Minute44 - Dan Schonhaar

There was nothing to do so I went down to Alfreton to get some dinner, a pizza from pizzabaker (for those of you that don’t know, they make the most stormin deep pan pizzas you’ll ever have!), but it was fookin closed So right, I went to Tesco and bought some bits to cook up. In the end I bought 2 Jamaican Tilapia fillets, some green olives with lemon and garlic and some salad. Also stopped off at the video shop on the way home and rented Pan’s Labyrinth.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Spanish film from director Guillermo del Toro that won 3 Oscars among other awards. It is dubbed as “a fairy tale for adults” and is full of rich, often spooky special effects. It tells the story of Ofelia, a young girl who moves to live on a military base with her pregnant mother to live with her mothers new lover, Capitan Vidal. On the way to the bas she finds this large insect which later reveals itself as a fairy which follows her to the barracks and shows her a book which leads her to a labyrinth in the edge of the woods. When she goes into the labyrinth she meets a bizarre half goat, half man creature that becomes only known as The Fawn. The Fawn tells her that she is the princess of the underworld and she must go on a dangerous mission to retrieve a key and a knife to enable her to return to her kingdom.

It becomes clear that the captain is only interested in his wife’s unborn child which, despite not knowing the sex he refuses to refer to as anything other than “My Son”. This not only places his wife in danger but also pushes out Ofelia who is all to willing to retreat into this fantasy world of fairies and magic.

The film was awesome! I don’t want to give away any more because I urge you all to go and see it. It’s amazing effects and brutal switches from surreal fantasy to all too real violence and strife keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. There are some seriously full on gory moments that come out of nowhere and totally take you by surprise, such as when Capitan Vidal catches who he thinks are rebel scouts and proceeds to cave one’s face in with the wide end of a bottle in full close up profile with no cut aways. That one made me feel more than a little queasy. So my only reccomendations are that if you’re squeemish or unable to watch a film with subtitles then Pan’s Labyrinth may not be the film for you but those of you that can cope with those things, you’re in for a rare treat!

Tonight, I might go to the movies with Trig to see TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Liam has said it’s mega and many people have agreed! It’s Orange Wednesday so for £3 who can argue!?