With a reputation for excellence in the realms of fantasy and horror, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro brought a visionary touch to such critically-acclaimed films as Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, Cronos, and last year’s The Orphanage, which he produced. When del Toro turned his attentions to Dark Horse Comics’ Hellboy franchise in 2004 — infusing the big, horned anti-hero with a distinct sense of style and wit — fans and critics were summarily delighted, and the reins came loose for a bigger and more fantastical sequel. Hellboy II: The Golden Army surpassed the critical and box office performances of its predecessor and is Certified Fresh at 88 percent on the Tomatometer.
Rotten Tomatoes caught up with del Toro at the Hellboy II: The Golden Army DVD/Blu-ray Launch Party, where, in signature self-deprecating fashion, he guided those in attendance through the immersive Hellboy II Blu-ray experience. More importantly, del Toro announced plans to join fans in a ground-breaking BD-Live chat event (November 23rd at 6pm PST), where Blu-ray owners can log in and ask him their most burning questions. Except for, say, his favorite movies of all time; we’ve got that covered below.
Read on for Guillermo del Toro‘s Five Favorite Films (click for the Five Favorite Films of Hellboy II star Doug Jones and Hellboy comics creator Mike Mignola, who shared at least one top movie with del Toro himself)…
Bride of Frankenstein is absolutely perfect. It has the innocence and beauty of a fairy tale, but has the darkness of a gothic horror tale. So the combination is irresistible. [On hearing that Hellboy comics creator Mike Mignola also named Bride of Frankenstein among his favorite films, del Toro said with a smile, “Well, we are alike in some aspects.”]
Blade Runner is simply one of those cinematic drugs, that when I first saw it, I never saw the world the same way again.
The third film, Los Olvidados — Bunuel‘s movie — which I think is one of the best depictions of childhood ever made.
The Road Warrior — again, it transformed the way I see the world.
And [lastly] probably The Gold Rush, or City Lights, by Chaplin, because they are absolute pinnacles of filmmaking. You have precision comedy, precision filmmaking, and one of the best directors ever. He and Buster Keaton were fantastic, and they were two of my idols.
