The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

[tabula rasa]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Absolutely loved the visual style of ENGAGEMENT (the scene where the guy throws the hand grenade up into the bi-plane strafing him? Amazing) and as always Audrey Tatou (however it's spelled) ... as a love story I cannot say it was a little slow-paced (but French isn't my language). I'd praise it to anyone for its visual beauty though.

THE DEVIL'S SPINE was creepy alright (the ghost kid with the blood floating over his head is an image I'll remember a long time) ... but it didn't grab me I guess. I'll watch it again sometime, based on the praise here ... maybe I just caught it in the wrong mood.

Pan's Labyrinth? Love the title, I'll have to see what that is on the web.

[Salazkin]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Agreed about The Devil's Backbone. That's the kind of horror that I find most interesting - horror established by setting, sets, cinematography, and general creepiness. It was a while ago that I saw it. I'll have to check it out again.

[Jake Schuster]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

I liked "The Devil's Backbone", and especially liked the setting of the Civil War. I found "A Very Long Engagement" pretty seriously flawed due to an uncertainty of tone. Was it drama (as the novel certainly was)? Comedy? Something in-between? Those almost silent-film like vignettes with speeded-up action and such--in fact, the uncertain aesthetics of the whole venture--seriously marred, for me and others I know, a completely predictable story which I'd hoped would turn out to be something a little more than ordinary.

[Deus Ex Machine]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Del Toro has Woo-syndrome.

It's a common malady that afflicts directors who make their names on films that are unlike those made in HW then try to make movies that are like those made in HW and suddenly find their efforts are lacking the uniqueness of their earlier works which made them so desired by HW in the first place.

[Hairy Lime]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Just saw Devil's Backbone. Liked it a lot. Beautifully shot. Creepy, creepy, creepy. My only substantive issue was unbelievable choices by the characters, particularly the adults. Definitely worth seeing.

[dgrunert]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

As a side note, Del Toro has returned to his roots for his next film too - Pan's Labyrinth. I'm definitely more excited about this film than I am Hellboy 2.

[refriedwhiskey]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Interesting similarities here. Both men are excellent directors, but both have made abysmal Hollywood movies. del Toro has Blade II; Jeunet has Alien Resurrection.

[Hairy Lime]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

Completely agree about A Very Long Engagement. Amazing film. Every bit as great as Amelie or City of Lost Children. Yet after pumping $55M into a French language feature and a worldwide release, the US marketing campaign was a disaster. The poster looked beautiful, but the poster and trailer made it look like a French language version of The English Patient, which it was not. I didn't see a single ad that mentioned that this was the same director-actress combination that created Amelie. Why the hell not? That movie did great in US theaters!

Jeunet is among my favorite directors working today.

[Biohazard]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

The Devil's Backbone is indeed great. Watch it and and Blade II back to back, and you won't believe they were made by the same director.

That's the reason I have been putting-off seeing it. Del Toro's Hollywood work is simply bad. I still would like to see his pre-Blade 2 films because so many people have recommended them.

[refriedwhiskey]

Re: The Devil's Backbone & A Very Long Engagement

The Devil's Backbone is indeed great. Watch it and and Blade II back to back, and you won't believe they were made by the same director.

[dgrunert]

So, I watched both of these GREAT films this weekend.

The Devil's Backbone - I think this is Guilermo Del Toro's masterpiece. It starts out a little on the slow side, but the last 45 minutes are absolutely brilliant. If you haven't picked up this film because you don't like horror movies, do yourself a favor and rent it immediately! This is like The Sixth Sense as written by Charles Dickens.

A Very Long Engagement - Why didn't Warners give this beautiful film more of a push last year? It's every bit as wonderful as Amelie, and I didn't want it to end. American filmmakers could learn a thing or two from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.