GUILLERMO DEL TORO ON ATMOM

     As most of the people that know me know that Prometheus is the film I'm waiting for the most this year. Well Guillermo Del Toro has something to say about the film as well as about the let down that was his production of H.P. Lovecraft's At The Mountains Of Madness and his resignation of turning it into a film. Just click the link below to read del Toro's thoughts on Prometheus. He doesn't bash bash Ridley Scott in fact he's happy for him. Well just click below to read it.
Guillermo del Toro thinks PROMETHEUS could spell the doom for AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS

     Just in the past two weeks I realized that Prometheus is At The Mountains Of Madness just set in space. Just from seeing the latest international trailer last week just helped cement this more in my mind. And this that I saw today just made that cement set into stone. I'm happy that I will be able to see a version of ATMOM, yet at the same time I feel sad for del Toro who has spent so much time trying to get his version of the story made only to have the studios balk at it.

     Yet here's to the countdown to Prometheus: 32 days and counting down!

LOS OJOS DE JULIA

LOS OJOS DE JULIA (JULIA'S EYES) (2010)
ES
Directed by Guillem Morales

CAST:
Belen Rueda - Julia
Lluis Homar - Isaac
Francesc Orella - Inspector Dimas

PLOT:
     The story of a woman who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister.

 REVIEW:
     I usually run hot or cold on thrillers. It's not that I don't like them. It's just that a lot of them have no follow through at the end. It's all about the build up to the reveal, and after that everything more than half the time just falls apart as the scripts don't know what to do afterwards. The ones that do get it right are usually classics right away, such as Silence Of The Lambs and Night Of The Hunter. Others just sit comfortably in the middle or just fail miserably. But the real good ones will stick with you after watching them.

     Belen Rueda, who plays Julia, is just wonderful in this film. Whenever she's on screen you know she is and pay attention to her. It's not that she chews scenes, but actually acts. Rueda has to go through so many emotions in this film as her surroundings are constantly changing as is her state of mind.  Yet there is two scenes in the film where she just shines. One is when Julia has just regained her sight, yet realizes that it would have been probably better if she hadn't due to the situation she was in. This is driven home when she has to act blind with a bloody kitchen knife just inches from her eye while being terrified and not flinching from it. The other scene is at the end where Julia fully understands her late husband's love for her. This is shown in her face as she's about to lose her sight for the second and last time while looking through her husbands eyes. There is a sadness in her face although it's mixed with a final understanding that wasn't there until that scene. The rest of the actors do a superb job as well though none stick out as much Rueda does.

     Now the story is what every film really is judged on, specially in a thriller. And thankfully this one doesn't drop the ball at all. Usually when a movie starts out looking like one type of film, such as a ghost story or hints at it then switches halfway through, the feel of the film suffers. Thankfully this film doesn't get lost in that transition. In fact, it becomes a stronger film due to that reason. Another strong aspect for the film is the plot of Julia losing her eye sight slowly. By using this it helps heighten the tension due to Julia can not understand what is going on all around her and  those closest to her think that she's losing her mind thanks to he her failing eyesight. The one thing I'm going to pass on talking about script wise is the antagonist, as part of the fun in this film is not knowing who that person is. The one problem I truly had with the film though is that you never really find out if Julia's husband Isaac committed suicide or was really killed. To me it just felt like that was left to far out in the open.

     The way the film was shot is something I have to talk about. While most of the film is shot as most are, with the viewer as a unseen entity in the room, this film goes the extra step to actually show how Julia's eyes are degenerating by going into first person view almost every time Julia becomes unbearably stressed, which makes her lose her sight quicker. At first the view through her eyes just has a darkness around the edges, though as the film goes on a blackness pervades her vision until she's blind. It's when her vision is almost gone a second time is when it truly feels terrifying as you see her view of events.  Even through all of this, two scenes that stick out visually are when Julia first starts tracing her sister's movements which puts her in the middle of blind women that easily resembles the Graeae from mythology as they are almost predatory in their movements and use of their functioning senses. The other is the final showdown between Julia and her antagonist as most of it takes place almost all in the dark which  also simulates Julia's vision. The only action we see during this is when a flash goes off from a camera which lasts all of two seconds. The film surprised me from start to finish, in a good way, which is hard to do now, and I loved every second of it. Definitely one that will probably stay on my top films list this year.

