As I said in my previous post, this list has been kinda rushed, due to initial reservations about the project. This has meant that I’ve missed some great movies off, and now that I’m committed to doing the list, these movies have to remain excluded so that I don’t invalidate the previous part of the list. Oh, it’s all so confusing! I shall endeavour to cover those missed movies as I go along.

Actually, my decision to leave off Hideo Nakata’s Ringu and Gore Verbinski’s US remake The Ring is because I can never decide which version is my favourite. I go back and forth on this one a lot. Nakata is better at generating an atmosphere of dread, and was the guy who kickstarted the popularity of the J-Horror genre. Nevertheless, Verbinski’s version is stronger than it has any right to be — partially because Naomi Watts is so good in it — and his interpretation of the dreaded video and the effect it has on its victims is more unsettling. Actually, that’s putting it mildly. The first time you see a victim slumped inside a closet, it’ll put the fear of God into you, it’s so horrifying. Unable to decide which version should be included, I chickened out and didn’t put either in. Terrible cowardice, really. Consider both movies “included”, in a sub-category or in some list-tesseract or something.

Anyway, here are the next 15 films in the list. As before, some of these movies are a little low because I’ve only seen them once and never really got to grips with them the way other people have. As my experience of them is limited I cannot figure out if this is because I don’t like them as much as everyone else or my initial opinion was adversely affected by the chatter surrounding them. In time, they may move up or down, but for now, as this is a snapshot of my opinion now, this is where they stay. Again, there are no movies from 2009 on here. I need some distance from them to know if they would qualify. Even the year’s worth of leeway I’ve given myself is not enough. While compiling this list The Dark Knight (my favourite movie of 2009)  has jumped up and down the high end of the list several times. I won’t be able to make a firm decision on that for a while. And so, with those caveats, here are numbers 90-76.

90. Spartan

Before co-creating The Unit with Shawn Ryan, David Mamet made this, a clenched fist pretending to be a movie. Val Kilmer is brutally effective as a man doing a job no one wants him to do, spitting Mamet’s truncated, macho dialogue with withering and riveting intensity. A manly, manly movie.

89. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut

The TV show still cranks out occasional classic episodes (Red Sleigh Down, Cartoon Wars, Imaginationland), but the big screen expansion of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s satirical universe might still be its finest hour. Brilliantly making fun of censors, prudes, and warmongers, it even manages to give us some of the best showtunes of the decade.

88. Curse of the Golden Flower

Critics seemed baffled by the lack of martial arts action in Zhang Yimou’s courtly drama, but who needs it? There’s enough intrigue, betrayal, madness and riotous colour here to fuel a dozen movies. Just for Gong Li’s incredible performance, this movie demands reappraisal, and that’s before we get to the ninja action and Chow Yun-Fat in Furious-Anger-mode.

87. Syriana

It’s a toss-up between this and Traffic for inclusion on this list. Stephen Gaghan’s complex multi-strand exploration of how our demand for oil affects all our lives does have a weak sub-plot featuring Jeffrey Wright, but that’s better than the ill-judged Michael Douglas thread in Soderbergh’s movie. Both are great, but Syriana – with its thrilling final act – just edges it. (Consider Traffic no. 107.)

86. The Matrix Reloaded

The Wachowski Siblings managed to alienate the majority of their fans by attempting to expand the initial Matrix movie beyond its resonant but uncomplicated monomythic plot. Though the franchise ran out of steam in the third installment, for the length of this hallucinogenic movie it still seemed like they were telling the best story ever told. Plus, you know, Morpheus used a katana.

85. Hot Fuzz

Enormously entertaining on first viewing, Edgar Wright’s pitch-perfect homage to hyper-aggressive US cop movies gets better with every rewatch. The effort put into its intricate plotting is a joy to behold, and the casting could not be more impressive. A Who’s Who of British character actors having the time of their lives = film heaven.

84. Jindabyne

Taking the same starting point as one of the threads from Altman’s Short Cuts (Raymond Carver’s short story So Much Water So Close to Home), Ray Lawrence spins a tale of marital discord and touches on themes of racial and gender politics with a deft hand. Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney give two of their most complex performances.

83. Once

The most grounded, unspectacular musical ever made, John Carney’s tale of two musicians making music amid the urban isolation of Dublin won the hearts of audiences across the world. Its ambitions were slight, but Hansard and Irglová’s gorgeous music gave Once an emotional heft that dwarfed almost everything else released that year.

82. The Hunted

Before Bourne, there was this William Friedkin-helmed cat-and-mouse actioner, pared down to the bone in much the same way as Walter Hill’s action classics. Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro are near-silent killing machines destined to fight to the death, with all other considerations ignored. Easily Friedkin’s best film since The Exorcist.

81. The Orphanage

Conjuring the same atmosphere of impending dread as Robert Wise and Jack Clayton did with classic ghost movies The Haunting and The Innocents, Juan Antonio Bayona’s directorial debut managed to provide chilling scares and heartbreaking tragedy in equal measure.

80. The Constant Gardener

On the surface Fernando Meirelles’ environmental thriller was just another tale of corporate intrigue, but Rachel Weisz’s Oscar-winning performance — and Ralph Fiennes’ superb turn as her bereaved husband — turned it into something more interesting and melancholic: a meditation on how love can ruin a life once the object of adoration has gone.

79. [Rec]

Of all the camcorder horror movies of this decade, perhaps the most successful was Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza’s claustrophobic virus-zombie effort. Though less wide-ranging than Cloverfield, Blair Witch, or the thematically similar 28 Days/Years Later movies, it did one thing better than all of them: it was scary throughout, and utterly terrifying at the end.

