Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Not my first choice for the movies, John is an avid Hellboy fan. The movie was NOT what I expected. Beautifully directed and designed, the film showed the director’s and writer’s appreciation for the venues created as well as the characters. The story shot almost like a cops and robbers film with comic book characters as the feature was NOT cartoony. In contrast to the 1989 Batman films, this movie was lighthearted, well-developed and real without the showy, slapstick stupidity of some comics made into film.

As a non-comic reader I loved the film. John less so. If you would like the comic reader’s opinion, I hope that scrivener’s tomb will have a review before long.

Mongol, a movie by Sergei Bodrov

Athens Cine and Arthaus showed Mongol. The movie chronicles the childhood and young adulthood of Temudgin, Genghis Khan. The film artfully displays the landscape of Mongolian China as a spectacular backdrop for this compelling story. The movie in what I assume are dialects of Mongolian and Chinese had subtitles. During battle and some fight scenes, the frames move in slow motion, emphasizing the blood spatter.

According to research this movie is the first of a trilogy. Genghis Khan is historically believed to be a butcher and a tyrant. This display of his early life gives the viewer sympathy and warmth for the child and his plight.

The screenplay follows Temudgin from a life in hiding to taking over the Mongols. Temudgin suffers a much harsher upbringing than perhaps most of the nomadic Mongols on the Gobi desert with brutal winters. At one point, Temudgin is sold into slavery. While enslaved, Temudgin resides in a cage.

Temudgin’s wife, Borte, provides a solid sounding board, direct advice and protection for her husband. Borte supports Temudgin in ways a wife should not be required but she persists seemingly knowing that Temudgin is destined for greatness.

This movie is wonderful (except for the blood). I highly recommend it and would see it again-if only it was at Cine beyond tomorrow.

Cine is a spectacular venue to watch and enjoy movies. In stark contrast to the following night at a local cinema, Cine’s customers were adults with cell phones off who enjoyed the time away from reality and actually watched this movie. This experience felt almost like being at the theatre instead of being at the movies.