Review: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Del Toro, I love ya, but what is going on here? Italy, at the peak of World War Two, an old carpenter loses his son in a terrible incident. But when a spirit sees his misery, it blesses a wooden doll with life, and a cricket as its conscience. Often with Hollywood, we get two…

Review: The Shape Of Water

I have no idea what general audiences will think of Del Toro’s newest monster movie, but I loved it. A mute woman working as a cleaner inside an American government laboratory encounters a wondrous creature they have captured. But her blossoming feelings for the captive cause her anguish as ruthless authorities want to experiment on…

Review: Pan’s Labyrinth

Of course I’ve seen this film before. I am having a “me” day: this is my favourite film. During the chaos of the Spanish civil war, a young girl cares for her mother who is pregnant with the child of a fascist army captain. But the girl finds herself captivated by another world that beckons…

Review: Crimson Peak

My favourite director Guillermo Del Toro returns to give his horror stylised spin on a gothic romance. Edith, a naïve American girl who dreams of becoming a writer, is swept away from her father’s protective surroundings when a stranger from Britain arrives with a business proposition. But Edith has been receiving warnings, warnings from her…

Review: Don’t be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

(Originally published October 2011) Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is quick to remind us that it is a retelling of a teleplay by Nigel McKeand, but is also a remake of a 1973 movie. Pleasantly however, this remake proves to be the right calibre of scares! Any fan of Guillermo Del Toro will see…

Review: Mama

A horror I was always keen to visit with producer Guillermo Del Toro’s name attached, but feedback had been shaky at best. Personally, the film wasn’t terrible, in fact it had a lot of atmosphere to give. Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (of Game of Thrones fame) leads the film as Lucas, the brother of a father…

Review: Pacific Rim (2D)

Director Guillermo Del Toro can do no wrong in my book, so when he decides to make a two hour giant robot movie, I have very little to gripe about! Set in the near future, Earth is persistently attacked by giant alien creatures known only to us as Kaiju. They wreck havoc and destroy major…