Pan's Labyrinth

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had the opportunity to watch Pan's Labyrinth this month. I picked this movie because I didn't think this would be a movie most people would decide to watch due to the subtitles and it was worth checking out. Another reason is that I have been hounding Noel to watch it for probably over a year and figured this was a good way to get him to watch it! ;-)

It has been a while since I've seen this movie and it was almost like watching it for the first time. I forgot a LOT of some of the key points. I didn't remember it being as graphic. Some of those scenes were pretty realistic and gruesome (I'm thinking about when the captain smashed in the bunny hunter's face then killed him and his father).

What I liked most about the movie were the underworld characters. The imagination of Guillermo Del Toro is pretty amazing and he did a great job putting that into reality. I thought the characters were developed really well and had you really despising the captain. I liked the ending and the overall message of the film, which I took to be, be true to yourself and you will find salvation. Ok, maybe a little bit of a stretch there, but she knew she wouldn't become the princess of the underworld unless she gave up her baby brother and she refused because she didn't want any harm to come from him (even though he basically killed her mother). I guess the only thing I didn't understand was how the faun said it had to be blood from the innocent (or something like that). I felt like Ofelia WAS innocent so I d/k why she wouldn't have been able to offer up her hand.

I'd love to know what you thought of the movie (good/bad), so leave a comment and let me know.

Becki =)

Almost Famous

The movie of the month, Almost Famous, is a story roughly based on some of Cameron Crowe's experiences as a young writer.  It shows him touring with bands while he contributes to Rolling Stone for the first time.  Crowe of course would go on to be one of the magazine's most famous contributing editors.
       
The movie has several well known actors and actresses including Billy Crudup, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Jimmy Fallon and Anna Paquin.

Easily one of my favorite movies since it gives you some accurate perspective into the lives of rock and rollers during a time when rock and roll was being proclaimed dead.  Very well written film that allows its stars to shine.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Joe

June Film

Almost Famous-2000

Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand

Movie Quote:
"One day you'll be cool. Look under your bed, it'll set you free."

Fearless

Bruce has been pretty busy lately so I will talk a little about Fearless and then he can chime in his thoughts when he gets a chance. I want to say I did like Fearless, I didnt find it to be a film that I loved but I did like it. Most importantly its a film that made me think about it days after I watched it and I always like that!  It was interesting to me to see the two main characters (Bridges and Perez) go two different ways in how they handled the aftermath of the crash yet they found a common bond between each other. I thought Jeff Bridges did a fantastic job playing Max, a man who seemed to have lots of fears now has none.It seemed as if Max was almost liberated in the way he used to be. I think everyone needs to find a happy middle ground on the way he became, dont let your fears control you but also embrace those friends and family around you.  To me the film represented how we can take life for granted and how "the daily grind" can become our way of life and that each moment we have on this earth to experience the great things of life and all the wonderful friends and family that we have, you just never know when your time is up. Peter Weir is an excellent director and if you all get the chance you should check out some of his other works which include Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander: The Far Side fo the World

I also wanted to say that I know not everyone has seen Fearless yet and I am doing my best to get the film to everyone, so I am extending the time to watch it and post into June so everyone can have a chance to see it, so if you havent seen it yet there is still time to do so.

Bruce should be posting soon about the movie Fearless and then we can all comment on his post.  JOE is on the clock for picking the movie for June!

Movie Club Film Pick for May

Fearless-1993   Starring Jeff Bridges