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Guillermo Del Toro's Vampire Book Is Out! But Is It Any Good?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:30:39 -0700

There's no question Guillermo Del Toro is one of the current masters of bringing nightmarish (and fascinating) creatures to life on the big screen. If you've seen any of his movies (Pan's Labyrinth, the Hellboy movies) you know that he is serious about scary stuff. So it didn't come as a surprise to me that he is not happy about the way vampires are currently being embraced as romantic symbols, and he's taken these matters into his own hands.

Today he has released the first installment of The Strain, a vampire trilogy. Collaborating with novelist Chuck Hogan, Del Toro's vampires live among us and are viewed as monsters who spread their "virus" and threaten all of humanity. The book's description makes the vibe out to be very apocalyptic.

I've been wondering if this book could be a decent reading alternative for vampire fans who prefer their undead without the sparkle. After the jump, I've rounded up some reviews of the book. To find out if the buzz is good, read more.

Here's what the critics have to say:

"Del Toro and Hogan pay tribute to Stoker's classic, while presenting a more primal depiction of the undead as figures of repugnance and terror. . . . The cinematic quality really comes though, making the book feel more like a action blockbuster than a thought-provoking horror novel." - io9
"The Strain . . . doesn't have the Old World moodiness of Elizabeth Kostova's 2005 bestseller, The Historian, but what it lacks in misty Carpathian landscapes and haunted libraries it makes up for in apocalyptic action and supersize portions of gore." - Salon
"Fans of sexy boy vampires such as Edward Cullen, the heartthrob in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, won't want to date the vampires in The Strain." - USA Today
"This story will redefine how you look at vampires; del Toro mixes science and mythology like some mad chemist." - Collider.

What do you think? Sound pretty good? Are you going to give this eerie trilogy a shot?

Katie Holmes Joins Guillermo del Toro Project

BuzzSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:30:41 -0700

This is kind of an odd combination: Katie Holmes will star in a thriller written by spooky creep-master Guillermo del Toro titled Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. The director is comic book artist Troy Nixey, whom Variety deems Del Toro's "protégé." Here's more:

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is based on a 1973 ABC telepic about a young girl who moves in with her father and his girlfriend and discovers they are sharing the house with devilish creatures.

Aside from her brief stint on Eli Stone last year and her role in the goofy 2008 comedy Mad Money, Katie Holmes hasn't done anything on the big or little screen since her 2005 roles in Thank You for Smoking and Batman Begins. She's in an upcoming movie opposite John C. Reilly and Kevin Kline titled The Extra Man, but that was about it - until now. Seems like Holmes is being particular about the roles she chooses, and I think she chose wisely with a project penned by Guillermo del Toro. What do you think about this news? Are you glad to see Katie Holmes taking more roles?

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Del Toro Promotes His Vampire Books; Kinda Disses Twilight

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:30:28 -0700

Guillermo Del Toro is known for creating scary creatures and creepy movies - he's an expert on things that go bump in the night, if you will. So it's exciting to see him focus his energies on those undead creatures that are so very hot right now: vampires. On June 2 he'll release the first in a trilogy of vampire novels, co-written with Chuck Hogan, titled The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy.

In a new video clip, the director/writer talks about his long-time love of vampires ("I used to love reading a good vampire story - but a very scary vampire story") and takes a not-so-subtle swipe at the Twilight books saying, "None of this romantic, languid, young man sucking the necks of beautiful people."

Del Toro says he loves and collects vampire fiction and views vampires as more of an evil "plague of creatures" rather than romantic heroes. From the sound of his book's description, Del Toro has created some absolutely terrifying vampires: "They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months - the world." I can't wait to read this.

How do you prefer your vampires? "Languid" and sparkling? Or vicious and ruthless? You can check out the Del Toro clip if you read more.

