The Devil's Backbone - Will's review

Another slower movie this week, as The Devil's Backbone gives us Guillermo del Toro's 2nd entry in Time Out's Best 100 Horror Movies list, following Week 123's 'Chronos'. 

Del Toro's movies are often more about people than events, and this one is no exception. During the Spanish civil war, we join Carlos, an orphan, as he is left at a boys orphanage. The orphanage is low on funds, although it has gold it cannot use until after the war, and is home to an unexploded (supposedly disarmed) bomb in the center of its courtyard, and possibly the ghost of a boy who vanished the day the bomb fell. 

At times I was reminded of week 120's "Come and See" - although this was more to do with the mostly young cast, backdrop of war, slower pace, and wonderful cinematography than the story itself, or even the tone of the story; which is far less brutal here. 

There's a bit of an odd mix going on; the story itself sets up something big, that never pays off (a chekhov's gun, if you will, which is never fired in the third act) and the supernatural elements of the story are almost redundant - every part of the film would have worked just as well without them. 

After much setup, one of the characters turns out to be a sociopath which given the movie a much needed jolt into its third act, and the movies climax offers an incredibly brutal scene, in an otherwise fairly non-violent drama. 

I didn't hate this weeks movie, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it. It was beautifully made, and technically excellent, but I found myself more enthralled than entertained. So much so, that I can't, not-recommend it... as art, if not as entertainment.

The Orphanage - Will's review.

A woman buys the, now disused, orphanage which was her childhood home, and moves her family into it, planning to turn it into a small care home for children with special needs. Her son, Simon, a young boy with an history of imaginary friends, claims to have made a group of new friends in the house, including his new best friend, Tomas.

During an argument with his mother, Simon goes missing, and she starts to see his 'friends'...

I don't want to give too much away about this one, as there are multiple little twists and turns, and a fair amount of misleads; I was sure I had everything pegged by the time Simon went missing, and for a long time it looked like my theory was right. In the final act the rug was yanked from under me, and the truth about Simon's disappearance is borderline genius!

As with Pan's Labyrinth, Del Toro directs a great looking movie, and weaves a compelling story in which reality and imagination are so entwined that, even by the time the credits roll, it is often difficult to tell what is 'real'. 

Save one brief scene, in the aftermath of one of my favorite types of scares (I'm not giving it away, but it's used in Final Destination and Bride of Chucky) there's little or no gore in this film, opting instead for a spooky atmosphere - if you enjoy traditional ghost stories, this is one for you!

I was slightly concerned by the ending which (to avoid spoilers) was supposed to end on a particular mood, but really wasn't that thing when you think about it; indeed this is indicative of the films only problem; if you think about it too much after you've watched it, 'fridge logic' will kick in, and you'll realise that parts of it don't make sense. 

That said, this gripe seems minor when held up against the rest of this compelling, beautiful, spooky, movie. 

The Orphanage - Lisa's Review

Tonight was my second viewing of The Orphanage.  After viewing the awesome Pans Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro, I was keen to catch up on anything else he was responsible for.  As it happens, The Orphanage is one of those movies.

Unusually for me, I don't want to give too much away about this movie, as it's one that I imagine not a lot of people have watched, so I don't want to ruin the movie for you.  I will say that the main thing I need to get across in this review is that if you haven't seen this movie, get your hands on a copy and watch it!

To give you an idea of the storyline here, we follow a young couple, Laura and Carlos and their adoptive son Simón.  Laura herself was an orphan and she feels she wants to go on to adopt herself.  The family move back to the orphanage Laura lived in as a child.  They want to convert it into a building that can be utilised by disabled children.  However when they move in, strange things start to happen.  Simón develops what his mum thinks are imaginary friends, but are they?

One piece of information I will divulge, is that Simón does not know he is adopted, but he finds out during the course of the movie.   He is extremely upset about it and argues with his adoptive mum Laura.  The relationship is not as it was and it is during this period of upset that Simón goes missing.  The movie follows Laura and Carlos as they try to figure out what has happened to Simón.

