Reviews

This film does have a bit of a cult following and is certainly appreciated by those who've seen it, but seeing as how it didn't even crack the million dollar mark for box-office gross it's obvious Dimension dropped the ball on this one. Admittedly it's a hard sell, the supernatural and action elements would keep indie film fans away, and the subtlety, pacing, and lack of stars would keep mainstream horror audiences away.

What this movie gives us is an original and well crafted blend of a ghost story and WW2 sub flick. The fact that it works on both levels is a testament to the talent of the people involved. Like all great horror movies that aim to be truly "creepy" this one goes for the "less is more" approach. There's just the right amount of ghost effects, and though we do get the now standard "twist ending" it's effectively used. As a submarine flick it's tense, exciting, and claustrophobic. All and all Below is an excellent and smart, war/horror yarn that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

Why is this documentary not out on DVD??? I can honestly say I've never seen a film that managed to get me so emotionally involved in its subject. I'm lucky that I have a local video store that carries a wide range of documentaries as I'm sure most people might have a tough time tracking this one down. The story is as suspenseful and intense as any fictional movie I've ever seen, but these are the kind of people Hollywood never portrays. I come from the laurel highlands of Western Pennsylvania where the mountains were once dotted with coal mines, and the grave of the Yablonski family is located in the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. I remembered the large grave when I was a child and my parents had told me they were murdered, but I never knew the whole story until I saw this film. This is a truly fantastic underdog story that will anger and move you. I wish there was a soundtrack to this movie too. The music is incredible! When the elderly woman (can't remember her name) sings "Which Side are You On?" (which she wrote years before for an earlier strike!) at the miners rally it is an immensely powerful performance and makes Natalie Merchant's recent version sound like an emotionless waste. Anyway, hunt this film down and watch it, show it to your friends and family, remember the good people of Harlan County and how the fought.

I'm not gonna slam this movie because I thought it was slow and that nothing happened. Slow doesn't bother me. I love slow actually. Most of my favorite movies put most people to sleep. I went into this movie prepared to fully embrace it but left the theater with a bad taste in my mouth wondering how Sophia Coppola managed to trick so many people into falling for this movie. Oh it's got style, but that's about all it's got. I found the characters to be shallow and bratty, the script to be devoid of anything interesting. It's like she's being handed these accolades for an eloquently filmed piece of junk. All of the jokes were at the expense of the Japanese which leads me to believe that Sophia couldn't write a straight ahead comedy to save her life. Let's just wait and see if she can come up with another art for nothings sake movie for her third film and if the critics finally catch on to the trick. One scene that really bugged me in the movie was when 8 1/2 was playing on the TV in the hotel room. Was she trying to draw comparisons between Bill Murray's character and Marcello Mastroianni's? If so she clearly took no cues from Fellini's masterpiece and its a completely wasted and shallow gesture. That was a film with deep emotional issues light years beyond her little shallow Hollywood girl comprehension.

The Devil's Backbone may just be the finest ghost story ever put on film. No need for a twist ending or Hollywood shocks here, this is intelligent, thoughtful, imaginative film-making at its best. Guillermo del Toro is one of the most talented directors working today and this is the best film he's made so far. Seeing this movie makes The Others and The Sixth Sense look gimmicky and weak. Set during an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War we are treated to wonderful performances by the kids and adults, a very cool and creepy ghost (who always appears to be underwater), and a nice dash of action. All and all this is horror film-making at it's best, del Toro is truly a master as evidenced by this and his debut film Cronos.