal enterprises. His services are brokered to him by a "Voice on his phone", from a restricted number. Christian had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism and offered an opportunity to live at Harbor Neuroscience Institute in New Hampshire. However, his Army officer father thought otherwise and decided Christian learn to overcome his autism via extensive training in martial arts and sharpshooting. This decision drove Christian's mother to leave his family, which included a younger brother. The story begins with "The Voice" giving Christian a new assignment - auditing state-of-the-art robotics corporation Living Robotics, whose in-house accountant, Dana Cummings, has found suspicious financial discrepancies. The company's CEO and his sister, Lamar Blackburn, and his sister, associate Rita Blackburn, willingly cooperate with Christian's investigation; but CFO Ed Chilton dismisses Dana's findings as a mistake. When Christian - with minor help from Dana - eventually discover the embezzlement of $61 million dollars from the company, a hitman named Braxton forces the diabetic Chilton to self-administer a fatal insulin overdose by threatening to kill both him and his wife brutally in the manner of a home invasion. The Blackburns later surmises that Chilton was the embezzler and close the investigation, leaving Christian distraught as he has not completed his study. However, the embezzler decides that both Christian and Dana still poses a major threat and instructs Braxton and his men to kill the pair. At the same time, Christian's past activities have attracted the attention of Raymond King, the director of FinCEN in the Treasury Department, who recruits a young data analyst named Marybeth Medina into helping him identify and arrest Christian. He does this via blackmail by threatening to expose her undeclared criminal past if she refuses. Judging from the above mentioned plot, one would surmise that "THE ACCOUNTANT" has a complicated plot. I would not say that. I would not label Dubuque's screenplay as simplistic or unoriginal. But I must admit that the embezzlement plot was not exactly a brain teaser for me. It did not take me very long to figure out the identity of the embezzler and Braxton's client. More importantly, Christian's final encounter with the embezzler ended on a . . . well, anti-climatic note for me. Let me rephrase this. That final encounter started out rather exciting, due to Christian's fights with Braxton and his men, who found themselves serving as the embezzler's bodyguard. But the manner in which that entire action scene ended struck me as anti-climatic and rather disappointing.Despite its ending, I must admit that I found most of "THE ACCOUNTANT" rather enjoyable. The creme of the movie proved to be its deep exploration of the Christian Wolff character struck me as very interesting - especially the flashbacks featuring his childhood and the tragic circumstances that led to his father's death. The story delved into his problems with overcoming his autism, his father's refusal to consent professional counseling for his, and his struggles to interact with others. The movie also explored Christian's few successes in forming relationships with a small handful of people that include his younger brother; the mute daughter of the Harbor Neuroscience Institute's director named Justine; an accountant he had met during a brief stint in prison named Francis Silverberg; an Illinois farm couple that allowed him to practice his sharpshooting on his property; and Dana Cummings. I was also taken by surprised by Christian's connection to FinCEN Agent King and the latter's reason for coercing Agent Medina to investigate the case. Perhaps this is why "THE ACCOUNTANT" worked better as a character study/crime drama . . . without the mystery of the embezzler's identity attached to it."THE ACCOUNTANT" featured some solid performances from the supporting cast that included John Lithgow, Jean Smart, Jeffrey Tambor, Andy Umberger, Alison Wright, Robert C. Treveiler, Ron Prather and Susan Williams. But I especially enjoyed Jon Bernthal's performance as the ruthless, yet sardonic hit man, Braxton. I also enjoyed Cynthia Addai-Robinson's portrayal as the blackmailed Agent Marybeth Medina, whose fear of being exposed gradually crumbled away due to a desire to pursue justice. J.K. Simmons gave an interesting performance as Agent Ray King, whose ruthless pursuit of Christian proved to be unusually emotional. Anna Kendrick gave a rather charming performance as accountant Dana Cummings, whose original response to Christian seemed to be one of bewilderment. As the two become close, both Kendrick and Ben Affleck developed a charming, sibling-like chemistry on-screen. Speaking of Affleck, I thought he gave one of the most interesting performances of his career, so far. I realize that many critics and moviegoers tend to overlook Affleck's acting skills - something that I never understood - but I thought he really knocked it out of the ballpark portraying a character who was not only a highly skilled ex-military type, but also someone who is both a mental calculator and is autistic. Hollywood has featured a lead who is autistic (1988's "RAIN MAN") and even a young autistic boy who had witnessed a murder (1998's "MERCURY RISING"). But a leading man in an action film? The character of Christian Wolff and Ben Affleck's performance was something quite new to me. Yes, I will admit that I was a little disappointed by the mystery surrounding the movie's embezzling plot. I was also a bit disappointed by how the movie's final action sequence ended. I found it a bit too anti-climatic. But I really enjoyed the rest of the movie, especially its portrayal of the main character, Christian Wolff. I thought director Gavin O'Connor handled both an interesting story created by screenwriter Bill Dubuque and an excellent cast, led by the talented Ben Affleck, in what I believe might be one of his most interesting roles.
