ILM Opens New Studio in Vancouver, Bucks Trend

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

It was a reasonable next step, yet it felt unexpected.

Two days after the President of the United States slapped tariffs on dozens of countries reportedly to bring manufacturing jobs back into the country, Industrial Light and Magic (the VFX giant initially created by George Lucas to support his Star Wars efforts) officially opened new studio space in Vancouver, BC, the largest of the five hubs ILM has around the world.

A division of Lucasfilm (acquired by Disney 13 years ago), ILM has been in Vancouver since 2012 when they opened a pop-up studio to test the waters of Hollywood North. The experiment was a resounding success: Currently, the VFX company has nearly 1,000 employees. The new facility occupies 40,000 square feet at The Stack building in Coal Harbour, the first office tower to obtain a zero-carbon emissions certification in Canada, a 25 percent space increase compared with ILM’s premises in Gastown.

“What we saw here was an opportunity to start from a blank slate”, says the Executive in Charge of ILM Vancouver, Spencer Kent. “This was our chance to start something from the ground up and really build something that works well with a hybrid workflow.”

There are several factors that motivate ILM to enhance their footprint on the province: tax credits, a deep talent pool, clients and studio proximity, time zone conveniency, and the global nature of VFX. As ILM General Manager Janet Lewin explains it, “we really think about ILM as one, and Vancouver's success is San Francisco's success and vice versa.”

AI Knocking at the Door

A point of pride among Industrial Light & Magic artists is that AI doesn’t have a role in the production pipeline. However, according to Janet Lewin, ILM isn’t closed to the idea.

“We do use machine learning tools and algorithms that enable our artists to be as efficient as possible. That's sort of a core tenet of our company in terms of how we think about innovation. 
It's not just about tackling the groundbreaking and incredible images you see on screen, but also empowering our artists to do their best work and expedite their process. We see AI tools as enablers, and we're definitely open to embracing the tools where they make sense.”

Speaking of enhancing the pipeline, ILM’s growth strategy is multi-pronged. Immersive entertainment, however, is shaping up as a major business driver. ILM’s GM elaborates: “The ABBA Voyage project was sort of the first of its kind and we're actively exploring similar projects like that. We've recently integrated our immersive team into ILM proper. They do our AR (augmented), VR (virtual), and XR (extended reality) projects and, by virtue of converging the teams, we're looking for more opportunities to cross-pollinate techniques and offer those services to a broader client base.”

ILM Vancouver is currently working on some eye-popping features coming to a theatre near you: Tron: Ares, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Jurassic Park: Rebirth, and the live action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch.

The mighty Chewbacca guards the lobby of ILM Vancouver.

Whistler Film Festival ’22: What to Expect

The 22nd edition of ‘Canada’s coolest film fest’ features a strong Canadian component, and it’s accessible in person and online.

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

One could argue that the 22nd Whistler Film Festival (November 30-December 4) marks a return to normalcy for the event. Sure, the 2021 version featured 30 films and had an in-person component, but this year the total number is going up to 41, not to mention 45 shorts. Above three-quarters of the movies in the program will be available for streaming across Canada (December 5-January 2).

As is traditional for WFF (it’s on the mission statement) the line-up has a considerable Canadian component, including some heavy-hitting titles:

·       Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On: This fascinating documentary cover the many lives of the Canadian singer/songwriter: revolutionary, enemy of the state, Academy Award winner, farmer, comeback queen. Buffy herself will be available via live stream for a deep dive into her career and activism and to receive the Whistler Film Festival Luminary award.

·       Alice, Darling: The classic Canadian drama with an American ringer for distribution purposes, the film follows three lifelong friends (Anna Kendrick, Kaniethiio Horn and Wunmi Mosaku) spending a long weekend at the cottage. The expected relaxing time becomes an intervention when it becomes clear the titular Alice is being emotionally abused by her presumed nice-guy of a boyfriend. I saw Alice, Darling at TIFF and even though the film packs a few punches, the dialogue is uninspired and the cliches, galore.

·       Midnight at the Paradise: A 40-year-old mom, (Liane Balaban, forever New Waterford Girl) stuck in a loveless marriage and caregiver roles, finds an outlet as she tries to save a movie house from closing. In doing so, she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend (Allan Hawco, Republic of Doyle), possibly the love of her life. Worth mentioning, this is Canadian mainstay Kenneth Welsh (Twin Peaks, The Day After Tomorrow) final movie.