78. No Country For Old Men

The Coens hewed so close to their source material that it would have been hard to mess it up, but even so, their direction was exemplary, conjuring up numerous exhausting setpieces and an iconic representation of chaotic evil from Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. It managed something you would think impossible: improving on the work of Cormac McCarthy.

77. There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Anderson deserves plaudits for taking such overwhelming thematic material and boiling it down into a tale of how greed can ruin one man’s soul. What makes Daniel Day Lewis’ work as Daniel Plainview so special is not the pyrotechnics, but the hint that by the end of his life he is so lost that he doesn’t care. It’s as chilling as a horror movie plot.

76. The Darjeeling Limited

A trek across India by three estranged brothers tested the patience of many viewers, either by presenting a view of American obliviousness abroad that lacked necessary satirical pointers, or by relying on too many Andersonian tics. To this viewer, the jokes, the narrative gameplaying, and Robert Yeoman’s gorgeous photography, were enough.

Okay, that was a bit less overwrought. More to come, if WordPress will ever stop crashing. ::grumble grumble::

]]> http://elrinconoscuroblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/el-orfanato/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:33:29 +0000 ElenaAnele http://elrinconoscuroblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/el-orfanato/ http://filmnissen.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/barnhemmet-2008/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:30:52 +0000 Magnus Johansson http://filmnissen.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/barnhemmet-2008/

Laura (Belén Rueda) har tillsammans med sin man köpt det gamla barnhemmet där hon själv en gång bodde som föräldralös. Hon drömmer om att öppna upp det på nytt och göra det till ett bra hem för funktionshindrade barn. Med flyttar också deras sjuåriga adoptivson Simón som i huset får osynliga vänner(?), vilket med tiden alltmer förbryllar föräldrarna. Det hela eskalerar och får katastrofala följder mitt under hemmets öppningsceremoni…

Regissören Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone, Hellboy, Blade II, Pans labyrint mfl) blev visst mäkta fascinerad av spanska kollegan Juan Antonio Bayonas film och beslöt ta honom och Barnhemmet under sina skyddande vingar. Jag kan förstå varför då denna film, precis som många av del Toros, rent visuellt är magnifik samt att stämningarna är minst lika viktiga som handlingen. Att detta skulle vara det hemskaste som skådats på år och dag, kan jag inte relatera till alls. Obehagskänslor infann sig, men så läskig var den väl ändå inte? Detta faktum gjorde inte mig någonting utan det finns ett djup och en styrka i filmen som vida överträffar behovet av skrämselhicka. Det är gripande och engagerande samtidigt som de rätt realistiska karaktärerna vävs samman med en nästan sagolik atmosfär och stämning. Oavsett om man nu blir livrädd eller ej av Barnhemmet, så måste jag ändå ge en eloge till filmmakaren som visar att en rysare inte nödvändigtvis måste innehålla hinkvis med låtsasblod. Muy bien!

Betyg: 4

Spain brings one more film into the fray of Horror Month 2009!

Screenplay By: Sergio G. Sánchez
Directed By: Juan Antonio Bayona

As much as I hate doing this, there will be spoilers ahead, so you have been warned.

My grandmother used to tell me that nothing is complete, even if you tie it up. She used that line of thinking about everything and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out why the heck she was bombarding me with it. At some point in my life I began to realize her intent, and it was tied into her favorite past time. Grandma Bullock was, and still is, a literary junkie, she reads more than any person I have ever known. Her outlook on the world was formed through reading and she wanted me to do the same. Nothing is complete, even if you tie it up because you should never stop thinking. The world of fiction is massively interpretive, and the worst thing you can do is make a judgment call and refuse to allow the story to go anywhere else. That’s not to say that when the story is finished you can’t say, “this is what I think happened,” but that you shouldn’t tie yourself to an ending before the end has come about.

By this point I hope you have figured out what my little anecdote has to do with El Orfanato. The ending of El Orfanato is what ties it all together, without the open ended nature of the finale you would be left with a good but pedestrian ghost story. El Orfanato is similar to El Laberinto Del Fauno in that regard, but that is really the only similarity worth mentioning and I am not about to patronize El Orfanato by constantly comparing it to that film. The ending of El Orfanato is mysterious and it can be read two different ways. Similar to a bow on the top of a present, El Orfanato’s finale brings all of its pieces into one neat package. The goodies contained within the package can lead the viewer down either path, there is more than enough evidence for the ghosts to be real, but at the same time there is enough evidence that an accident occurred involving Simón while Laura died from an overdose.

I am a sucker for the open ended finale presented in El Orfanato. I love when a filmmaker trusts his audience enough to present two plausible paths and allow them to take either one with no comeuppance. No matter which path you take, I fall on the side of the ghosts being creations of Laura’s mind, the story is given adequate resolution. If one wants to stop at the simple resolutions provided that would still leave a very good movie. However, you can decide to look back and analyze where El Orfanato goes in its story and how it comes to either conclusion and what that means to all that came previous. If you do this, then you have plenty to chew on and should realize how great of a movie El Orfanato is.

I’m hesitant to label El Orfanato a horror film, because while there are horror elements present it’s much more of a psychological fantasy tale. Be that as it may, the label applied to El Orfanato doesn’t matter. There are moments of genuine suspense and for others I am sure there are moments that do scare. Juan Antonio Bayona uses most of the usual horror tricks to put his movie together, but he adds a wonderful visual eye and an amazingly keen ear for sound. Out of all the technical aspects in El Orfanato I was most impressed by the sound, Bayona understands the value of silence just as much as that of a loud crash. There is a scene early on when Laura goes outside to explore the shed, as she asks if anyone is there the sound cuts off completely. It’s a small thing but it brings that scene alive, and throughout El Orfanato the way sound is used keeps the film constantly alive.

