Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022– )

Guillermo del Toro introduces each episode from an anthology series for which he gathered stories and talents to bring them to life.

"Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities" is an anthology series where each episode is unique and independent. The quality varies but the overall effect is wonderful.

E1: Lot 36: The horror elements only appear towards the end, but the fascination of the occult and the three-dimensional characters keep the interest going.

Director:  Guillermo Navarro 

With: Tim Blake Nelson, Sebastian Roché, Elpidia Carrillo, Demetrius Grosse

Rating: 9/10

E2: Graveyard Rats: The historical period in which the story is set becomes an attraction in itself and the attention to detail is admirable. The gothic humor is part of the charm.

Director:  Vincenzo Natali 

With: David Hewlett, Alexander Eling, Ish Morris, Cory Bertrand

Rating: 9/10

E3: The Autopsy: A mystery to be solved, draped in palpable suspense and curiosity and a dialogue between characters worthy of a sinister film noir.

Director:  David Prior 

With: F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman, Luke Roberts, Dan Beirne

Rating: 10/10

E4: The Outside: It reminds one of The Society in terms of style and background, but it mainly stands out due of the courage of the main actress to embody the character.

Director:  Ana Lily Amirpour 

With: Kate Micucci, Martin Starr, Dan Stevens, Kylee Evans

Rating: 6/10

E5: Pickman's Model: An interesting gothic air and menacing art. Imagination becomes reality and the shock of the ending is that reality was always frightening but we just choose to be ignorant.

Director:  Keith Thomas 

With: Ben Barnes, Crispin Glover, Oriana Leman, Seamus Patterson

Rating: 8/10

E6: Dreams in the Witch House: Characters and entities from the imagination of HP Lovecraft come to life in this embelished adaptation. A similar adaptation has been done in Volume 1 of Masters of Horror, but the newer version is clearly superior, especially through the access to modern effects and a rich budget.

Director:  Catherine Hardwicke

With: Rupert Grint, Ismael Cruz Cordova, DJ Qualls, Nia Vardalos

Rating: 7/10

E7: The Viewing: The echo of the 80s is present at every moment, visually but also, and especially in the audio. Even in the choice of the subject and the mystery revealed at the end. Well made, but it loses its audience due to arrogance, the main cause of the dragged-out story.

Director:  Panos Cosmatos  

With: Peter Weller, Steve Agee, Eric André, Sofia Boutella

Rating: 6/10

E8: The Murmuring: A dramatic story that hits all the right spots, with a nice gothic horror athmosphere and melodramatic ghosts.

Director:  Jennifer Kent 

With: Essie Davis, Andrew Lincoln, Greg Ellwand, Daxton William Lund

Rating: 8/10

Director:  Various   (see above)

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Guillermo del Toro   

Duration:  1 season of 8 episodes (1 hour each)  

With: Various   (see above)

Rating: 9/10

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)

The stability of a wealthy family of only three members is threatened by the arrival of a distant cousin who has set his eyes on the family fortune.

An adaptation of a popular novel by Shirley Jackson. The film has many qualities, but it seems that in terms of adapting the book faithfully it does lose points. The film is labbeled a horror and a drama and that's not completely wrong. It's just that the element of horror does not come from the source designed by the author (the reader's doubts about the children's true nature) but from the harsh treatment the characters suffer from everyone around them, because the filmmakers chose to victimise the main characters in order to find an easily digestible explanation for their dubious actions: what a shame! 

The dialogue is very rich and lively, Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario are wonderful in the main roles, Crispin Glover is brilliant in the role of their slightly not-all-there uncle.

Director:  Stacie Passon    

With: Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, Sebastian Stan

Rating: 7/10

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Multe, prea multe asteptari. Multe pe care le-am si pomenit pana acum. Dar... they fail to deliver. Prima ar fi Alice in Wonderland.

Filmele lui Tim Burton vor insemna mereu ceva special pentru mine, cu stangaciile si farmecul lor gothic si dulce si amestecul nevinovatului printre pericolele amenintatoare ale supranaturalului generator de fiori si mai ales ale naturii umane. Dar undeva in drumul asta spre mult asteptata recunoastere s-a intamplat ceva, s-a pierdut ceva, la o prima vedere s-a pierdut autenticul si insufletirea. Poate pe introvertitul Tim l-a speriat atentia brusca si si-a pierdut marea putere de exprimare prin imagini si miscare. Poate s-a conformat prea mult. Poate a recurs la prea multe efecte speciale. Unde e stangacia? Nu am vazut decat ceva pigulit la milimetru, foarte plastic si impresionant vizual, dar tot ce insemna un film Tim Burton nu am regasit. Ah. Si the Red  Queen...extrem de nereusita, oricat de mult mi-ar place Helena Bonham-Carter. Regina umilului Alice pentru tv din 1999 era net superioara (bine, era si vorba de Miranda Richardson). So, sadly, inca declar ca astept sa regasesc aceeasi reactie la un film viitor. I still have faith.

Regia: Tim Burton
Scenariul: Linda Woolverton (scenariu), Lewis Carroll (carte)
Cu:Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall