beanside | *squee*

So, last night, had a totally surreal evening. Knew I had to visit the funeral parlor, as a friend of the family's grandmother had died, and I had to do the adult thing and visit. (I would have anyway, because I really do like these people. They're weird and fucked up and wonderful.) But, alas, my inner geek wanted to go see Hellboy on opening day. *grin*

I managed to get out of work at 3:50, and made plans to call Jess when I reached the beltway, to let her know whether I could make it to Towson by 4:30. The plan we'd hatched was that I'd meet her at the Towson Commons movies, she'd bring a change of clothes for me, and we'd watch the 4:30 Hellboy showing, I'd change, and we'd go up the street to the funeral home for the 7-9 viewing. Thus, we'd indulge our geekness, but still be adults and do the responsible thing. *nod*

Worked like a charm. Even with some late blooming traffic, I pulled into the Towson Commons garage at 4:25, Jess was waiting, and we got tickets and hurried into the theater in time to catch the previews. (Thankfully, with all the damned commercials they show first, we didn't have any problem.)

Saw a longer preview for Jennifer Garner's new movie, "13 going on 30," which looks cute. Of course, I'm a bit biased in that I love Jennifer, and think she's absolutely adorable. But it seems like it could be a fun, cheesy movie. Next up was a preview for a Wayans brother movie, "White Chicks," which did not excite me. Then, in an inspired choice for a geek movie, we got to see the preview for "I, Robot." Fuckin A. *grin* If this is as good as it looks, I might finally forgive Will Smith for the utter abortion of a movie that was "Wild, Wild West."

Then, we got down to the good stuff. Which I will cutline to avoid spoilers.

*squeeee!*
God, I loved this movie. I loved it with a surprising intensity. I've never seen the comic book, but I have read the Christopher Golden novelization, so I wasn't a total newbie. (Jess was, and I'm sure she'll be squeeing about it as soon as she gets up this morning, so that didn't seem to matter.)

More than the concept, what sold me on it was actually Ron Perlman's involvement. The man's made some shitty movies, no question, but, I like him. He has a tendency to make throwaway characters fun. And yes, I still have a huge soft spot for him from his Beauty and the Beast days.

We start back in WWII, where we're informed that Hitler, realizing that he's losing the war, has turned to the supernatural for aid. At a castle on the shores of Scotland, we're introduced to Dr. Trevor Bruttenhom, aka Dr. Broom, and our bad guys, Rasputin, Ilsa (why are the chicks always Ilsa? I know , She wolf of the SS, but, damn.) and his ultra-cool Darth Maul-esque side kick, Kroenen.

They're trying to bring about hell on earth, and bring back ~~Cthulu,~~ the Gods of Chaos. (I swear, I hope they used lube before they raped the Lovecraft estate) Instead, they get interrupted, and only baby Hellboy comes through.

Then, we flash forward to modern day. One of the things I appreciated about this was that the characters were at least moderately realistic. Funny thing to say about a 6'5" red demon, but still. He had a more developed personality than a lot of normal people in some movies.

I'm not going to spoil it all for you, so I'm simply going to hit a couple of high points.

Hellboy loves Liz Sherman. She was with the Bureau of Paranormal Research for a long time, but now that she's grown, she's left them to try to have a normal life. Difficult, since she's a pyrokinetic, who tends to burst into flames and torch the area around her when she's stressed or hurt. She's checked herself into a mental hospital, where she's learning to control the flames, and learning the source the flames. Any time Ron Perlman and Selma Blair are onscreen together, it's a beautiful thing. There's chemistry, there's longing, it's a good thing.

We're also introduced to Abe Sapien, who is a psychic fish-man. Physically, he's played by Doug Jones, but in an inspired bit of casting, he's voiced by David Hyde Pierce perfectly. He may be the least fleshed out character, but that's not really a bad thing. This is Hellboy's story, and I'm betting there'll be sequels to learn more about Abe.

The elder version of Dr. Broom is played by John Hurt. He's just found out that he's dying, and it lends a certain quiet desperation to his performance. He's trying to find his replacement, who will teach Hellboy to be a man, guide him from rebellious adolescent to responsible adult. He loves Hellboy, has always considered him to be his son. It's a surprisingly nuanced performance for a comic book movie. His final scene, with Rasputin is truly wonderful, an old man facing his death with utter bravery, maybe even slightly relieved that he'll die a martyr's death rather than wasting away from cancer. Rasputin gives him surprising respect, recognizing a will and mind as strong as his own, I think, and promises Dr. Broom that it will be painless.

Selma Blair is hot. "You should run now." *shiver* Mrrow.

Hellboy's constant wisecracks are wonderful. "Aw, crap." "He didn't even buy me dinner first." "Uh-uh. Second date, no tongue."

And then, there's the final scene. "In the darkness, I heard your voice. What were you saying?" Liz murmurs.

"Hey, you, on the other side. Let her go,because for her, I will cross over. And you don't want that." Dude, that got me all choked up.

So yes, loved the movie. Will probably be going back to see it soon. *nod*

Then, did the responsible thing, and visited the funeral home. Sucks to be an adult sometimes.

Today, I think I shall run my good boots to a shop and have new heels put on them. They're getting a little worn, and I love them far too much to give them up. Aside from that, I'm going to have a nice quiet day.