Cloverfield

(2008, about 80 min) The highest of high-concept monster movies, Cloverfield purports to be just one video in the Department of Defense's library chronicling an unspecified disaster. The film starts out as a homemade video made by a gang of well-to-do and good looking late-twentysomethings of a friend's going away party. But, anyone who has seen the trailer knows that this video doesn't remain a birthday party for long. The ravaging of New York by an unexplained (and until late in the film unseen) monster is seen entirely through the eyes of a small group of people struggling to save themselves and each other from the sudden onset of total destruction. Credit is due to director Matt Reeves for never straying from this singular concept and, for the most part, maintaining its believability.

Certainly, there are moments when the boundaries of "suspension of disbelief" are stretched, perhaps even crossed. But Reeves overcomes these flaws from Drew Goddard's script by never relenting from the sheer terror and from his central premise. The shaky camera work and the limited information that the audience is given access to only serve to create a sense of panic not only on the screen but throughout the audience as well. Those with weak stomachs might do best to wait for the DVD, not for any excess of gore, but the combination of a nauseating camera with the emotional terror that the film serves up relentlessly would be likely to make one physically ill. Following in the footsteps of last year's The Host, Reeves has created a truly horrifying monster movie, one that cuts right to the core of contemporary political and environmental fears. It just might be the best American monster movie in many, many years.

– Daniel Reed

© TLA Entertainment Group

Sunshine

(2007, 107 min) In his latest endeavor, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions) pays homage to (and, of course, steals from) a plethora of popular cinematic outer-space excursions. Included are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Solaris and even the less heralded Event Horizon. Combining some of the best of what each of these films has to offer with an original premise, Sunshine plays like a greatest hits compilation of the cosmic thriller genre while establishing a place of its own within the canon.

The journey begins 50 years in the future aboard the appropriately named Icarus II, an artificially intelligent spacecraft (imagine a female HAL 9000) designed to deposit and detonate a Manhattan-sized bomb – referred to as “the payload” – inside the Sun. If all goes according to plan, the payload will regenerate particles and destroy a fusion-stopping form of matter left over from the big bang which is causing our natural light to fade. If the Sun dies, so will all Earthly life. Seven years prior, the Icarus I made the same journey, but lost all contact with Earth shortly before reaching its destination. The crew of Icarus II (capably portrayed in part by Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Troy Garity and martial-arts mega-star Michelle Yeoh) are both fully aware of the fatal dangers that their mission presents and prepared to give their lives in an effort to save the human race. Their plans are eerily altered, however, when they receive a distress signal from Icarus I. This presents them with two options – they can stay the course with no guarantee of triumph or investigate the ill-fated Icarus I – and face a wealth of potentially disastrous variables – in hopes that salvaging the original payload will duplicate their chance of success.

As is the case with most space-based genre films, a suspension of disbelief is required to truly enjoy Sunshine. Nuclear physicists – both established and aspiring – may find it difficult to accept a man-made vessel that can withstand the Sun’s heat or a scene in which humans – wrapped in makeshift thermal insulation, mind you – survive in temperatures more than 2,000 degrees below Celsius. Less nitpicky fans, however, should find enough engrossing qualities to forgive Boyle and frequent screenwriting collaborator Alex Garland’s creative licensing. They employ captivating cinematography and visual effects set to a perfect other-worldly score by John Murphy and electronic/techno staple Underworld to showcase their sci-fi allegory’s many compromising twists and turns – some of which are sure to please horror fans as well. This is a must-see for any of many with state of the art home entertainment centers. Dim the lights, flick on the surround sound, (spark up?) sit back and let it sink in.

– Robert O'Neill

© TLA Entertainment Group

Premonition

(2007, 96 min) Sandra Bullock lures the audiences with her starring role in this mind-twisting thriller. With the tone of countless "Twilight Zone" episodes, this film tries and sometimes entertains with healthy doses of supernatural dream logic peppered with confusing time-shifting. Married to successful businessman and father, Jim (Julian McMahon, better known as Victor Von Doom from the Fantastic Four franchise), Linda (Bullock) goes about her daily routine until a sheriff’s knock on her door signals the beginning of a descent into a strangely sterile mind warp as he proclaims her husband’s death the day before. As she gathers her willpower to carry on and survive, along with her two small daughters, she finally sleeps that night. In the morning she wakes to discover her husband very much alive. The audience soon becomes witnesses to the cinematic fact that Linda is living day to day, yet the days are non-sequential. She sleeps, her husband is alive, she sleeps, he is dead again. This creaky plot device allows her to peer into the future, at times trying to prevent her husband’s demise, and at times to be neutrally resigned to her fate.

