Contemporary Cinema February 11, 2007
Posted by goldblatt in Film School.trackback
Pan’s Labyrinth. Yes, everyone’s talking about it. And rightly so. This is a gem of a movie. One of those miracle movies that has mass appeal because of its ability to appeal to kids and adults simultaneously. I would take my kids to this (if i had them). Not enough fantasy. The previews make it look like fantasy is the majority of the film, but actually the film is mostly about the wartime intrigue surrounding a little girl at the end of the Spanish Civil War. She escapes into fantasy, but there is not a tremendous amount more fantasy than you see in the preview. If anything, though, that’s a marketing issue. The movie is fantastic on it’s own. Kind of like this movie in a way. Beautiful. Well told story without anything extraneous. Neat plot, exciting script, and captivating visuals.
I don’t mean to always be the voice of dissent her at GBU, but I feel, on behalf of the children, I must. The movie is excellent, best I saw last year, but it’s rated R for a reason. Just because a movie has elements of fantasy doesn’t mean its for kids. The violence is graphic. And I loved it. But don’t bring the kids.
And I LOVE Heavenly Creatures. Great pairing.
Heavenly creatures is creepy fun! i have to admit that screaming viking is more authorized about child appropriateness here. i have a dog and think she would enjoy this movie, but perhaps a child would not.
Perhaps I’ll put it back on my to-see list… it was at the top, but a bunch of the writers in my program gave it thumbs down.
They didn’t like 2046 either, though, and I really loved being swept up in the operatic beauty of that movie.
us artsy types tend to be skeptical of things that get a lot of hype, like this movie. but this is one case where you can believe the hype.