Pan's Labyrinth (aka El Laberinto del Fauno)
Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro (2004's Hellboy, 2002's Blade II, 2001's The Devil's Backbone, and 1997's Mimic), Pan's Labyrinth is a multi-layered story with a lot of heart. First we are told about a princess from an underground kingdom that wanted to visit the surface. When she did, the sun blinded her and made her forget who she was, causing her to become lost in the world of humans. The king of the underworld swore to wait as long as it took for his daughter to find her way back to his kingdom, even if it meant waiting for her to be reborn many times as a human. Then the story jumps to a 1944 Spain caught in the midst of civil war where we meet Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a young girl fascinated with fairy tales who is on her way to join her sadistic stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), of the Spanish Army, along with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Adriana Gil). Important to the story is that Captain Vidal is hunting rebels from his outpost in the mountains. On the road to the outpost, Ofelia meets a fairy who later takes her to the labyrinth to meet Pan (Doug Jones). Pan tells her she is the missing underworld princess, but that she must pass three tests to prove herself. Apart from the fantasy, which turns into a very interesting and at times riveting quest tale, there is the even larger story about the transformation from childhood to adult. To this end, we notice that Ofelia is surrounded by a variety of role models, and as all children must do, she needs to decide which of these models will guide her into adulthood. Her final decision isn't a total surprise, but as they say, "the real story is in the journey." Ivana Baquero is wonderful as Ofelia. She is incredibly believable, especially when dressed in her Alice in Wonderland-style dress, and does a great job representing the child in all of us. Even the story of the rebel resistance holds up well with a sympathetic supporting cast and an equally riveting storyline. The fantasy creatures are like nothing seen before (I just wish there were more) and the ending is heartfelt. This is by far Guillermo del Toro's best work so far. My only problem—slight as it may be—was having to read the subtitles; only because it took my eyes off the screen for a second. But even that passed quickly enough.
Perfect Blue
This Japanimation psycho-thriller would better be served as a live action thriller to find the audience it deserves. If you think anime is just a cartoon, this will put you straight. Must be 18 years old to rent this one, folks!
Perfume (2007; DVD)
German writer, director, producer Tom Tykwer plunges us into 1760s France and the world of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whisthaw), a child born to a fishmonger woman who gives birth to him under her Paris fish stall. She casts him aside to die, but the smells of the Paris fish market awaken—no, stimulate—baby Jean-Baptiste's sense of smell, becoming the driving force in his life. After abuse at an orphanage and at the hands of a tanner, his nose leads him to the scent of young woman selling flowers in the market. However, his attempt to meet and smell her ends in her death and the loss of her enticing scent. To learn to preserve the essence of scent, Jean-Baptiste becomes a perfumer (with help from Dustin Hoffman as Giuseppe Baldini) and later a serial killer who kills and steals the scents of women so he can make the perfect fragrance. His final ingredient is the scent of the aristocrat, Laura (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood—2005’s American Haunting and 2003’s Peter Pan). The cinematography is beautiful, the sets are authentic, and the acting is solid. Especially noteworthy is Alan Rickman as Laura’s father, a man trying to do everything in his power to keep his daughter off the maniac’s list. Ben Whisthaw as Jean-Baptiste is notable for his lack of dialogue and intense, maniacal, yet steadfast expression. Also of note is the portrayal of morals and justice in 1760s France because it adds depth (via truth) to an already incredible, unbelievable story. I found myself intrigued by Perfume because I had never seen a story like it before. It was even difficult to know what genre to apply. The best description is a Dark Fairytale, but you’ll have to see the climax and ending to understand. Make Perfume a must-see.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, 2002) takes us on the Disneyland ride
brought to the big screen as Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) fights to
regain his ship, The Black Pearl, from its cursed crew while attempting to
help Will Turner (Orlando Bloom - Legolas from Lord of the Rings) rescue
the governor's daughter (Keira Knightley). This fantasy adventure is a
non-stop thrill ride with swashbuckling action punctuated by well-timed
comedy. As usual, Johnny Depp steals the show as a sashaying pirate sure to
please the women in the audience. Depp appears to be having lots of fun with
his character (as he usually does with all his roles) and that radiates from
the screen. The special effects are especially notable, especially when the
cursed crew exposes their skeletal selves in the light of the full moon. One
scene that deserves attention is the sword fight in the cave where the
pirates move in and out of the moonlight, changing from skeleton to flesh
with split-second, seamless timing. Another treat was seeing scenes from the
Disneyland ride meticulously reproduced without breaking the plot's stride.