Various other “facts” appear as the film moves forward, yet in the long run they neither support nor detract from the underlying message of the script. It is extremely difficult to pull off a nonlinear narration without turning off the majority of your audience. For instance, Atom Egoyan has perfected this form in films like The Sweet Hereafter and Exotica, time lines shifting from present to past to present in order to build a rich composite of motive and character. This film employs this tact for a completely different purpose, supposedly to build suspense and ambiguity. So, at times it sometimes works and at other moments it’s simply confusing.

Bullock does manage to pull off a decent performance, in spite of mounting illogic and plot holes. When she discovers that indeed she can shift events ever so slightly in order to make her present/future more palatable, the narrative’s plausibility is enhanced. Suffice to say, there is a positive outcome achieved by the end that is not easily arrived at.

– Max Brinck

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Last Mimzy

(2007, 97 min) Robert Shaye, founder of New Line Cinema, returns to directing with the help of screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (Deep Impact, Jacob’s Ladder), crafting an interesting new age young person’s film, The Last Mimzy. Newcomers Chris O’Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn play the children who find a mysterious box washed ashore near their Seattle beach-house. It contains a stuffed bunny and other inscrutable objects that soon will become the centerpiece of a science fiction fantasy with many current ideas on spirituality thrown into the mix. Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson play the increasingly befuddled parents as their kids start to exhibit signs of genius and paranormal activity. Emma (Wryn) maintains her childlike wonder throughout the film as her only concern is her attachment to Mimzy (the bunny rabbit).

There are many interesting concepts presented throughout the film including Tibetan Buddhist mandalas, clairvoyance and clairaudience, levitation and nano technology. The special effects are spectacular in an understated manner, such as when Noah (O’Neil) begins to see the underlying geometric perfection in the world around him after activating a mysterious slab from the magic box.

Issues of national security are also raised when an agent (Michael Clarke Duncan) investigates a city-wide blackout caused by Noah’s manipulation of a generator formed from elements of the box.

At times, there seems almost too much information is presented, clouding the natural unfoldment of the plotline. This is a minor quibble however as the film reveals a future time where scientists still grappling with world dilemmas, await the return from the past of Mimzy, who is really an amazing feat of nanotechnology manufactured by Intel.

Adults will be interested to learn that The Last Mimzy is not a lowest common denominator kid flick but a thoughtful rumination related to E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind and What the Bleep Do We Know?

– Max Brinck

© TLA Entertainment Group

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(2007, 138 min) There’s no doubt about it – Harry Potter has grown up. The only question is how much has he matured? That’s at the heart of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth, entertaining entry in the vastly popular series based on the J.K. Rowling novels. In the hands of yet another director, this time British helmer David Yates, whose last film for HBO, The Girl in the Café received good notices (and whose critically acclaimed mini-series Sex Traffic has yet to play in the U.S.), the film is a lot more talk than action. But the characters have matured so well over the years, and Yates gives such attention to the big and small things, you can’t help but enjoy sitting through what is basically a build-up for the final confrontation between Harry and the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the next two chapters.

It’s like waiting to see Anakin Skywalker turn to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith – you know it’s coming. You know it’s inevitable. It’s the how that you want to see. Only this is more satisfying.

Ready to begin his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry has just been expelled for using magic in front of a muggle. From the start, it appears that the suspension, spearheaded by the Minister of Magic, is acting upon his own agenda. And the court is clearly divided between those who believe Harry’s story that Voldemort has returned, and those who don’t and who are quite ready to silence the young wizard any way they can. This sorcerous congress could very well be taking sides on the Iraq war or whether there were weapons of mass destruction. Torture of suspected plotters, violations of long-standing civil rights (or in this case wizardry rights) – there are many shadings of George W.'s administration in this Ministry.

