Watched Children of Men tonight. I quite enjoyed it, more than the friend I went with did. Clive was marvellous, the actress playing Kee was too, and the rapport sparkled in an offhand way. I felt the hand of the director quite clearly, but it didn't bother me.

Jessica said upthread that it was violent, but not gory. I found it gory--starting with the shot of the woman outside the bombed cafe holding her detached left arm in her right hand. And we got to see victims of violence moaning and bleeding and reaching out through much of the last third or so.

I definitely liked Pan's Labyrinth more than Children of Men, but then again, I took a class on German fairy tales, and so I loved how strongly it evoked the classic fairy tale tropes. I never knew how much I wanted a "fairy tale for adults" until I got one. I was a little disappointed, I must say, that the fantasy/Spanish Civil War ratio was so lopsided. I loved the fantasy stuff so much, I wanted to see much more of it, although the main plot was compelling in its own right.

Regarding the above discussion, I was really wanting the fantasy to be real for most of the movie, but to me, the end seemed to say that it wasn't, both because the Captain didn't see the faun and because the resolution to the Tale was so completely ridiculously la la la everyone is happy that of COURSE Ofelia would imagine that when she died, as it's her version of heaven, her final escape. But I like the idea that it's real more as it's easier and happier. I was also pondering from the opening narration the idea that the fantasy world was the real one, and the real world was just the Princess's nightmare.

I also saw the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, which is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. But it's also really damn funny.

Saw Pan's Labyrinth last night. Regarding the above discussion, there were three bits that I thought were difficult to explain without magic. 1) The mother getting better after the mandrake is put under the bed, and then getting sick right after it's thrown into the fire (could have been coincidence, but still...); 2) The labyrinth walls opening; and 3) Her escaping from her locked room to get to the Captain's room.

Off to read the interview....

del Toro is quite the pottymouth!

I found it gory--starting with the shot of the woman

True. I guess because the camera's always moving, I never felt that we lingered on any of those long enough to ping my gore-o-meter.

del Toro is quite the pottymouth!

I know, isn't he great?

I had an amazon gift certificate. I pre-ordered The Prestige and added Little Miss Sunshine. Since I bundled them together I won't get them until February 20th. I hate waiting for the one, but I be cheap. Ah, well. When they do get here I will wallow in movies.

Pan's Labyrinth question: how did Ofelia know which door to pick?

I like Pan's Labyrinth a lorra a lot but the politicking really pulled it down for me. It's a pretty inane move to draw connective lines between the modern day right wing and the Nationalists in Spain because they were also right wing and then to represent the Nationalists with self-loathing, child-murdering, apolitical-peasant's-face smashing, opulent-dinner enjoying, the-most-sympathetic-adult-character almost-torturing monsters. That don't like women.

I'm with Del Toro on the not-cool way horror and such is sneered at, and while God knows what I'm about to say doesn't factor in what most of the sneerers think, I do think that you're opening yourself to charges of simplistic thinking when you draw equivalencies between deformed, fairy-eating monsters and people in real-world political contexts.

What connective lines did you see? I totally didn't get that vibe.

P-C: Do you mean the tiny door she put the key in to get the knife? I thought she tried the middle one and it didn't work, so she tried the left one.

Also on PL, Does anyone have a non-magical explanation as to how Ofelia got out of her locked room?

Jon, that's what I meant, yeah, but that seems too easy. What's the point of having a choice if you can just try and see which one works? In those situations, choosing the wrong door would cause some sort of harm. I don't think she even turned the key in the door the fairies pointed her to; she was about to, and then she just decided it was the left one. I wasn't sure what made her do that. Del Toro says that choice is a strong theme, so this is an important scene. Maybe it's the very fact that she chose for herself rather than following what the fairies and the book said.