Pans Labyrunth Movie Review

The Meaning of Simplicity
Pans Labyrinth is the epitome of a dark fantasy movie. Fauns, fairies and giant toads, oh my! The Spaniards have finally broken through with this one. The film attracts individuals, of all ages, looking for an adaptation that relates to modern preferences and a strong fantasy showing. The movie is so simple by nature that the key themes are almost overlooked, only if looking in the right spots will they be found.
Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is a young girl who is very intrigued by fantasy stories. During the Spanish Civil War, her father is killed, and her mother has married Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Captain Vidal is stationed in the woods where he has trapped the Rebels. He demands that Ofelia and her mother come to where he is, so he can witness the birth of his son. But the Rebels have retreated to the hills, and the Fascists struggle to corner and trap them. Even though their supplies are cut off by the Fascists, they receive some with a little inside help. Little does he know that inside help comes from his personal assistant, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), and the doctor. One day Ofelia stumbles upon a magical labyrinth where a faun resides. The faun calls her princess Moana. He tells her of an underground kingdom, and gives her the book of Crossroads and tells her that in order to reach to kingdom she must complete three tasks before the full moon. She must hurry and complete these tasks before time runs out or she may never reach the end of her fairytale and be immortalized in the Underground Kingdom.
Director Guillermo del Toro does a wonderful job at hiding the many themes in what he calls a simple film. There is the usual fantasy theme such as the use of three. Then there is a complicated one such as the progression/maturity process of a female. Del Toro doesn’t put it in your face you have to find it. For example the shape of the tree which the toad lived in, the fauns head and the scene where the book of crossroads turns all bloody and resemble a similar shape. The shape happens to be the uterus, the sign of a woman. Foreshadowing is also hidden throughout the movie. Mercedes tells Ofelia not to trust a faun, yet she goes and disobeys. The figure of the faun is all over the screen, the head rest on the bed, and on hall banister. Del Toro makes what seems like a simple movie from the outside very complicated and intricate on the inside.
Not only do the themes shed light on the film, but the mood and music do too. The lighting is very different in the many scenes. Notice how whenever the mood is somber and usually involves Ofelia the weather is always sunny, and there are no shadows, but whenever there is a hint of darkness or evil, the lighting starts to go dark and shadows form. That soft lullaby is also very important in the movie. The lullaby is played often when the mood is very sad, and something terrible has happened. Del Toro skillfully hides all the secrets to his movie in the places that often go overlooked.
Del Toro seems to enjoy hiding his themes and mood where only the keenest of eyes could point them out. Del Toro gives Pans Labyrinth simplicity that relates to most fantasy movies, but the viewer has to really look deep to uncover the movies secret meanings.

Plot Summary for Pans Labyrinth

Ofelia is a young girl who is very intrigued by fantasy stories. During the Spanish Civil War, her father is killed, and her mother (Carmen) has married Captain Vidal. Captain Vidal is stationed in the forest where he has trapped the rebels. He demands that Ofelia and her mother come to where he is, so he can witness the birth of his son. But the Rebels have retreated to the hills, and the fascists struggle to corner and trap them. Even though their supplies are cut off by the Fascists, they are receive some with a little inside help. One day Ofelia stumbles upon a magical labyrinth where a faun resides. The faun calls her princess Moana. He tells her of an underground kingdom, and gives her the book of Crossroads and tells her that in order to reach to kingdom she must complete three tasks before the full moon. She must hurry and complete these tasks before time runs out, or she may never reach the end of her fairytale.

Dozens Project

12. Dune- In the year 10191, two families are fighting over a spice (melange), and control over the planet Arrakis. One man fighting for power decided to throw the families against each other so he could sneak in and take control. He tried getting the offspring of the two families to mate and provide a “superhuman” that would tarnish the families’ bloodlines. Unknowingly, the offspring that came from this strategy resulted in the birth of the messiah. I had always been intrigued by this movie/novel since 5^th grade, when I wanted to do my book reports on it, but soon realized it was too long. The book cover was deceiving, because it portrayed this man fighting a giant worm. I guess that is why they say don’t judge a book by its cover. The movie did have some worm sightings but it mainly focused on the messiah and his escape from execution. I might not have fully understood the movie, but it did have some characteristics to get on this list.

