[lmilhan]

Anyone else see this movie?

My wife and I went to see it this past Sunday, and we both thought it was brilliant.

Genuinely good movies (as far as what I consider a good movie) seem to be very far and few in between these days. So it is really a nice surprise to see a movie as good as "Pan's Lanyrinth" every once in a while.

Without giving away any spoilers:

If Shindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, The Never Ending Story and Alice In Wonderland all had a child together, Pan's Labyrinth would be their person son.

But be warned, it is very graphic and depressing and certainly isn't a movie that will give you a warm fuzzy. So leave the kiddies at home folks. If you have an open mind and want to see a very interestingly creative and bizarre movie, and you need a break from the typical Hollywood tripe that seems to be slowly (but surely) ruining the cinema, 'Pan's Labyrinth' is a must see.

Anyone else catch this movie yet and care to comment? I would be curious to hear what other's thought of it.

 

[Dork Knight]

I've wanted to see this for a long while, I'll hold out for a DVD or HD DVD release which I hope is not too far away.

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dork Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've wanted to see this for a long while, I'll hold out for a DVD or HD DVD release which I hope is not too far away.

Me too! I'll certainly be picking this one up on DVD the day it comes out.

 

[Dork Knight]

Play.com (UK Based) have the DVD date set for the 12th March;
http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/32570...h/Product.html

I've become very excited again, but still a long wait ahead

 

[vcoheda]

I saw it. Thought it was good, not great. The trailer made it seem like it was more of a fantasy movie, but those portions were short and just a few. Still enjoyed it. Worth seeing, but I am bit surprised by all the critical praise. It really is just a war/rebellion movie seen through the eyes of a little girl.

 

[viator122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif It really is just a war/rebellion movie seen through the eyes of a little girl.

I guess, but can't you use this kind of description to trivialize any film? Braveheart is just an epic historical war movie.

Anyway, I thought it was great, and I agree with the other poster that they did not make good trailers for the film. The trailers played up the fantasy element to the film, which in reality, although it was a huge thematic element, did not get much screen time. The TV commercials made it look like a weird LOTR rip off. However, it was a truly good and entertaining movie that I'd recommend you all go see.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif It really is just a war/rebellion movie seen through the eyes of a little girl.

A lot of films considered great follow this exact formula - world through the eyes of an innocent. It's almost a genre in Europe. I had to take a break after Pelle the Conqueror years ago.

Man this was the year of Mexican directors. Make sure to check out Children of Men too.

And Braveheart doesn't need any additional trivializing.

 

[Eugene Kwon]

Saw Children of Men & Pan's Labyrinth. Although Pan's Labyrinth was a great film, I was more inspired by the former. Alfonso Cuaron really know how to make viewers sweat. The visual's just the way I like it. Rough, realistic, and dark...

The only movie made by a prominent Mexican director I haven't seen is Babel. Really want to see it....

 

[viator122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif And Braveheart doesn't need any additional trivializing.

I may be misinterpreting you, but I wasn't trivializing. I was pointing out how you can take even the greatest of movies and describe them in a way that makes them sound trite or uninspired.

I saw Children of Men as well, but despite the critical acclaim and other people loving it, I just couldn't get into it. It was a decent film but it left too many unanswered questions and didn't go anywhere. I left feeling frustrated.

Babel is a decent film as well, but it is not nearly as good as 21 Grams, which was not nearly as good as Amores Perros. Inaritu is just using the same concept of seemingly unconnected lives transformed by a single event and doing it over and over. He's a talented filmmaker, though, and I'm looking forward to more of his films.

Oh, and Volver was excellent.

 

[xenochimera]

indeed brilliant, i do think it was all real.

 

[vcoheda]

Except for the story with the deaf mute girl (which was truly amazing), I wasn't that impressed with Babel.

edit: I think this thread needs to be changed to Pan's Labyrinth and Other Recent Films.

Also, I refuse to watch Gibson movies now. Just a matter of principle.

 

[Romanee]

I liked Pan's Labyrinth very much. I don't feel Babel deserves all the awards and praise it's getting, and for my tastes I felt Pan's Labyrinth is much more imaginative, creative, cohesive and better directed.

Interesting -- my (Japanese) wife and I felt that the Japanese scenes were the weakest part of Babel. There were parts of Babel we liked very much, and most of the acting was exceptional -- but not the Japanese parts. Each to his/her own.

As for Innaritu -- I feel that Amores Perros was his only great film.

Except for Michael Caine, I thought that Children Of Men was not only very disappointing, but for my cinematic prefs -- pure crap. I did not think it was even a decent film. My wife's critique was blunt -- she fell asleep, despite all the loud shoot-em-up scenes. That's her mind's defense when she's not interested. This film, for me, was not good sci-fi, not good action, not good directing, weirdly implausible screenwriting, etc. Aside from Caine's ray of light, it was dim and grim.

Echo excellent for Volver. There are more I liked, but gotta run out now.

How's that for opinionated?

 

[aphex944]

I really liked it, but had a few major gripes. I felt like the potential of the fantasy side wasn't fully explored at all. With the palette of a fantasy movie there are few limits and few rules. There should have been more complexity and more characters there. I didn't expect it to be that gruesome, either. Some of it was needless after awhile.

Even with that, it stood out enough and was pretty well done that I'll call it great

 

[mbriant]

Excuse my ignorance, but what language is Pan's labyrinth done in? Is it subtitled?

 

[phosfiend]

It was good, no doubt about it.

All the ingredients were there: great acting, editing, good cinematography, good score and sound, incredible and creative production design (creatures, set, costumes etc..)

But where was the plot? It was childish, lacked depth, and formulaic. And while some might argue that it was a fairytale intended for adults, (as it is blatantly markets as such here in North America) the film could have attained its intended maturity level without the use of graphic and unnecessary violence.

Without the violence, this would have been a great film for the whole family - and I think I would not have the same qualms with its overall lack of cohesive purpose.

Good film, but not great.