They call in help from the police, psychologists, even mediums in a search to find Simón.  During the hunt, they uncover something that has remained hidden for many years.   A whole other history of Lauras childhood orphanage is revealed.  Events that took place after she was adopted come to light.  Information that threatens to drive a wedge between her and her husband.  How far will Laura go in the search for Simón?

My review probably sounds a lot scanter than normal, but it is for the best if you have yet to watch the movie.  Any more information would spoil the experience.  I have to mention one scene where the special effects are absolutely jaw dropping!  This isn't the kind of movie that has blood and guts, which is maybe why this one scene was so shocking, but look out for it.  Better effects I doubt you'll ever see!

This movie gets a big thumbs up and Recommended from me.  In fact pretty much anything by Gullermo Del Toro is worth a watch.   The movie is spanish and has subtitles, but please don't let this put you off.  Some of the best movies out there are foreign films.  Take the plunge with 'The Orphanage' if you're a subtitle virgin and open yourself up to a whole other plethora of movies!

Cronos (1993) - Lisa's Review

*** BIG FAT SPOILERS ***

Let me start by saying, if you haven't seen Cronos, stop right now!!  Go watch it and don't read this.  I wouldn't want to spoil your viewing experience by giving anything away.

So, with that out of the way, a good movie to watch and review!! Whooooooooooo!  It seems like it's been so long!  I originally saw Cronos a few years ago.  Like most other people, I was alerted to it when I watched the wonderful 'Pans Labyrinth' and discovered it was part of a movie trilogy (although the movies are completely unrelated) by Guillermo Del Toro alongside Cronos and The Devils Backbone.  What can I say?  I loved all 3.  The guy knows what he's doing.

This movie has at its heart a story about immortality and vampires, although it is told in a very different manner to what we're used to.  I should perhaps point out that this movie is in Spanish with English subtitles.  I often forget to point this out to people when I recommend a movie and it doesn't tend to go down too well.

It's quite hard to give an idea about this movie without giving a lot away, hence the 'big fat spoilers' warning.   We start the movie in a scene from many years previous where an alchemist has created a device which is capable of granting immortality to its owner.  Many years later we see him laying dead underneath a pile of rubble from a collapsed building with inhuman marble-white skin.

Fast Forward to the present day and we meet the star of the movie - Jesus, an antique store owner.  He comes into possession of a statue of archangel.  He notices that the base is hollow and comes upon an ancient device inside.  I can only describe it as having the appearance of a large Scarab Beetle without legs.  However, when it is held, metal legs emerge and wrap themselves around the hand of the holder, holding it fast.  The skin is pierced and it appears to inject them with something.

From then on, Jesus is driven to return to the object as he discovers it makes him appear younger, feel more energetic, he feels better than he has in years.  As is usually the case however, something good always comes with something bad.   He has an insatiable thirst for blood and even resorts to lying on a bathroom floor, ready to lick up some from the floor.  This is the first sign that rather than a secret of immortality, Jesus has actually inadvertently become a vampire.

We always have a villain alongside our hero and here it comes as a dying millionaire who has heard of the device and is willing to go to any lengths to get it.  His rather brutish nephew Angel (played by Ron Perlman) is tasked with going after it.   Angel attempts to kill Jesus by pushing his car over a cliff, while he is unconscious inside it.    It becomes clear to us that it is going to take something very big to do away with Jesus.  We witness him lying on a mortuary slab waiting to be cremated and witness his resurrection, complete with the opening of his gruesomely sewn shut mouth.

He returns home to his granddaughter who has been in on everything all along and sets to writing a letter explaining the situation to his wife.  We find out more evidence of his vampiric state in that sunlight burns his skin and he has to sleep in a box.

Needing to know a 'way out' of his situation, Jesus goes with his granddaughter to see the millionaire who is so desperate for the device and agrees to hand it over in return for answers and an escape.  I won't give away any more or how the movie ends, but this movie is well worth a watch.  If you don't mind subtitles and want to watch something a little different from usual run-of-the-mill movies, this is for you.

There is A LOT more to the movie than I have detailed, but I honestly don't want to give too much away about the storyline as I think if anyone is reading this that hasn't seen it, it is well worth watching.

I heartilly recommend it.