4 Shots From 4 Films: Guillermo del Toro Edition

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Arleigh

Happy Birthday to the Master of Dark Fantasy.

Guillermo del Toro ranks high in my eyes as one of the best filmmakers working today. His films have ranged from an inventive take on the vampire genre, the mutant monster film, an evocative ghost story and right up to a dark fable. Guillermo del Toro has worked on both smaller, personal projects and the big, blockbuster action. He’s comfortable in living in both worlds.

No matter which side he happens to land at any particular time he always brings his own brand of visual style and storytelling to each and every film that tells the world that they’re watching a Guillermo del Toro production.

4 Shot From 4 Films

Cronos (dir. by Guillermo del Toro)

Mimic (dir. by Guillermo del Toro)

The Devil’s Backbone (dir. by Guillermo del Toro)

Pan’s Labyrinth (dir. by Guillermo del Toro)

A Yakuza Apocalypse Is Upon Us

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Arleigh

Takashi Miike.

That name conjures up so much many different reactions. Miike has earned the reputation as one of the most dangerous filmmakers currently working. His has dabbled in so many different genres that one could never put a finger on which one he’s best at.

He’s done gangster epics, splatterpunk horror, psychological horror, kid’s fantasy, horror-comedy musical, dark fantasy, samurai period piece right up to video game adaptations. You name the film genre and he’s probably done one or two of it.

His latest, Yakuza Apocalypse, doesn’t really need to be described other than it has yakuza gangsters, vampires, martial arts and giant frog master (the final scene in the trailer makes this film worth the price of admission).

Yakuza Apocalypse made it’s premiere in Japan this past June 20, 2015 and should make the genre film festivals the rest of the year.

Horror Scenes I Love: Daybreakers

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Arleigh

[spoilers!!] [spoilers!!] [spoilers!!]

I know some people like and even love the vampire film Daybreakers when it arrived in theaters in early 2010. I’m not one of those who love Daybreakers as my review can attest, but I did like some of the ideas brought up by The Spierig Brothers who wrote and directed the film. One could say that I begrudgingly like the film despite its many flaws.

One of the things I did like about this film was how unabashed it was in keeping the whole affair a rated-R affair. Unlike most vampire films which have come out the last decade or so this one doesn’t shy from the grue that others have. Daybreakers was definitely not of the Twilight branch of the vampiric subgenre.

My favorite scene in the film happens pretty much around the end of it. It saved the film from becoming a total dull, boring affair into one worthy of being talked about if just for this one scene. One could come into the film just at this scene alone and forget that they’re watching a vampire film but a zombie one instead. The gore was just so over-the-top and it’s staging so well-done that I couldn’t stop from having a silly grin of enjoyment from escaping.