Film Review: JULIA’S EYES (2010)

[Original Title: Los ojos de Julia]

Director: Guillem Morales
Writers: Guillem Morales, Oriol Paulo
Running time: 118 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
UK Release date: 20^th May 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 28^th April 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I’ve wanted to see for some time now and I was pleased when it turned up in the listings last week. Of course time being at a premium, it’s not been until now that I’ve had the chance to sit down and watch it. Guillermo del Toro is one of the producers, which is why his name is very prominent on the posters; not that it’s a bad thing of course. I found it quite an intense drama with plenty for the slasher/horror fans to get their teeth into. I’ll give you more of my thoughts after this very brief summary.

When Julia Levin’s twin sister, Sara, commits suicide Julia decides there is something suspicious about it (both sisters played by Belén Rueda). Sara had been suffering from a degenerative condition that was slowly making her blind. Julia had the same condition, but not as advanced. And so, with her eyesight slowly fading, she begins to investigate with the help of her husband, Isaac (Lluís Homar). She discovers that Sara had been seeing a man and that they had gone to a country hotel together. They go to the same hotel but nobody seems to know who the mysterious man was. But there are clues and they point to Isaac; who commits suicide, again, in mysterious circumstances soon after. Julia finds her eyes are deteriorating fast now and goes into hospital to have an operation to fix the problem. She now has to keep them bandaged for two weeks. She persuades Dr. Román (Daniel Grao) to let her stay at her sister’s place but he insists that a health worker visits her every day. She agrees and her helper, Ivan (Pablo Derqui) arrives the next day; but there’s something odd about Ivan and Julia can’t take her bandages off to see what it is.

Really well shot with some very creepy lighting effects used in places; I liked the look of this one very much. A very intense drama that builds very nicely towards the end and the final showdown. There are plenty of plot twists to keep the audience guessing; a little old lady that lives around the corner and a creepy neighbour and his daughter. Great performances all round with Belén Rueda getting the nod from me as the most notable. I did find it a little overcomplicated in places, but it did all pan out in the end. Over all, a nicely put together tense drama with elements that the Slasher and Horror genre fans will lap up; worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.7/10.

IMDb Score: 6.5/10 (based on 12,184 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512685/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 94/100 (based on 34 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 66/100 (based on 4,120 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/los_ojos_de_julia/

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http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
NONE AVAILABLE

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site (es): http://www.losojosdejulia.es/
Trailer:

Film Review: MIMIC (1997)

Co-Writer (Screenplay)/Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer (short story): Donald A. Wollheim
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
UK Release date: 26^th June 1998

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 4^th December 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I had watched this film a couple of times before but never realised it had been directed by Guillermo del Toro until recently. So I decided to give it another viewing and this time look at it with a more critical eye. I was quite surprised by the results; which I’ll talk about after this brief summary.

A disease is killing the young of New York. It is carried by the cockroaches that inhabit much of the city and so entomologist, Dr. Susan Tyler is brought in to try and solve the problem. What she comes up with is a genetically modified insect that kills the cockroaches. It’s a success. We now switch to three years down the line and it seems there’s something praying on the lower levels of society in the subway tunnels. Some boys bring Dr. Tyler something they have found, a young of the species she had developed to kill the cockroaches… but they were all supposed to be sterile. Her husband, Dr. Peter Mann, who works for the CDC, goes with her down into the tunnels where they boys found the insect. Can they find the colony before it spreads across the city and eventually the country? Well, I guess the Spoiler Police would be feeding me to the roaches if I told you that one.

Very well made with some great cinematography and some great visual effects; the creatures were particularly good. Although nobody particularly stood out, all the performances were pretty good, so honourable mentions go to; Mira Sorvino as Dr. Susan Tyler, Jeremy Northam as Dr. Peter Mann, Alexander Goodwin as Chuy, Giancarlo Giannini as Manny, Charles S. Dutton as Leonard, Josh Brolin as Josh, Alix Koromzay as Remy and F. Murray Abraham as Dr. Gates.

Although I liked the look of the film and the effects were pretty good, I still found it hard to really get into. I guess the characters didn’t have enough depth for me to really engage with them and so it kind of fell a bit flat about two thirds of the way through, just when it should have been picking up! Don’t get me wrong, I love much of del Toro’s work, it’s just this one sadly failed to hit the mark. It’s certainly gory enough, so not recommended for the squeamish, and it’s not entirely bad, but still it’s not one, sadly, I can fully recommend.

My score: 5.8/10.

IMDb Score: 5.8/10 (based on 17,705 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0119675/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 61/100 (based on 33 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 46/100 (based on 43,507 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mimic/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Susan Tyler: Sometimes an insect will even mimic its predator.

Chuy: Funny shoes!

Dr. Gates: [to Susan] So... you think your little "Frankenstein" has gotten the better of you?