"THE HANGOVER, PART III" (2013) ReviewI must admit that I was surprised to learn that Todd Phillips had a second sequel to his 2009 hit comedy, "THE HANGOVER" in the works. I felt surprised, considering the critical reaction to his first sequel, 2011's "THE HANGOVER, PART II". Many moviegoers and critics not only complained that the plot for "THE HANGOVER, PART II" bore a strong resemblance to "THE HANGOVER", but it was also inferior to the latter. As much as I liked "THE HANGOVER, PART II", I must admit that I agreed with these complaints. The critics were equally unkind to"THE HANGOVER, PART III". And it is here where I and a good number of moviegoers parted company. Mind you, I do not believe that this third film is as good as the 2009 movie or even better. But I do consider it better than the 2011 movie.Set two years after "THE HANGOVER, PART II", this third film begins with "international criminal" Leslie Chow's escape from a maximum security prison in Thailand. Back in the United States, Alan Garner causes a major freeway pile up after he purchases a giraffe and accidentally decapitates it , while driving under a low bridge. Alan's father dies of a heart attack, while giving him a furious lecture for never owning up to his mistakes. Following the funeral, Alan's brother-in-law Doug Billings informs friends Phil Wenneck and Stu Price that Alan has been off his ADHD medication and is out of control. They attend an intervention, in which Alan agrees to visit a rehab facility in Arizona, so long as "the Wolfpack" takes him there. During the drive to Arizona, "the Wolfpack" is driven off the road by a vengeful drug lord named Marshall and "Black Doug", the drug dealer who had sold Alan some drugs in the first film. Marshall tells them that Chow had hijacked half of a gold heist. And since Alan had been the only one to communicate with Chow during his imprisonment, Marshall decided that "the Wolfpack" could locate him and retrieve the gold. Marshall holds Doug as hostage and gives the others three days to find Chow. Along the way, the three friends travel to Mexico and Las Vegas, break into a Mexican manor with Chow, get arrested and attempt to kidnap Chow. The humor featured in "THE HANGOVER, PART III" did not strike me as sharp as the humor in the first two movies. One might find this a surprising remark for me, considering my earlier statement about this movie being better than the second one. I stand by my words. The humor featured in "THE HANGOVER, PART III" did not strike me as memorable as that found in the first two movies. On the other hand, a part of me strongly feels that this third movie is somewhat better than the second one. First of all, Todd Phillips and his co-writer, Craig Mazin, decided not to make the same mistake they made in "THE HANGOVER, PART II" - namely follow a similar plot line from "THE HANGOVER". Instead, they created an entirely different situation in which "the Wolfpack" find themselves in serious danger, thanks to Alan's correspondence with the slippery Leslie Chow, a vengeful drug dealer and Chow himself. And for the first time, the Alan Garner character is forced to grow up . . . somewhat, after he falls in love with a Vegas pawnshop owner named Cassie. I found the latter especially gratifying, because Alan's man-child demeanor was beginning to wear a bit thin after the second film. More importantly, "THE HANGOVER, PART III" was not as tainted by the gross humor that nearly overwhelmed "THE HANGOVER, PART II". Unfortunately, the movie was not completely free of any gross humor. Phillips and Mazin decided they could not completely let go of the franchise's old premise and gross humor in a tacked on ending that DID NOT left me rolling in the aisles.The performances in "THE HANGOVER, PART III" did not disappoint, despite the more subdued humor. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis continued to maintain their strong chemistry from the two previous films. I had hoped that Justin Bartha, who portrayed the fourth and least seen member of "the Wolfpack", would for once have a larger role in the film. Unfortunately, Bartha continued to be wasted in this franchise. The man must have the patience of a saint. Ken Jeong was as funny as ever as self-indulgent, yet slippery Leslie Chow. I was also impressed at how he skillfully portrayed the darker side of Chow. John Goodman gave a scary and intimidating performance as Marshall, the drug lord who forced the four friends to search for Chow. Mike Epps returned for another funny portrayal as "Black Doug", the inept drug dealer, who now serves as Marshall's chief of security. Heather Graham also returned from the first film in a sweet performance as Stu's first wife, the Vegas stripper Jade. To be honest, I am not that familiar with Melissa McCarthy. I have never seen "BRIDESMAIDS","IDENTITY THIEF" or "MIKE & MOLLY". But I must admit that I was impressed by her portrayal of the feisty pawnshop Cassie and the chemistry she generated with Galifianakis' Alan Garner.Despite the tacky misstep that ended "THE HANGOVER, PART III" and its not-so-sharp humor, I must admit that I liked it very much. I certainly found it more bearable to watch than the problematic 2011 movie. More importantly, "THE HANGOVER, PART III" proved to have a more original story, thanks to Todd Phillips and Craig Mazin's screenplay. And thanks to Phillips' direction and a first-rate cast, "THE HANGOVER, PART III"proved to be more entertaining than I had assumed it would be.