The last ingredient necessary for El Orfanato’s success was a strong lead. Belén Rueda was that strong lead, she brought heart and depth to a role that could have ruined the film if it was played too large or broad. Rueda doesn’t yearn for sympathy, she plays Laura as a mother who is conflicted over the loss of her son and the sympathy naturally flows from there. She also has very expressive eyes and was able to enhance the suspenseful nature of most scenes with a simple eye dart left and right.

What I have loved most about this years Horror Month, don’t worry it’s not over yet, is the horror I have been watching is so different from what mainstream Hollywood horror has turned into. El Orfanato is another example of that difference, there is only one gory scene, and it is very tame, and the horror found in El Orfanato is of a suspenseful nature and not of the pop out variety. El Orfanato asks you to think and refuses to provide the answer, it gives all the evidence to the viewer and allows for individual interpretation to take over. Whether the ghosts are real or not, El Orfanato is a fine film and another sign of the wealth of quality film making being done in Spain. Horror Month 2009 continues it’s great run with yet another film that I highly recommend, but leave the burlap sack look alone, please.

Rating:

****

Cheers,
Bill

By Steven Zeitchik – HollywoodReporter.com

Sam Raimi is taking “Refuge.”
The genre maestro has signed on to produce a supernatural horror pic of that name, based on a pitch from up-and-coming British director Corin Hardy. The project has been set up at Mandate, where Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures has a deal.

“Refuge” centers on a remote town terrorized by a Yeti, the mythological creature native to the mountains of the Himalayas. Hardy will direct from a script by fellow British writer Tom De Ville; both are repped by Paradigm’s Marc Helwig and Trevor Astbury.

Jason Blum, Nathan Kahane and Steven Schneider will produce.

Meanwhile, Blum’s Blumhouse Prods. will finance a short film with the same premise as the “Refuge” feature. Hardy and De Ville will work on that as well. The idea is to offer a teaser that can help Hardy refine his vision even as the script is being developed.

Genre auteurs are increasingly taking on projects from young directors and shepherding them through the indie and studio system as both producers and mentors. Guillermo del Toro, for instance, has taken on that role with Juan Antonio Bayona and other Spanish newcomers.

The CAA-repped Raimi, who is next set to shoot “Spider-Man 4″ as well as an adaptation of the video game “World of Warcraft,” is involved in a number of projects as a producer, including the vampire comic book adaptation “Priest” at Screen Gems.

2007: El Orfanato di Juan Antonio Bayona

Critica generalmente entusiasta: L’Unità: “Un film di fantasia nera che guarda al romanzo Giro di vite di Henry James. (…) Il regista, il trentenne Juan Antonio Bayona, è alla sua opera prima, eppure dimostra grande capacità e tecnica”. La Repubblica: “Si vede poco in The Orphanage, ma quel poco basta a trasmettere brividi ignoti al più truculento degli splatter”, Il Corriere della Sera: “Il film ha una pulizia visiva e un rigore nella paura, senza ricorrere mai al ghigno, allo splatter, al sangue ma tenendo presente il mistero senza fondo delle coscienze infelici da cui forse dipende tutto”, Ciak: “L’horror spagnolo si conferma ricco di eleganza e maturo nelle scelte tematiche”, Dnews: “Uno dei thriller horror più belli da tempo”.

Un’ atmosfera fiabesca e sognante, visionaria e malinconica… ma anche inquietante, un continuo e non superficiale stato di tensione, un crescendo emotivo per tutta la durata del film, sono le caratteristiche essenziali di The Orphanage (campione d’incassi in patria, vincitore di sette premi Goya -i premi più prestigiosi del cinema iberico-, candidato della Spagna agli Oscar come miglior film straniero, nonché nominato agli European Film Award 2008 come Miglior Film, Attrice, Fotografia e Compositore).

Una sobria e asciutta ghost story (anche commovente… ma non patetica) che lodevolmente si differenzia dai similari prodotti d’oltreoceano (ma purtroppo in America si sta già lavorando al remake), rifuggendo intelligentemente dai facili “effettacci” che tradizionalmente abbondano in questo genere di film, che privilegia la psicologia e gli stati d’animo dei personaggi e i cui modelli sono Suspense di Jack Clayton e “Gli invasati” di Robert Wise, nonché Alfred Hitchcock, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Amenabar (ma anche Pupi Avati). Una sceneggiatura che riprende temi già trattatati mille volte ma che trasforma il tutto in una originale intrigante angosciosa “caccia al tesoro”.

The Orphanage (ma perché un titolo inglese?) più che un horror è un dramma sulla maternità e sulla perdita, sull’infanzia erroneamente ritenuta età idilliaca, sul passato le cui tracce rimangono indelebili e ci condiziona, sulle paure -più o meno inconsce- di tutti noi. Un film che cattura totalmente l’attenzione dello spettatore non lasciandogli mai un attimo di tregua: cento minuti tesissimi e coinvolgenti al massimo, senza tempi morti o lungaggini fuorvianti (ogni scena è importante, ogni sguardo o battuta è essenziale).