·       Exile: As heavy dramas go, Exile is top tier, or at least the subject. Adam Beach (most recently of The Power of the Dog) is Ted, a man released from prison after serving time for killing several members of a family in an accident (he was under the influence). The man whose loved ones died threatens Ted with retaliation if he ever contacts his own family. Not over his feelings of guilt, Ted becomes a recluse. But the idea doesn’t really fly with his wife.

·       Ice Breaker: The 1972 Summit Series: Remember when conflicts between nations were solved on the rink? Probably not, since it only happened once. At the height of the Cold War, Canada and the USSR faced on a best-of-seven Summit Series. According to this documentary, the event effectively paused growing tensions between the countries and established common ground instead.

Other high profile locally made titles are: The Mad Max-like odyssey set in the far north Polaris; the Vancouver-set racial drama Colorblind; Out in the Ring, a documentary that explores the relationship between pro-wrestling and queer identity; Lissa’s Trip, an aspiring actress ingests acid unwittingly the day of a major audition; the off-kilter coming-of-age drama Soft-Spoken Weepy Cult Child; the human (domestic abuse) and the divine (communion with the dead) are in collision course in Broken Angel; from the makers of My Awkward Sexual Adventure, another bedroom farce, The End of Sex; Jason Priestley tries his hand at documentary filmmaking with Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, about the polarizing former Maple Leafs owner.

Miguel Sapochnik: “Everybody Goes a Little Loopy on the Final Season”

The Game of Thrones director revealed his approach to episodic television at a DGC Master Class.

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Directors Guild of Canada’s Master Class Series hit a homerun last Saturday, when the Vancouver International Film Centre hosted the man responsible for the two most talked-about episodes of Game of Thrones’ final season. Miguel Sapochnik —in town to tackle Netflix’ sci-fi series Altered Carbon— was at hand to address his work on the well-received chapter “The Bells” and the more divisive “The Long Night”.

Known as the go-to guy for GoT’s battle-heavy episodes, Sapochnik joined the HBO show during season five, after the previous specialist (Neil Marshall, The Descent) became unavailable. The TV veteran was tasked with capturing the mêlée between White Walkers and the Wildlings. Even though he didn’t love being supervised and second guessed by Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, it would be the beginning of a relationship that would last three seasons.

Miguel Sapochnik’s method when dealing with TV is first to identify what the episode is about: “In the case of ‘The Bells’ it was about what have we become, the characters’ inability to control their emotions.” Sapochnik was reluctant to glorify violence, so he looked for inspiration for the leveling of King’s Landing in the Bombing of Dresden: “The massacre was no longer about power, but retribution.”

According to the director, there was longer versions of some scenes. Also, Arya’s escape from the Westeros capital’s smoldering ruins was originally a continuous shot, but ended up cut in sections after Sapochnik realized Arya’s journey mirrored the one of Sandor “The Hound” Clegane. One consumed by revenge, the other barely escaping the same destiny.

Considering both “The Long Night” and “The Bells” were episodes that featured Arya Stark heavily, Sapochnik made a point of developing his relationship with actress Maisie Williams, same as he did with Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) for “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards”. “There was a little sparring which led to common ground. It helped in the sense she didn’t feel the pressure.”

Apropos of nothing, Sapochnik added, “everybody goes a little loopy on the final season.”

IT WAS A DARK, STORMY NIGHT

While “The Bells” was well received, Miguel Sapochnik’s other episode this season, “The Long Night”, endured some criticism due to the darkness of the visuals (a problem for anybody with traditional entertainment systems) and general sense of chaos. 

 For Sapochnik, there was a method to the madness: “Every time you’re watching a battle on screen —like in Lord of the Rings— it feels like hindsight. In battle, everybody knows what’s going on until the bullets start flying. I wanted to recreate that experience for the audience. Also, it was night, that’s why it was dark.”

 The director believes the border that separates film from television is disappearing and he makes decisions based on how to better serve the story, rather than being determined by the medium.

TIFF 2018 – Day 5: The Most Beautiful Couple, Kingsway

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Most Beautiful Couple (Germany/France, 2018): One would be hard-pressed to find a more harrowing opening act than the one that gets The Most Beautiful Couple started. While vacationing in Mallorca, Malte and Liv’s cottage is invaded three wrongdoers, one of which sexually assaults Liv, while the other two force Malte to watch.

