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By Horacio Garcia

The long an honorable pantheon of American B horror movies has a new addition with Beneath the Darkness, a hybrid of high school and serial killer flick, directed by Martin Guigui and co-produced by Guillermo Del Toro. Similarly to Tarantino, Del Toro likes to involve himself in this kind of low budget adventure and with the same variable results.

This time he teamed up with Guigui, a guy who's been around for a while directing comedies for National Lampoon and obviously, the weight of the producer was enough to enroll Dennis Quaid in the project. Quaid, a Emmy Award winner, seems to be going through that phase in the life of some movie actors (specially ex action stars) in which they still refuse to go into television and you'll see them take these minor projects here and there until they realize that TV is the right place for people their age (Kiefer Sutherland’s last movies before going to do 24 come to mind).

The story of Beneath the Darkness begins two years before the main events, when Ely, the mortician of a small Texas town, forces his wife's lover to dig his own grave and then buries him alive. A couple years later a group of nosey local teenagers catches a glimpse of Ely dancing with his wife's corpse and they realize that something is terribly wrong with the man.

The leader of the group, Travis (Tony Holler) is a lonely guy who recently lost his sister and relays for affection in his friends Abby (Aimee Teegarden), Brian (Stephen Lunsford) and dorky Danny (Devon Werkheiser). The thrills in the movie begin when the group breaks into Ely's house and one of them ends up dead. The rest of the movie follows the efforts by the surviving teen to tell the authorities that the respected mortician and former local football hero is a deranged monster.

Beneath the Darkness exploits so many Hollywood clichés that if they didn't made it intentionally as a spoof of southern gothic horror flicks they should be considering that as a marketing choice.  Fortunately for the director, Dennis Quaid got it from the beginning of the film and his scenes, including a scary final parliament, are pretty tongue-in-cheek most of the time. The rest of the cast, made out of young TV actors is uniformly decent but takes way too seriously a job that should've being more fun. Aimee Teegarden, the pretty girl from Friday Night Lights, is probably the best of the bunch simply because she is a pretty blond playing a pretty blond.

The low budget in Beneath the Darkness is noticeable in some details, especially a hurried edition that cuts some of the best scenes, but carries on proudly taking advantage of every possible freebie Smithville,Texas had to offer, including the local marching band. Anyway, with all that mashing of genres and clichés I have the hunch that this one is going to become one of those video cult classics.

Tags Aimee Teegarden, Beneath the Darkness, blogger: Horacio Garcia, Dennis Quaid, Guillermo del Toro, Tony Holler

By Astrid Rivera

Lord of the Rings fans rejoice! After what seemed like a never ending telenovela of twists and turns Peter Jackson FINALLY revealed the trailer for The Hobbit. It is everything I expected it to be and more, filled with ominous forests and mystical creatures. The two minute trailer has already been viewed more than one million times and the film itself is expected to surpass the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the box office.

The online teaser comes at a time when many LOTR fans were already losing faith in the project. At the very beginning the film experienced problems with delayed production over legal issues between Jackson and New Line, the studio that produces the LOTR franchise. As if that wasn't enough the original director, Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), backed out of the project because he became frustrated with the unexpected delay.

Del Toro said last May,

"The mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally intended for the project."

Jackson, who was going to supervise the project as an executive producer, decided to step in and direct the film himself (would we have it any other way?). As far as the cast goes, there are many new faces as well as old ones that have come back to reprise their classic roles.

Martin Freeman from the U.K. version of The Office is starring in the role of Bilbo Baggins. Sir Ian McKellen returns as our favorite wizard Gandalf, while Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett return as the elves Legolas and Galadriel. Of course no LOTR film could be complete without Andy Serkis reprising his role as Gollum, the creepy backstabbing creature who loses his "precious" ring.

From the trailer it seems that the film, which is based on JRR Tolkien's 1937 classic The Hobbit, will focus on the tale of the dwarves. The book follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins who suddenly finds himself way in over his head after joining a band of dwarves on a mission to take back their treasure.

The Hobbit is much softer and whimsical compared to its darker sequel the Lord of the Rings. Although Tolkien does include a bit of sinister overtones and sets the stage for what is to come.