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Behind the Scenes at Sundance: The Photobooth

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:30:26 -0800

You know the Sundance Film Festival is really in full swing when the adorably candid photos of some of our favorite actors and actresses start flooding in. There's something refreshing about these portraits of the stars, as they are a far cry from the glitz and glam of the red carpet. These pics are goofy and natural and people often just wear jeans for them. My kind of photo collection!

In this batch, cuties like Zooey Deschanel (in that royal blue coat I would love to find) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt snuggle up (in town for their quirky rom-com, 500 Days of Summer) while Mexican heavyweights Gael Garcia Bernal (sigh, cute) and Guillermo del Toro pose to promote their movie about Mexico and soccer, Rudo y Cursi. Also, I cannot look at the picture below of Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi, who star together in Paper Heart, without cracking up.

To check out these fun pics up close for yourself, just read more.

View 19 Photos ›

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"Dark, Twisted" Pinocchio Remake On the Way

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:35:15 -0800

Normally, learning that a remake of Pinocchio is in development might make me roll my eyes and mourn for my lost childhood - you know, things like that. But something tells me this dark and twisted remake is going to be different.

For one thing, it's got Guillermo Del Toro behind it as an executive producer, and if ever there was a person who could create a good "fractured fairytale" remake of this story, I'd think he'd be the one. For another, the Jim Henson Co. is creating the adaptation as a stop-motion animated feature. And third, it will be directed by Gris Grimly, a children's book illustrator who likes all things creepy and ghastly and ghoulish; the style of the movie will be based on the 2002 Pinocchio that he illustrated (that's his cover at right).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "In the retelling, when Pinocchio comes to life, he turns out not to be that nice of a boy, creating mischief and playing mean tricks." But it's not all grim: "He eventually learns a few lessons."

The Pinocchio story always creeped me out a little anyway, and I'd be up for seeing an all-out dark take on the tale. What do you think?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:30:14 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Oh, man, I am so excited that Hellboy II is out on DVD today. Even though the Summer was jam-packed with superhero movies, this sequel to Hellboy did not get lost in the shuffle for me. Guillermo del Toro lets his imagination fly in this second installment and the movie is littered with creatures and goblins that are a sight to behold.

I could go on and on about my love for this big red tough-guy-with-a-soft-spot-for-kittens but I'll stop here. Basically, if you didn't catch it in the theater I'd highly recommend bringing it home. Special features include an in-depth look at the creation of Hellboy II, a peek into the production workshop puppet theatre, deleted scenes and a tour of the Troll Market with Guillermo del Toro!

One more title up next so read more.

Scrubs: Season Seven
If you're anything like me, Scrubs hasn't always been making it onto your list of must-watch shows every week. I catch it when I can, but it's been spotty. Still, I'm glad the series continues to roll out on DVD so at least I have the option of catching up anytime I'd like.

Here's how Netflix describes season seven: "After pious nurse Laverne's death, her elbow-bending twin, Shirley (Aloma Wright, who also played Laverne), arrives at Sacred Heart Hospital. Meanwhile, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) must decide whether to commit fully to their respective relationships with Kim (Elizabeth Banks) and Keith (Travis Schuldt). John C. McGinley returns as the caustic Dr. Cox in the seventh season of this Emmy-winning sitcom." Special features include the making of the ambitious finale episode, "My Princess," as well as deleted scenes, alternate lines, and bloopers.

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Link Time! 10/21

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:31:10 -0700

Click here for three reasons why Robert Pattinson should host SNL. - Popwatch
What are the nastiest traps of the Saw movies? - Cinematical
Is Hiro the stupidest Heroes hero? - BuddyTV
Guillermo del Toro's version of Jekyl and Hyde will treat transformation as an addiction. - MTV Movies Blog
Horror films, cut down for wimps! - Pop Candy
A look at "channel drift," when cable networks move away from their original purpose. - TV Squad
The Secret Lives of Bees? Benjamin Button? Shopaholic? Pick a new book club selection for PopUK's book club! - PopUK

