Ding! It all comes together.

[bironic]

Just saw Hellboy II. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous, and so creative. I'd had no desire to see any of the Hellboy movies until the trailer for this one at last week's on-campus movie showed all these beautiful demons and said it was done by the director who did Pan's Labyrinth, and between that and the albino-ish Wraith-like prince with the hollow eyes and long hair and English accent (who ended up sort of channeling Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire), I was sold. (They promised me Thomas Kretschmann's voice as well, but it turned out to be Seth Macfarlane's. :( ) It lived up to expectation, with sleek faux-martial arts moves, Gaiman/McKean-like sequences with CGI wood armies and castle-headed characters, Selma Blair with a cool haircut, Tennyson and a multicultural/costume/makeup orgy in the troll market—plus bonus Danny Elfman score! Totally worth the walk in the cold.

And now for a pop quiz: What do the following have in common?




The Gentleman from BtVS's "Hush"




The Angel of Death from Hellboy II




Abe from Hellboy II




The Chamberlain from Hellboy II




Pan from Pan's Labyrinth




The Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth





Answer: They're all played by Doug Jones.

   


Holy wow! Watching Abe tonight, I wondered if the actor was a dancer, the way the character moved so fluidly. I love the way so many of Guillermo del Toro's creatures move too, but I didn't realize it's because they're all the same guy. I didn't remember the name right away from BtVS, either, but now I recall Nick Brendan and Joss Whedon talking about this sweet, six-foot-three guy they knew who could turn creepy as hell with the makeup on, and those expressive hands. He trained as a mime and a contortionist. Cool, cool, cool.

He's been in oodles of other things as well (say imdb.com and this site, where I hotlinked all the images from), but these are the only ones I've seen.





In other news, I'm amused by all the "Whee, it's so wrong yet so hot!"-type comments on Projection. What would people say if they found out I didn't think Wilson's fantasy was that twisted?

Comments

[thewlisian-afer.livejournal.com]

It's not a pop quiz if you give the answer before anyone can guess! I would've gotten it right. Because I ♥ Doug Jones LIEK WOAH.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

It's not a real quiz. :D I believe you! And I now join you in the love.

Also, sending hopeful ♥ your way lately. ♥ ♥ ♥

[euclase.livejournal.com]

Doug Jones is a genius. One of the finest kinesthetic geniuses alive, imo.

Also... *worships Guillermo* It makes me so happy that you liked Hellboy II for all the best reasons. I could squee for hours over the art direction and production design and wouldn't be above donating a limb to get my hands on Guillermo's sketchbook. He's one of my favorite artists.

Glad you had a good time, dear! <3

[bironic.livejournal.com]

One of the finest kinesthetic geniuses alive, imo.

I feel like I'm now in on a secret, having figured out who this guy is. (Even though a quick check of cast lists would've been more obvious.) Neat.

If you ever want to squee about del Toro, you've got an ear. Maybe not an intelligent respondent, but an ear.

[bell]

What would people say if they found out I didn't think Wilson's fantasy was that twisted?

Make us wonder why you *do* consider a twisted fantasy? :D

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I am increasingly tempted to post one of my super-secret shameful twisted OC het fics. And then run away forever.

[bell]

Just to note, I don't think that OC het fics are twisted in and of themselves. >3 And it sounds like we ought to have a sort of challenge/fest in which we get to share our shameful fic and all run away together. Or something!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Ooh, wouldn't that be a nice excuse.

[jdr1184.livejournal.com]

The first Hellboy is like my guilty pleasure movie that I hated until I read Timbershiver’s House Vs Hellboy (http://timbershiver.livejournal.com/33325.html). It is good to hear that you liked the second. I think The Gentleman from BtVS were the scariest thing that I've never seen on TV.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

The Gentlemen were some of the scariest things BtVS ever did! And yet they were also awesome.

What's the first Hellboy like? I'm still not sure I'd want to see it if it didn't have all the gorgeousness of the second.

[jdr1184.livejournal.com]

From what I have seen of the trailer, Hellboy II had a bigger budget. The first movie was more about establishing the character and his backstory. I liked the interactions with his "father" a lot and the motiff of the new guy being introduced to the Hellboy world. The main bad guys were more gross than awesome, but like I said, I enjoyed it more the second viewing. You Tube trailer for the first one can be found here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob9J3kCELXE).