Regia elegante sensibile raffinata dell’esordiente Juan Antonio Bayona (noto finora solo come autore di cortometraggi e di video musicali), fotografia e scenografia ottimi (notevole la ricercatezza visiva e formale), suggestivo l’utilizzo di rumori (più che della musica) come colonna sonora: sorprendente che anche sceneggiatore, direttore della fotografia, montatore e compositore siano alla loro opera prima.
Magistrale l’interpretazione di Belén Rueda che regge sulle sue spalle l’intero film e che negli ultimi 40 minuti è praticamente sola in scena (aveva dato ottime prove già in Mare dentro e in Savage Grace): bravissima nel rendere l’angoscia di una madre a cui crolla il mondo addosso (e la si confronti con Angelina Jolie dal ridicolo look in Changeling). Perfetta Geraldine Chaplin.

p.s.

“Attenzione ai titoli di testa di The Orphanage, dove i nomi, impressi su pareti fatiscenti, saltano fuori a ogni strappo della carta da parati che li ricopre. In questo emergere del passato di sotto la vernice fresca del presente, c’è infatti la chiave di lettura del film” (Film.it).

scheda

sito ufficiale

There is something slightly alarming about the knowledge we do not possess. It’s a primal fear we inherently have based on the basic human principle that if we don’t understand something, then we don’t know whether it has the capacity to harm us. It’s an idea that has shaped our perception of the world, and no matter where or when we were born, who we are in the social stratum, or what we do in our lives, it is a human constant to fear the unknown, the shadow in the corner of human cognizance. Today’s feature, The Orphanage, pits the fear of our own ignorance with an equally alarming situation, the loss of a child. It is a mind-bending supernatural horror film that poses the main character in such a heart-breaking position that by the end of the film I felt mentally drained from thinking about it so much.

In modern-day Spain, Laura is going back home, so to speak. She was an orphaned as a little girl, and now that she has grown into a happy and successful woman with a wonderful husband and a sweet little boy named Simòn, she decides that it’ll be a good gesture to fix up the now-dilapidated orphanage and get it in working order again as a facility for handicapped children. The whole family moves there to help her with this venture, but things are not all what they seem. Simòn begins to converse an imaginary friend named Tomás, a boy he draws as wearing a crude mask made out of a small sack. Simòn begins to act coldly towards her after he starts talking to Tomás, and their relationship becomes strained. This hurts Laura, and her distress is compounded when a woman named Benigna comes to the orphanage with some startling facts about Simòn’s past. It all comes to a head at Simòn’s birthday party, where the two argue and Simòn runs away from her. They can’t find him anywhere. He’s not in the house, he’s not outside, he’s just gone. After an exhaustive search that leads Laura to a serious injury, questions abound about Simòn’s whereabouts. Was he abducted? The strange Benigna seems a likely suspect. Is he just hiding from his mother? Simòn could have hidden anywhere on the expansive plot of land. Or is there something more supernatural at work here? The imaginary friend Tomás might have more to do with it than anyone knows. These are the things that go through Laura’s mind as she searches for her missing son. And as the trail goes colder, she becomes more and more desperate, until the question she is asking might be more painful if it is answered. What will become of our heroine and her lost young boy?

What an exhausting movie! This one will wear you out emotionally. Nobody likes the idea of a missing child, so seeing this film will definitely get your heart racing from start to finish. The Orphanage is a very mature horror in the sense that it doesn’t sink to the lower echelons of the industry (i.e. BOO! scares) to deliver an effective scare. Its terror lies both in the otherworldly happenings of the orphanage itself and in the desperation of Laura’s heart. There is no serial killer, no monsters, no over-wrought American concept of danger and fear, but a more intimate portrait of worry and regret that manifests itself in haunting, frightening ways.

The actors are great, although most of the film rests on the shoulders of Belen Rueda, who plays distraught mother Laura. She is a wonder, a fantastic picture of femininity, perfect in her imperfections. Rueda gets so much out of a character that could have easily been misconstrued, by hitting all her notes just right. The character of Laura is not as simple as we see from the beginning, and watching her relive that character’s past is unforgettable. Of course, her partner in all this is Carlos, played by Fernando Cayo, and he is also very, very good. He is the foundation, the support structure for Laura’s whole world. They have a wonderful on-screen relationship that is highlighted by its brevity. The few scenes at the beginning that feature them together are made precious and poignant after the strain sets in as it would on any relationship when a child goes missing.

I cannot believe this is director Juan Antonio Bayona’s feature debut. A movie so dense, frightening, and moving should have come from somebody much older. Most people think this is Guillermo Del Toro’s film, seeing as his name is taped ALL over the trailers, but he is only producing. Not to say his influence isn’t felt in the trappings of this uniquely Spanish film, with the ghosts and the orphans and the spookiness around it. It actually feels like more of a spiritual successor to The Devil’s Backbone than Pan’s Labyrinth did, and they’re supposed to be parts of a planned Spanish Civil War trilogy! But Bayona makes it his own, with a lot more focus on mood and suspense instead of the ghosts themselves. He actually is very sparing with his moments of genuine terror, but when you see them, you will be very impressed (the first appearance of Tomás is something you have to experience for yourself). I can’t wait to see more from this amazing new international talent in the future.

As I said, The Orphanage is a very mature film, not for fans of horror who are looking solely for the jump-cuts and excessive amounts of corn-syrup blood. There’s heart, there’s emotion, there’s a lot of eerie moments, and you would be hard-pressed to find an American movie like it right now. Which is convenient, because the US has decided to remake this film (TYPICAL!). But before that piece of New Line assembly line fodder comes out, take a gander at this amazing film from glorious España. You’ll be amazed at the quality throughout this film, and if you’re not shocked by the ending, you have no pulse. I give The Orphanage 9 crude sack masks out of 10. A high recommendation!

