'Pan's Labyrinth' : A-Maze-ing!
I don't think I'm going to say anything that hasn't been said about how good this movie is. It gets a little more graphic than I expected, but it doesn't take away from anything.
The camera work was very good, there's one shot that's soft to the point of noticeable - but fortunately it's during a good deal of cutting.
However, there is one thing that bothers me, and I see it enough to comment on it- the Sun is always one source. Meaning, light through a window is one source. Which means that the shafts of light through multiple windows should all align if they're on the same wall or facing the same direction.
In this case, it's a scene in a bathroom, and it's important. There's no reason why we should be distracted by overtly odd lighting. Shafts of light coming through three small windows behind the girl are going in all different directions. There's no reason for it. Don't do it. Especially in the 'reality' part of a fantasy/reality movie.
There was one bad start on a crane move, the aforementioned softness - it's a close-up of the girl as she steps out of her mother's bedroom late in the third act, and the stupid three-Sun bullshit in the bathroom.
Other than that, it's good, crushed-black film look. It's a little too dark at times, but it fits here. The special effects all work as they should.
This is probably the best movie not to miss this season on the big screen.
The camera work was very good, there's one shot that's soft to the point of noticeable - but fortunately it's during a good deal of cutting.
However, there is one thing that bothers me, and I see it enough to comment on it- the Sun is always one source. Meaning, light through a window is one source. Which means that the shafts of light through multiple windows should all align if they're on the same wall or facing the same direction.
In this case, it's a scene in a bathroom, and it's important. There's no reason why we should be distracted by overtly odd lighting. Shafts of light coming through three small windows behind the girl are going in all different directions. There's no reason for it. Don't do it. Especially in the 'reality' part of a fantasy/reality movie.
There was one bad start on a crane move, the aforementioned softness - it's a close-up of the girl as she steps out of her mother's bedroom late in the third act, and the stupid three-Sun bullshit in the bathroom.
Other than that, it's good, crushed-black film look. It's a little too dark at times, but it fits here. The special effects all work as they should.
This is probably the best movie not to miss this season on the big screen.