11. Tremors- When I was younger Tremor was a scary movie for me. Those giant, ugly worms that would pop out of the ground and eat humans would cause any young child a scare. This movie brings an element of surprise because the viewer never knows when the worms will attack. The movie is a little repetitive and predictable but even so those worms are scary once they pop up.

10. Lord of the Rings- These movies, based on the novels by JR Tolkien, have blossomed into one of the most successful trilogies ever made. Lord of the Rings brings together fantasy and adventure, as hobbits have to travel to Mordor to destroy the all powerful ring. The movies run very long (3+ hours), but this is for good reason. By making the movies longer than usual, the films were able to incorporate more information from the novels, that otherwise would’ve been left out. The Series does a good job relaying the excitement, suspense, and surprise that the novels showed.

9. Terminator- Who doesn’t love Arnold and his corny lines that never seem to be forgotten? "I’ll be back" has become a staple, and it seems every movie he stars in features that line. Terminator is a movie where a killer machine disguised as a human (a terminator) comes back from the future to destroy the leader of the rebel army before the leader is ever born.  The terminator spends most of the movie riding around on a motorcycle, with his heavy artillery, searching out John Conner, so he can end the rebel movement before it ever starts.

8. Back to the Future- This movie is an all time favorite and classic to not only me but also my dad. The movie stars Michael J. Fox as the young Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Doc Brown has created a time machine where he and Marty go back in time. While there they make some changes in the past which unknowing creates a disturbance in the future. Both characters offer comedic moments as they try to fix the flux capacitor and find ways to get back to the present. Even today, twenty years after being made, the movie still attracts viewers among all ages, and all the major networks show it when they get a chance. 

7. X-Men- The X-Men series is a great example of a cartoon that made it to the big screen successfully. X-Men tells the story of Charles Xavier, who runs an academy for mutants, outcasts of today’s society. The mutants are hated by society yet they also fight their own kind. The film was able to put together a star studded cast that effectively portrayed the mutant heroes (Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Halle Berry to name a few). Wolverine is as edgy and hairy as the original Wolverine, and Cyclops is still the leader who lacks the confidence to profess his love for Jean Grey. X-Men is an exciting action movie that needs to be watched. The good news is that the movies keep coming. A cartoon/comic fan would be pleased with the way the movies have come out.

6. E.T. - E.T. is everyone’s favorite alien. He’s ugly yet adorable at the same time. In a time where most alien movies had kids hiding under their covers and having nightmares for weeks, E.T. had kids asking their parents to re-rent the movie. As a child I was one of those kids, before I got the movie for Christmas, I constantly begged by parents to rent it every Friday night. No child from the 90’s will ever forget E.T and his line “E.T. phone home”. The lack of air time E.T. receives in today’s time is shocking to me. E.T. is a full head and shoulders above the children movies that plague the screens today. The movie was able to add a real life component by having real humans instead of today’s movies where it seems to be all cartoon centered. The movie is an all time great children’s movie, and it is a shame how television has just thrown it aside.  

5. Transformers- Transformers is another example of a cartoon turned into a successful trilogy. I would watch Transformers every time it was on. Saturday was cartoon day for me. Transformers the movie brings Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots to the big screen where they fight Megatron and the Decepticons. Then to add to all the excitement, they add Megan Fox to the cast. So when you’re not watching the robots, there is a second option.  

4. Matrix- The Matrix trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies of all time. The series can be very confusing to many, especially if they don’t understand the concept of the digital world as reality. The matrix is a world where the creator rules all. Every object can be seen, but in reality it isn’t there. The only reason it appears is because the mind believes that the object is there. Keanu Reeves might not be that great of an actor, but he and Mr. Smith made one of the best rivalries in movie history. It was inevitable that this movie appear on this list.  

3. Men in Black- One of the few comedies on this list, Men in Black relays the concept of alien life forms living on Earth undercover as regular human beings. Just imagine every bug is an alien, and the guy who delivers your papers could have six arms. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones provide the comedic aspect to the movie as they go along blasting and capturing the bad aliens. Smith (J) is the impatient one who loves to use his gun, and Jones (K) is the stern one who is famous for his one line responses. If you want to see MIB III you‘re going to have to wait, because it doesn’t come out until 2012.

