Yesterday (May 15th), Pan’s Labyrinth was released on DVD. I rushed out to go pick it up. Since it was a gorgeous day yesterday, it gave me a reason to get me and my daughter pretty and head out to the city. I went to Best Buy in Chelsea and it was sold out by 6pm. So I made a pit stop at Jamba Juice and proceeded to stroll over to Union Square to Virgin Mega. They were stocked. Picked up the DVD and my day was complete. Picked up dinner and by 9:30p we were sitting in front of the Big Screen TV and began watching this Award Winning Film.
Now let me begin with all the praises this film received from the film critics and press worldwide, because if I don’t then I wouldn’t be giving this film a chance.
Winner of 3 Academy Awards, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Art Direction. Best Picture at the National Society Film Critics. At the Goya Awards, The Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards, they won for Best Cinematography, Editing, Make Up & Hairstyles, New Actress for Ivana Baquero (Ofelia), Original Screenplay, Sound, and Special Effects.
At this point I would believe that everyone has heard or saw the coming attractions for Pan’s Labyrinth. I saw the trailers and heard some reviews from co-workers and average people who’ve felt this film were noteworthy.
I have enjoyed the films that Guillermo del Toro has directed in the past (Blade II, and Hellboy). And I think he is a great director.
Guillermo del Toro written and directed Pan’s Labyrinth. I saw a few minutes of the movie when it was in theaters and I thought that the movie was really interesting. I was also intrigued from the movie trailers that I saw.
I will start by saying I did not think that the movie met my expectations. I expected this grand ol’ movie about fairies and fauns and mystical creatures. Where the costumes and makeup were out-of-this-world!! But… That is not what I saw in this movie.
Don’t get me wrong this movie has some wonderful affects and the costume for the faun and the pale man were SICK! But the storyline is what disappointed me.
I like fantasy movies. So, I was really hyped about getting the DVD ( I didn’t go to the theater to see it, b/c I just had my daughter and didn’t want to ruin the experience for myself and other moviegoers).
The movie has a double storyline. The movie starts out telling you about a Princess from the underworld. The princess becomes curious and goes to the surface, where the brightness from the sun blocked out her memory and she forgets who she is and where she came from. But her father, the king believes that her spirit will one day return to the kingdom.
The story takes place in post-Civil War Spain in 1944. The young girl, Ofelia, is traveling with her very pregnant mother, who is pregnant with Captain Vidal’s child. Ofelia’s new stepfather. Now Captain Vidal, reminds me of Hilter or someone really evil. He has that look about him and he carries himself that way. Per the Captain’s request Ofelia and her mother are to be with the captain at the rural home which is the base for the captain and his troops. The captain is placed in this countryside home because of the Republican rebels that are causing resistance.
Ofelia finds a piece of rock on the road which looks like it belongs to something, it ends up belonging to a stone statue of a face. When Ofelia puts the rock into the face it awakes a bug of some sort. The bug flies away and she later see the same bug at the countryside house. This bug comes into the room that Ofelia and Carmen are sleeping in. The bug transforms into a Fairy and gestures that Ofelia follow it. The Fairy brings Ofelia to the Labyrinth and the Faun appears and explains to Ofelia that she is the spirit of the Princess of the Underworld and that she has to perform 3 tasks before the moon is full in order for her essence to remain true and all the creatures to return to the underworld.
While living at the countryside, there is a bit of conspriacy going on. One of the maids is also a rebel spy. And she gets the doctor who is caring for Carmen to go and check the injured rebels. Captain Vidal finds hints of the rebels and finds antibiotics which he later associates with the doctor.
While these two stories are unraveling, I hoped that there would be more dialogue with the Faun and the Pale Man. A bit more details or more of Ofelia in the Underworld. Unfortunately, del Toro focused on the Captain and the Rebels, I guess to give you more of what was going on in the real world and paint a picture where there was so much dark things going on that you hoped Ofelia would return to the Underworld.
I expected something like the Chronicles of Narina. You know where the movie begins in the present day, and then they end up fighting a battle in Narnia. And at the end they wind up back in the present day. Pan’s Labyrinth does not follow that format. It is heavily based in the darkness of the war and how wicked Captain Videl is. It shows the conspiracy and the risks that the maid goes through to stay true to the rebels.
Overall, if you really want to see this movie, borrow it, rent it, or watch it on Pay-Per-View, but do not buy the DVD. I felt a bit cheated, because it did not fulfill my expectations.
-f@ke
DVD Review: Pan’s Labyrinth May 16, 2007
New Pricing Now In Effect @ US Post Service May 16, 2007
May 14th was the introductory date for the new pricing system for the United States Postal Service. Instead of the 39¢ postal stamp the new cost will now be 41¢. If you have any 39¢ stamps left you would have to add a 2¢ stamp to the envelope. There is a up side to this price increase- You can purchase the Forever Stamp. This stamp cost 41¢, but if there was another price hike this stamp would not be affected. How would they be able to tell the difference? Well, these are postal stamps have a picture of the Liberty Bell. Pictured below.
You should also know that the United States Postal Service has also changed the pricing system for First Class Mail¡®. The new pricing system is the Shape-Based pricing on First Class Mail®. What this means basically means is the packages that you have that are in a different package like a bulky package or in a large envelope will vary widely in pricing. In a nutshell it would cost you more to mail off a bulky package or a large envelope vs. a regular size letter.
-Just a heads up from f@ke