The Hobbit was shot in 3D and Jackson plans to release the saga in two parts. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on December 14, 2012. Part Two, entitled There and Back Again, is expected to be released December 13, 2013. Jen Chaney of the Washington Post wrote,

"That noise you hear? That's the sound of JRR Tolkien nerds and Jackson lovers weeping with joy."

I know I'm one of them!

The question remains, will these films have what it takes to surpass the world-wide phenomenon that was the Lord of the Rings? Shot between 2001 and 2003, the Lord of the Rings generated more than $3 billion at the box office and won a number of Oscars. Many are predicting that The Hobbit will in fact have a similar effect and with millions of LOTR fans waiting, I'm sure it will.

Watch the tailer here.

Will you watch The Hobbit?

Tags Andy Serkis, Astrid Rivera, Cate Blanchett, Guillermo del Toro, Lord of the Rings, Martin Freeman, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, The Hobbit

By Larry Yepez Jr.

There's no doubt that animated flicks bring out families to the theaters in masses! This past weekend Puss in Boots, a spin-off of the popular Shrek franchise, brought in $34 million, not surprisingly. What you might not have known, unless you paid close attention to the credits, is that Puss in Boots included the involvement of none other than Guillermo del Toro!

Del Toro serving as executive producer is part of an ongoing deal for several DreamWorks projects. With Puss in Boots released, the speculation of what will be next for the del Toro/DreamWorks association has been increasing. Here's the scoop: Mr. Del Toro be overseeing a feature-length animated film that's been in the works for over a year, but is now going into full force! the film is an adaptation based on the hit short, Alma!

The original Alma short is the creation of former Pixar animator Rodrigo Biaas and tells the story of a little girl who gets into trouble inside a creepy doll store. Biass will also be directing the feature version, with Del Toro yet again serving as executive producer and consultant, providing feedback and notes as he sees fit.

With Guillermo del Toro's name attached, it almost guarantees that the project will be amazing, and Alma is the perfect project with just the right amount of creepy factor to be the kind of story that's right up Del Toro's alley!

Have you seen Alma the short? Do you think the feature is a good project for Del Toro?

Tags Alma, Blogger: Larry Yepez Jr, Chisme, Dreamworks, Guillermo del Toro, Pixar, Puss In Boots, Rodrigo Biaas, Shrek

By Larry Yepez Jr.

20th Century Fox just snatched up what they're hoping will be Shawn Levy’s next directorial effort once he finishes filming Frankenstein. Levi is taken on another project within Hollywood’s favorite new sub-genre: the fairy tale revamped! The four-quadrant saga will  be based on the life of Pinocchio and is aiming to be a big hit!

Deadline reported that writer Michael Vukadinovich sold the spec for the prequel to the classic tale  Pinocchio -titled The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto- to 20th Century Fox and Levy’s production company 21 Laps.  The script is being compared to Tim Burton's Big Fish or Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride, which suggests a mix of swashbuckling action and humor.

The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto will follow Geppetto, the creator of the wooden puppet who wanted to be a real boy, across a hard life as he tries to be with his one true love, a woman named Julia Moon. Everyone's favorite character in the story was this elderly father figure. So it will be great to get the insight to many unanswered questions we have about Geppetto!

Shawn Levy’s on a roll. His latest, the robot-boxing drama Real Steel, is contending at the box office. He's producing Neighborhood Watch with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, and preparing a Frankenstein feature from a Max Landis screenplay. Then comes Geppetto and after that the director has been teasing with a Reel Steel sequel.

But Geppetto is not the only Pinocchio-themed project in the works,  Disney has a live action version with Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) writing the script; while Guillermo Del Toro is in production on a stop-motion take of the wooden puppet story, with music by Nick Cave.

Levy's probably busy with Frankenstein for the next couple of years, so we wouldn't expect to see Geppetto for quite a while!

Are you excited to see Levy's version take on Pinocchio & Gepetto?