LINKS:
Trailer:

Film Review: THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE [El Espinazo del Diablo] (2001)

Co-Writer/Director: Guillermo del Toro
Running time: 106 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Mystery/Fantasy/Horror/Drama
USA Release date: 30^th November 2001

Watched on Sky+ Monday 29^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is the second review in my mini ‘del Toro Fest’, if you missed the first one, you’ll find it here. I have heard many good things about ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ over the years, but this is my first viewing. I must say I’m impressed with what I saw, despite the subtitles; it’s quite an engaging tale. I’ll tell you more after this brief summary.

Set during the Spanish civil war, the story surrounds the goings on at a remote orphanage. Carlos has been left there after his father is killed at the front and, under the care of the people who run the orphanage, principally Dr. Casares and Carmen; he is assigned a bed and introduced to the other boys. Other people at the orphanage include the surly Jacinto, and the young maid, Conchita. One of the boys, Jaime, is slightly bigger than Carlos and, at first bullies him a bit, but they eventually become friends. On his first night, Carlos hears a noise that turns out to the ghost of a boy who was murdered at the orphanage. This boy, Santi, knows a secret, the place where they are hiding some gold. Unfortunately, Jacinto also knows the secret and is already looking for a way to get it. I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be putting me in that water-filled pit in the basement again.

This is, again, a beautifully made film, filled with the little nuances I’ve found del Toro puts in many of his films. It’s very much a character-driven piece and they are, for the most part interesting and well rounded. As usual, it’s quite hard to judge performances in a foreign language, but I could find no fault with any of them. Marisa Paredes did a great job as Carmen, as did Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto and Federico Luppi, who bears a striking resemblance to Christopher Lee, as Dr. Casares. Fernando Tielve was great as Carlos, as was Íñigo Garcés as Jaime. Finally, I thought Irene Visedo was good as Conchita, although I thought her character was a little under used.

As I’ve already said, this is very much a character-driven piece, where the interrelationships between the various characters are very much to the fore. Some are quite surprising and, at times shocking. Quite a complicated plot, but well worth sticking with as it all ties up in the end quite neatly. It did, unfortunately fall a little flat in the middle, but I feel further viewings will probably iron out any problems I found there. Over all, though, a rather excellent drama with a great visual style that, at times, can be quite subtle. I really enjoyed it!... Recommended.

My Score: 8.4/10.

IMDb Score: 7.6/10 (based on 20,256 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0256009/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91/100 (based on 103 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/devils_backbone/

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.

LINKS:
Trailer:

Film Review: CRONOS (1993)

Writer/Director: Guillermo del Toro
Running time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
USA Release date: 16^th September 1994

Watched on Sky+ Monday 29^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I must admit to being a bit of a fan of the work of Guillermo del Toro, and so, in an effort to see more of his work I’m looking at a couple of his earlier films. We have this one today and later ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ will be viewed and reviewed in, what I’m calling my mini ‘del Toro Fest’. And so to part one, Cronos, this is an interesting horror film with all the visual style you would expect from a del Toro film. I should warn those who are not fans of subtitles that, although there is some English dialogue, most of it is in Spanish… with the dreaded subtitles. I found a lot more humour than I expected, but also a very dark side to the story. I will tell you more after this brief summary.

I guess the best way to describe how the Cronos device came into being is to quote from the opening sequence of the film (If you consider this a spoiler then please feel free to skip the next paragraph):

“In 1536, fleeing from the Inquisition, the alchemist Uberto Fulcanelli disembarked in Veracruz, Mexico. Appointed official watchmaker to the Viceroy, Fulcanelli was determined to perfect an invention which would provide him with the key to eternal life. He was to name it... the Cronos device. 400 years later, one night in 1937, part of the vault in a building collapsed. Among the victims was a man of strange skin, the colour of marble in moonlight. His chest mortally pierced, his last words... Suo tempore. This was the alchemist.”

Jesus Gris runs a small antiques shop in Mexico. His young granddaughter Aurora quite often helps out and the pair have a strong bond between them. One day a man comes in, checking out some of the small statues, archangels, he has in the store. He pays particular attention to one of them before leaving. Later, when insects begin to come from the statue, Jesus investigates and finds a gold clockwork device in the base, which he keeps. The next day another man, Angel de la Guardia turns up and buys the statue. He is buying it for his rich uncle, Deiter de la Guardia, who has some terminal disease, but also has a document describing how to use the Cronos, the device Jesus has hidden. That evening Jesus is cleaning the device when he activates it and it attaches itself to his hand. He rips it off, but it’s too late, he is now under the spell of the device and it will lead him down a path of pain and despair. I will not say any more, but needless to say, when de la Guardia discovers Jesus has the device, things get a bit feisty.

I love the visual style del Toro brings to his films, they are always beautifully lit and everything about the production has a certain quality to it. I also liked the music by Javier Álvarez, it fitted perfectly. Good performances all round, particularly from Federico Luppi; I thought he did a great job as Jesus Gris. A very young looking Ron Perlman played Angel de la Guardia and Claudio Brook was his uncle Dieter de la Guardia. Margarita Isabel was Jesus wife, Mercedes and Tamara Shanath did a great job as his granddaughter Aurora.

