pan’s labyrinth

.a.meter - 10/10

*new* bias: +10 (out of 10)

something i’ve noticed in a lot of reviews it the lack of taking into account the reviewer’s general bias towards the genre. in this case, i happen to really like this type of film, and so my bias towards giving it a better review is going to be higher…and it’s better for you, as the reader, to know that in advance.

the breakdown:

how do i even begin? really…this is an extremely hard movie to explain due to the fact that i don’t think i’ve seen anything like it before. combine one part spanish war history with one part fairy tale…mix it with a little celtic lore/fantasy/horror and drama, make tim burton a sous chef for the mix, and you’ve got your film. it is being described as ‘an adult fairy tale’, and that’s about as close to the truth as it comes.

the story is set in spain in 1944 during the time of Francisco Franco, and a little girl and her pregnant mother find themselves being escorted by soldiers to a village controlled by the spanish army…stationed there because they are attempting to put down a rebellion. they are being escorted there because the mother is pregnant with the captain’s son…and you quickly find out that the captain is not a very nice guy. the little girl happens to be infatuated with fairy tales, and comes to find that she is actually a part of one that is unfolding before her life. she is led to a place by a fairy where a faun (a humanoid up top, a goat below) begins to explain that she is actually the embodiment of the sprit of a princess, and in order to get back to her kingdom, she must complete a series of tasks. the movie is extremley engaging in the sense that it juxtaposes this fantasy over the brutality of what is happening in the girl’s ‘real life’ (i.e. her father has died…her mother is experiencing a complicated pregnancy…the captain is cruel…she is privvy to the knowledge that her nanny is actually a part of the rebellion being led against the spanish army…etc. etc. etc.). the story is a journey in the reconcilliation of her fantastically-based past and how she must fix things in the present in order to ‘right’ the ‘wrong’ the audience is introduced to at the beginning of the film.

5 adjectives to describe the movie: odd, engaging, meloncholy, nauseating, beautiful

the bottom line:

like i said…where does one begin wtih a movie like this? the brief description of the film above does not even begin to do it justice. i would tell you that this is a film for just about everyone…but not a film that is easily watched or easily comprehended. it’s for everone in the sense that there is something there for just about everyone to enjoy or find intriguing…but i can maybe see where what you find that you like can become overshadowed by the sheer oddness.

for me personally, i can draw comparisons to ‘the neverending story‘,’the dark crystal‘, and even the old animated version of ‘lord of the rings‘. it feels like the spirit of of a warped jim henson may’ve wrapped itself into the production…

and while those movies were made mainly for children, there are ceratin adult themes in them that are brought into the mix, which is what still makes it interesting to revist those films today. ‘PL’ takes it a step further with some pretty heavy…but tastefully used…violence, and doesn’t apologize for it one bit. there is one scene that even reminded me of joe pesci’s ‘pen’ scene outburt in ‘casino’…it’s that crazy! but it’s nothing to be turned off by, as it’s tastefully used to make a point rather than to be there for the sake of hurling around a bunch of fake blod and gore.

what makes this film seeing is the rich, beautiful, well-crafted story that guillermo del toro has decided to tell. it’s a simple tale full of all of the wonder and heart that you should have when conceiving and executing an idea like this. you cannot help but be drawn into the film from the very first words of the narrator, and hopelessly hooked by the time the kid is being introduced to her ‘effed-up fairy-tale friends.

i don’t know if i’ve made it clear enough that, in my humble plebtastic movie-goer opinion, there does not exist a genre in which to fit this, nor other films to accurately compare it to. you need to let your inner-kid sit right next to your outer adult and treat your senses to this odd yet extremely (and meticulously) well-crafted film.

children of men

.a.meter – 9/10

the breakdown: 2027, and modern day society is experiencing the rather large problem of being unable to make babies. to make matters worse, the world is in a state of chaos and everyone is killing each other

the apathetic anti-hero (AAH) is contacted by his militant activist ex-wife (MA-EX) for the purpose of acquiring papers for someone she feels is important to transport to a safe place…specifically to a group of mystery people called “the human project”. there’s history there, and so he decides to help out. AAH figures out that the person he has gotten the papers for is actually pregnant, and his hopelessness is replaced by the desire to help her against some rather staggering odds. the movie focuses on three things:

1. AAH’s journey into believing there is still hope for humankind even though all appears to be lost

2. the notion that even though this is set in 2027, it looks like we’re actually currently on our way there.

3. we, humankind, very much take for granted the power of children, and how children represent the potential to carry on all of the things we believe in into the future.

5 adjectives to describe the movie: dreary, hopeful, intense, organic, dystopian

standouts:

clive owen (AAH/theodore faron): probably one of the best dark anti-hero types i’ve seen. you feel sorry for how mundane his life is, and how unmoved by his horrific surroundings he is. he feels numb and gray and hopeless…but when he is given the opportunity to change that outcome, his eyes reflect an intensity and determination to make that happen.

michael caine (jasper palmer): i would have never in a million years been able to peg michael caine as being able to pull of an aging marijuana smoking hippy and make it a believeable experience. he’s funny, he’s smart, he’s kind and a little vile…and he’s someone you desperately want to hang out with and get to know better. he’s the grandpa of the future.

juliann moore (MA-EX/julian taylor) and chiwetel ejiofor (luke…one of taylor’s lieutenants…you’d know him from ‘inside man‘, ‘serenity‘, or the bad guy in ‘four brothers‘) were both good for the roles they were cast as well, nothing to really write home about.