BEST DEATH:
      Lia's piercing hanging out.

BEST LINE:
     There are people with no light.

FUN FACTS:
     The film references the 1933 classic movie The Invisible Man.

     Guillermo del Toro worked  as a producer for the film.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (2010)
US/MX/AU
Directed by Troy Nixey

CAST:
Katie Holmes - Kim
Guy Pearce - Alex
Bailee Madison - Sally

PLOT:
     A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

REVIEW:
     As this is the last review this month that was full of otherworldly wonders and the creeping unknown, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark came out at a perfect point in time. No, I didn't plan this month around this film, it was just pure coincidence as I thought that this movie was never going to be released as it is a relatively unknown property, except for fans of del Toro and all things Lovecraft. But I'm not complaining that it came out this month as it is a perfect to go with all the reviews this month.

     The acting in this film is just amazing from start to finish. The movie centers around Sally played by Bailee Madison and her being sent to live with her father from what basically is a lackluster mother that doesn't want to deal with her. This is played wonderfully by Madison as being withdrawn and just wanting to be left alone. Yet she starts to really shine as her character starts to open up to her her father's girlfriend Kim, played by Katie Holmes. Now Holmes I've always ran hot or cold on with her acting, yet to me in this one her acting seems to have taken on another aspect that wasn't really there before. This might be because her character, Kim, is so well developed or she's finally found what was really missing before. As for Guy Pearce as Alex, even though he did a decent job acting, the character he plays is too ignorant until it's almost to late to save anyone, including himself. I hate to say Alex got what he deserved, but this is exactly what happened by trying to ignore the obvious and by seeing his daughter as a burden instead of his family.

   The look of the film is just remarkable as is the setting. The house is the main entity and can be considered a character in and of itself as it is never fully explored which adds a tension to the film as there are so many unknowns and dark corners that you never really know what is lurking there. I can can say that with ease that this film is and isn't really a horror movie as it's more of a dark fantasy. The horror really isn't there that much but the terror is. This is thanks to the fairies which stalk young Sally as they need to replenish their numbers every time the portal is opened where they dwell. One thing I do wish this movie did was show exactly where the fairies live as it would have opened up a whole other world for the film. But I understand why they didn't go through with this plot thread as it would have taken away from the main point of the film which is the human interaction between the characters. 

     I've yet to see a film that has del Toro's name attached to it that I didn't like, even the direct to video animated features, as well as his producing on Kung Fu Panda 2, you can tell when his touches were present. Yet with this his writing was just spectacular. Credit also has to be shared with Troy Nixey as this, even though is his first feature film, he shows amazing ability and confidence. Though how much of this was due to del Toro himself I cannot say, except the beginning scene in the film where del Toro basically told Nixey to do what he said, Nixey does such a fine job that I was quite surprised by what was put on screen. To me this is the way to end the summer movie season where most wide release horror movies are not horror, but a cry to watch me, while Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark isn't afraid to do what it wants and doesn't care that it doesn't follow the new rules for horror movies. Also it is a perfect way to end this month of all Lovecraftian movie reviews!

BEST DEATH:
     Even though it's not shown, Kim's loss of humanity. If you stay and really listen you'll understand why.

BEST LINE:
     We have all the time in the world.

FUN FACTS:
     This is Troy Nixey's first full length feature film.

     The picture was made to be released as a PG-13 rated movie. Yet, when it went to the MPAA for rating, it came out with a R. The filmmakers then went to ask how they can make it PG-13, at which the film rating board told them, "Why ruin a perfectly scary movie!"

     The film is a remake of a 1970's made for TV movie that aired on ABC in 1973.