Cut to two years later. Liv seems to have put the incident behind her, while Malte harbours a deep resentment over not have been able to defend his wife when it counted. An opportunity materializes when Malte spots the rapist one night: Revenge seems at his reach, but it would also mean bringing back the trauma Liv worked so hard to overcome.

The Most Beautiful Couple is not Death Wish. Liv and Malte are solid characters whose actions are within the realm of possibility… for the most part. The way they deal with trauma is explored in depth, and the movie benefits greatly of strong turns by Maximilian Brückner and Luise Heyer as the couple in question. Writer/director Sven Taddicken even dares to make the perpetrator a well-rounded character. The denouement feels chaotic and bit far-fetched for such an expertly calibrated drama, but the pluses outweigh the minuses. Three and a half stars. Distribution: One wishes.

Kingsway (Canada, 2018): An almost dire effort by writer/director Bruce Sweeney, Kingsway has a serious tonality problem that’s not even the biggest issue. An emotionally stunted family tackles relationship problems in the most inept way imaginable. The son (Jeff Gladstone) is clinically depressed and the fact his wife is cheating on him doesn’t help. The daughter (Camille Sullivan) is irascible and not particularly good at relating to other humans. The mother (Gabrielle Rose) is slightly more centered. Then again, she raised the children.

Midway through, Kingsway changes directions from aimless comedy to psychological drama, and I’m still enduring the whiplash. The dialogue is basic at best and only Gabrielle Rose is able to make it work. The cinematography is particularly poor, at times reaching film school nadir. There are a few laughs to be had, but overall, this is the kind of movie in which an obviously attractive women goes to bars hoping to meet Mr. Right Now and fails at it. Somebody, please introduce Bruce Sweeney to Tinder. One and a half star. Distribution: TBD.

TIFF 2018 - Day 4: The Lightning Round

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

You know the drill. When a movie falls through the cracks, we catch it in the Lightning Round.

Destroyer: Nicole Kidman goes through the procedural motions in a bad wig. Gritty, well executed, but nothing else there.

Nekrotronic: Monica Bellucci turns the internet a portal for demons. Goofy and inventive. Unfortunately gets lost in the minutia.

Dogman: Italians do social realism like no one else. The story of a put-upon dog groomer standing up to his bully gets more tracking than anybody could imagine. A must.

Hotel Mumbai: Much attention with this one: A fierce, almost unbearably intense recreation of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2018. The characters don’t get much development, but the story is as compelling as it gets.

Giant Little Ones: Canadian teenagers coming to terms with their sexuality. Would have been more effective if the protagonists weren’t all rich, white, and good looking.

Fahrenheit 11/9: Following the superior Where to Invade Next?Michael Moore returns to the self-mythologizing and fact fudging. This doesn’t mean he is wrong: America is in deep doodoo.

The Predator: Unapologetic fun. Too bad about Shane Black and the male cast (Jacob Tremblay excepted) not supporting Olivia Munn on her denouncement of an actual predator on set.

A Star Is Born: More like A Star Is Bored. Am I right? No? I’m the only one who isn’t gaga for Gaga? Fine, then.

TIFF 2018 - Day 3: Belmonte, Girls of the Sun

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

Belmonte (Uruguay/Spain/Mexico, 2018): An unapologetic character study, Belmonte is a mildly captivating portrait of an artist at crossroads. The titular character is a painter depressed over his broken family who finds himself unable to move forward. His hostility towards his surroundings and his lack of empathy for those who love him isolate him further.

The film does a good job digging into the main character's inner life without having to spell it out for the audience. The insights, however, are not quite ground-breaking, but at least the execution is impeccable, thanks to a strong turn by Veiroj's regular Gonzalo Delgado. The resolution is thoroughly unearned (the cinematic equivalent of “sleeping on it”), which at 75 minutes-length feels straight-up lazy. Two stars. Distribution: Unlikely.

Girls of the Sun (France, 2018): While the devastation in Syria is the most covered aspect of the ISIS offensive in the Middle East, the Kurdistan has suffered enormously at hands of the terrorist organization. Following the systematic killing of the male population, an increasing number of Kurdish women has joined the resistance, despite the fact the top rank treats them as cannon fodder.