There are many things to like about this film, including the visual style, the cinematography, the music and the performances, but I felt there was something lacking. Although I did enjoy it, I did find the narrative a little weak, I felt it lacked a little spice, strange, considering its origins. Even so, it did entertain me and it did add a nice twist to an established horror sub-genre (no clues here), and so… Recommended.

My Score: 7.8/10.

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 7,842 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0104029/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90/100 (based on 41 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cronos/

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
[discussing why Deiter wants the Cronos]
Jesus Gris: He thinks it will help him live longer.
Angel de la Guardia: [laughs] That f*cker does nothing but shit and piss all day, and he wants do live longer?

LINKS:
Trailer:

Film Review: PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) [a.k.a. El Laberinto del Fauno]

Writer/Director: Guillermo del Toro
Running time: 113 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on DVD Wednesday 5th August 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set in the fascist Spain of 1944, this film counterpoints the harsh brutality of a country torn apart by civil war with the fantasy world visited by the young Ofelia. It has had some rave reviews, so I watched it with a little scepticism. I had no reason, those critics were correct, it’s quite brilliant. Maybe it’s because the film is in Spanish, so I watched it with subtitles, which meant I had to concentrate all the way through, but it really blew me away!

Ofelia and her sick and pregnant mother, Carmen, travel to be with her husband, Ofelia’s stepfather, at a garrison in the mountains. The husband, Captain Vidal is a sadistic and cruel fascist who only wants a son and heir. Ofelia is obsessed with fairy tales and is enchanted by the labyrinth that lies behind their dwelling. She goes into the labyrinth where she meets a faun who tells her that she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. She is given three gruesome and gruelling tasks to perform before she can be reunited with her father, the king. Meanwhile, the garrison is under threat of attack from rebels in the hills, one of which is the brother of Ofelia’s friend, the servant Mercedes. Ofelia is drawn more and more into the fantasy world in order to escape the harsh realities going on all around. Her only hope is that she can complete the tasks and be reunited with her father again.

There are several very brutal scenes that you may not expect in a film like this, however, they serve very well to show the harshness of the world Ofelia finds herself in. I must take my hat off to Guillermo del Toro; he has come up with a truly magical film. Brilliant sets, costumes, make-up, production design and music (I’m listening to some of the score right now… it’s magical). Excellent performances from Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, Sergi López as Captain Videl, Maribel Verdú as Mercedes, Doug Jones as the Faun and the Pale Man and Ariadna Gil as Carmen Vidal. Honourable mentions go to Álex Angulo as the Doctor and Manolo Solo as Garcés. Over all, a magical film set in a brutal and very real world. If you’ve never seen it, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

My score: 9.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/
Official (English) Site: http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

Film Review: HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008)

Co-Writer/Director: Guillermo del Toro
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12A

Watched on DVD Monday 3rd/Tuesday 4th August 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have always found the films of Guillermo del Toro very mystical and stylish, well those I’ve seen anyway. I liked Cronos (1993) (featuring Ron Pearlman), Mimic (1997), Blade II (2001) and of course Hellboy (2004). Unfortunately I haven’t seen Pan's Labyrinth (2006) yet, but its part of the DVD collection and on the list to be watched soon. I mention Pan’s Labyrinth because, having seen some of the extras on the DVD, it’s a film that gets spoken about often and, from the clips I’ve seen of it, I can see similarities in style. Anyhow, we’re here to talk about Hellboy II: The Golden Army, so here goes.

In days of lore Balor, king of the magical Elfin race, after many years of war between the elves and humans, commissions the creation of a “Golden Army”, 70 times 70 mechanical soldiers. The army attacked the humans, showing no mercy, and Balor, consumed by regret, agrees a truce with the humans whereby the humans keep to the cities and the elves would keep the forests. His crown, which allows him or anyone with royal blood, control of the army is broken into three. One piece he gives to the humans and the other two he keeps for himself. His son, Prince Nuada, did not agree with the truce and went into exile, vowing to return when his people needed him.

We switch to modern times where Hellboy, Liz Sherman (now Hellboy’s girlfriend) and Abe Sapien along with members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence continue their battle with all creatures paranormal. Unknown to them Prince Nuada has returned and is looking for the piece of the crown held by the humans. He takes it with the help of his assistant, the monster known as Mr. Wink and a bunch of ravenous ‘tooth fairies’. Hellboy and the team set out to find the prince, assisted by a new agent, Johann Krauss, and Prince Nuada’s sister Princess Nuala. They must find the prince before he can re-activate the Golden Army.

As with all recent Guillermo del Toro films, I found the set design, costumes, cinematography, make-up and production superb. I think Ron Perlman is perfect for the part of Hellboy and there were also great performances from Selma Blair as Liz, Doug Jones as Abe, Doug Jones, James Dodd & Seth MacFarlane (voice) as Johann Krauss, Luke Goss as Prince Nuada and Anna Walton as Princess Nuala. I think the only thing that let the film down was that, although very stylish, the story seemed to lack a little depth. I didn’t really feel for the characters. Over all, an entertaining, magical, mystical fantasy adventure.

My score: 7.5/10