Tags 21 Laps, Disney, Geppetto, Guillermo del Toro, Max Landis, Michael Vukadinovich20th Century Fox Frankenstein Pinoc, Neighborhood Watch. Ben Stiller, Nick Cave, Real Steel, Shawn Levy, Vince Vaughn

By Michael Lopez

Who doesn't love a good horror movie? And more importantly, who doesn't love a good Hispanic horror movie? That's the question that Edwin Pagán answers on a daily basis with his site LatinHorror.com. Profiling the cinema's scariest offerings (from a Latin point-of-view), Pagán and his team offer great insights into the world of frights. And he recently spoke to us about which flicks to to queue up for this Halloween.

"Latin Horror was started to promote Latinos and the genre," he explained. "What we try to do is identify filmmakers here in the U.S. and in Latin America who work in the field and don't always get covered by the mainstream media."

Interestingly, Edwin's site was first launched on Halloween. Now three years later, he's got thousands of Twitter followers, a full staff of horror experts, and tons of cool YouTube videos. And his site goes way beyond movies. Latin Horror profiles comic books, games, artwork, and even the Halloween Horror Nights.

Speaking about the La Llorona attraction Universal recently added to their park, he said,

"It's great to see what they've done with La Llorona. Our tradition and folklore greatly affects people. We're adapting to American traditions and American traditions are adapting to us. We definitely have our own stories to tell."

But Pagán emphasized that his site offers commentaries on American-made movies too. He recently gave a "thumbs up" to the remake of The Thing and encouraged his fans to check it out.

"The 1982 John Carpenter film is a classic," he said when referring to the original. "A lot of us die-hard fans were up in arms when we first heard about the remake. We thought there was no way to make it better. But when we heard more and realized the director was making it a prequel, that made us want to give it a chance. We also thought the idea of incorporating digital CGI effects would be interesting to watch."

But seeing how The Thing is the only scary movie playing in theaters right now, we had to ask Edwin about his Halloween rental picks.

"There's definitely the obvious ones, like The Orphanage," he explained. "But you can also go back and see some other people; s work. Fragile, for example, was directed Jaume Balagueró and has some great horror elements in it."

He also made sure to share some love for Mexican horror god Guillermo del Toro. Besides recommending Pan’s Labyrinth, he shared a del Toro quote with us that really encapsulates what Latin horror is all about.

"One of my favorite Guillermo quotes was when he explained the difference between American horror and Latin horror. He said American horror tries to destroy the body, while Latin horror destroys the mind and soul."

Are you a fan of Latin horror movies? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Edwin Pagán, Exclusive Entravistas, Fragile, Guillermo del Toro, Halloween, Jaume Balagueró, La Llorona, Latin Horror, Movies & CineMás, The Thing, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

Sure Borders may be gone, but that doesn't mean that America isn't still picking up plenty of libros. The country's biggest online book distributor, Amazon.com, is hyping a slew of hot page-turners for fall, including several by prominent Latino authors.

By far, one of the biggest books of the season will be Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs. The first "authorized" biography of the now-former Apple CEO, Jobs promises plenty of juicy details on the world-renowned computer giant.

In the younger fiction department, Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever will be hard to beat. The seventh installment of a series that may give Harry Potter a run for his money, Wimpy Kid is expected to ship six million units when it arrives in November.

But enough with the power players. Let's focus on some Latino up-and-comers, shall we? Justin Torres has had his work published in magazines like Vanity Fair and Esquire, but now he's hitting the big time with his first fiction novel, We The Animals. Focused on three brothers being raised by a Puerto Rican father and a white mother, it's already been heavily praised by the literature community.

Amazon’s also giving quite a bit of love to Hector Tobar's mystery novel, The Barbarian Nurses. Tobar, a respected writer for the L.A. Times, has been known to weave a good tale and this one about a Mexican housekeeper's journey to find a missing family sounds fascinating.

In the classics department, you won't want to miss Roberto Bolaño: The Last Interview & Other Conversations. Sadly this legendary Chilean author passed away in 2003, but these never-published essays will give readers the chance to learn more about a writer who many described as "Latin America's T.S. Eliot."

