Ron Perlman

I was awed and amazed by Pan's Labyrinth, and I really liked the first Hellboy movie, but I can now say with certainty that I am officially in love with Guillermo del Toro's beautiful brain. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is like being cast back to a time when your young imagination had no boundaries and no inner editor. Del Toro's vibrant, exciting, sometimes nightmarish and often funny work of creative genius is a constant delight. At times it veers into cheesy superhero stuff, and viewers who don't like this kind of thing definitely won't be on board for this movie. But viewers who do like it — and those with a soft spot in their hearts for big Red — may be totally delighted.

When we catch up with our hero Hellboy, he and his lady love Liz (Selma Blair) and their good buddy Abe (Doug Jones) are still working for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, using their superpowers to help people out. But even so, the public gives them no respect, no respect at all. And now they have the problem of Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a rebellious leader of the creature world who is determined to summon the Golden Army, a vast army of robot-like warriors, to destroy all humans. Hellboy, Abe and Liz are joined by the ectoplasmic Johann Strauss (voiced by Seth McFarlane), along with the leader's twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) to stop Prince Nuada's evil plan. Meanwhile, Hellboy and Liz are having issues, Hellboy is struggling with his job, and Abe develops a bit of a crush on Princess Nuala.

For more of my take on the movie, read more

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Photo courtesy of CBS

If you're anything like me, you're back at work today after a long weekend of fun, trying to get back in the groove but needing a boost that even coffee can't bring. Luckily, I've found something to perk me up, and I have hopes it will work for you, too.

I've already admitted my love for Hellboy, the big, goofy red guy whose second movie hits theaters on Friday. Hellboy 2 has me psyched partially because of director Guillermo del Toro's awesome visual storytelling, but I also love how adorable and bumbling Hellboy himself (played by Ron Perlman) can be.

Well, some smart executive has also picked up on Hellboy's more endearing qualities, producing a series of videos with Hellboy playing video games with NBC's Chuck, being interviewed by Inside the Actor's Studio's James Lipton, and even doing a "The More You Know"-style public service announcement with a cat. They've already had me giggling at my desk all day. You can see a whole bunch over here, but if you just want to see my favorites, read more

Selma Blair slipped into a sexy black jumpsuit for Saturday's LA premiere of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. She didn't have any date on her arm, but looked happy to cuddle up to director Guillermo del Toro on the red carpet instead. Jamie King showed off yet another new hair color, what do you think? While sultry Selma's big movie hits theaters in a couple weeks on July 11, there's more good news about her upcoming new TV show with Molly Shannon, Kath and Kim. NBC ordered six more hours of episodes bringing the total to 13. Action star Selma is fun and all, but I really can't wait to see her dry sense of humor on the small screen.

To see more photos including Guillermo del Toro, Jamie King, and Lori Petty, just read more

• ComingSoon has the newly announced NBC Fall premiere dates, which includes a two-hour season premiere of Heroes on Monday September 22.
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• According to Billboard, Jonathan Demme is now directing the Bob Marley documentary, replacing Martin Scorsese.
• Marvel Studios will adapt the series Runaways for the big screen, ComingSoon reports.
• Beau Bridges has been cast in an untitled ABC comedy pilot, according to Zap2It.
• Law & Order and Criminal Intent have been renewed for another season, Reuters reports.
• Variety has news that Frank Langella will topline a Broadway production of A Man for All Seasons in the Fall.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Yeah, I'll admit it: I loved the first Hellboy movie by Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro. I love the big red Hellboy (Ron Perlman) with his wry humor. I like Selma Blair in her role as Liz. And I love all the creepy, fantastical elements that the imaginative del Toro cooks up for his movies.

So naturally, I'm stoked to see a teaser trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The story goes like this: "The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures." And as the movie's official site points out, "He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy."

Hellboy II opens in theaters July 11. To check out the teaser trailer, read more