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Author Topic: Pan's Labyrinth Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-21-2007 01:23 PM                     This is a great movie, and it should not be missed by anyone who loves cinema. An A+ movie. This is an adult fairy tale. It is gruesome, shocking and extremely (yes, EXTREMELY) violent. It is also sweet, tender and sad. Special effects are perfectly integrated into this film...anything less would have destroyed the mood. Some of the best effects I've ever seen in a film. Acting is outstanding. Note that this is a subtitled movie, which may bother some people. This is NOT a film for young children. It will terrify them more than Bambi did my generation (those of you old enough to remember will know what I'm talking about.) This film has one of the best 5.1 sound mixes I've ever heard. A lot of care went into this mix. Sound is clear and precise, with some beautiful use of surrounds. This film also demands a good sub system, not for the explosions, but for some of the texture of the film. It really needs to be seen in a well setup theatre. Do not settle for a non-digital presentation...the split surrounds are essential. Greco scale rating of zero...no hot chicks. [ 01-29-2007, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: Aaron Sisemore ]  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 01-21-2007 02:21 PM                     I managed to catch the last screening of this on Thursday, and pretty much agree with Mark. I'd never heard of it until I ran the trailer the week before Christmas. I heard it in SR; I'm hoping we get it back, the Thursday screening was an almost full house so we may well get it again in March, it's not in the February program. If we do bring it back in March it may run in digital, the projector's being installed on February 15th, in which case we will have the full version of the soundtrack. It is very violent, much more so than the trailer would lead you to think, and it's very realistic violence. There was a point near the end of the film where I actually felt quite ill, and had to close my eyes for a few seconds and take a deep breath. From the reactions of the audience I wasn't the only one. It's a BBFC 15 certificate, and I'm not surprised, it's pretty strong stuff. Intrestingly, the American title, 'Pan's Labyrinth', was used in the UK, rather than the original 'El Laberinto del Fauno'. We tend to get either the original foreign title, or an accurate English translation, or both. About one-third of the films I watch are subtitled, so this isn't unusual for me. I have to say that I prefer it when the language is simple enough that I can understand it without having to read the subtitles, but my Spanish is nowhere near good enough for that. Maybe I need another trip to New Jersey, I pick up a little whenever I'm there. I've seen several French films recently where I managed to understand large parts of them without needing the subtitles: 'Innocence', one of the strangest films I've ever seen, though I found it neither erotic nor pornographic, as some have claimed it to be. I could understand most of this. 'Angel A', or was it 'AngelA'? and 'La Tourneuse de pages', where I could understand about half the film without the subtitles. I also managed to remember enough Russian to understand quite a lot of 'Everything is Illuminated'. I've always found learning languages very difficult, but I find that just picking them up by hearing them, Spanish in New Jersey, Russian in Russia and Brooklyn etc. is actually easier than trying to learn them in a formal way. Perhaps a good reason to watch more foreign films.  |  IP: Logged John Koutsoumis Master Film Handler Posts: 261 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 01-25-2007 07:38 PM                     Did this really have to be so violent. I am glad though that it's something different and it's way better and far superior than what Hollywood is currently churning out. I just wish it had more of the fantasy elements in the story. Ivana Baquero who play's the young Ofelia and the Pan character (played by Doug Jones) is what made the film worthwhile. 4 out 5 for the Fantasy scenes. 2 out of 5 overall.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 01-26-2007 07:33 AM                         |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-27-2007 12:57 AM                    Were the special effects good? I couldn't tell because I was READING THE MOVIE!!! GOD I hate subtitles....  |  IP: Logged John Koutsoumis Master Film Handler Posts: 261 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 01-28-2007 10:38 PM                     Frank, you must be a slow reader. Yes the special effects are very good (were you being sarcastic?). The subtitles are really basic. Better that than bad English dubbing.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 01-29-2007 07:39 PM                     When we pre-screened this title, we found out that our R7 had no subtitles! We had a replacement reel on the print with 15 minutes to spare before its first show. It sold out several times, and is now in our largest house in Dolby! We've given a few passes to patrons that dont want to read their films, too, but its only been a very few.  |  IP: Logged Kelly Arciniaco Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Brick, NJ, USA Registered: Nov 2006 posted 01-30-2007 01:25 PM                     This was a limited release, right? Does anyone know if they're expanding it? Probably not since it's a foreign movie. Some of my friends wanted to know where it was playing, but I have no idea.  |  IP: Logged Mike Schindler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1039 From: Oak Park, IL, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-30-2007 02:04 PM                     Am I the only person who didn't like this movie? The fantasy stuff was okay, but few and far between. The reality stuff was boring. I couldn't care less about fairy tales. And I hated how the movie looked. HATED! Del Toro is generally awesome. BLADE II kicks a whole lot of ass. But PAN'S LABYRINTH disappointed me quite a bit.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 02-02-2007 05:24 PM                        quote: John Koutsoumis The subtitles are really basic. Better that than bad English dubbing. I read somewhere that Del Toro translated it while editing ... seeing he wrote/directed the film & is fluent in Spanish and English, that allows for a translation that gets at the meaning of the dialog, rather than a strict literal translation, which can sometimes be tiresome to get through. quote: Stephen Furley but my Spanish is nowhere near good enough for that. Maybe I need another trip to New Jersey 40's "Spain" Spanish v. modern "Jersey" Spanish ... you might have had to have read the subtitles anyway. quote: Kelly Arciniaco Does anyone know if they're expanding it? It's up for a bunch of Oscars ... it'll expand, no worries.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-02-2007 11:42 PM                        Definitely not for children! I liked it, though, and can recommend it, except to those who might be a bit squeemish (sp?) about the violence. Agreed about the sound mix; I saw it in SR and thought that it sounded great. The CGI scenes looked quite good.  |  IP: Logged Edwin Sheldon Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Mobile, AL, USA Registered: Sep 2006 posted 02-08-2007 01:26 PM                     I didn't think the movie was all that violent. Sure, it was violent, but the reviews make it sound like a gorefest. It was just a slightly violent fairy tale for adults. I had a lot of trouble with the Spanish...particularly the faun's archaic grammar.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-09-2007 01:29 AM                        I am not a fan of violence and I get more wussy about it as I get older -- not sure why. ESPECIALLY when it is gratuitous. So how does it stack up against the benchmark of gratuitous violence, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST? Or as we can now quantify it, thanks to Mr. Gibson, the SPM reading (scourges per minute)?  |  IP: Logged Mike Schindler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1039 From: Oak Park, IL, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-09-2007 01:36 AM                     Frank, there's no comparison to THE PASSION. I agree with Edwin. People are only mentioning the violence as a warning to parents not to take their kids. But it's not nearly as violent as a lot of horror flicks. I think you'd be fine.  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 02-09-2007 07:26 AM                     Frank, the violence is necessary and important in this film. It is not overdone or gratuitous.  |  IP: Logged

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