2. Harry Potter- This series has taken the popular book series and turned it into real life adaptation of teenage life. The movie is directed toward a teen audience and the director makes the movie relevant to today’s teenagers. Ignoring the magical world of wizardry the movie incorporates the everyday problems that teenagers go through on an everyday basis like school, relationships, and the different personality’s people can have. Harry is the jock whom everyone is envious of, Ron is the reliable wingman, and Hermione is the nerd who spends her time engulfed in the library or a book. The magic is used to create a fantasy element that reels in the attention of the viewer.

1. Star Wars- This is one of the greatest movie series ever made. It spans over three decades, and hasn’t lost a beat. George Lucas did a fantastic job in combining technology and the space world together. The effects for its time are unreal. Even after a sixteen year lay-off, the prequels all garnered the same attention as the first three. Money also doesn’t lie, Star Wars is in the top three for best trilogy series of all time.

dialogue and characterization

Serena: Cree? Cree, is that you?

Cree: Oh, hey Serena. It’s been a while.

Serena: It’s been two or three years at least. I think the last time we talked was The Washburns’ Christmas party, and they’ve been divorced for two years by now.

Cree: You’re probably right, but I doubt it was a few years ago. You look like you’ve haven’t aged a day.

Serena: Ohhh, Stop it. You don’t look too bad yourself. How are the kids?

Cree: They’re doing very well. Sonny is playing soccer, and Faith is in high school now.

Serena: Oh my gosh! They are growing up so fast. I can’t believe Faith is almost in college; it seemed just yesterday that she was only a baby.

Cree: I know, right. She’s having a little trouble though, adjusting to the high school life.

Serena: Oh, she’ll come around. She has your confidence.

Cree: You’re too kind. Thank you. How are William and the kids?

Serena: William has been busy, you know, being a doctor and all. The kids are doing fine. We just returned home from our trip from France.

Cree: No way! Ted and I have always wanted to go there, but we’ve never had the money.

Serena: You two should totally go, Meredith and Kristin had a blast and made a bunch of new friends.

Cree: I wonder if Faith would like it. She doesn’t really like long trips though.

Serena: I’m sure she would. France is the city of love and all.

Cree: I know. What places did you guys visit?

Serena: Well obviously the Eiffel Tower, The Catacombs, and the Louvre. But we also visited little shops and even went to some of the beaches.

Cree: No way! Did you guys bring back any souvenirs?

Serena: Actually we did. The kids wanted a lot of things, and of course I bought them what they wanted.

Cree: So what were they? What did you get the kids?

Serena: Both of them wanted jewelry, Meredith more than Kristen, she being in high school wanted to impress the guys.

Cree: (Laugh). Oh that Meredith. What about Kristen?

Serena: Kristen got a charm bracelet along with a silver tiara.

Cree: That’s so adorable.

Serena: Ya, she wants to be a pretty princess for Halloween.

Cree: Did William enjoy the trip?

Serena: Unfortunately, William had to work and couldn’t make it.

Cree:  That’s too bad.

Serena: I just wish we could’ve gone as a whole family though.

Cree: How come he had work?

Serena: William had to stay because there was an emergency at work. A staph epidemic broke out in the hospital, and he had to treat everyone.  

Cree: Oh, that’s too bad, Ted is pretty busy as well, and besides work he also coaches Sonnys’ soccer team.

Serena: That’s so nice of Ted. How good is the team doing?

Cree: Record-wise not so good, but they are all having a fun time. That’s all that matters.

Serena: If only the girls got into sports. They were always so into fashion.

Cree: Sonny really enjoys soccer, and Ted just goes along to support his him in his decisions.

Serena: That’s nice, I wish William would come home earlier and spend some time with the kids. (cries) They don’t even recognize him when, he comes home.

Cree: Come here, honey. It will be ok. Talk to me! How can I help?

Serena: I tried to talk to him about it, but he just won’t listen.

Cree: Then maybe you should make him listen. Set some ground rules. Tell him he needs to spend some time with his children.

Serena: Do you really think that would work?

Cree: Well sure it would. He has to realize that his family always takes priority over work.

Serena: I know it does, but he makes it sound like his work is more important than anything in the world.

Cree: I got a plan. Listen up.

Serena: I’m all ears.

Cree: Okay, so next Friday you are going to take the day off. And you and I are going to have a ladies’ night. You are going to convince William to watch the kids for you. Maybe suggest that he take them to a movie.

Serena: That’s a great idea. I’ll make sure I mention it to him tonight.