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Link Time! 10/9

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:32:33 -0700

Is now the right time for Oliver Stone's movie W.? - Popwatch
Speaking of W., here's a list of 10 hilarious political impressions. - Vulture
Ridley Scott has confirmed that his next project will be a film adaptation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. - Cinematical
In these tough economic times, can you stomach watching the fabulously wealthy on TV? - TV Filter
Guillermo del Toro isn't too keen on the idea of Peter Jackson helping him film The Hobbit. - MTV Movies Blog
Siiiiiiigh: More people are watching Knight Rider than Pushing Daisies. - Tuned In
Girl crush of the day: Japanese all-girl rockabilly band The 5678's. - GiggleSugar
An interview with John Francis Daley, who will always be Sam Wier to me. - The TV Addict

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

Movie News: Vampires, Legends, Oprah, Tonto, and More

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:30:01 -0700

It's a busy time for Tinseltown:

Another 20-something city girl: Anne Hathaway will play the lead role in the film version of a book I really enjoyed: The Opposite of Love. The movie is about "a commitment-phobic attorney who finds her well-constructed life coming apart at the seams when she rebuffs her ready-for-marriage boyfriend."
Before I was legend: Well, it's official - Will Smith will reprise his role as Dr. Robert Neville in an I Am Legend prequel. This movie "will cover the final days of humanity in New York City before a man-made virus creates a plague that wipes out the population, leaving Neville alone with the mutated inhabitants."
What's the latest in vampire news, Buzz?: Funny you should ask! Cloverfield director Matt Reeves's next project is a "vampire tale" titled Let the Right One In, a remake of a Swedish film about "a young boy who befriends a female neighbor who moves to town." I bet she's not your ordinary neighbor.
More vampires, not so much movie related: Mostly I'm just excited about this news because it's about Guillermo del Toro (yay!!) who "is collaborating with crime author Chuck Hogan on a trilogy of vampire novels, starting next Summer with The Strain. I love that guy (del Toro, not Chuck Hogan).

Depp, Oprah, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers news if you read more.

Disney just loves Johnny Depp, but then again, who doesn't? Along with taking on the role of the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Disney announced that Johnny Depp will also star in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and he will star as Tonto in The Lone Ranger.
O, that voice! In more Disney news, Oprah Winfrey will give voice to Eudora in the New Orleans-set animated princess movie, The Princess and the Frog.
Wondering what Jonathan Rhys Meyers is up to these days? Well, I'll tell ya. Meyers is teaming up with John Travolta in the thriller From Paris With Love. The story follows "a young embassy worker and an American secret agent who cross paths while working on a high-risk mission in Paris." Travolta, though? Really?

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Three Remakes Get Space on Guillermo del Toro's 10-Year Plan

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:40 -0700

You want to get a meeting with Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro? Good luck. According to a story in Variety today, he's booked . . . for about the next decade.

Del Toro, who's already committed five years - five years - to directing and co-writing The Hobbit, has now lined up his next four projects for Universal after that. And they're doozies:

Del Toro will remake Frankenstein, which is apparently a personal fascination for him to the point where he "has made his home a memorabilia shrine to the Karloff monster" from the 1931 film.
He'll also remake Slaughterhouse-Five, saying it will be a more literal interpretation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel than the 1972 film was.
The third remake is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where del Toro also plans to more closely translate Robert Louis Stevenson's original work to film and "explore the addictive high the repressed Jekyll experienced as his murderous alter ego."
The fourth project - which Universal executives think will be the first one he tackles after The Hobbit - is an adaptation of the forthcoming novel Drood, in which the author speculates about what happened to Charles Dickens after he survived a major train crash.

Oh, and that's not all: He's also producing a couple of films and has some personal pet projects in the pipeline, too. There's also the possibility of another Hellboy sequel - though del Toro joked to Variety (probably accurately) that Ron Perlman will be almost 60 by the time he gets around to it. Hey, the more of del Toro's unique visual storytelling that comes to movie theaters, the happier I am; you?

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