Uh, exactly the same as Pan's Labrynth. Since The Devil's Backbone was made first (right before Blade II. ouch), and doesn't have creatures fighting for screen time, I guess they're not EXACTLY the same. Here are some of the similarities:
- protagonist is a kid (but a boy) - takes place during the Spanish Civil War (Del Toro is Mexican. WHAT is going on here. . .) - able bodied men make me nervous - creepy supernatural shit
During the first twenty minutes I couldn't stop obsessing about how the two movies were twinsies, but The Devil's Backbone really takes off, turns into a bit of a mystery for a while, and ends by neatly tying up all of its shoelace plot lines.I liked it, I'd recommend it, and you should watch it. Yes, it has subtitles. The movies I like to watch are foreign. Get over it.
Its been three days and my final answer is I don't know. When someone asks what I think, I pause. . . (thats me, still paused, annoying myself). . . and wind up answering a question with a question. "Have you seen Buffalo 66?" This question MAKES NO SENSE and has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MOVIE. So, I don't know if I liked Tetro—there is something redeemable in it for the film student or historian; or found it to be a waste of time—the story meanders and ends up overblown; or a work of genius that is so far over my head its floating away like the red balloon. Writing a review would be a waste of both our time, so good fucking luck at the theater. And stop looking at me like I ever know what I'm talking about.
On the other hand, I do want to see Tetro again (at home) to catch some things I may have missed. I also liked how disorienting it was, which seems to happen less and less in American cinema.
If you haven't seen Buffalo 66 yet, now is a great time to play catch-up or revisit it. Vincent Gallo is always fun to watch. He wrote, directed, composed the soundtrack, and starred in Buffalo. He really must have liked this guy "Tetro" to trade him in for fits of control.
Nope. Sorry Ricky Gervais, but no one wants to see you kiss Téa Leoni. And No kissing plus romantic comedy equals torture. I laughed a lot when you touched the mummy though.
Frustrating. One, I don't want people singing when they're having sex. Two, unless Paris really is experiencing a spike in threesome relationships, this premise was devised for horny Americans. Three, what a waste of my favorite actors. I love Louis Garrel and Ludivine Sagnier, but their performances were overdone and fakey. This homage to Godard just left me wanting to watch old Godard, and nothing more by Christophe Honore. What happened to the director of Ma Mere?
