Film Rec's
Crawling from my cave for Oscar season, I've seen two incredible movies lately that are both 'genre.' They each just won multiple BAFTAs, and this reminded me that I hadn't reviewed them yet. I won't go into full, spoilery reviews here, but I have to give these a recommendation.
Children of Men. It's sf and set in a near-future world where the human race has lost the ability to have children. The story is compelling, the ending ambiguous, and the acting is wonderful. Special treat? Michael Caine as an elderly 60s pothead type - gotta love it. Clive Owen also does a wonderful job as the protagonist. Issues dealt with - racism, totalitarian governments, terrorism. It's a sharp look at issues plaguing our world today. Warning: there's violence in the form of gun fights, explosions, etc - at times you feel as if you're in a war zone (Iraq, anyone?).
Pan's Labyrinth. Dark fantasy the way the original fairy tales were before Disney got its hands on them. Set in Spain during the end of WWII, it's nominally about the fight between freedom-fighters and the fascist government. But it is, of course, much more than that. The protagonist is a little girl who appears to be able to see into a fantasy world that none of the adults around her can perceive. Beautiful acting, wonderful directing, inventive special effects (which also don't overwhelm the story, but support it nicely), and brilliant storytelling - this is one that writers should definitely see for the storytelling alone. Also, it deserves to be seen on the big screen. Warning: more violence, and violence of a more personal nature; also it's subtitled.
But you don't have to take my word for it. See a compilation of what over 100 critics think:
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
If you have time for only one, I suggest Pan's Labyrinth.
Children of Men. It's sf and set in a near-future world where the human race has lost the ability to have children. The story is compelling, the ending ambiguous, and the acting is wonderful. Special treat? Michael Caine as an elderly 60s pothead type - gotta love it. Clive Owen also does a wonderful job as the protagonist. Issues dealt with - racism, totalitarian governments, terrorism. It's a sharp look at issues plaguing our world today. Warning: there's violence in the form of gun fights, explosions, etc - at times you feel as if you're in a war zone (Iraq, anyone?).
Pan's Labyrinth. Dark fantasy the way the original fairy tales were before Disney got its hands on them. Set in Spain during the end of WWII, it's nominally about the fight between freedom-fighters and the fascist government. But it is, of course, much more than that. The protagonist is a little girl who appears to be able to see into a fantasy world that none of the adults around her can perceive. Beautiful acting, wonderful directing, inventive special effects (which also don't overwhelm the story, but support it nicely), and brilliant storytelling - this is one that writers should definitely see for the storytelling alone. Also, it deserves to be seen on the big screen. Warning: more violence, and violence of a more personal nature; also it's subtitled.
But you don't have to take my word for it. See a compilation of what over 100 critics think:
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
If you have time for only one, I suggest Pan's Labyrinth.