And just in time for Halloween, Amazon’s releasing Guillermo del Toro's novel, The Night Eternal. A truly epic vampire saga (that would make a great movie, by the way) reaches its final conclusion with this creepy libro. Expect winged monsters, fangs in the neck, and plenty more of Guillermo's trademark horror elements when this book hits shelves on October 25.

What’s the last great book that you read? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amazon, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Guillermo del Toro, Hector Tobar, Hot Stuff, Justin Torres, Roberto Bolaño, Steve Jobs

By Michael Lopez

These are definitely busy times for Guillermo del Toro. The Mexican director helped co-write this summer's Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, has a Pinocchio movie in the works, and is getting ready to direct the highly-anticipated monster flick, Pacific Rim.

Sitting alongside Dark star Katie Holmes, Guillermo humorously compared his style of filmmaking with different types of food.

"I love sophisticated food, I love caviar and this and that, but I also love Twinkies," he told MTV Movies. "[With Pacific Rim] it's like I stepped into a room full of Twinkies, you can hear the song and my face brightening up, a love moment. I go, 'Monsters? In that number and that size, doing the things that they do in Pacific Rim,? [It is a] pure banquet."

Described as a modern-day Godzilla movie, Rim's script is still shrouded in secrecy. All we know so far is, The Office’s Idris Elba will have a major part and Horrible Bosses’ Charlie Day has been cast in what del Toro describes as a "very strange" role.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark will also have its share of creatures when it arrives in theaters this August. And one other monster that Guillermo shed some light on was The Incredible Hulk. Speaking with IGN, he confirmed that his Hulk ABC show was moving forward.

"We are fortunate now that we are moving forward into pages of the screenplay for the [Hulk] pilot," del Toro explained. “We are trying a really strong take on the character."

Which Guillermo del Toro project are you most excited to see? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Guillermo del Toro, Movies & CineMás, Pacific Rim, The Incredible Hulk

By Michael Lopez

Sometimes we like to ramble on about which films amaze us. And though our focus is oftentimes the celebs acting on the screen, there are also hundreds of behind-the-scenes people that make each moment come to life. One of this season's hottest "movie magicians" is Spain’s Carlos Zaragoza, an accomplished art director who's worked on Pan’s Labyrinth and The Tale Of Despereaux. Over the weekend, Carlos spoke exclusively to Tr3s about his creative process.

Originally an art director and set designer for live action films, Carlos has recently branched out into animation. For his most recent project, Gnomeo & Juliet, Zaragoza was responsible for sketching out the intricate details found in Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet's gardens.

"Gnomeo was a very interesting project," Carlos explained. "It was totally irreverent and I loved the idea. I originally came from Spain and I was unfamiliar with English garden gnomes, so I went to London and did a lot of research."

Anyone who's seen Gnomeo knows the attention to detail that was paid to the movie's lawn decorations. From the designs of the dolphin sprinklers, to the plastic crocodiles, Zaragoza had a hand in everything. And it's clear that his hard work paid off. Not long after his work on Gnomeo, Carlos was recruited to create ideas for 2012's Madagascar 3!

"Madagascar 3 will be released next June," Zaragoza said. "Unfortunately I’ve been sworn to secrecy about it. It’s a top secret project, but it will be a really funny movie."

One thing Carlos did open up about was his experience working with Guillermo del Toro on the acclaimed Pan’s Labyrinth. The Art Director's Guild honored Zaragoza with a well-deserved Excellence In Production Design Award for the project.

"I think Pan’s Labyrinth was one my favorite movie experiences. It was intense, but very rewarding."

Interestingly, since Pan's both Carlos and Guillermo have branched out into the animation world. Zaragoza mentioned how he recently encountered del Toro (who's now an advisor at DreamWorks) and got some interesting advice from the famed Mexican director.

"Guillermo is very interested in animation. He said it's the best business to be in because of the technology and the storytelling. Personally, I'm really happy to be working in animation. For me, it’s the right place to be. I’m learning tons of new things."

Of course speaking with a talented up-and-comer like Carlos, we had to ask for his advice for other young art directors looking to break into the field.

"My advice would be, don't just be inspired by movies. Get inspired by life and by real experiences. Traveling, art, living experiences are very important and helped me tremendously with my creativity."

