Pans Labyrinth @ MindSay

• I've been without a car since last Wednesday and I have to say even though it sucks not being able to get up and go when I want, the husband has been very kind and understanding about carting me around.  I dare say he may kinda like it. :P He didn't mind having to take me back and forth to my church job and he didn't mind playing taxi when he had to take our daughter to the birthday party she was invited to.

 

• Since my little one spent the night at my sister's house this weekend, the husband decided to rent Pan's Labyrinth.  I have to say it was absolutely beautiful and tragic.  I loved this movie!  This was no children's movie. Although, it has fairytale characters and a features a child as the main character, the adult themes and violence makes it a film that is for mature audiences.  Set in war-torn Spain during the 1940's, it is the story about a young girl named Ofelia who shuts out the horrible world around her by escaping into a fairytale world.  The dialogue is in Spanish with English subtitles.  I highly recommend this movie. Be warned, you may need a box of tissues.

 

• Pan's Labyrinth got me thinking about why I personally believe in God, or a higher power.  People are such disappointing fucks. On a daily basis people disappoint each other or let each other down, yet we are all we have in this world.  I believe we sort each other the by the level of disappointment we are willing to take from each other.  Those who we feel we can forgive we keep around and  the others we judge as enemies or not worth our time. There are even some people in this world who we know will eventually screw us over, but for some reason we hope and pray that they will find us worthy enough. We hold them on some pedestal and allow them to define how we feel about ourselves.

Call me pessimistic, but this is precisly why I refuse to believe we are the pinnacle of life on the planet or in the Universe. There has to be something better out there.  It's hard to explain, but my interest in astrophysics strengthened my belief in a greater or higher power. Man is so flawed. The universe is so vast and so mysterious, yet so beautiful. If Man is all we have to rely on then what would be the point of going on? (Damn, I'm rambling!)

 

• Speaking of disappointing. I'm soooo not interested in watching the American Idol finale.  If it were between Jordin and Melinda I would be glued to the television set.  That would be a great showdown. This Blake and Jordin finale will be about as riveting as watching paint dry.

A dark fairy tale for adults (and not like that porno version of Cinderella, you pervs!) about a young girl who's imaginary world is almost as scary as her real one. The visuals in this movie are beyond fantastic and the story really hooks you from the beginning. This may be Guillermo del Toro's most impressive work.

Zhang Yimou (director of House of Flying Daggers) gets all Shakespearean on our asses with this tale of a royal family with way too many deadly secrets. The adultery, plotting and overall soap opera-like melodrama is deftly counterbalanced by some really kickass martial arts action.

A big freaking monster attacks Korea! What more do you need to know?

Pedro Almodovar makes chick flicks but unlike the chick flicks we are used to in America, where the main thrust is on a woman finding her Prince Charming, Almodovar's films are all about the woman finding her way out of whatever wacked out situations she has thrown at her by the director. To his credit, Almodovar has thrown everything and the kitchen sink at Penelope Cruz in Volver and she handles it remarkably. This is quite possibly the best performance I have ever seen from the Spanish actress and a sure indication that she'd be better served sticking to films produced in her native country as opposed to the crap she ends up doing when she travels to Hollywood.

Mel Gibson may be an anti-semitic boozehound but he sure knows how to make memorable films and this bloody little number is no exception. Gibson basically camouflaged an old fashioned revenge flick under layers of art-house, award show friendly tricks. It may looks like something highbrow but make no mistake, Apocalypto is DEATHWISH set in the Mayan jungles. And that is definitely not a bad thing.