The Orphanage and Hellboy II

Come for the trailer, stay for the show.

I went to see The Orphanage yesterday with the roommate, sister and brother in law. It's a lot better movie than I was thinking, and really shows you what's wrong with all the PG-13, mass-marketed, focus-group tested, product placement filled crap that passes for mainstream American ghost/scary movies.

The main characters aren't hyper-attractive Dawson's Creek rejects! Special effects aren't the actual star of the film! Children aren't merely used as empathy props! People have real problems!

I was enormously, enormously impressed with the acting of the female lead, Belén Rueda. She reminds me of nothing more than Sigourney Weaver in Alien, how she conveys her character in a very real, gritty, grounded, emotional way. Foreign language or no, her lack of a nomination for Best Actress proves the irrelevance of the Oscars better than the Writer's Strike ever could.

For God's sake, it isn't even up for Best Foreign Language film.

Yeesh.

In brighter news, The Orphanage is now preceded by a trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I nearly lost my head with girlish glee when it came on the screen. It's worth the price of a ticket just to see the trailer, but you get as a bonus a very solid movie as dessert!

Del Toro, can you do no wrong?

Hellboy II Trailer

July 11th will be a very special day.

Entertainment News

I Think This Line Is Mostly Filler

Because We All Get Bored Sometimes

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Trailer
At first the trailer seems to imply that this movie will lack the wonderfully sly sense of humor that helped to make the first so great, but you get a taste of that by the end, for sure. The obviously increased budget and clout from Mr. Del Toro show in every frame here as well; the movie will be gorgeous, without a doubt.

Source: IMDB

Think Like a Dinosaur
Jumper is starting to look promising in spite of itself. Though as Adult Swim noted, with Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson facing off, it could be seen as a grudge match sorta movie.

Considering how Mace Windu died like a bitch in Ep III, I think that's only fair.

Oh yeah, the link. Here's an article on a discussion about teleportation and Jumper, held at MIT with people from the movie. Enjoy, or not.

Source: Computerworld

PS: The title refers to a sci-fi classic story about, amongst other things, teleportation. I don't expect Jumper to be nearly so philosophical though.

Refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Like_a_Dinosaur

Interesting Manga List
Some things I'm thinking about starting up.

After School Nightmare
Psychodrama with gruesome horror. Could be interesting.

Gyo
Fish with legs rise and attack Japan. Sounds like Innsmouth started a colony.

Totoro Statue Menaces Bus Stop
A guy in Japan put a statue of Totoro, the famed... whatever it is... from the equally famed children's movie, and tried to recreate a memorable scene by placing it at a bus stop, presumably to amuse the kids.

Or terrify them. Either way.

Source: Anime News Network

Pointless Simpsons Reference
I need to get a copy of this episode.

Source: About.com