Winter 2007
300
There are a lot of really cool things about 300. First, like Frank Miller's other graphic novel turned movie Sin City, every shot of moive looks like it could be screen captured and pasted right into a comic book. Second, the movie (and the graphic novel) are based on actual events, namely the Battle of Thermopylae. Third, by means of narrative the movie can get away with depicting mythological embellishment without straying too far from the realm of possibility, preserving both the history and the myth, though certainly leaning toward the latter.
So, for those reasons and others, the movie was cool. Not only cinematically beautiful in ways that reminded me of The Cell, it spoke to themes of glory, honor, and fighting for freedom. It was intensely violent and gory, but even the blood splatters and severed limbs flew through the air in acrobatic arcs in slow motion. Time compression effects played heavily throughout, acentuating every moment of action and allowing the effects and choreography to be savored.
Digital film effects were used on everything uniformly to more easily composite the cgi. Rendered backdrops were used extensively as set pieces and actors were digitally cloned. The end result still looked great, but felt a bit low budget. Acting was a bit overblown, which I credit to direction, but it fit the larger-than-life feel well enough to be forgiven. I really enjoyed the movie, and while it didn't move me as much emotionally as it might have, it was still a feast for the eyes.
Pan's Labyrinth
Let me start out by saying this movie is really good, and I recommend seeing it. It wasn't amazing, it wasn't particularly enthralling, and it didn't introduce much in the way of new ideas, but as fairy tale movies that are not for children go, this was really good. There is no mistake; it is definitely not intended for children, as the gruesome details and indeed gore are very evident. The movie is subtitled as well, as if there were any doubt.
Following a captain among the fascists in control of Spain during World War II, the story centers on a young girl brought with her mother to a mill that serves as a base for the captain and a detachment of men fighting rebels in the woods. Against this backdrop, the girl explores the old labyrinth adjacent to the mill where she meets a faun that tells her she can escape the evil captain and her dreary life if she completes three tasks for him. These tasks blend the real world she lives in with the fantasy world that we aren't quite sure is truly magical or just her imagination. The movie leaves this up to us to decide, essentially giving us two endings to choose from.
The characters are well acted, and despite being somewhat wooden, the girl does well. The captain is truly badass, and in one moment (if you see it you'll know which one) you gain a definite respect for him, despite his brutality and single-minded arrogance. The villains are still fairly one-dimensional, and like most fairy tales the story lacks much depth. Still, I enjoyed it and if you aren't squeamish about gore and graphic violence, you probably will too.