This is a look at the director's notebooks in which he plots and sketches his projects, as well as his second home that he works out of and uses to store his insane collection of fantasy/monster/movie paraphernalia. It's a fascinating peek into an immensely creative mind. That said, Pacific Rim really should have been better.

If you're a del Toro fan, this is like giving a junkie a lick from the spoon - but considering this is the next best thing to jacking directly into his brain to get a look at the workings of his mind, it's better than nothing... although I'd personally would've liked to see more from AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, but I guess it's not officially dead yet...

As if Guillermo del Toro wasn't already my favourite director; as if I didn't already love him more than most people in this world. An absolutely stunning insight into the limitless imagination and surreal brain of one of the most interesting and creative artists of all time -- a must-read for anyone who wants to understand GDT better or wants to appreciate his work on a more visceral level. Just bloody wonderful.

This book was fascinating. It is filled with images of Guillermo del Toro’s notebooks and of the Bleak House, along with interviews with del Toro and kind words from those he’s worked with. I thoroughly enjoyed the sneak peek into the mind of one of my favorite directors.4.5 Stars

This is a hefty book, a collection of interviews, essays, musings, and reproductions of del Toro's notebooks, and it's a wonderful peek into his creative process.

Guillermo del Toro is a very visual storyteller. His films are all a visual treat where every frame seems to be exquisitely crafted and they depend very little on dialogue. This interesting book offers some insight into his creative process, his ideas, and his inspirations. It starts with tour of his "Bleak House" where he houses all his artistic and literary collections and which he also uses as his studio. There are interviews that provide an insight into Guillermo's views on the medium of fil...

"Cabinet of Curiosities is a veritable smorgasbord of content for del Toro fans; intimate looks at his collections, his personal notebooks, and his process all are here for consumption as a truly unique artist opens himself to those who enjoy his work. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t really a sign off by del Toro at the end, except for the lovely acknowledgement of those who helped make the book a reality, but I suppose that this is because he is by no means done creating. Since th...

Cabinet of Curiosities: “A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined.” (Wikipedia)When I was young, I used to read (with great envy) of Forrest Ackerman and his yearly tradition of opening his house/museum (the ‘Ackermansion’) to visitors at Halloween, to show items from movies such as Dracula, King Kong, Frankenstein, War of the Worlds and the like. I hoped that one day I would visit myself,...

Writer-director Guillermo del Toro opens his Cabinet of Curiosities & gives us some insight into his life & work. I like some of del Toro's films, but I am not a big fan of his to be honest. However, a friend of mine lent me this book & I really quite enjoyed it.Pan's Labyrinth & Hellboy (the original-not the poor sequels) are my favourite del Toro films, but even ones I find dull like Cronos are a visual treat. One amazing thing in this book are the photographs of Guillermo del Toro's house & t...

Back off while I do some serious fan-girl-ing.I've been in love with del Toro's mind since I saw The Devil's Backbone in 2001. Since then I've tried to see most of his movies as they've come out, though I have missed a few (like Blade II, because I haven't seen the first one yet, and I do want to be fair about it) and Pacific Rim because I've heard awful things about it (which in turn makes me awful because my brother worked on that movie too). But I've enjoyed taking my time, leisurely, to get

If you are a fan of Shattered Ravings, then you know already that I love Special Features. Watching the Making Of and other featurettes lets me get into the minds of the directors and other creative forces behind these productions and see where their inspirations come from. This is one of my favorite things. So when I learned one of my idols, Guillermo del Toro, had put out a book that featured some of his private notebooks, I knew I had to check it out. And I’m so thankful I got the opportunity...

I've officially prepared my wish for if I'm ever dying and have (get?) to make a Make a Wish wish. In fact, since the internet is forever, I'll just lay it all out: D.N.R., pull that plug, cremation and scattering, no Jesus at my funeral, and everybody of consenting age has to do whippits at the service including both of my grandmothers. And somebody better karaoke The Final Countdown and/or Rose Tint My World. If anybody insists on a tombstone then fuck it, just Mad Lib it. Before I go, though,...

I honestly didn't think I could be more of a Guillermo del Toro fan than I already was. But this compulsively readable and gorgeously designed book ended up enhancing my appreciation for his particular kind of genius many times over. Unlike the Wes Anderson book, which came out around the same time and is also very pretty to look at, this volume gives real insight into an artist's ideas, ambitions, methods, and sensibilities. The result isn't just the best film book of 2013, but the finest of it...

This book is a remarkable glimpse into the singular and visionary world of Guillermo del Toro, truly a creative renaissance man. Each page is filled with marvel upon marvel, from a jaw-dropping photo tour of his house/art gallery/funhouse named Bleak House to pages from his meticulous notebooks of art and writings from all his past films (and tantalizingly unmade ones). The bulk of the text is an extensive interview with del Toro on all aspects of his creative works and inspirations, which is al...

Top 10 Fav Del Toro films in order:Pan's LabyrinthThe Devil's BackboneThe OrphanageJulia's EyesMamaDon't Be Afraid of the DarkHellboyCrimson PeakBlade IIThe Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro's my favorite director mainly due to the 'Hellboy' films, 'Pan's Labyrinth', the 42 steps beyond incredible 'Pacific Rim' and his total persistence in not letting his dream of filming "At the Mountains of Madness" die. (Not to mention the countless films he's produced, executively-produced or co-written.)Well, 'Cabinet of Curiosities' only adds to my man-crush of del Toro. Peeking into his notebooks is entertaining to no end with all of the drawings which populate his notes an...

Del Toro was already my favorite director before reading this book, so I may be biased. But this is one of the most important books I've read as a writer.Besides having a look over the creative process of Del Toro's masterpieces that go from Cronos to Pacific Rim, we have great interventions of other people who have worked or been influenced by Del Toro, such as James Cameron, Neil Gaiman, Tom Cruise, Ron Perlman and Mike Mignola.For me, the most important part of the book was the first one, whe...

I want to set a background for my review with a personal story: Back in October 1999, I was one of many attendees to the Austin Screenwriter’s Conference and Film Festival. One of the sessions that made my “must attend” list was on writing suspense. Four guests were on the panel. I was aware of Guillermo del Toro having seen “Cronos” and “Mimic.” However, to be completely honest, I was there to see Joseph Stefano. As the session progressed, I became fascinated by del Toro. Indeed, well over two-...

Over the past couple years I've made friends on social media with many authors and artists, and have gotten really interesting in how differently individuals' creative process works and how they think about and approach projects.Del Toro is especially interesting in that he thinks consciously about this and also keeps notebooks recording his ideas and what he was thinking or doing when they occurred to him. These are not just jottings but frequenting include lavish illustrations. Many pages are

A wonderful look into the mind of a talented director. There are sections devoted to each of his movies up through Pacific Rim, as well as glimpses of projects that have yet to be produced like The List of Seven and At the Mountains of Madness. There's also a section devoted to Bleak House, which doubles as a workspace and a museum displaying his collection of movie memorabilia and art. Reminiscent of Forrest J. Ackerman's legendary Ackermansion, it's just beautiful to behold. Reading this book