DVD Collectors Online

Hellboy, a review by Jon

Hellboy
4 out of 5



When a Nazi mystical experiment goes awry in 1944, the target of a wizard's spell, the child of Satan, Hellboy, is wrenched from his home, and adopted by the U.S. agents who intercept his arrival.

Hellboy is a wonderfully inventive and entertaining film, though it’s a hard sell and many novice viewers will be left scratching their heads. You have to “get” this film to have any chance of liking it! For me, I was familiar with the marvellous comics by Mike Mignola and he was heavily involved in the films development, so it’s all good.

It’s madder than a box of frogs and Guillermo Del Toro is the perfect director for something akin to Men In Black on drugs. It’s visually dazzling, but exciting too, as he is an accomplished action director. It’s more fantasy than anything else, but its tale of prophecies and demons makes it a bona fide horror too and Del Toro has a better understanding of classic horror than any other director working at the moment (one of his many upcoming films is a remake of Frankenstein).

The story is typical comic book stuff. The Nazi’s are messing with the occult and summon a demon. Unfortunately for them, said demon is a just a kid and is raised by the Government (specifically John Hurt’s kindly professor) as a member of a special task force to deal with paranormal. The problem is, Hellboy is part of a prophecy and his effective stone right hand is actually a key that could end the world!

Phew. What makes the film and comic so entertaining are the incredible characters, who are very human despite their appearance. The bruising unstoppable hulk that is Hellboy (Ron Perlman, having the time of his life), is actually a petulant, overgrown lovesick teenager, always in trouble with his “Dad” and pining after Selma Blair’s fiery (literally) Liz. It’s very much a sitcom at heart and it works very well indeed. So long as you are already on its wavelength! So the moment a corpse is resurrected to get directions and ends up in a hilarious argument with our hero will either be the moment you become a fully paid-up member of the Hellboy fan-club or you scream in frustration!

The villains are just as fantastic as the heroes, especially the clockwork assassin, and the ending is suitably serious, so far as something like this can be. The film is let down by concessions to making it marketable, such as the very human new-comer to the team (although the long-suffering boss is great). It’s a lazy plot device that hampers the film, but overall, it’s big and funny, just like its lead character.


(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on November 1st, 2009)

Martian Child, a review by DJ Doena

John Cusack    ...    David Gordon
Bobby Coleman   ...    Dennis / The Martian Child
Amanda Peet   ...    Harlee
Sophie Okonedo   ...    Sophie
Joan Cusack   ...    Liz
Oliver Platt   ...    Jeff

Synopsis: Originally his wife and he wanted to adopt a child. But then his wife died and now he's alone. But he still decides to adopt a child and he chooses the child that is "allergic" to sunlight and who is not an Earthling at all but a Martian. Over the next months David tries to bond with Dennis and to get him out of his shell but it's a laborious experience for both of them and everybody who tries to help.

My Opinion: This is not really a comedy. It's a story about a guy who learns how to be a father and a child who learns how to be a son (that's the tagline of the movie but it pretty much sums it up). It's a very empathetic movie without cheap jokes and it's great to see when they finally bond. It was a blind buy for me, I didn't really know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the movie that I didn't expect.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on June 19th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Family Matters: Season One (1989/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 484 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French

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Plot:
"HI, EVERYBODY!" Fans of '90s sitcoms know these words mean Steve Urkel has come to call, bringing lots of geeky, goofy fun with him. A spinoff of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters began as the at-home adventures of elevator operator Harriette Winslow and her multigenerational family. But midway through the first season, Jaleel White made a one-shot appearance as neighborhood nerd Urkel. With oversized glasses, undersized body, screechy voice and indomitable self-confidence, Urkel proved irresistibly funny, turning White into an overnight sensation and a new star of the show. Join Urkel and the Winslows for the 22-episode debut season of the hit series that proclaims love matters, laughing matters, Family Matters!


Family Matters
1.01 The Mama Who Came to Dinner
Writer: William Bickley (Created By), Michael Warren (Created By), William Bickley (Writer), Michael Warren (Writer)
Director: Joel Zwick
Cast: Reginald VelJohnson (Carl Winslow), JoMarie Payton-France (Harriette Winslow), Rosetta LeNoire (Estelle "Mother" Winslow), Darius McCrary (Eddie Winslow), Kellie Shanygne Williams (Laura Winslow), Valerie Jones (Judy Winslow), Joseph Julius Wright (Richie Crawford), Telma Hopkins (Rachel)

This series was a spin-off from another series that I have never seen (I am not sure if it even aired in Germany). Steve Urkel was not yet part of the cast at this point but only came in later during the first season (initially only a on-off character). I don't think this series would have lasted long if it hadn't been for Steve and would probably have been long forgotten by now.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on May 22nd, 2011)