Pan's Labyrinth crawling thread

[zimbabwe]

Saw this over the weekend. I think it could become an all-time classic. One of the most deeply disturbing and simultaneously beautiful meditations on innocence and evil that I have seen, ever.

And since I've seen no other mention of it, I'll leave my "analysis" at that. Anyone else seen it yet?

Don't take your kids, by the way.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

I've been looking forward to this movie for a LONG time.
Unfortunately, it's STILL not being shown in my podunk town.
Del Toro is pretty good. I was dragged to see Hellboy at the theater and I didn''t have high expectations. Must say I came away pleasantly surprised. It wasn't the greatest movie, but at least it looked sharp.

 

[Dyno]

Sorry, Zim, but I thought it was only OK. I saw it on New Year's Eve with 3 friends who were really excited for it, and the 4 of us walked out disappointed. I liked it, but don't get the raves it's gotten. I typically don't like "scary" movies, but wasn't scared by it at all. I would feel like I missed something, but my friends, who are all into DelToro and were totally up for seeing it, didn't really get it either.

 

[Buck]

I've been looking forward to this movie, and the dumb theater company that orginally didn't send it here is bringing it here this weekend.
Talk about your bad weekends for a movie. I've got a volunteer function Saturday that includes free Bloody Marys — probably not making a movie that day — and Sunday is the Super Bowl.

If you want to check out something from del Toro, skip 'Hellboy' and rent 'The Devil's Bakcbone.'

 

[Gillette237]

I misread the poster and thought I was going to Porn Labyrinth.

Man, was I disappointed.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

I just got back from seeing it...I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. There was some good stuff in there -- it was a feast for the eyes.
Here's what bugs me...how much of the movie was "real" and how much was Ofelia's imagination? The mix of magical fantasy and gritty war drama kind of threw me off.

 

[zimbabwe]

I just got back from seeing it...I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. There was some good stuff in there -- it was a feast for the eyes.
Here's what bugs me...how much of the movie was "real" and how much was Ofelia's imagination? The mix of magical fantasy and gritty war drama kind of threw me off.

I think the blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality was perhaps the point? I.e. an attempt to illustrate how an innocent sensibility processes unbelievable brutality around it?

The ending destroyed me.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

I just got back from seeing it...I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. There was some good stuff in there -- it was a feast for the eyes.
Here's what bugs me...how much of the movie was "real" and how much was Ofelia's imagination? The mix of magical fantasy and gritty war drama kind of threw me off.

I think the blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality was perhaps the point? I.e. an attempt to illustrate how an innocent sensibility processes unbelievable brutality around it?

The ending destroyed me.

Your comments are making me like the movie more....

 

[zimbabwe]

I just got back from seeing it...I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. There was some good stuff in there -- it was a feast for the eyes.
Here's what bugs me...how much of the movie was "real" and how much was Ofelia's imagination? The mix of magical fantasy and gritty war drama kind of threw me off.

I think the blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality was perhaps the point? I.e. an attempt to illustrate how an innocent sensibility processes unbelievable brutality around it?

The ending destroyed me.

Your comments are making me like the movie more....

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic...

I agree that it was hard to tell sometimes if what was happening was "real" or in the mind of Ofelia. There were also numerous parallels between what was ostensibly reality (the war and the adult characters in the movie) and in the labyrinth, i.e. two drops of blood in the milk/two drops of painkiller, or one key to get to the storehouse/one key to unlock the door in the labyrinth, etc.

I guess the movie resonated for me because despite the nebulous distinction between fantasy and reality, it managed in a profound, moving and heartbreaking way to convey what war and loss can be like for a truly innocent person (a child).

And like I said, the ending will haunt me for a long, long time.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

No, I'm being serious. I actually want to see it again, thinking about the points you bring up.
I went in really wanting to like this movie. I had heard good things about it from a couple of people I know with pretty decent taste and I know it did well at Cannes. Maybe it's because it wasn't quite what I expected is what threw me off.

 

[Buck]

Very good movie. We saw it Sunday and really enjoyed it.
In retrospect, I don't care for the transaltion of the title, but it was very good.

 

[estellathesillyrabbit]

This was a wonderful movie, but I cried so hard at the end of it. To be honest, from what I had read of it online, I was expecting something a little different.