Tomorrow I’ll be seeing something in theaters, but im so indecisive! Any thoughts, anyone? Let me know!

The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage or El orfanato is a horror film directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by one of the most creative filmmakers around today, Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy). I was just having a conversation with my brother the other day about horror films and how I often, unintentionally perhaps, rate them on a scale. In other words, a four or five star horror film is probably not the same as a four or five star drama in most cases. The Orphanage really is a four star movie because it is more than your typical horror fare. Let’s call it a supernatural thriller instead. It was nominated for 14 Goya Awards and won seven.

Spooky kid

The film opens at an orphanage and we briefly see young Laura find out that she is leaving. Years later and Laura decides to return by actually buying and living in the orphanage with her husband Carlos and her son Simón. Simón makes several imaginary friends and the plot unfolds with a series of effective and believable twists and turns. It would be a mistake to give anything else away here.

Producer Guillermo Del Toro

It really is impressive how far a film like this can go with good acting, smart writing, and solid suspense. After the movie was over I realized that the twists were unpredictable to me because I wasn’t waiting to find out what they were. I was preoccupied with an engaging screenplay and atmosphere. I actually cared about the characters too much to focus on forecasting the secrets. The Orphanage made me excited to go along for the ride without even realizing. Bayona had me trust his film at just the right times and for that I was caught off guard, and the film’s surprises were far more rewarding.

Creepy scene from the Orphanage

While watching this movie I kept thinking of films like The Changeling, The Others, The Sixth Sense, or even del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone. I probably think of those movies not just because they are like-minded supernatural thrillers but because they are impeccably well crafted films. I give The Orphanage a very high recommendation and it is probably the best movie of its kind from 2007.

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Con esta tendencia que, desde hace algunos años, ha tenido Hollywood de hacer remakes de películas extranjeras que han tenido éxito, ahora se ha confirmado que “El Orfanato”, cinta de terror México-Española dirigida por Juan Antonio Bayona y producida por Guillermo del Toro, será realizada de nueva cuenta en idioma anglosajón. Aún no se tiene en concreto a los protagonistas, pero sí se sabe que Guillermo del Toro, que de nuevo producirá esta cinta, ha elegido a Larry Fessenden para dirigirla. Es probable que ninguno de ustedes conozca a este personaje, y es normal, de hecho ha dirigido pocas cintas y todas de bajo presupuesto, pero se ha dedicado más al campo de la actuación en cintas como Broken Flowers, Bringing out the dead o hasta en La ley y el orden.

De acuerdo a las declaraciones del mismo Del Toro, el guión es una adaptación de la versión española, sólo que tiene un enfoque distinto, adecuado al estilo del nuevo director. Habrá que ver qué tal queda, tengo miedo tomando en cuenta de que el Orfanato es de las mejores películas que he visto en mi vida.

Aquí les dejo el trailer de una de las películas que ha dirigido Fessenden, llamada “No telling”.

Parece ser que una vez pasada la fiebre por rehacer todo film asiático de terror que hiciera algo de dinero, la industria del cine americano esta buscando otro mercado al que sacarle provecho, y por lo visto le ha echado el ojo a nuestro país. Y es que tras copiar hacer la versión americana de “[REC]”, y el proyecto de hacer un Torrente en versión yanqui, Hollywood ya tiene en marcha el remake de la película española más taquillera del 2007 y la segunda que mas dinero ha recaudado de toda la historia del cine español, “El orfanato” de Juan Antonio Bayona.

Ha sido la New Line Cinema la que se ha hecho con los derechos de la cinta, y la que ha aceptado que el actor/productor/director Larry Fessenden se siente en la silla de director, tras una elección de Guillermo del Toro, que si en la original ya ejercía como productor de la cinta, en esta versión vuelve a repetir la labor además de meter mano en el guión junto a Fessenden.

Ahora mismo la producción de la película esta centrada en la búsqueda de la actriz que interprete el papel que en su día fue a parar a manos de Belén Rueda, ganadora en el 2007 del Goya a la mejor actriz revelación por “Mar Adentro”.

Proof that dumb horror movies aren’t just made in English. Okay, okay, that’s a bit of a harsh assessment, as The Orphanage has some surprisingly strong dramatic moments and clearly aspires to be something more than your usual fright flick. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite reach those aspirations. When it comes to the actual nuts-and-bolts horror stuff, The Orphanage is as creaky and rusty as any other old haunted house attraction. There’s nothing original, exciting, or even really interesting here. The childhood connection with supernatural phenomena is been there, done that (everything from Poltergeist to The Sixth Sense to at least a few episodes of Buffy and Angel), and though Guillermo del Toro produces, it doesn’t exactly have the eloquence or sophistication of Pan’s Labyrinth, which itself was a flawed film. Despite one unforgettable sequence near the end, this is yer same old, same old. Yawn.

C

Potser és que els tertulians han estat concentrats ens opinar sobre Michael Jackson; però em sorprèn que, a aquestes alçades, ningú hagi explicat el crim del carrer Santaló com la primera senyal que, arribada la crisi, la realitat posa les coses al seu lloc i torna la lluita de classes.

Treballador vs. Patró. Cornellà vs. Sant Gervasi.

A Barcelona, no es veia un enfrontament interclassista des de la gala dels Goya de 2008, en què Jaime Rosales va guanyar, contra tot pronòstic, a Juan Antonio Bayona.