And their Cheney is marvelously played by Imelda Staunton, who gives what may be the best performance in any of the Harry Potter films to date. Her Dolores Umbridge is a classic creation of contradictions: a superficial mouthpiece who speaks in homespun certainties but whose smiling façade masks sinister intent. And when Dolores comes to Hogwarts to take over the department of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the smell of napalm is in the air as she gets ready to battle both Harry and Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

She is only one foe that Harry must face. For Lord Voldemort is an ever-present danger, and Harry is plagued by dreams of the dark wizard that are threatening his own sanity. How he handles these and other obstacles clears the path for the showdown to come, and comments on how far Harry has come over the last five years. This includes the student becoming the teacher, as Harry commands a covert team of witches and wizards called “Dumbledore’s Army” in preparation for Voldemort. And, yes, Harry also receives his first kiss, though it's a minor affair.

A great majority of the characters from the last four films are here, as are the quirky and charming magical antics that have long characterized Hogwarts and the series. Director Yates brings back a lot of the humor that the first two films featured, while not ignoring the darker, more fearful story aspects that made the third and fourth films stand out. For the first time, a regular character will die, and the safety of others will be in great doubt.

Being a smattering of all the films, Order of the Phoenix doesn’t quite have the identity and velocity of the two best films, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. But between the laughs and the thrills, the plot developments and the wicked scene-stealing of Staunton, this lively fifth entry goes to some lengths to ensure that Harry Potter is, and remains, one of the best film series of all time.

Has Harry matured? You bet he has. Just as Daniel Radcliffe now wears his role with a regal authority and seemingly unflappable verve. Just as Hermione and Ron and their counterparts Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are integral parts to the whole, and act every bit the troubleshooter and best friend. And now the promise of adulthood and the next chapter – bring on the next course.

– David Bleiler

© TLA Entertainment Group

Transformers

(2007, 144 min) It’s becoming somewhat of a tradition: Since Independence Day, movie audiences are treated to alien attacks at our nation’s theaters on July 4. War of the Worlds, the two Men in Black films, even Terminator 3 all had heroes fighting villains from beyond time or space to celebrate the fourth with a bang. 2007’s entry is Transformers, a loud, slick, silly, exciting popcorn movie that isn’t nearly as accomplished as any of those other films, but you certainly do get a bang for your buck. And from all the fireworks on the screen, this is gonna make a lot of bucks.

Director Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) isn’t exactly known for his subtlety, and subtle Transformers isn’t. But someone had the good sense to bring on Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer, for the production values are outstanding, all you would expect from probably the most successful director/producer of all time. Throughout most of his career, Spielberg could always be counted on for bringing out the inner child in all of us, and at its best, Transformers does exactly that.

The Everychild in this instance is Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), a nerdy but cute high school 11th grader who, like most boys his age, pines for the local beauty (Megan Fox), worries to excess about everything and is looking forward to his first car. It is the latter that sets the story in motion when Sam and his father (Kevin Dunn in a nice turn) go to Bobby Bolivia’s used car lot (Bernie Mac in a neat cameo as Bobby) and buy a beat-up yellow Camaro. When Bobby says that the car picks the owner, he isn’t kidding.

As it turns out, the car is one of several robot soldiers called Autobots from the dying planet Cybertron. They can transform at will back and forth from a mechanical being (car, plane, cell phone, portable CD player) into their real selves: giant robots with Edward Scissorhands appendages. Sam’s great-grandfather had made a discovery of the Autobots’ archenemy, Megatron, leader of the evil Decepticons, and now Sam is unknowingly in possession of a map that both the Autobots and Decepticons are after.

Throw in the standard cast of characters – a secret government organization, so secret that even the Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) doesn’t know about it; a gung-ho group of grunts who escape the film’s opening carnage of a U.S. military base in the Middle East by the Decepticons; and a couple of youthful computer geeks – and there’s the making of a by-the-book, color-inside-the-lines military adventure that plays more like a recruiting film rather than CGI magic show.

But the effects are just that: magical. The semi-destruction of Los Angeles, the couple of lengthy battle sequences and, of course, the Transformers themselves are all remarkably done. The latter are the raison d’etre of the film, and do not disappoint.

The state-of-the-arts effects are not even the best thing in Transformers; that belongs to LaBeouf as Sam. The young actor has such a genuinely appealing quality to him, it’s difficult to imagine that Transformers, effects and all, would have worked half as well without him. It’s not an award-caliber performance per se, but it’s one of great heart and personality. The supporting cast ranges from good to barely bearable, with Voight giving much more conviction than the one-dimensional role deserves.