the bottom line:

what a movie…what a great, real, gritty, human piece that shows the power of ‘what if…?’ i very rarely leave a movie feeling overwhelmed and tired (in a good way) by what i’ve just experienced. i also very rarely feel like i go to a movie where i feel like what i’ve just seen is truly a genuine artistic expression. but this movie managed to tie it up on a great package that was all at once filled with a lot to take in, yet concise and to the point. there are no complex messages and meanings here; rather, the story relies on the very simple premise of a world without children…and how that small element could completely change the landscape of life as we know it.

clive owen has consistently played good complex characters that feel like they rely less on dialogue and more on physical posturing. don’t get me wrong; i actually think he’s got a great vocal presence and he delivers lines in a very believable, very well timed way. he feels totally natural but he takes it a step further and puts you inside his character’s bodies. there are a couple of scenes in the movie where the typical hero would normally give you the whole ‘tough guy’ demeanor. instead, we see owen let his character’s non-caring facade fall away by actually breaking down and crying. and it’s not melodramatic…it’s believable, real, something you might expect you’d do if you were in the same situation.

i also appreciated one of the small twists of the film being given up fairly quickly rather than waiting for that huge ‘shocker moment’ of realization that something is awry. it was used to enhance the plot and the overall arc of the story rather than relied upon to make the film. now that i’m thinking about it, there are a lot of moments where some very harsh twists of fate occur…kind of like in life…and that is yet another thing which makes the film believable.

finally… alfonso cuarón is shaping up to be quite a visionary filmmaker. while i haven’t seen a lot of his stuff, i have seen ‘y tu mamá también’, ‘great expectations’ and ‘harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban’…all very unique and well produced experiences. cuarón seems to have a talent for mixing fantasy with reality in a very seamless way…something i appreciate very much because it makes it so much easier for you as a filmgoer to suspend your disbelief. i’ll definitely be looking forward to any future films he directs.

my ONLY beef with the film is ‘kee’, the pregnant girl. i like the character a lot. she is not what you expect her to be. she is essentially a prostitute who has the unfortunate burden of having become the only person on earth who is able to reproduce. ironic…but perhaps a tiny bit heavy handed. but the actor who plays her is young; she appears to be a first-timer. i wanted a less-mechanical portrayal. i wanted her to be just as believable as owen’s character…which is difficult given the experience difference. she did well enough and certainly didn’t detract from the overall quality of the film. she just would have been the icing…you know…the difference between a ‘9’ and a ‘10’.

alpha dog

.a.meter – 7.5/10

the breakdown: wannabe’ white drug dealer gangsta’ twenty-somethings end up kidnapping a 15 year old kid. why? 15 year old kid has a neo-nazi real gangsta’ brother who owes wannabes money. 15 doesn’t want to cause trouble for nazi bro, so he goes along willingly and ends up befriending his kidnappers, leading him to think that he’ll be fine. things go wrong when a) leader of wannabes finds out that he and his crew could spend life in prison for kidnapping and b) nazi bro promises to hunt leader until he’s dead (a promise which seems very likely due to the completely insane nature of nazi bro).  leader has to decide if he’s going to let the kid go and risk him ratting them out, or kill him and only have nazi bro to deal with.

5 adjectives to describe the movie: intense, sad, frustrating, harsh, dumb

standouts:

ben foster (nazi bro/jake mazursky): he steals the show.  hands down the best performance of the film.  sparks up a little comparison to ed norton in american history x.

anton yelchin (15/zack mazursky): manages to capture all of the innocence and good naturedness a smart 15 year old kid with a good upbringing who thinks it’s cool that he’s hanging with the cool guy’s. has no clue he’s the coolest guy.

emile hirsch (wannabe leader/johnny truelove): makes you believe he’s a white wannabe gangsta’ who has watched one too many videos on MTV.  he’s smart enough to make a lot of money by selling drugs to his rich friends and stupid enough to think that it’s a great idea to kidnap someone. the irony of his character is almost unbearable.

justin timberlake (gangsta’ crew/frankie ballenbacher):  not standout, but must be mentioned just because he’s being used so heavily to promote the movie. he’s good for the character…very likeable, a little clueless and ultimately a punk who makes a stupid decision. it feels a little like justin timberlake is playing justin timberlake.

sharon stone (mom/olivia mazursky): she doesn’t do much in the movie until near the end…and then to watch her is absolutely heartbreaking. her odd make-up job draws a little bit away from the overall emotion of the scene, which is shot very close-up…but perfectly executed.

the bottom line: i enjoyed the movie mainly because it’s based pretty closely on a true story (don’t click on that link if you don’t want the outcome of the movie spoiled). some of the acting came as a secondary (pleasant) surprise for me. i gave it a 7.5 because, on some level, it feels a little contrived. the language is extremely coarse…almost to the point of mind-numbing in its stupidity. bruce willis’ ‘dad to the wannabe gangsta’ character probably could have felt more integrated into the story.  as it were, he felt like an afterthought.  he makes the opening statement to the movie, which is some line about ‘parents not doing a good enough job’, but you don’t really get the sense that HE did a bad job…though it’s certainly implied. another thing to note is that ben foster’s acting intensity is so powerful, so believeable, so raw, that he really makes some of the rest of the cast look like amatuers. the heavy-handed use of timberlake’s superstar-power draw is forgiveable because he actually manages to reconcile his character well.

overall…you simply cannot get over how completely senseless the outcome is. you are left reeling at the sheer stupidity and arrogance of all of the characters involved…including the ‘witnesses’.  it’s even more angering in that cassavetes (the director) manages to make you truly care about the kid…makes you want to jump up and scream at everyone who is using him for their ends, but also makes you want to jump up and throttle him for being so damn naieve. finally, if it makes you want to pay a little more attention to your kids life…mission accomplished.