'Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities' review: 'Lot 36' is a decent introduction


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Anything with Guillermo del Toro’s name attached to it is bound to draw interest.

The Oscar-winning Mexican director, known for fantasy films Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, has a new horror anthology streaming on Netflix.

Titled Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, it is a “collection of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's personally curated stories, described as both equally sophisticated and horrific”.

The first season features eight stand-alone episodes that are about an hour long. They are based on short stories with the first two episodes available to stream now. The remaining six in the anthology will come out two at a time with all the episodes released by Friday, just in time for Halloween.

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Each episode begins with the Pacific Rim director introducing it, sauntering out of the darkness to a chest of cabinets, pulling out an item related to the coming episode, as well as a miniature ivory figurine of each director, as a different one works on every episode.

Lot 36 is the first in the series and only one of two episodes based on a short story by del Toro, with a script penned by Regina Corrado and directed by Guillermo Navarro, an Oscar-winning cinematographer who has previously worked with del Toro.

It opens with a video speech by former US president George W Bush about the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and also introduces the main character, Nick Appleton.

Tim Blake Nelson, left, and Sebastian Roche, in 'Lot 36'. Photo: Netflix
Tim Blake Nelson, left, and Sebastian Roche, in 'Lot 36'. Photo: Netflix

He's a military veteran and not a particularly likeable man as shown through his interactions with others, such as immigrants and people of colour. He seems miserable and is down on his luck while also owing a lot of money.

To make up for it, he buys storage units with the hope that he can strike rich through what’s inside. He wins an auction for Lot 36, which we learn belonged to a lonely old man, who eventually died of a heart attack.

After Nick purchases the storage unit, he’s shown video of the old man visiting the unit every single day, leaving something in it. The protagonist begins to explore and finds some items to be appraised, through which he learns more about the previous owner.

As a side story, Nick also purchases a storage unit belonging to a house cleaner named Emilia that is accidentally sold to him after a failed bill payment because of a miscommunication. She pleads with Nick to let her see her unit to retrieve her remaining things, but he refuses and only gives her the original padlock instead.

While we won’t spoil the episode, Lot 36 is a nice introduction to the anthology. It isn’t particularly scary, although there are a couple of good moments of tension (for example: the sketchy storage facility uses a light switch timer meaning scenes suddenly go dark when it runs out).

Lot 36 feels a bit more like The Twilight Zone with a cautionary tale, rather than one based on horror. However, thanks to the trailer that Netflix has already unveiled for the show, it seems as though darker and scarier episodes are still to come.

There’s a stellar line-up of names attached to this project, including Jennifer Kent, who directed and wrote 2014’s The Babadook, Ana Lily Amirpour of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (which was promoted as “the first Iranian vampire Western") and David Prior, writer and director of 2020’s The Empty Man. Coming episodes also feature Rupert Grint, Ben Barnes and Andrew Lincoln.

If Lot 36 is anything to go by, fans are in for a special treat.

Best Halloween movies and series to watch in the UAE this year — in pictures

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

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If you go

 

  • The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
  • The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
  • The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as  Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Forced%20Deportations
%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20Lebanese%20government%20has%20deported%20a%20number%20of%20refugees%20back%20to%20Syria%20since%202011%2C%20the%20latest%20round%20is%20the%20first%20en-mass%20campaign%20of%20its%20kind%2C%20say%20the%20Access%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20a%20non-governmental%20organization%20which%20monitors%20the%20conditions%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20in%20Lebanon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20past%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20General%20Security%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20forced%20deportation%20operations%20of%20refugees%2C%20after%20forcing%20them%20to%20sign%20papers%20stating%20that%20they%20wished%20to%20return%20to%20Syria%20of%20their%20own%20free%20will.%20Now%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20army%2C%20specifically%20military%20intelligence%2C%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20security%20operation%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mohammad%20Hasan%2C%20head%20of%20ACHR.%3Cbr%3EIn%20just%20the%20first%20four%20months%20of%202023%20the%20number%20of%20forced%20deportations%20is%20nearly%20double%20that%20of%20the%20entirety%20of%202022.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESince%20the%20beginning%20of%202023%2C%20ACHR%20has%20reported%20407%20forced%20deportations%20%E2%80%93%20200%20of%20which%20occurred%20in%20April%20alone.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20comparison%2C%20just%20154%20people%20were%20forcfully%20deported%20in%202022.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Violence%20
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Three stars

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

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Updated: October 27, 2022, 10:20 AM`