It’s probably safe to say that if loud explosions (a lot of them actually), a juvenile script and cardboard-cut-out characters can’t be overlooked for the sake of effects, Transformers is definitely not for you. But for the kid looking for pure visceral excitement, this will suffice until the next big-budget Hollywood formulaic epic – or at least the latest alien invasion come next July 4th.

– David Bleiler

© TLA Entertainment Group

Zardoz

Ed note: Please welcome Rachel J. Cox to the blog. We're resurrecting the old "TLA Rewind" brandname for her regular insights into classics that are languishing on the dustier shelves of our video stores.

(1974, 105 min) Last week I watched Zardoz, the latest in a long series of post-apocalyptic movies from the '70s that I have enjoyed. Why are they so great? More specifically, why are they so much greater than the post-apocalyptic movies from oh, say… every other decade? Were those ten years really so bleak and full of despair? Disco was dying, and perhaps in the hearts and minds of an entire generation the earth was, too.

Let me start by saying that I will watch or read anything that is set in the future…anything. I openly admit that there is little uncharted territory left when it comes to the "speculative fiction" genre (the hot, smarter cousin of the science fiction genre). Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men was the most unique vision of the future to come out in years, but of course it was based on a novel from 1992 and greatly diverged from the original storyline. (We can immediately dismiss A.I. as having any original content; it might as well have been titled Pinocchio 2001.) Nevertheless, I personally find any creative work of speculative/post-apocalyptic/dystopian/science fiction worth watching.

Although today it has achieved a cult status, Zardoz was hailed as both a failure and a joke when first released in 1974. It was written and directed by John Boorman, a notoriously uneven director, right after his critical and commercial success with Deliverance. The two endeavors at first glance seem disparate, but both films utilize the ideas of societal breakdown and emotional detachment as central themes.

Zardoz is most often criticized for its low production values. The larger sets are comprised of minimally altered pastoral farmland and country estates, while the interior scenes are typical campy sci-fi fare: rooms draped in fabric, a maze of mirrors, props constructed of papier mache. The colorful and somewhat comical costumes could have come from a child's collection of play clothes. These meager surroundings completely escaped my notice, perhaps because I look at all special effects before Terminator 2 as pathetic but well-meaning. Nice try, I think, but that is clearly rubber. Although the visual techniques of Star Wars were groundbreaking at the time, today they have been far surpassed and the film barely stands apart from its peers Flash Gordon and Tron. To me, Zardoz seems appropriately dated and its simplicity intentional, as it fits in with the desolate scenario.

In the year 2293 the world is populated by pockets of Eternals, highly evolved humans who have achieved immortality and shed themselves of the more animalistic qualities of their ancestors. They have little to no interaction with Brutals, the unevolved humans that live like scavengers in the wasteland outside the Eternals’ protected enclaves. The main character, Zed, is played by Sean Connery and wears a red loincloth throughout most of the picture. (He also has a long braid, and both are mildly distracting at first. This is post-James Bond, people. He wasn't a spring chicken then, either.) Zed belongs to a warrior class that exterminates Brutals at random and has recently forced them to begin farming, at the behest of a giant, flying stone head known as the idol Zardoz. The film opens with Zed meeting his god and actually manages to get more interesting.

This is all I will give away of the plot, since most of the pleasure of watching Zardoz comes from the deliberately paced developments regarding Zed’s background and intentions. Like many science fiction films of its generation, Zardoz attempts to tackle some important questions about the nature of religion and the extent of its power. In Beneath the Planet of the Apes the apes worship a nuclear bomb and in Logan's Run the religious ceremony known as Carousel falsely promises resurrection.

I won't say that Zardoz blew my mind, that it made complete sense from start to finish, or that the denouement takes place in a timely fashion. I will say that it is inventive, unique and thought-provoking. Certain people will enjoy the random female toplessness, while almost no one will enjoy the loincloth.

And that's all that anybody can really want from a movie.

– Rachel J. Cox

© TLA Entertainment Group

Eragon

(2006, 102 min) Derived from the first novel by Christopher Paolini, Peter Buchanan (Jurassic Park III) attempts to fashion a screenplay that derives from Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."