Alex Billington – FirstShowing.net

   Miramax and Guillermo del Toro will together produce a remake of the horror film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark that first aired on TV in 1973. Comic book artist and writer Troy Nixey will make his feature directorial debut with the film. Del Toro himself and his writing partner Matthew Robbins (Mimic) will be adapting the screenplay for the remake. The original film was directed by John Newland and gained a cult following after its debut and on VHS. The story follows a young girl who is sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend, only to discover that sinister creatures live underneath the stairs. If I remember correctly, this is movie that scared the crap out of me as a kid and here we are remaking it! 

Development on the film is only at the very early stages, as they haven’t begun any research on the monsters. However, Variety says that we can expect “an upscale creature feature along the lines of del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, with an emphasis on distinctive characters in keeping with the Miramax slate.” And for those that saw Hellboy II, the creatures were the best part, so maybe that’s a good thing. Director Troy Nixey is the latest of Del Toro’s mentors to be given his first gig, along with Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona who directed the highly praised thriller The Orphanage. “It has always been a dream of mine to work on a project with Guillermo, my favorite filmmaker,” Nixey said. “I had no idea it would be on my first one out. Miramax’s faith in me is everything a first-time director could ask for.”

   Anyone who saw Orphanage will attest to the fact that Guillermo del Toro is as good of a producer as a filmmaker. I think he knows great talent when he sees it and I’m sure Nixey is the next talented filmmaker being given his big break. As for the film itself, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, let’s just hope it will scare the living crap out of me as it did back when I was a kid.

   Michael Hancock,( Altered States, The Burning Bed, The Untouchables) was the makeup artist for the original 1973 version

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The most effective fright films most often render their punch from the marriage of two things: stark realism and the director’s ability to penetrate it with the unimaginable. This is certainly the case with the best haunted house pictures.

Robert Wise’s masterpiece of bump-in-the-night shock treatment, The Haunting, is a prime example of girls gone ghastly. In the film, Julie Harris plays a nervous nobody who finds cathartic release at a New England mansion notorious for its supernatural tendencies. Her excitement takes a nose-dive into dementia when troubles at home haunt her all the way to the ghost shack.

Of course, Wise was not the last “non-genre” visionary to take a stab at the concept. In Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Mr. Hallorann explains that “…some places are like people…” and that sometimes “…when something happens, it can leave a trace of itself behind.” The haunted house has long been film language for a head full of personal baggage. The concept may be old hat at this point, but there is always wiggle room for a fresh take on the subject.

The haunted house picture is a niche in horror that has been in need of a spectral jump start for years, and first-time Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage just might be the film to do it.

The movie centers around Laura, a woman who returns as an adult to the orphanage where she was raised, with wishes to reopen it with her husband and son. When her son makes an imaginary friend who begins telling him secrets from the orphanage’s sordid past, Laura is forced to peel back the history of her childhood home to make some rather grim discoveries.

Man’s abode has become commonplace landscape for horror films to tread, the world over. The narrative trajectory of Bayona’s film brings to mind pictures like The Changeling (Canada) and The Devil’s Backbone (Mexico), the latter of which weaves a similar tale of phantom orphan justice. Perhaps this is what prompted a producing credit from Devil’s Backbone director Guillermo del Toro. The two films would work beautifully as companion pieces to one another.

Stripped to its skeleton, the movie has all the essential ingredients of any haunt flick: cobwebbed cellars, labyrinthine hallways, plenty of creepy little brats and a seance sequence that would give Zelda Rubinstein a run for the white light. Refreshingly, however, it is not in the bottomless barrel of tired genre clichés that this film fishes for its power. The Orphanage is a picture wrapped tightly in feelings of both crippling dread and staggering loss.

It’s easy to forget how horror can sometimes pack a much beefier punch when it’s not just our characters’ supple flesh that’s being shredded to ribbons. Bayona paints his characters with deep emotional wounds. So deep, that the supernatural shocks in the film do more than just singe your senses — they hit you right in the gut.

Ya sabemos que Pixar acostumbra a dejar pequeños cameos en sus películas que hacen alusión a futuros y pasados proyectos de ellos mismos. Así, por ejemplo todos pudimos ver la camioneta de Pizza Planet de ”Toy Story””Buscando a Nemo”, o al mismo Nemo en ‘Monstruos S.A.. Esto volvería a pasar con el próximo estreno de Disney/Pixar, ”Up”. Según el director de la cinta Pete Docter, veremos a un nuevo personaje que hará su primera aparición en la próxima cinta de ‘‘Toy Story 3′‘. Pero lo mejor de todo es que ya hemos visto este personaje, ya que ha aparecido en los tráilers lanzados para promocionar dicha cinta. Sería el pequeño oso rosado que les mostramos en las siguientes imágenes.

Lindsay Lohan estará con Woody Harrelson en ”The other side”

Lindsay Lohan será la protagonista de ‘The other side’‘Sé quién me mató’, que resultó un auténtico fiasco en taquilla, solo ha conseguido rodar algunos capítulos de series en televisión y protagonizar el telefim ”Labor Pains”. Un pobre bagaje para la antaño estrella de Disney que estaba llamada a ser una de las actrices punteras de la década. “Lindsay es muy consciente de la percepción que el público tiene de ella, pero está realmente comprometida para hacer lo que tenga que hacer para cambiar eso”, asegura el director David Michaels en declaraciones a ‘Variety’. El rodaje de ‘The other side’ comenzará en octubre en la costa de Massachusetts. (El otro lado). Una comedia independiente en la que estará acompañada de rostros muy conocidos como Woody Harrelson, el músico Dave Matthews y la cantante y también actriz Alanis Morissette. Lohan, que intenta apartarse de la fama de estrella díscola y escandalosa que se ha ganado a pulso y relanzar su carrera como actriz, interpretará a una estudiante que debe pasar el verano trabajando en un instituto científico situado en una isla remota. Un inhóspito emplazamiento en el que dará con unos vecinos más que peculiares que esconden un tremendo secreto. Este proyecto se antoja capital en el futuro de Lohan, que tras su regreso a la gran pantalla con”Sé quién me mató”, que resultó un auténtico fiasco en taquilla, solo ha conseguido rodar algunos capítulos de series en televisión y protagonizar el telefim ”Labor Pains”. Un pobre bagaje para la antaño estrella de Disney que estaba llamada a ser una de las actrices punteras de la década. “Lindsay es muy consciente de la percepción que el público tiene de ella, pero está realmente comprometida para hacer lo que tenga que hacer para cambiar eso”, asegura el director David Michaels en declaraciones a ‘Variety’. El rodaje de ”The other side” comenzará en octubre en la costa de Massachusetts.

