Pan's Labyrinth - (2006)

Original Title: El Laberinto Del Fauno
Country: Mexico
Dir: Guillermo Del Toro
Genre: Fantasy-Drama
Rating: 8.5/10

After the box-office success of Hellboy in 2004, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro returns to the big screen with his most serious minded work till date. Pan's Labyrinth is a grimly told fantasy-drama set during the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, whose protagonist - Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) - is an imaginative young girl who learns that she is a princess of an underground kingdom, when she ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by a mythical creature 'Faun' (Doug Jones), tucked away in the Spanish country side.

Ofelia encounters the Pale Man

Del Toro has perfectly melded historical fact and imaginative fantasy by crafting an entertaining pair of CG-heavy sequences and political commentary. The lens of cinematographer Guillermo Navarro has captured the brutal imagery with a balance of great beauty. The composition, colour and stylistic texture of the movie suggest a fevered child's hallucinatory interpretation of a fairy tale.

All of these elements of course would have been wasted if not for the exceptional acting skills displayed by Sergi Lopez (of Dirty Pretty Things) who plays the general, Maribel verdu (Mercedes), Doug Jones (Faun/ Pale Man) and more so by Ivana Baquero. If the general is evil personified then Ofelia is the embodiment of innocence. In his duel roles as the Faun and the downright terrifying Pale Man, Doug Jones (Mimic) once again collaborates with Del Toro to striking effect. The Special effects and make-up have the power to dazzle and horrify. A sleepy lullaby, forms the foundation of Javier Navarrete's background score. To sum up, all the elements in Pan's Labyrinth fall beautifully into place to form a genuinely affecting adult fairy tale.

Babel (2006)

Country: USA
Dir: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Genre: Drama
Rating:7.5/10

In Amores Perros, A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.

A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother and a born-again ex-con in 21 Grams.

and in Babel the last installment of the trilogy, two morrocan boys decide to test a rifle, and from that instant the lives of four separate families on three different continents collide.

Babel is about racial tension, illegal immigrants, adolscent yearnings, perceptions about foreign countries, and the arrogance of the 'ugly' american. This movie unlike its predecessors is less convuluted in its plot while maintaining a multi-narrative approach. Time does flip back and forth but not as much as the previous two [this also reminds me of christopher nolan's memento]. i wonder if the screenplay was written chronographically. if it was, then thanks to its editing, the story comes out as intelligent and compelling as the other two.


Writer Arriaga's strength lies in his ability to create a fractured narrative drama, pieces of which seamlessly come togather by the way of most likely a single act of crime/incidence. The characters portrayed in his stories are ordinary people who are faced with extraordinary circumstances. Inarritu's direction clearly brings out the emotions that these characters undergo. Common traits that can be attributed to arriaga-inarritu films are - remorse, revenge, frustration, impulsiveness, and anxiety. These traits form the basis on which this trilogy revolves around.

The story aside, what makes the film special is its international ensemble, strong acting and solid screenplay. The actors bring all gravitas to the material that grounds the film in what feels like truth, if not necessarily reality. Japanese actor Rinko kikuchi who plays as the deaf-mute girl stands out. The imagery is powerful with its documentary feel to it. and the music by composer gustavo santaolalla [of the motorcycle diaries] is sombre and spare. This movie is sure to make a mark at the oscars.

Note: Personally, I feel the multi-threaded, jangled-up chronology thing has lost its originality and surprise value, ex. in the case of "Crash". But since Inarritu started it with Amores Perros, he seems to have preserved the same narrative effectiveness in Babel..

A Prarie Home Companion (2006)

Country: USA
Dir: Robert Altman
Genre: Dromedy
Rating: 7.5/10

Acclaimed director robert altman shows no signs of aging in his latest adaptation of Garrison Keillor's A prairie home companion. This movie is a stage version of show host garrison keillor's long time running program on national public radio called by the same name.

In the movie, Keillor plays himself as the unflappable emcee of the show - composed of various acts of country music - played by cowboys Woody Harrelson, and John C Reilly, and singing duo Merly Streep and Lily Tomlin. Kevin Kline plays the role of a backstage doorkeeper disguised as a shamus....a private dick who is out to discover the true identity of a mysterious blonde played by the elegant Virginia Madsen. Lindsay Lohan plays the daughter of Merly Streep who is trying to find her true voice in front of a live audience.

Altman, like in his movies - Nashville, Mash, and Gosford Park, finds comfort in directing yet another movie with a huge star cast. This film has a undercurrent of satire typical of altman. He also infuses the subject of mortality, obvious, considering altman is 81 and has had a heart transplant in the recent past.



Needless to say there's a lot of cross talk between the characters, reminiscent of altmans movies. A few minutes into the movie, I felt I was eavesdropping on streep and tomlin's conversation. A lot of screen time is given to them, and I wish there was more. Harrelson and Reilly are hilarious singing songs about dirty jokes. There's a scene with Kline and Madsen which is a re-enactment of a scene from the howard hawkes's The Big Sleep (1946), it's hard to miss.

This is one of the very few good movies out this year. Infact, I can't recall a movie after V for.. that has been so enjoyable (Over the hedge and The devil wears.. were two other movies I enjoyed this summer). The blog's content posted in the last couple of months speaks for itself. So there you go, A Prarie Home.. is the next best movie so far, and is a treat to all the altman fan's out there.

The Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film festival was held from April 27th to May 6th in NY. Click here to view the details.