Guillermo del Toro Praises ‘Lady Bird,’ ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, and Ranks His Films in Lively Reddit AMA

As devoted a cinephile as he is a visionary filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro will take every opportunity to lavish praise on his favorite films. In a recent Reddit AMA (“Ask me Anything”) to promote “The Shape of Water,” the director could hardly contain his enthusiasm for Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” which he said “moved [him] deeply.” He continued: “‘Lady Bird’ is a fantastic first film. Such intelligence and acute eye for drama and cinema. Deceivingly natural, full of style.”

More in line with his style, Del Toro is a huge fan of George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which he called, “A masterpiece. In many ways, SO kinetic, so dense, as to be digested slowly and in repeated viewings. A God at work.” He also loved Pixar’s “Coco, which was co-directed by Mexican-American filmmaker Adrian Molina. “The MORE World-themed stories, the better for all us storytellers,” said del Toro.

Moving onto his own work, del Toro revealed that “The Shape of Water” had roughly the same budget as “Pan’s Labyrinth,” ($19.5 million), though they were made a decade apart. “I think your ambitions should always exceed the budget,” he added. He also ranked his own films according to which most accurately represented his artistic vision: “I like 1)”The Shape of Water,” 2) “The Devil’s Backbone,” 3) “Pan’s Labyrinth,” 4)” Crimson Peak,” 5) “Hellboy II,” 6) “Pacific Rim,” the most.”

The entire discussion is full of fascinating tidbits, including this life advice to a 17-year-old who asked about, well, being a 17-year-old: “Life is an incomplete puzzle, but the only one we got!”

He also plugged his favorite tequila: “Patron, Patron and Patron.” In case you ever run into del Toro at a party, you’ll know what to order him. Read the full thread here.