Image fest.

Had a real image fest yesterday.

First went to see The Fall. Linda and I had both loved the imagery in The Cell, so expected a real treat. I was a little surprised by the gentle nature of the movie -- which contained a core of realism with a beautiful fantasy story.

The imagery was fantastic, the little girl who so wonderfully mangles the story in her mind, coming out with a mix of cultures and symbols, was charming.

It didn't quite have the emotional depth I hoped for: but I would've watched this movie with the sound off, I think. (Indeed, I went to the movie expecting no real story, just images, and only got my hopes up for an emotionally satisfying movie after I started watching it.)

It has a bit of leisurely pace, and though it's told from a child's viewpoint, it has violence and death. Kind of a mix between The Princess Bride and Pan's Labyrinth. (Though not as good as either -- a smaller movie, despite the images.)

Speaking of Pan's Labyrinth. We then drove across town to see Hellboy 2, which was much faster paced, an action flix with a heart. Linda and I have always liked Ron Perlman, ever since Beauty and the Beast days. (I informed her that the guiding force behind that show was none other than our favorite fantasy writer, George R.R. Martin).

It's amazing how much fantasy and comics have pervaded popular culture -- without much real awareness on the part of the public, I think, who just take it all for granted. I've always wished that Hellboy graphic novels would become a hit, too, because of their beautiful Gothic art. Mignola was co-writer of the movie, and it contains a great deal of his sensibilities. Equally good, maybe better in some ways, is his B.P.R.D. stories -- which have the characters in the movies, plus many others. It think seeing characters like Abe Sapien and Johann is probably the most satisfying part.

There was a big 'Producer' credit for Mike Richardson again, and Linda and I talked about how much he has become Hollywood, and wondered how central he is to the whole process. I started to talk about Barbwire again, and Linda told me something I didn't know. I had always assumed that Mike Richardson had forgotten where he got the name Barbwire (Linda had told him of a dream she'd had where the main character was named Barbwire) but Linda told me he had asked her if he could use the name. He may have forgotten where he got it, but apparently Linda had said go for it. Other than the name, he didn't actually take any of the ideas.

It's our little in-joke.

Hell, Mike didn't even take any credit for creating The Mask for a long time. (He told me that the writers of the comics and the movie had taken it so much farther....but still....)

But it shows how small a world it is, and how a casual conversation can have unexpected results.