Pan's Labyrinth

I went to this movie expecting a slightly dark fantasy flick. You know, like The Neverending Story meets The Dark Crystal. What I got was Irreversible. I have seen snuff films with less violence.

The movie takes place in 1944 in fascist Spain. The movie's main character, an imaginative little girl named Ofelia, is the step-daughter of a very cruel army captain. The movie starts with Ofelia and her pregnant mother moving onto the Captain's post, which is located in a dreamy, unnamed, deciduous forest in the Spanish countryside. While wandering in the forest, Ofelia encounters a fairy, who leads her into a fantastic world of faun's, ogres, and secrets. In between Ofelia's encounters with the fantasy world (which are surprisingly few and far between) her mother is falling ill, and her mercilessly cruel stepfather is trying to quash the guerrilla warfare in the countryside by using the most brutal of practices.

I walked out of the theatre thinking I had just seen one and half movies. The stepfather gets more screen-time than the main character, and almost all of his scenes involve intense violence. This movie focused more on the harshness of warfare rather than cherishing of wonderment. I felt like I saw a whole war movie, than half of a dark fantasy movie.

I guess the key to enjoying this movie is knowing what to expect. It is well written, directed, and had excellent acting. However, it is more of a war movie than a fantasy film. It is not, repeat NOT, a film for kids. In fact, anyone, at any age, who has a weak stomach should stay away from this film. But if you like good film-making, and you don't cringe at violence not unlike the worst scenes from Saw, then knock yourself out. Oh, and surprisingly, most people where unaware that the movie foreign, so it has subtitles. Now you know.

Happy n00b Year

One of my promises to myself is to keep up with my writing. That means actually paying attention to this thing. It’s 5 P.M. on New Year’s Day, and I’m still in my pjs. I’ve spent most of the day watching the DVDs that I got for Christmas. The holidays were great, as usual. Here some of the stuff I hauled in:

This was one of my family's favorite shows. It appealed to everyone in our family.

Josh got this for me. I asked for it specifically. I made the most delicious sweet and sour meat balls with it.

Of course.

Another gift from Josh. My old one had a couple different species of mold.

A sappy but hilarious show.

Naturally.

I’ve got about 100 hours of DVD watching to catch up on.

I’m planning on moving in a month and I haven’t even found a place. I’m not that worried though because I know deep down I won’t be homeless.

I saw my best friend Oliver over the weekend. He invited me to this family party at his parents’ house. His sister just had her first baby, and this party was sort of like a big baby unveiling. His sister’s friends brought over their babies as well, and at one point we had a baby pile. It was a little mountain of adorable. Then they all started crying, kind of how neighborhood dogs set each other off. I was then reminded of how quiet (and equally adorable) cats are.

As far as 2006 is concerned, it was a year that evened itself out. The first half of the year wasn’t that great. My best friend left town, I couldn’t find a job, and my current job was getting on my nerves. But then I got a new job, and I’m still in touch with him. I feel like this year is the first year for the rest of my life. Or some such bullshit.