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Ho-kay...That Was a Downer
Pan's Labyrinth just reminded me of all the reasons I loathe Hans Christian Anderson.
Real fairy tales exist to show the rewards of grit and resourcefulness, and the consequences of wickedness. All sacrifice has a purpose, and virtue is rewarded in this life, because face it, we have no guarantee of any other.
Sure it's fantasy. But it's empowering fantasy. All so-called "fairy tales for grown-ups" do is remind you this life is screwed, and anything you try to do to make it better will only make it worse. Which, thankfully, is not always the case.
I so didn't need to see this exquisitely realized gloom fest before bedtime. Its internal inconsistencies are pissing me off too. I know bleeding chunks (emphasis on the bleeding) were left on the cutting room. Otherwise some of the characters' actions make no sense. I can even guess the contents of the deleted scenes. (Steam.Steam.Steam.)
Nope, I'm not mad at writer/director Guillermo del Toro. He's entitled to his vision, and give the man his props, he realized it exceedingly well. But I think all the critics who gushed over the damn thing without letting audiences know what kind of experience they were in for should be handed over to Captain Vidal and his trusty hammer for a good, old-fashioned question and answer session.
Snarls and kisses,
Jean Marie
(Off to find something meaningful to look at...like the original King Kong.)
Real fairy tales exist to show the rewards of grit and resourcefulness, and the consequences of wickedness. All sacrifice has a purpose, and virtue is rewarded in this life, because face it, we have no guarantee of any other.
Sure it's fantasy. But it's empowering fantasy. All so-called "fairy tales for grown-ups" do is remind you this life is screwed, and anything you try to do to make it better will only make it worse. Which, thankfully, is not always the case.
I so didn't need to see this exquisitely realized gloom fest before bedtime. Its internal inconsistencies are pissing me off too. I know bleeding chunks (emphasis on the bleeding) were left on the cutting room. Otherwise some of the characters' actions make no sense. I can even guess the contents of the deleted scenes. (Steam.Steam.Steam.)
Nope, I'm not mad at writer/director Guillermo del Toro. He's entitled to his vision, and give the man his props, he realized it exceedingly well. But I think all the critics who gushed over the damn thing without letting audiences know what kind of experience they were in for should be handed over to Captain Vidal and his trusty hammer for a good, old-fashioned question and answer session.
Snarls and kisses,
Jean Marie
(Off to find something meaningful to look at...like the original King Kong.)
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I too found the film's marketing tremendously misleading, especially since it was coming out around the time the first Narnia film did. It focused solely on the fairytale aspects of the story, and not the political themes. I'd have adored a dark, grown-up fairytale, something more fierce than Labyrinth or The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. Instead I'm left with memories of brutality (oh, that razor, and Mercedes' knife).
You'll be happy to know I've never sat through It's a Wonderful Life. I know it's un-American to say that, but here I am, saying it.
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