Oh. Well.

Today my region1 3-disc superduper DVD of "Hellboy" arrived. I think that, for many people it is, just Another Hero Movie. Undoubtedly true. The thing that for me, makes it the best Superhero Movie since Superman is the characterisation. Hellboy isn't some normal soulless comic book adaptation with one eye on getting the kids in and making tons of money in a franchise* : first and foremost it's movie made by someone who loves the comics and doesn't mind showing it. *of course every movie is aimed at making money, and Hellboy is no exception, but this seems aimed at making a good movie first. No kids-identifying-characters-tackily-bolted-on, no ratings friendly cuts (hell, the DVD is Unrated : that means "X" in old skool terms), and none of this PC-rubbish. The characters are real : Hellboy is just a guy who likes Nachos, cats, TV, and girls. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a demon with the Key To Hell for an arm, I'd be able to identify with him. Hell, I do identify with him. He hates shaving. Admittedly he shaves some huge horns that are growing out of his head, where I merely have to shave hair, but that's not the point.

Hellboy acts the way people act. He does real things, he scratches his balls, he watches TV, he's real. He's not just some cipher of a character whose role is to propel the plot onto the next bunch of bad CGI. And he talks the way people talk. For a long time I wanted to write something about superheroes, and about how ordinary people might cope with extraordinary events. Sadly, most films treat this as a subplot for film 2, the sequel where he loses his powers, but, for me, how someone copes with being placed in a situation they neither want nor know how to escape : that's interesting. And that's why I love "Hellboy".

An interview with The Sinners Or Winners Man. The guy who singlehandedly makes me want to leave London.

Tonight I am out seeing Nick Cave. I will say hello for you.

A picture is worth a thousand words. BLUE = Kerry. GREEN= Anti-slavery. (The rest speaks for itself).



If America voted on slavery now using the current electoral system, all you coloureds would be Slaves. Land of the free, my arse.
- posted by Mark @ 2:09 pm