I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the first movie I have seen in some time. I enjoyed the movie, liked the concept, and would recommend it, but it didn't knock my socks off. The effects were unbelievable. You couldn't tell what was makeup and what was CGI. Everything looked totally realistic, and the best special effects are the ones you don't notice. Also, Brad Pitt was great, and it's evident that David Fincher is now one of the top film directors out there.
However, the story was a little too much like "Forrest Gump." Both movies were an epic journey through time, but this time it was with someone who ages in reverse rather than a mentally handicapped person. It went for the heartstrings at times, but never went overboard (see Adams, Patch). Again, a good movie, but not particularly memorable and not one of the best of the year.
On DVD, I finally got to watch "Hellboy II." Loved it. A huge improvement over its prequel. Now that director Guillermo Del Toro has made a name for himself ("Pan's Labyrinth" was unbelievably good), the studio let him have free rein on this film. The plot, about an ancient feud between humans and elves was compelling, the characters were well-developed and quite funny at times, and the creatures and effects were great. Del Toro's imagination and creativity are as good as ever here, and he makes the most out of the modest (by today's standards) $80 million budget. I really hope another sequel is on the way, because a lot of plot lines are deliberately left up in the air. And I can't wait to see what he does with "The Hobbit."
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