Girls of the Sun follows the story of Bahar (Golshifteh Farahani, Patterson), a lawyer-turned-freedom fighter for whom personal trauma is the fuel that makes her a fearsome warrior. Her travails are covered by Mathilde (Emmanuelle Bercot), a journalist modeled after Marie Colvin for whom objectivity has long stopped being feasible.

While an undoubtedly compelling story, the film is broad and relies heavily in sentimentality, coming short more often than not. Director Eva Husson does succeed at conjuring some stunning visuals, but the final outcome feels disjointed. Two and a half stars. Distribution: It touches all the bases for an art-house run.

TIFF 2018 - Day 2: Les Salopes, Ever After

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin (Canada, 2018): Instead of making yet another coming-of-age-in-cottage-country movie (or, uh, Little Italy), the Quebecois film industry is exploring far more interesting territory, in this case, desire in women after 40. The lead of Les Salopes, Marie Claire (Brigitte Poupart, Les Affames), is a married-with-children dermatologist with a series of lovers on the side. Her capacity to separate emotions and sex is remarkable, until it all comes crashing down as those around her are not as “evolved” as her.

For most of its length, Les Salopes progresses unapologetically… to fold in the last twenty minutes. There is a lot to like about the film: Bold ideas about monogamy, a protagonist whose capacity to compartmentalize and sexual drive combine into some kind of pathos, and the use of regular bodies (as opposed to airbrushed supermodels) to depict intercourse. Yet the karmic denouement rings false. Solid effort though. Three and a half stars. Distribution: In QC, for sure. In SK, fingers crossed.

Ever After (Germany, 2018): Even though we have long reached the point of saturation, zombie movies keep on coming. Ever After is not particularly gory, but the character development is above average and the setting is original if not fully developed.

You know the drill: Virus turns most of mankind into flesh-eating maniacs. The few survivors not only battle zombies, but must fight to preserve their humanity, the usual. In Germany, only two cities stand: Weimar -which kills the undead on-sight- and Jena, which is looking for a cure. The only contact between the two towns is an unmanned train. Two women, a Linda Hamilton-type and one with flagrant PTSD, attempt to ride it all the way to Jena. Suffice to say, the trip doesn’t go to plan.

While short on scares, Ever After is more affecting than the standard zombie romp, and not only because we get to meet the two leads. Two-thirds in, the film takes a turn into allegoric territory, one in which Mother Nature is more than a figure of speech. The move is ballsy, not entirely successful, but doesn’t feel out of place either. Two and a half stars. Distribution: TBD, although I would be surprised if it doesn’t make it to one of the streaming services.

TIFF 2018 – Day 1: Let Me Fall, El Angel

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

Let Me Fall (Iceland/Finland/Germany, 2018): Who knew Icelandic movies could be so grim? (anybody who saw Under the Tree, for starters). Let Me Fall revolves around Magnea, a bright fifteen-year-old, who falls for the slightly older Stella. This attraction leads Magnea straight into addiction, a descent detailed to the most painful detail by the movie.

If you had any hopes Magnea would see the error of her ways, the movie quickly manages to bury them: We see glimpses of adult Magnea from early on and it’s not a pretty sight. The film steers clear from becoming misery porn by giving each major character considerable depth. Let Me Fall is a dark journey of the soul but one worth taken, although it may put you off from having children (or at the very least, dissuade you from free-range rearing). Four stars. Distribution: I hope so!

El Angel (Argentina, 2018): Based on the most “popular” criminal in Argentinian history (one who has been serving a life sentence for the last 45 years for a gamut of crimes and misdemeanors), El Angel is an entertaining riff on the lifestyle of the lawless and infamous, while coming short on insight. Carlitos (newcomer Lorenzo Ferro) is a baby-faced sociopath with a penchant for breaking and entering. His association with classmate Ramón (Chino Darín) and his ne’er-do-well father elevates his game, but Carlitos’ unpredictability threatens to derail the enterprise at every corner, particularly after he develops a crush on Ramón.

While the sequence of events that turned the maladjusted teen into Buenos Aires’ most wanted is fascinating, the character itself is one note throughout the entire movie. I’m positive even sociopaths learn something about what’s beneficial and what leads to certain doom. Two and a half stars. Distribution: Likely.

Schlingensief: What's German for Enfant Terrible?

