Recent Watch: Heaven Adores You: A Documentary Film About The Life and Music Of Elliott Smith (2014)

 

Elliott Smith has been one of my all time favourite artists and songwriters, yet I somehow never got around to watching 'Heaven Adores You' in the decade that it has been out, until it finally became yesterday's late night watch. Overall it's a beautiful, if unavoidably heartbreaking viewing. I'd honestly call it more of a sincere tribute rather than a documentary, as its primary focus was to showcase his music and give a few snippets of Elliott Smith's life, as described by several of his friends and family members.

I actually liked that the documentary heavily leaned on showing his work as an artist, his creative process, and his inspirations and influences, without putting too much focus on the more tragic aspects of his life and his untimely death. And even when it does speak about his passing, it doesn't sensationalise it or try to exploit it in the slightest. His story is told through the lens of the people who knew and cared about him, and their grief, sadness, and even regret, are apparent as they discuss his inner demons, the darker angles of his psyche, and his struggles with fame and with the labels that were put on him by the critics and the press, that never really resonated with him and his love for creating music.

For the most part, though, 'Heaven Adores You' focuses on celebrating Elliott Smith's life, with a genuine and personal approach. It doesn't go into too much depth or offer many answers, and I wish there was more actual footage of Smith himself showing his own perspective on things, but it still does a great job at showcasing his talent, his fragility and kindness, his sense of humour, the reasons he was so loved, and the vulnerability that he poured into his work and which made his music so timeless and influential. The soundtrack is unsurprisingly brilliant, the cinematography is beautiful, featuring some lovely shots of Portland and Los Angeles, and it's overall both an interesting watch for fans and a great intro for someone interested in discovering Elliott Smith as an artist.

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‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Has Its Heart in the Right Place, but It Is Ultimately Limited by Its Budget

 

I went into ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ with low expectations and an open mind, knowing that with its small project status, zero marketing, and direct to VOD release (with a few limited theatrical releases in some countries), it’d be unfair to judge it on how well it compares to the Guillermo del Toro films. Considering the elephant in the room that is the film’s significantly low budget of $20 million, which is less than one third of what the 2004 Hellboy film had to work with 20 years ago, and less than the reported cost of one episode of the recent ‘She-Hulk’ show, the main thing I’d say about 'The Crooked Man' is that it tries its best to deliver a love letter to the comics with whatever resources it got.

This is a project that Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is directly involved with, both as part of the executive producers team and as a co-writer of the script, and consequently, the movie in many ways does carry the spirit of the books as he gets his chance to bring the character to the screen the way he wanted. The film’s tone is significantly different to all previous Hellboy movies, making a complete turn towards the indie horror genre, with a hint of b-movie on the side, which admittedly is something that mostly works in its favour. Based on the 2008 ‘The Crooked Man’ comics with a story taking place during the 50s, the film is an overall faithful adaptation, with a few additions surrounding Hellboy’s origins and the newly-introduced Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense special agent, Bobbie Jo Song.

It’d be a lie to say that the very limited budget of ‘The Crooked Man’ doesn’t become obvious very soon, mostly when it comes to the special effects. From dimly lit scenes, to showing things from a certain angle, to things happening off camera, the film tries every trick in the book to find a workaround to its budgetary restrictions, and in all fairness, it actually succeeds more often than it fails. That said, there are moments, especially during daylight scenes, that the fact that you are watching a man wearing a red skinsuit and a gigantic prop hand becomes a little too hard to ignore.

At the same time, Jack Kesy delivers a solid performance in the lead role. His Hellboy is rather different to Ron Perlman’s charismatic and snarky version, but with his dry wit, brooding and no-nonsense personality, and his softer side also coming through the cracks, this does feel like a comic book accurate depiction of the character. I just wish the film took more chances to showcase Hellboy’s vulnerability and distinctive sense of humour as well.

All in all, ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ is a pretty OK film and makes an enjoyable watch, especially if you hold any love for the comics or the indie horror genre. It has some legit fun moments, it’s a self-contained story without attempting to do any more than that, and it’s clearly a project that tries to honour its source material as best as it can. Sometimes it gets a little cheesy, not all characters get their chance to shine, but it manages to tell a Hellboy story in a way that feels reminiscent of the books. I might be off here, but I feel that people coming from the comics might have an easier time digesting this film, compared to those who solely know the character through GDT’s adaptations.

I won't claim that 'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' is a flawless film, but between a blockbuster that looks down upon its source material and attempts to reinvent it coming from that angle, and a small project that genuinely, if sloppily and imperfectly, tries to pay homage to the comics it is based on, I'll personably always pick the latter.

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