Special-effects-supervisor-turned-director Stefen Fangmeier utilizes location photography in Hungary and Slovakia to evoke a bit of the mindscapes fashioned by Peter Jackson in New Zealand. The genre of sword, sorcery and dragons is well known to fantasy enthusiasts and gamers alike, and it must take a lot these days to inject new energy into tired formula. At times, Eragon manages to achieve a fresh look, especially with some of the medium and long range shots of the flying dragon, Saphira. Newcomer Edward Speleers plays Eragon, a farm lad who finds a dragon egg that hatches and becomes the gargantuan dragon who uses telepathy to communicate with him. He soon realizes, with the help of veteran dragon rider Brom (Jeremy Irons), that he has been chosen to find the rebel fighters known as the Varden, meant to crush the forces of evil represented by bad King Galbatorix (John Malkovich) and his right-hand henchman, Durza (Robert Carlyle). This he manages to do, but not enough time is allowed between the first flight of the dragon and rider and the final battle sequence to develop plot, primary and secondary character development and that epic feel peculiar to the fantasy film and exemplified in The Lord of the Rings.

Irons manages to turn in a respectable performance, while other major characters suffer from a lack of acting chops. Even Malkovich, who is usually riveting, seems like he is sleepwalking through his meager screen-time, while Carlyle summons a somewhat frenzied and frightening visage as a black magician. There are some good ideas here, but at 102 minutes, it all seems like a rushed and underdone affair. The cliffhanger promises that the sequel might be more exciting. Here’s hoping.

– Max Brinck

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Host

(2006, 119 min) At a US military installation in South Korea, a pasty-faced American officer tells his Korean lab assistant to throw dusty bottles of formaldehyde down the drain. The assistant tries to tell the officer that formaldehyde is toxic, and the drain dumps directly into the Han River, which runs through the heart of Seoul. But the officer insists, and the bottles are emptied. It's the year 2000.

Two older gents are fishing in the Han River, when one notices a small unusual creature in the water. It snaps viciously when he tries to pick it up. They call it a mutation. It's 2002.

The Park family's home base is the food stand they run at the banks of the Han River. Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is angry at him for missing a parent-teacher meeting. His father is continually angry at him for his laziness. Gang-du's brother Nam-Il is an unemployed college graduate, and sister Nam-Joo is in competition for the national archery team. On this sunny summer day, Gang-du notices a crowd gather at the river's edge. People have noticed a mass suspended from under a nearby bridge. The object uncurls, drops into the river, then comes ashore. For lunch. And it's not standing in line at the food truck. It's 2006.

The Host is a superbly crafted sci-fi/horror movie, replete with bureaucratic ineptitude, political conspiracy, weird humor, family friction and a truly scary, acrobatic monster with disgusting eating habits and a really wicked back flip. Gang-du shows his mettle in the face of crisis: he springs into action when the creature grabs his daughter, and the entire family puts their squabbles on hold and unites with absolute resolve to get her back. The US Army comes into play again, ostensibly taking over to capture the creature, but is it really just an elaborate cover-up? Mutated, flesh-eating abominations aside, the real horror is what humans do to each other.

Director Joon-ho Bong scores a hit with The Host, adroitly incorporating multiple storylines, making the most of an accomplished cast (Ah-sung Ko as the young Hyun-seo is notable), creating a superb creature, and testifying to the ongoing usefulness of the Molotov cocktail. For creature feature aficionados, this is a must-see.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group

Children of Men

(2006, 109 min) Children of Men is centered around Theo (Clive Owen), a former sociopolitical activist living amidst the chaos and mass hysteria of a world where humans, for some unexplained reason, have not been able to procreate for 18 years. The film opens in 2027, after the assassination of the youngest living person, and shows the discouraged reactions of a frenzied British public. Immediately, the violent apocalyptic setting plays with the same post-9/11 anxiety that revitalized the zombie genre. Though apprehensive, Theo finds purpose after Julian (Julianne Moore), his former lover, and her organization of fellow activists solicit his assistance. He is introduced to Kee (newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey), a well-guarded young woman who, for another unexplained reason, has been able to conceive. The remainder of the film follows Theo as he attempts to safely transport Kee to a mysterious refuge known as The Human Project. Their odyssey takes them through a dangerous and often barbaric wasteland where very few can be trusted.

In addition to versatile filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), four screenwriters/script-doctors are credited for having adapted author P.D. James’s novel (Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby). In many cases, an overabundance of credited writers suggests that a problematic first draft has been heavily manipulated by hired studio hacks – maybe even more so in the case of a financially-risky futuristic sci-fi thriller. Children of Men, however, proves an exception to this rule due to Cuarón’s masterful direction, and the work needed to turn one of P.D. James' least satisfying novels into something more resonant. Impressively, he offers a commercial spectacle with art-house sensibilities. Meticulously choreographed, intense and unpredictable action sequences are presented within the confines of several lengthy continuous shots. The result is a gripping and near-perfect contribution to the experimental canon that will not only be screened and studied in many a film class but should also have wide-ranging appeal among the masses.

