Pan's Labyrinth

Rated R for: graphic violence and some language
Running Time: 1 hr., 52 min.
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones

Special warning: Despite the fact that the film is a fantasy, it is definitely not for children.

Rating: Three and a half stars [out of four]

In Spanish with English subtitles


Director Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" sucks you into its very detailed world from the very opening shot, and never lets you go for the entire running time. It takes you into a world of fantasy, while never letting you forget the reality that hangs just on the fringe of imagination.

"Pan's" is one of those small foreign films that has been hard to find since its December 29th U.S. release, but fortunately for those of us not living within fifty miles of an arthouse theatre, it has finally been released wide.

The year is 1944. The place is post-Civil War northern Spain. When we start the film, little Ofelia [Ivana Baquero] is being whisked away by her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather far away from civilization. Her stepfather, Captain Vidal [Sergi López], has been sent to this remote area to hide from the Republican militia, who wants him head.

Ofelia is told early on by her mother that she is to call the Captain "father," but Ofelia wants none of it. As we soon find out, Vidal is a sadistic, evil and abusive man, and Ofelia finds herself lost in a dark world with no hope of escape.

One night Ofelia finds herself wandering into a nearby labyrinth, where the world of reality starts to quickly fade away, replaced by a bizarre world straight out of a fairy tale.

Deep within the labyrinth, she meets a strange creature called a faun [played by Doug Jones] who tells her that she is actually a princess in "the Underworld," and can return, but first must prove that she is worthy by carrying out three tasks. Once she does this, he promises, she can stay in the Underworld forever, as the princess she is supposed to be.

From this point on, the movie balances two narratives- the stark, cold reality of the world around Ofelia, and the magical world of breathtaking and sometimes horrifying creatures that may or may not all be in her head.






Visually, "Pan's Labyrinth" is an absolutely beautiful journey into the deepest parts of the imagination. Del Toro creates a world that is a visual feast, and you'll find yourself just as far down the rabbit hole [to quote a very famous fantasy] as Ofelia. It's a wonder to behold.

The movie explores the sharp contrast between the unforgiving reality of the world, where absolutely anything can happen, good or bad, and the world of fantasy, where nothing can truly hurt you. It's an interesting concept, and is even more sobering seen through the eyes of a ten year old girl trying to escape a horrible life that seems to have no hope.

Thought-provoking, heartbreaking and beautiful, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a fantasy film for adults, a sort of "Alice In Wonderland" that explores the line where childhood fantasy ends, and reality begins. Don't miss it.

Children Of Men

Rated R for: strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity.
Running Time: 1 hr., 54 min.
Starring: Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Julianne Moore

Rating: Three and a half stars [out of four]


The year is 2027, and there are no babies. As of 2009, for some inexplicable reason, all the women of earth are infertile. The world has been ravaged by war, and Great Britain is the only nation still in existence. The world's youngest person is eighteen years old, and the human race is doomed to extinction.

This is the world that is set up for us right from the start of the new film Children Of Men. We're not treated to flashbacks or long set-ups that take place in the past, but are instead thrown right into the middle of the action.

Clive Owen [Sin City, Closer] plays Theodore Faron, a businessman who is still scarred from the death of his young son twenty years previously. He is swept out of his normal life and into a dangerous mission when he is kidnapped by a group of rebellious radicals, including his ex-wife, Julian [Julianne Moore.]

They offer him £5,000 in exchange for his assistance in getting Kee [relative newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey] to safety. For, you see, Kee is pregnant, and quite possibly the only hope the human race has to survive.

The group believes [and probably rightfully so] that if they went public with the revelation of Kee's pregnancy that she and the baby would be killed, for various political reasons. Their only hope is to get her to the coast, where a mysterious group of scientists who are part of "The Human Project" await with open arms, hoping against hope that Kee and her baby will be the key to the cure the world has been waiting for.

Michael Caine humorously plays Jasper, an eccentric friend of Theodore's who adds bits of nice comic relief to the proceedings and helps the group along their way.

The film itself is a masterwork of beauty among chaos. Alfonso Cuarón directs wonderfully here, and does a terrific job at creating a fully believable dystopian future. The atmosphere is jarring, and the visuals are, at times, quite stunning.

There are two action sequences in the film [that I can recall] that are [or appear to be] filmed entirely in one take. It's hard not to step back from the film and really take in the spectacle, because these scenes are really amazing, and help to create an unflinching reality that never lets you forget just how dire the situation is.





Children Of Men, as do just about all dystopian films and novels, owes alot to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Indeed, it's hard to watch any dystopian film without seeing blaring similarities. Children Of Men manages to be influenced while still feeling fresh and new. Despite the similarites, it doesn't feel like a rehash of that famous novel.

Overall, Children Of Men is, at its heart, a suspense film. It doesn't shy away from social commentary, though, especially about illegal immigration. Though the plot may be a bit sparse, there is still plenty to sink your teeth into and really think about here.

After all is said and done, the film ultimately deals with hope. The hope that a world ripped to shreds, and the human race itself, can pull out of their tailspin and manage to survive. Like the best films, you really connect with the spirit of the characters and identify with their struggle, which keeps the film grounded among the somewhat outlandish premise. Children Of Men is suspenseful, uplifting, funny and throughly enjoyable. Don't miss it.