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Cool - I noticed the similarity amongst some of the characters (not the Buffy ones though), but I took that to be because of the director. FWIW, I saw Hellboy first (although still quite recently), and while it wasn't as visually spectacular as the second, I thought it was much better story-wise, more engaging. I was very 'meh' after Hellboy II, beautiful as it was.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

while it wasn't as visually spectacular as the second, I thought it was much better story-wise

I believe it. I loved II for aesthetic reasons, not the story or characters. (What was with the "sacrifice the world for one person" philosophy that then got glossed over -- twice?)

Also, ah, I misremembered your line from "Doubleheader," and kept thinking all throughout the movie, "To you, it'll feel like Ron Perlman." LOL.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

There was... a philosophy? Sorry, most of what I got from both movies was along the lines of "wanton destruction". With cigars and kittens *g*. But it's true that I was also drawn into seeing Hellboy only after seeing the trailer for the second movie. (It's the same director, btw, so you might get at least some pretty out of the first one.)

Hee. Now, Ron Perlman I could, um, get behind. So to speak.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

most of what I got from both movies was along the lines of "wanton destruction".

Ha! Well, yes. There were just a couple of parts towards the end where two characters individually said something to the effect of, "Screw the world, I'm saving the guy/girl I love." Which, what? I much prefer Spock's philosophy.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Awww, but that's why Spock is... Spock :)

[Speaking of which, I'd forgotten how intensely fabulous Operation - Annihilate! is - in ways that probably don't bear reflecting upon *g*.]

[bironic.livejournal.com]

The fried egg episode! I only remember the last few minutes. One day I'll get that far in the DVDs and remember the glory... or reexperience it, with new fandom glasses on.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Hopefully not (re)spoiling, but Spock spends most of the episode in agony and then is temporarily blinded while searching for a solution. My love, it is so very wrong XD

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I didn't remember the extended agony part. Did he writhe?

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Hee. Quite a lot, at the beginning there. But mostly he was determinedly stoic, with lots of twitching to convey the depth of his paaaiiin. You know, all that "I can carry out my normal duties JUST FINE THANK YOU (tic, grimace)". And then there was the stumbling around not letting on that he couldn't see ;)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Oh, stoic Spock. (I seem to remember at least one professor in college using him as an example of the Stoic philosophy... except for how Spock is clearly never quite able to detach himself from his humanity/emotion.) Maybe I'll bump that one up on the list I don't have.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

I don't know about you, but I originally revisited Trek with the expectation that Spock was going to be, you know, close to affectless, because of the stony-faced image I have of him. Which is so NOT the case in reality. I've seen many actors theoretically playing humans *g* with less expressiveness than Spock.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Yes! He's so emotional; it's all there in those subtle faces he makes. Or maybe not so subtle. McCoy doesn't know what he's talking about. *g*

Just sent you an email ~6 MB -- hope it gets through.

[catilinarian.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'm really impressed - I was going to guess something along the lines of, "They all have remarkable/expressive/unnerving hands," but I wouldn't have realised they were all the SAME hands. I love actors (and other artists) like that: the ones whose solid talent and versatility tie movies together, even though they often go unnoticed.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't have realised they were all the SAME hands.

Yes, precisely! It all makes sense now. And now, because this is the way such things usually work, it'll seem like he's everywhere.

[musicisbelievng.livejournal.com]

Hellboy I had a better story, but II was so pretty...

[bironic.livejournal.com]

So I've been hearing. If ever the first one crosses my path, maybe I'll watch it, but I don't think I'll go out of my way.

[kabal42.livejournal.com]

You need to see Hellboy I as well. I liked that even more. Visually less stunning (but same director and Guillermo Del Toro is always delightful in some way *S*) but a better storyline. Plus it has a dead Russian who acts as a guide for the last part of it. He's brilliant. Yells a lot of curses in Russian *G* And you get the back story for the main characters, which really is good stuff.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

cool, that guy's cute too. I loved Pan's Labyrinth. I had to talk a friend of mine out of taking his 8 year old kid to see that movie though. (Just because it has a kid hero and some fantasy elements does not make it a kid's movie!)