Cree: Awesome, and you’ll also be able to kill two birds with one stone. You can relax while William spends some much needed time with the girls.

Serena: I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before. Cree, you’re a life saver.

Cree: Thanks, I’m only trying to help.

Serena: So where should we go on Friday?

Cree: I think first we should visit the spa and salon and get prepped up, then hit the clubs for some drinks and a fun night out on the city.

Serena: I haven’t been able to do that in years.

Cree: It will be amazing, and since this is all for you, I’ll even volunteer to be the designated driver for the night.

Serena: Don’t even bother sweetie, let’s just get a cab, and enjoy the night.

Cree: Alright but the fare and tab is on me.

Serena: You don’t have to do that.

Cree: I insist.

Serena: Okay, if you say so, I have to go now and pick up the kids from the mall. It was nice seeing you Cree.

Cree: Alright 5:00 on Friday, see you then.

Open response for "The Ghost in the Cap'n Brown House"

     “You look at the folks that allus tellin’ you what they don’t believe—they don’t believe this, and they don’t believe that—and what sort o’ folks is they? Why, like yer Aunt Lois, sort o’ stringy and dry. There aint no ‘sorbtion got out o’ not believin’ nothin’.” (63 Stowe)

     From reading the quote and the entire story, the big idea that Stowe is trying to get out about the believability of fantastic stories is that there’s always to different sides. If there were only one side to the story then the fantasy most likely would be real. Objections are what make stories fantastic. In the story of “The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House”, there are two different vies to the mysterious silky and white lady. Cinthy Pendleton believes that the lady is a ghost while Aunt Sally Dickerson thinks the lady is a real person. This is what gives the story a fantasy element. With no one else seeing the lady there is no proof to either side. Who should the people of Oldtown believe? The ghost lady or the lady who thinks the mysterious person is just a person. Thus the legend of the ghost in the Cap’n Brown House begins. As long as there are two sides to a story then there are two different possible outcomes.

     This idea is very compelling. How can one fantasize if there is only one possible outcome or answer? The more possibilities lead to more possible outcomes. These are what lead to the fantasy element of a story. If one person says this and another says that, then who’s right? With no proof, either can be right. But as long as one person believes an idea, that outcome can still be right. Fantasy is guessing on whether something unknown is real or not.

Open Response to Nothing in the Dark

Nothing in the Dark, from the Twilight Zone, is a perfect example of the dark fantasy sub genre because it includes the three main elements of horror, fear, and impending death. Wanda, the old lady, is horrified of the thought of dying and the so called “Mr. Death”. Whenever someone comes to her door she shudders in horror, because that someone could be Mr. Death. She swears never to go outside because Mr. Death changes his appearance often, and she doesn’t want to get fooled. Even at her age Wanda still strongly fears death. She has lived a lived a very long life, and just about everyone and everything she is familiar with has died. She doesn’t want to end up like them, so she prays that she can live forever. Wanda knows that if she steps outside she runs the chance of dying immediately. Even with the dying policemen she still hesitates to open the door because she could fall injured or sick also. Wanda finally realizes her mistake when she can’t see the policeman’s face in the mirror and he admits to being Mr. Death. Wanda then comes to terms and allows herself to die peacefully. This story fits the dark fantasy sub genre perfectly because all of its main elements of horror, fear, and impending death are observed.

Setting

   Today I felt like giving back. I was in a a giving mood, so I desided to visit a homeless shelter. What was i to expect? The building was small and trashy, it looked like the ghetos had become alive. Bedsheets were used as shades and trashbags for blankets. It looked like a shanty town and the inhabitants were dustballs, slugging thier way from place to place. When i entered the building though, the place was vibrant and almost joyous. Music of all cultures were heard throughout, and the children danced to it as it were thier saviour. I guess looks can be decieving because, for a place that looked like a mess from the outside looked like safehaven from the inside. These people didn't care where they lived. The ywere just happy to have a place to stay. They have already gone through so much, this place must seem like a mansion to them. Whoever thought that people could enjoy such a place and have the spirits that they posess.

My SciFi Blog Introduction

   I think in this class we will be reading/watching books/movie in the scifi genre. We will probably be writing reviews and essays based on these books/movies. I alos think that on this blog that we will be not only writing assesments but also being able to use our blogs for our own personal use also.