Jason Statham, a bordo de ”The Killer Elite”

Jason Statham será el protagonista de un nuevo thriller de acción titulado ”The Killer Elite”, el cual y según Variety contará con la nada despreciable cantidad de 40 millones de dólares de presupuesto. La película será dirigida por el creador de anuncios publicitarios Gary McKendry, basándose en el best-seller escrito por Ranulph Fiennes: ‘The Feathermen’. Basada en hechos reales, la película sigue las andanzas de un grupo de miembros de las fuerzas especiales británicas que están siendo buscados y asesinados por matones a sueldo. Statham será un antiguo miembro de la fuerza naval que se verá obligado a salir de su retiro para intentar salvar la vida de su mejor amigo. El rodaje de esta nueva cinta de Statham dará comienzo el próximo otoño, y para ello se utilizarán localizaciones de Londres, Paris y Australia. De momento no tenemos constancia de más gente involucrada en la cinta, aunque es fácil que en los próximos días tengamos novedades al respecto. Recordemos que Jason Statham tiene también pendiente el remake de ‘The Mechanic’, película que se centra en Arthur Bishop, un asesino a sueldo que trabaja en un mundo muy particular… Un mundo implacable en el cual no se observan las reglas de convivencia y donde un paso en falso ¡puede costarle la vida!.

Ewan McGregor será protagonista de ”The Last Word”

No hay mejor sitio para promocionar nuevos proyectos que en el escenario de uno de los mejores festivales cinematográficos del mundo, como es el caso del Festival de Cannes, en Francia. Allí, se ha oficializado un proyecto titulado ‘The Last Word’ cuyo protagonista será Ewan McGregor, y donde el actor volverá a trabajar con el realizador David Mackenzie después de que en 2003 ambos coincidiesen en el thriller ‘Young Adam’. La cinta será un drama romántico para TrustNordisk en cuya producción entrarán países como Escocia, Alemania y Dinamarca, la cual describen como una historia de amor en una ciudad en la que la gente parece estar perdiendo lentamente la percepción sensorial. Como ven un argumento de momento muy intrincado, por lo que tendremos que esperar a saber más datos para hacernos una idea más clara. Respecto al rodaje, éste dará comienzo en septiembre, y para el mismo Mackenzie se llevará de un guión escrito por el guionista danés Kim Fupz Aakeson, precisamente quien escribió el guión de la cinta que inauguró la Berlinale, ‘Little Soldier’. Como saben, el actor estará de actualidad en medio mundo durante este fin de semana al estrenar ”Ángeles y Demonios”, precuela de ”El Código da Vinci” que vuelve a estar dirigida por Ron Howard y donde Tom Hanks volverá a interpretar al sagaz Robert Langdom.

Jim Caviezel y las aventuras de ”William Tell: The Legend”

Juan Antonio Bayona volverá a trabajar con el guionista de ”El Orfanato”

Por fin se confirma quién será el encargado de dar vida al Dios del Trueno en ‘Thor’. Después de muchos rumores acerca de quién sería el elegido por Kenneth Branagh para interpretar al personaje, éste será finalmente Chris Hemsworth, actor australiano de 26 años al que hemos visto en la reciente producción de J.J. Abrams ”Star Trek”, donde interpraba al heroico George Kirk, capitán de la USS Kelvin por 12 minutos y padre de James T. Kirk. De acuerdo con la información, el actor habría sido fichado por Marvel y Kenneth Branagh, luego de ver el vídeo de su casting el cual, de acuerdo a los trascendidos, es espectacular. El actor también representará al Dios del Trueno en ‘The Avengers’ (Los Vengadores), la película que unirá las historias de los más importantes superhéroes marvelianos. El guión ya está escrito y lleva la firma de Mark Protesevich, el responsable de ‘Soy Leyenda’. La cinta cuenta la historia de un estudiante minusválido de medicina, Donal Blake, que en un viaje a Noruega es testigo de la llegada de unos extraterrestres dispuestos a invadir la tierra. Al ser descubierto, huye y se refugia en una cueva. Allí encuentra un cayado de madera que resulta ser mágico. Cada vez que golpee el suelo con su bastón, se convierte en Thor, el dios de las tormentas.

Primer vistazo a la cinta de David R. Ellis: ”Humpty Dumpty”

Terror, 3-D y Ciencia-ficción, un cóctel que seguramente hará las delicias de más de uno. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ es la nueva cinta de David R. Ellis, recordemos realizador de una auténtica frikada como es ‘Snakes on a Plane’. La cinta tiene como protagonista a una criatura mitad humana mitad alienígena que desatará una carnicería después de que su madre extraterrestre haya sido violada por dos campesinos del Sur. Ordesky. El bichito en cuestión es el que podemos ver en estos dos primeros teaser pósters recién publicados. Así reza el eslogan: “El nunca debería haber nacido”.