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The natural successor of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German filmmaker Christoph Schlingensief often tackled subjects most local artists avoided during the 90's, including the less palatable aspects of the reunification of Germany and xenophobic violence. Worth mentioning, both subjects are now recurrent motifs in German cinema.

Schlingensief's fearlessness came to an untimely end in 2010, when the director died of lung cancer. Thankfully, his work remains. Three of his most notable works will be shown through May at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The 120 Days of Bottrop (1997): A singularly inept filmmaker decides to remake Pier Paolo Pasolini's infamous Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. It goes as you can imagine. May 10, 6.30 pm.

Foreigners Out! Schlingensief's Container (2002): Schlingensief himself is the subject of this documentary by Paul Poet, which follows the artist as he protests the rise of the extreme right wing in Austria by installing an updated version of a concentration camp in the heart of Vienna. May 15, 6.30 pm.

German Chainsaw Massacre: The First Hour of Reunification (1990): This gory satire speculates about the ultimate fate of 4% of the 16 million East Germans who moved to the West first chance they had. Word is, they were unwillingly turned into bratwursts. The film is followed by The Holding of Skulls Is Not My Thing, a report on Schlingensief's predictably controversial staging of "Hamlet". May 17, 6.30 pm.

Guillermo del Toro: “Understanding Nullifies Fear”

The director of The Shape of Water talks about creating a fairytale for troubled times.

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

I have crossed paths with Guillermo del Toro four times in my life. The first time, he directed me in an uncredited segment of The Strain. It was a recreation of a lucha libre bout in which one of the fighters becomes a vampire mid fight (I was part of the rowdy crowd). Unlike many directors I’ve witnessed at work, Del Toro was pleasant throughout the entire shooting, and encouraged the people on set to enjoy themselves.

The second time was at the premiere of The Shape of Water in Toronto. It was at the Elgin Theatre, a venue that’s featured prominently in the movie. The entire cast was there, alongside Del Toro’s regular Ron Perlman and other personalities of note (Benedict Cumberbatch, T.O. Mayor John Tory). As a critic, I’m reluctant to use the word “magic” to describe a theatrical experience, but that evening got damn close.

A third opportunity would materialize shortly after. The Art Gallery of Ontario and Del Toro (a Toronto resident) put together the stunning exhibit “At Home with Monsters”. At the launch, a noticeably tired Del Toro gave the press a preview. It was like stepping into his head: Gothic and steampunk artifacts and mementos of his movies at every corner, including the sumptuous wardrobe of Crimson Peak, life-size reproductions of Pan’s Labyrinth characters and Hellboy’s mecha-hand. Two days later, Del Toro would spend hours signing memorabilia and talking with fans.

All this is to say Del Toro is the definition of a mensch. He answers every question as if it was the first time he hears it and his self-deprecation seems genuine. I had the chance to connect with him over the phone to discuss the superb The Shape of Water.

- When you began conceptualizing these characters, did you write them with certain actors in mind?

- I always wrote it for them. In 2011, I had the seminal idea that unlocked the movie for me. It came from Daniel Kraus (co-author of Trollhunters): “A janitor meets an amphibian in a government facility and takes it home”. I started writing the screenplay in 2012 and had my agent call (Sally Hawkins) agent and say, “Guillermo is writing this story for you”. Then I found out who Michael Shannon’s agent was and said the same thing. Sally is, in my opinion, the most beautiful, luminous presence in cinema today, somebody who can combine the extraordinary, the poetic, the sublime and the ordinary.

- How the creature’s costume design helped you get the audience reaction you were hoping for?

- The first decision was to make a physical suit and make-up because I needed the actors to react (to it). I wanted audiences to have a changing point of view of the character. The movie starts with a shock, a hand hitting the glass. It’s a monster moment. Then you see the silhouette, bleeding, and you don’t have a sense if this creature is good or bad. Then it emerges from the water and blinks. It’s gorgeous. A perfect combination of digital enhancement and physical suit. My hope is that by the end of the movie, you have completely forgotten this is a creature, you love him as a character and want him to fare well.

- Through the film, we learn quite a bit about Strickland (Michael Shannon), his home life and the pressures at work. Why was it important for you that the audience had all this information about the villain?

- The idea of the movie is that we need to look at “the other” and not fear. But I can’t help but think that you have to apply that rule also to the antagonist. I wanted to give the audience the opportunity to understand what makes him tick. This is a movie that makes a point of following each character home so we can get a little glimpse of their lives. Every character that would be “the other” in the narrative becomes somebody we can at least experience, because to understand is to nullify fear.

