Pan's Labyrinth & Children of Men

Annie and I were able to catch up this week on a few of the movies we missed in theaters last year. We watched Pan's Labyrinth tonight and I throughly enjoyed it. A great Fantasy/Fable that is both beautiful and horrible at times. It's nice to see a fantasy film that doesn't pander to children or family audiences. (Not that there is anything wrong with those films that do, it's just a refreshing change of pace.) What stood out in this film for me was not only the cinematography but also the production design. A lot of thought and care went into what we see on screen and you can really feel that when you watch it. At times the images are so beautiful yet the action and story are tragic and terrifying. It sets up a great dichotomy that really adds to the overall theme of the film. It's a great film that I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Last weekend we watched Children of Men and thought it was just as great. Intelligent and thought provoking story, great cinematography, and all around a well crafted film. Some of the shots are so masterfully crafted and staged I have watched them over and over to see how and why they are doing what they are doing with the shots. One shot lasts for about ten minutes uninterrupted. Fantastic.