You can see samples of Carlos' creativity by visiting his professional website. And if you're interested in checking out that intricate English garden again, look for the Gnomeo & Juliet DVD, in stores on May 24!

Have you ever thought about a career in art direction? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Animation, Carlos Zaragoza, Exclusive Entrevistas, Gnomeo & Juliet, Guillermo del Toro, Madagascar 3, Movies & CineMás, Pan's Labyrinth, Tr3s Exclusivdes

By Michael Lopez

Don’t you love it when imaginative directors give classic fairy tales a darker twist? Whether it’s Tim Burton reworking Alice in Wonderland or Twilight’s Catherine Hardwicke taking on Red Riding Hood, it always makes for interesting storytelling. Now, Mexican movie maestro Guillermo del Toro will be lending his expertise to the famous tale of Pinocchio.

According to Latino Review, del Toro will oversee a new stop-motion film version of the Italian fable. Except this time, instead of cute little crickets and blue fairies, Pinocchio will have to deal with treacherous orphan boys and greedy puppet masters. In fact, Guillermo believes the darker tones are an essential part of fairy tale storytelling.

"There has to be a darkness in any fairy tale or children's narrative work,” del Toro explained. “Something the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and Walt Disney understood."

Don’t worry, the film will still have plenty of family-friendly elements. Guillermo’s partnering with The Jim Henson Company to create Pinocchio’s world, and rumor has it that the movie will be released in 3D. With that in mind, it’s doubtful that it will be as horrific as del Toro’s earlier works.

Overall, Guillermo seems pretty excited about the project and the opportunity to put his spin on such a beloved character.

“[Pinocchio] is one of the great characters, whose purity and innocence allows him to survive in this bleak landscape of robbers and thugs, emerging from the darkness with his soul intact."

Pinocchio is still in the very early stages of production, so it will likely hit theaters in the next two years.

What other fairy tales would you like to see 're-imagined?’ Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Fairy Tales, Guillermo del Toro, Hot Stuff, Movies & CineMás, Pinocchio

By Michael Lopez

Who knew a simple interview for the new movie Biutiful could get so juicy? Producer Guillermo del Toro and director Alejandro González Iñárritu sat down to discuss the Javier Bardem drama with TheWrap.com. But instead of gabbing about the film's Oscar buzz, the duo instead bashed Hollywood’s most powerful movie studios.

And the guys certainly have a point. Iñárritu and del Toro both got their start as independent filmmakers. It's only in recent years that they've attracted the attention of blockbuster studios. But they haven't adjusted to the the studios' mass consumer culture as easily as one might expect, with del Toro dropping out of the highly-anticipated Hobbit movie and Iñárritu going back to his indie roots after the mainstream Babel.

As Guillermo del Toro explained to The Wrap,

“I think the studios are being conservative, and cowardly. That they only venture to the safest, most inane bets for the audience. Things that seem recycled from a recycle from a recycle.”

Alejandro González Iñárritu added,

“It is almost not possible if you are not based on a bestsller, on a big comic book, or have a branding behind you. To bring an original idea is just the scariest thing that anybody can confront. Original ideas, and adult films, human films, those are the scariest things.”

They do have a point. Hollywood studios have churned out formulaic films for years — just look at this year's Harry Potter 7, Tron 2 and Meet The Parents 3 — and focused on box office results rather than storytelling.

According to Alejandro, even TV isn’t safe from tired formulas.

“…If you take the number of those good hours [on television], as compared to these 500 channels of sh*t 24 hours a day, there is just .1 percent that is good. A whole generation has been fed by the reductive and stupid and super banal. And that is affecting the perception of cinema all around the world.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The article includes eight more pages of rants from this dynamic duo, all just as relevant. One thing is for certain: The low-key life-and-death drama Biutiful isn’t based on a comic, doesn’t have a Bill Clinton cameo, and surely won’t be followed by six sequels. It's a wonderful example of what movie-making should be about.

Have you been disappointed with the latest slew of Hollywood movies? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alejandro González Iñárritu, Biutiful, Chisme, Guillermo del Toro, Movies, Movies & CineMás, Television