Ok. So... I know what you're thinking little cinephiles... "I saw this shit circa 9 months ago, Arden. I am over this shit." To which I would reply... Well, my film-obsessed chronic masturbators, first of all Arden's not my real name. Secondly, the main reason I put seeing this film off was because everyone was going "Pan's Labyrinth! Fucking Pan's Labyrinth!" And I was like I am not getting on the del Toro bandwagon from hell for you or ANYBODY! Plus it looked scary. :-( Thirdly, I live in Los Angeles now (loooooong story) and I don't have a car. Do you know what that means? It means lots and lots of Netflix reviews for the blog or none at all. So in the words of Mrs. Hannigan. "We're not having hot mush today." (Orphans cheer) "We're having cold mush."
When it started this movie I thought "Great. Another Very Long Engagement" but it quickly developed into a film that really defies a genre. It's marriage of horror, war film and fantasy is staggering. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how he did it so successfully. The young girl who plays Ofelia is one of those rare child actors who doesn't mug for the camera and steal scenes from adults. So when her safety is threatened I was like "Holy crap do something." The captain is definitely a great villian but he was a little dampened by every one telling me that he was the greatest villian ever.
I think it was more that he was just bad and no one made any excuse for him being bad. He was just an asshole. Like I said in my Spider-Man 3 review, villians in American cinema have to be explained away to the point where directors and writers give every act of violence or cruelty a psychological backstory. I blame Darth Vader.
Anyway, it's pretty blah blah. Very violent movie. Just a heads up to the people who may not be able to stomach that kind of stuff but if you're into fantasy and horror, this is a wet dream.
4 comments:
Dude, people were telling you he was the greatest villain ever? Ever? How much money did Del Toro give them to tell you THAT? Who the hell do you hang OUT with? Good, sure. Best EVER?? Hardly. I think the Toad under the tree stump was more interesting.
dude... i know!
I was so incredibly surprised at how much I loved this. #2 for the year I think I have it.
I think when I said "best villain ever" I meant, "I really like this guy". So just to offer some clarity on my often disproportionate enthusiasm.
"Cowboy and Amelie are the coolest cats ever!" - They're pretty cool, but I only know like 5 cats.
"This is the best sandwich ever!" - It's surprisingly good for a sandwich made with chicken and cream cheese.
"Ratatouille is the best movie about rats cooking food ever!" - well, that one might be true.
Maybe I just need to work on my vocabulary.... Do I sound gay?
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