Balagueró, en el mercado de Cannes

BARCELONA, 12 May. (EUROPA PRESS)

El cineasta catalán Jaume Balagueró presentará en el Mercado del Festival Internacional de Cine de Cannes su nuevo ‘thriller’ de terror, Flatmate, escrito por Alberto Marini y ambientado en Nueva York.

Según informó hoy la productora Filmax en un comunicado, la película empezará a rodarse este año, pero el casting no ha trascendido. Es la segunda película en que el guionista y el director trabajan juntos, y la quinta que dirige Balaguero.

Balagueró se dio a conocer con su primera película, Los Sin Nombre, por la que recibió varios de premios, y ahora tiene pendiente de estreno [REC]2, la secuela de la exitosa cinta de terror que volverá a estar protagonizada por Manuela Velasco y que codirige junto a Paco Plaza.

El Mercado de Cannes es una actividad paralela al festival que se celebra entre el 13 y 24 de mayo y aglutina a los principales profesionales del sector audiovisual. Se trata de la mayor plataforma para la compra y venta de productos cinematográficos del mundo.

Fuentes: Europa Press /  Elseptimoarte.net

ShockTillYouDrop.com

Worstpreviews

Katie Holmes has been signed on to star in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a thriller written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro. The latter will also co-produce with the film directed by Troy Nixey, a comic book artist and reportedly a protege of del Toro.

The film is based on an ABC television movie from 1973 and follows a young girls who moves in with her father and his girlfriend in a house they find they are sharing with a host of ghoulish beings.

According to the report on Variety, Nixey got the job after del Toro enjoyed the tone of his short film Latchkey’s Lament.

It also notes that del Toro will also team with co-producer Mark Johson on Hater, an adaptation of a novel by David Moody which will be directed by The Ophanage’s Juan Antonio Bayona.

Sounds like an interesting project with a lot of the concerns that del Toro likes to explore. It’s likely therefore to have some wonderful costume and art design and should, being based on a previous source, provide an opportunity for the director Nixey to take some chances and prove his worth.

Del Toro it seems is really starting to build himself a stable of personnel to be associated with, primarily horror-focused directors with talent on building atmosphere and tone. Don’t be surprised to see more emerge as his power begins to grow following The Hobbit in a few year’s time.

Hollywood isn’t a place where helping newcomers is that common.  But Guillermo Del Toro shows once again that he breaks the mold, not only in regard to his massive talent, but also by helping struggling filmmakers turn their dreams into reality.

Here’s what a Hollywood Reporter blog has to say on his latest effort in this area:

Universal is developing the horror tale “Mama,” a debut project from a pair of young filmmakers, and in negotiations to produce the film and mentor the filmmakers is one Guillermo del Toro.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti are writing the English-language script based on their acclaimed Spanish-language short “Mama,” with Andy directing and Barbara producing. If he climbs aboard, Del Toro would hands-on with the pic in a manner not dissimilar to his work with Juan Antonio Bayona on his “The Orphanage.”

And Del Toro also has taste.  If this film is even half as good as The Orphanage we’re in for a treat.

Source.

Eclipse, the upcoming thid film in the insanely profitable Twilight franchise just found a director. The peeps at Summit are really putting this franchise on the fast track, with the first one bowing late last year, the second one coming in November, and this third one scheduled for release in late June of next year.

But now, who did they pick to direct Eclipse? David Slade, that’s who.

The opportunity to direct this third film was once rumored to have been given to Drew Barrymore (bad idea, though I’m kinda psyched for Whip It!), and then to Juan Antonio Bayona (great fuckin idea), but now they’ve officially decided on David Slade to be the successor of Catherine Hardwicke (who directed the first one) and Chris Weitz (who’s directing New Moon).

And really, great choice Summit, moreover Eclipse is the only book in the saga which I genuinely love, so it’s the only film in the franchise I’m really looking forward to, and with Slade now on board, adding to that new superb supporting cast recently announced for New Moon, it’ll probably be decent enough, unlike the first film.

Slade has actually ventured in the vampire genre before, with 30 Days of Night, which I loved, but it is for his work in Hard Candy that I truly admire him, that movie was truly amazing, and required a capacity to handle a difficult story, much like Eclipse will. So yes, kudos, Summit.

L’Orphelinat (El Orfanato) est un film fantastique de Juan Antonio Bayona produit par Guillermo Del Toro, sorti le 11 octobre 2007 en Espagne, le 28 décembre 2007 aux États-Unis et le 26 décembre 2007 au Québec. Le film a été présenté au festival de Cannes en 2007 puis au festival Fantastic’arts de Gérardmer en 2008 où il a gagné le Grand Prix. La sortie en France est fixée au 5 mars 2008.

Laura a passé son enfance dans un orphelinat entourée d’autres enfants qu’elle aimait comme ses frères et soeurs. Adulte, elle retourne sur les lieux avec son mari et son fils de sept ans, Simon, avec l’intention de restaurer la vieille maison. La demeure réveille l’imagination de Simon, qui commence à se livrer à d’étranges jeux avec “ses amis”… Troublée, Laura se laisse alors aspirer dans l’univers de Simon, convaincue d’un mystère.

* Grand Prix Long métrage au Fantastic’Arts de Gérardmer en 2008.
* Prix du Jury Sci-Fi au Fantastic’Arts de Gérardmer en 2008.

http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=128364&nopub=1.html