Pirates is the perfect summer film guaranteed to please just about
everyone. And if you're worried about the skeletons scaring the kids, know
that this film is only about as scary as the Disneyland ride. Also expect
more Disneyland rides brought the theater. Next up: The Haunted Mansion
with Eddie Murphy. A preview shows with Pirates.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2, 2002's The Ring) returns to complete the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy by picking up where we left off in 2006's Dead Man's Chest. Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is dead, and his band (Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa—returned from the dead, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swan) are on a mission to find him and return him to the world of the living. But standing in their way is the British Navy, who possess Davy Jones's heart and as such, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) himself. So to even the odds, the band of heroes sets out to unite the Pirate Brotherhood (Yun-Fat Chow and others) in one last stand. And this is just the basic plot. There are other sub-plots that involve so many double-crosses you soon lose track of what's what and whose side certain characters are on. But so what? The battles are great. The humor is hysterical. And the fantasy shots—like seeing The Black Pearl sailing across the sands of a desert—are magical. At World's End closes the story well and still manages a few surprises. One special surprise is The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards as Jack's father, Captain Teague. Is At World's End a bit too long? Maybe. But when it's over, you'll forget your sore butt and only remember the fun time you had.
Pitch Black
Some unexpected twists mix with some tried and true to equal some good escapism for a rainy afternoon.
Planet of the Apes
While this "re-imagined" version had its moments (surrealistic settings
and some interesting costuming) its lack of pizzazz disappointed
me. I'm still waiting for someone to make a version closer
to what Pierre Boulle "imagined" in his classic novel.
Powerpuff Girls (The Movie)
Finally, the origin of the Powerpuff Girls is revealed in this first
of a string of planned films. To make a Powerpuff Girl mix sugar,
spice, and everything nice with a pinch of Chemical X. Don't expect
high tech graphics (Shrek, Jimmy Neutron), or an attempt at complexity
(Scooby-Doo). In this one, Mojo Jojo (a super intelligent monkey)
tries to use the innocent Powerpuff Girls in a plot to take over
the world.. This is non-stop cartoon action that sucked me and my
five-year-old right in, right away. It was cute, funny, energetic,
had a simple message, and it was loud. And with The Cartoon Network
constantly showing Powerpuff Girls music videos by The Quick and
Devo, I might just have to see it again. I only hope they explain
the origin of the primate super villain in the next one.
Princess Mononoke
Nothing compares to Ghost in the Shell for anime, especially the
soundtrack.
Pulse
"Do you want to see a ghost?" Horror master Wes Craven adopts Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2001 Kaïro screenplay to bring Pulse to Western audiences and casts TV's Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) in the leading role as Mattie Webber, a college psyche major who witnesses her boyfriend Josh's (Jonathan Tucker) breakdown and suicide. Josh's death hits her and her friends Tim (Samm Levinne), Isabell (Christina Milian), and Stone (Rick Gonzalez) hard as they try to console each other in an online chat room. All goes well until the dead Josh enters the online chat room and asks for help. After all rational explanations are exhausted, the investigation leads Kristen to a computer hacker (Ian Somerhalder) who discovers a "pulse" that allows the dead to see the living through computer monitors and eventually lets them enter our world, replacing the living when they do. Pulse had a decent mystery about it and the build up was steady to the point where we learned exactly what was going on as we watched the dead trying to find ways into our world and the living trying to find ways to keep them out. There were even some scares as they sucked the life from the living. But the attempt at an apocalyptic ending fell a bit short for me. Think of Pulse as a zombie film, but without the zombies rampaging through the city streets. It was also impossible to ignore the "anti-technology" message that pervades the story—another obstacle to my deciding if I liked this film. I'm sure many of you will like Pulse better than I did, so if you don't see it in theaters, check it out on DVD and make up your own minds.
Pups
Interesting premise fizzles, drags, and dies.
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