Clive Owen, no stranger to the everyman-turned-action-hero role, is not given the opportunity to offer anything new in the way of characterization, but carries the film fittingly. More rousing performances are delivered by the eclectic supporting cast which includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Peter Mullan and Michael Caine. Also notable is the soundtrack, which features well-chosen tracks from Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker, Roots Manuva, King Crimson, Aphex Twin and John Lennon.

– Robert O'Neill

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Fountain

(2006, 96 min) Spanish explorer Tomas, present-day researcher Tommy, future intergalactic traveler Tom (Hugh Jackman) — he is dislocated temporally, but he searches for the same thing in each arena: immortality. He’s bound across time to his beloved Isabel (Rachel Weisz). For his queen, the Conquistador looks for the Fountain of Youth in the new world. Tommy searches for a cure before cancer claims his beloved wife. And Tom glides through the vast expanse of space in a glowing bubble that contains the Tree of Life, sometimes visited by yet another incarnation of his Isabel.

The film is a visual feast; even the research lab sustains an ethereal glow. Jackman and Weisz assay their roles with believability and charm, and just the right touch of mythic presence. The film travels along slipstreams of time as the three storylines fold over one another, exploring the eternal quest to conquer the impermanence of existence and the loss of love. Yet for all of the considerable enchantment and grace crafted by director Darren Aronofsky, there is something missing in the end: the film engenders more bemusement than arousal, more diversion than contemplation. It's almost as if the indulgent imagery distracts from the emotional core. It recalls in opposition the crisp, cerebral edginess of Pi and the visceral impact of Requiem for a Dream.

While not perfectly executed, The Fountain still provides much intellectual and pictorial stimulation. It grapples with metaphysical issues and asks questions that have plagued us since the dawn of self-awareness and the inception of individuality. The Fountain makes grand use of the medium to explore our ongoing inquiries into the fabric of reality; the chemistry between Jackman and Weisz make it all accessible.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group

Pan's Labyrinth

(2006, 112 min) Young Ofelia sits next to her pregnant mother Carmen in a car bouncing and rattling over a pitted country road. It's 1944, and a pall hangs over the seeming pastoral peace outside the vehicle's windows. Mother and daughter travel as though in a funeral cortege to a rural military outpost operated with the dismal repression which inundates postwar Spain. Her new stepfather commandeers this compound in the spirit promulgated by his hero Franco. Capitán Vidal is the polar opposite of Ofelia's beloved father, whose death profoundly altered Ofelia and Carmen’s lives. Carmen tries to adjust to her new realities, but has placed her trust in a man who wants only the son in Carmen's womb, not the family who accompanies it. Ofelia clings to her beloved collection of books, fairy tales which provide solace and an eerie reflection of her new, harsh environment. Upon their arrival at the converted mill now functioning as a military headquarters, Ofelia's only real welcome comes from the housekeeper Mercedes...unless you count the dragonfly which accompanied the car along the final leg of its journey.

Mercedes shows Ofelia the unkempt labyrinth which sits a bit removed from the buildings. It's frightening and daunting and comes to house the fantastic characters through which Ofelia grapples with the real horrors surrounding her. The mindless cruelty of the government enforcers is met by a small but growing resistance. As she defends against the merciless viciousness encircling her, Ofelia finds a faun in the center of the labyrinth, ogres behind her bedroom walls, and fairies everywhere. Savagery and heroism, treachery and bravery inhabit both of Ofelia's worlds; and these worlds merge in a final act of sacrifice.

This is the second entry in director Guillermo Del Toro's projected Spanish Civil War trilogy. The Devil's Backbone was the first title in the series, and the third entry 3993 has an announced release date of 2009. Del Toro masterfully combines stark realism with extravagant grotesques, exposing the thin veil that separates the material from the imaginary. The ensemble is uniformly excellent with special mention to Ivana Baquero, who portrays Ofelia with remarkable sensitivity and nuance. The first film to fully realize Del Toro’s seemingly boundless potential as an auteur, Pan's Labyrinth is an instant classic.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group