Totally late to the party (and what a shame because I wish I'd seen it on the big screen), but I watched Pan's Labyrinth Friday night and just loved loved loved it. GF liked it a lot, but didn't love it, which was also interesting. What a gorgeous and terrible film. The girl who played Ofelia was incredible. I want to watch it again. I have questions about the second task, but I can't remember what they are. Will be back when I remember.

I too loved the hell out of Pan's Labyrinth. I'm OK with having the ambiguity in my head and as such I haven't made a concious decision about what "really happened." When I watched the Oscars I was pretty upset Pan didn't win Best Foreign Language Film. That is until I saw The Lives of Others (Das Lieben De Anderen iispellc.) Very much worth renting, or if you're very lucky, catching in a local theatre. It's one of those rare films that actually manages to cover new ground while giving you a history lesson.

I saw 28 Weeks Later which really did strike me as the Aliens to the first's Alien in several ways.

I've heard that the real bad guy in 28 Weeks Later is The US goverment. Does that strike you as an accurate assessment? If so I wonder if it's not that different from the first. I recall feeling that the soliders were much scarier than the zombies in 28 Days. But then I'm not sure I've ever seen Aliens. Is that the one that starts out in prison?

Aliens is the recon mission to the original planet, with Ripley along for the ride -- it's the second film in the "series", and arguably the one that earned James Cameron his fame.

Aliens is awesome. You must see it.

Laga, I'm not sure I'd say that, although they're far from being all boy scouts and puppies. The zombies do what zombies do, and it's...twofold? Complicated?

Reno was really a good actor--too bad he only did the two Stallion films.

Actually, no. Reno was a great rider and had a wonderful rapport with his equine costar(s), and a certain likeability onscreen as a child. But he had a difficult stutter, and as he aged out of childhood his onscreen presence had less charm. I think, too, he found film less rewarding than other pursuits and decided not to persist at it.

I do love the films, though: the first one with practically no dialogue for nearly a third of its length was just a magical exploration of the boy and the horse becoming friends and the sense of freedom every child believes s/he'll find away from parental rule. The book was one of my first favorites, and I was dreadfully afraid the movie would spoil its magic for me. It didn't; it merely translated it to the visual. The setting of the farm where Dailey kept his milk horse was idyllic, and those shots among the sun-drenched trees and deep grasses were gorgeous. The relationship Rooney and Reno had onscreen was as close to Henry and Alec as any two people could ever achieve. The midnight trial at the racecourse was exactly as I'd imagined it to be. The only part where the movie failed my mental vision was the race itself.

The second movie was fun only because of the supporting actors: Woody Strode, Vincent Spano, Allen Garfield, Jodi Thelen. And I'll always remember Reno walking among the foals at the end of the film, using 1980s American slang on supposed Arab stock. Pwpppt, pwpppt* babies! Come'ere, you little turkeys!"

(*this being the closest approximation I can spell to kissy noises)

I saw Waitress last night and loved it.

It is a movie you have seen before, but the grace notes strewn here and there were truly lovely. I'm going to have to buy this one, pat its little spine and give it a cozy spot on the shelf with my other favorite little tiny movies.

Reno was a great rider and had a wonderful rapport with his equine costar(s), and a certain likeability onscreen as a child.

I think it was that rapport, not just with the horse(s), but also with both Rooney and Garr that drew me to him. Even that stutter was charming. But, I've only seen the first film, so don't have much to draw on in evaluating Reno's abilities (or not) as an actor.

The character of Tick Tock McGlaughlin (sp?) that William H. Macy played in Seabiscuit was obviously drawn on what appeared to be a familiar character in the 1930s, but when I see Macy in that film, all I can think about is Jim Nevis from The Black Stallion. That midnight time trial was so well filmed, and you're right--it was straight out of the book.