- There is a scene involving the creature and a cat that had everyone gasping. What did you want people to take away from it?

- From the beginning, I wanted this to be a different type of “Beauty and the Beast” tale: The beauty is not a pretty princess in a pedestal. She has flaws. She is not the traditional Hollywood beauty pretending to be a janitor, but somebody you can find anywhere. The beast doesn’t have to transform into a prince to be loved, because the whole point of the movie is that love is not transformation but understanding. The creature has a divine element to him, but also animal. When fighting a predator, no matter what size, the creature is going to bite.

- The look of The Shape of Water is more noir than your usual visual style, but the opulence is still present.

- I wanted to evoke classical cinema from the 40’s and 50’s, the opulent nature of the color, cinematography and design. The camera moves were very classic: I was shooting the movie like a musical, with the camera always rolling, traveling and craning. At the same time, this was done because the content of the movie, its twists and turns, and the ideas behind it were so completely unique.

- Plenty of your films -Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth and this one- are set against a war backdrop, but they also have a supernatural theme to them. What is it about that dynamic that you continue returning to it?

- The best juxtaposition of the fantastic is with the ordinary: An elemental god from a river you can take to a bathtub. 1962 is the last year of the fairytale idea of America. The year after Kennedy is shot is almost the onset of skepticism. It’s a perfect place to set a fairytale because all the problems we have today -great division, racial prejudice, gender discrimination- were alive back then. I needed to go to a time that was magical to some, at least visually, and show the ever-present ugliness underneath.

The Shape of Water opens in Canada December 22nd.

Guillermo del Toro’s Monster Celebration

The filmmaker’s exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario is gothic and steampunk eye candy.

By Jorge Ignacio Castillo
Photos by Suzy Lyster

Synergy can be a wonderful thing: Guillermo del Toro has made Toronto his base of operations and has a new movie coming (The Shape of Water) awash in critical and commercial buzz. The Art Gallery of Ontario is consistently looking for ways to bring first-timers in and is open to non-traditional exhibitions. Put Del Toro and AGO together and you have “At Home with Monsters”.

The stunning exhibit, organized alongside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, aims to break into the Mexican director’s creative process. Mission accomplished: It actually feels like stepping inside Del Toro’s head.

The beautiful Victorian wardrobe of Crimson Peak is part of "At Home with Monsters".

“At Home with Monsters” features over 500 objects, many from Guillermo del Toro’s personal collection and others selected by the filmmaker from AGO’s storage. The exhibit gives us a glimpse of Del Toro’s Bleak House, his home-studio in L.A. The place is filled with strange art pieces that captured Guillermo’s imagination and inspired him at one time or another.

Most of the rooms in the exhibition are linked to Del Toro’s movies, and grouped according to the director’s favorite authors and subjects. Among them, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, outsiders, insects, Victoriana, death and the afterlife, and a striking corner dedicated to Frankenstein’s monster.

Guillermo del Toro and co-curator Jim Shedden.

Comfort Creates Fear

Guillermo del Toro was at hand to introduce “At Home with Monsters” to the press alongside co-curator Jim Shedden. In perfect Del Toro form, the director came on defense of genre filmmaking and pre-establishment Disney (“Like Frank Capra, Disney is often misrepresented. Fantasia, Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty contain moments of great darkness.”) In spite of the remarkable collecting items he has lend to the exhibit, he doesn’t think of himself as a hoarder (“I can live without all of this”).

Not one to shy away from sharing his opinion about today’s political climate, Del Toro stated that “comfort creates fear” and brought up Tod Browning’s Freaks: “In the movie, normal people are horrible while the freaks have a cohesive, functional society based on accepting one another. Judging yourself by the standards of perfection is torture.”

Pan (from Pan's Labyrinth) makes an appearance.

“At Home with Monsters” will open to the general public this Saturday, September 30th, and is set to close January 7th, 2018. Del Toro himself will be signing the companion book and related items tomorrow Wednesday 27th from 4pm to 9pm. Some restrictions apply.

Edgar Allan Poe, one of Del Toro's sources of inspiration.

The Strain is also present in the exhibit.

Del Toro's communion with all freaks is embodied by John Merrick, aka Elephant Man.

Frankie going for a stroll.

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