Pan's Labyrinth

Viewed: 02.08.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: Theater
Overall Review: 4.5 out of 5

Plot:
A very pregnant woman takes her imaginative daughter to the mountains of Spain, circa 1944, to meet her new stepfather, a fascist military captain. As the self righteous captain and his men "hold down the fort" and fight the last of the post civil war rebels, the despondent little girl immerses herself into her own phantasmic imagination.

My Thoughts:
Pan's Labryinth is, in my mind, a masterpiece by director, Guillermo Del Toro. This movie was so intensely beautiful, yet so tragic. It grips at your heart and somehow makes you happy and sad at the same time.

It is not often a movie can be so dark and hopeless, yet magical and creepy. It is absolutely worth the price of admission to see it on the big screen. I will offer a few warnings however. First, the movie is subtitled, so prepare to do a fair amount of reading. If you aren't down with that type of movie, then move along.

Second, this movie is not some Harry Potter or The NeverEnding Story kidfest. While there are moments with fairys and such, at its core this movie is dark and, at times, disturbing. Finally, I think this movie is just different from your typical American movie. At times you can just tell it is a foreign film. I do not write this with negative intent. I think it is great that this movie is breaking into our market and I really applaud the producer for getting it done. It's easy with Del Toro's movies.

As a side note, I got my feet wet with the Del Toro movie, The Devil's Backbone, which I also loved (here is the youtube video for that movie). That movie was creepy and I really dug it as well.

The Forgotten

Viewed: 1.20.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: Cable
Overall Review: 3 out of 5

Plot:
Emotions turn from sad to pissed for a mother grieving her sons sudden death 14 months ealrier, when she's told he never actually existed in the first place. Strange and supernatural shit ensues.

Memorable Quote:
I had life inside me. I had life. I have a child. I have a son. I have a son, and his name is Sam, you son of a bitch.

My Thoughts:
This movie was on one of my Starz/Encore movie channels last month, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I'd seen the previews a few years back, but never had a chance to hit the theaters or rent the dvd. Back then, it fell off the map rather quickly, so i didn't expect to be blown away.

As I suspected, this one didn't exactly leave me amazed, but I will say I did enjoy it for what it was worth. The title is rather telling as this movie is indeed forgettable. I'm guessing that is why it didn't kill it in the theaters. However, I stayed focused during the movie and found parts of it rather interesting.

The movie takes an interesting turn in the latter parts, which for me was a relief. What starts as a rather boring movie about a potentially psychotic woman, turns all transcendental on us. This intersting plot twist, while not mind blowing, gave the movie just enough gusto to keep me interested.

On a side note, there was a pretty wicked car crash scene that reminded me of those commercials from VW for their GTI. You know the ones where people are just riding down the road talking random stuff and then, blammo, they are hit by another car. I wonder which came first, the movie or the commercials.

The Forgotten is forgettable, but worth a go if you've nothing better to do. If you are looking for a mind-blowing, thought provoking experience, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a decent movie to break the monotony, this one may be your huckleberry.