Sooner or later one of two things will happen:

1.) There will be some quality film made that isn't a
date movie for 14 year olds.

2.) I move some place where there is an actual intellectual
climate of some sort.

Until then, I pick stuff that the library system stocks its
shelves with. No, I didn't pay for the rental of Hellboy so
it's just my time thaty's involved and nothing else.

My first contact with Hellboy was at the Bill Gates Memorial
Research Room at the local library. In there my neighbor had
something called 'Hellboy" on his screen. I thought, "Oh brother."

These months later the picture has been released, the dvd
for sale and one of the small town libraries on interloan
bought it.

Was it worth the wait that normally occurs on requests for
interlibrary materials? Sure. Free is free.

The plot line of this is tretched to the limit of credibility
but once you get past that you have to deal with the characters.
Then the action sequences were okay as such things go. finally
the romance.

I like what the creators and Ron Perlman did with the
tragi-comic hero of Hellboy seeking a girlfriend.

This briefly reminded me of a picture by Hal Hartley (I think)
called "No Such Thing (As Monsters)."

For all the Beauty and the Beast characters that Ron Perlman
has played, this is easily the best. As to story, credibility,
effects, yada yada, those reviews can be found elsewhere. Here
I'll only say that I liked the way film concluded.

It's great isn't it: every kid's nightmare Christmas including
rheindeer taking a dump in the living room.

As to performances per se I can't single out him as the
stongman (I think) as a big part. OTOH Jeunet's _Amelie_
is _all_ Audrey Tautou. It'd be nothing without her.

But I've definately seen Perlman's Hellboy character before:
it was in a post-apocaplyptic b-movie called "A Town Has Turned To Dust." This was on the 50 cent rack at the vid store.

Perman's career is pretty incredible. Was just looking at the
listing at IMDb. He even did a soap back in 1987.

• Ron Perlman

(Am I the only one thinking Pearlman looks a bit like Tom Waits?)