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just bought this the other day without ever having seen it and i thought it was absolutely spectacular when we watched it. i've been dying to turn around and watch it with the commentrary.

 

btw, it's labyrinth :thumbup

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I hated this movie. It's probably the best movie I ever hated, if that makes sense. I was lulled into a false sense of security from how the film was marketed. I expected some fantastical, whimsical movie and then was emotionally beat up by the intense violence and hopelessness. By the time the movie was over, I was in a horrible mood, was intensely uncomfortable, etc.......

 

I am not sure why I had such a negative reaction to it - I have seen many movies that are a lot more violent and sadistic and did not have the same reaction. That said, it was indeed beautifully filmed, acted, etc.......it deserved the awards it got.

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For the record -- it's "Labyrinth."

 

Wish I had more to contribute to this thread, but I haven't seen the movie yet.

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http://forums.viachicago.org/index.php?sho...#39;s+labyrinth

 

here's the old thread on this, but yeah -- it was amazing. Del Toro's fairy tale absolutely captured what made the pre-Perrault fairy tales so impressionable. fairy tales were warnings, heavy handed rebukes to immoral behaviors. this movie did a great job of brutalizing the viewer in a fantastic and beautiful setting.

 

speaking of watching with commentary, this disc is worth getting the deluxe edition for the extras. there's some nice featurettes that explain a bit of what the meaning was and how it was done. i LOVE this movie.

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I was lulled into a false sense of security from how the film was marketed. I expected some fantastical, whimsical movie and then was emotionally beat up by the intense violence and hopelessness.

I too felt misled by the ad campaign, and it took me 20 minutes to acclimate to what it really was trying to do. Once I got on the right wavelength, though, I was hooked.

 

It has nasty elements, but it's not an entirely hopeless story, is it? She finds emotional and psychological refuge in her fantasies, and the nobility of sacrifice is celebrated. I found the ending very hopeful, in its own way.

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It has nasty elements, but it's not an entirely hopeless story, is it? She finds emotional and psychological refuge in her fantasies, and the nobility of sacrifice is celebrated. I found the ending very hopeful, in its own way.

 

yeah, i didn't leave the movie in a sad, depressed mood. I thought the ending was meloncholy...a little sad, but definitely i felt a sense of peace and hope.

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yeah. the "happy ending" version that was released in america. sam is in the chair, jack and helpmann were hovering over him, but he vacantly stared off into space as he imagined himself and gill in a house outside of the city.

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Just saw this too, and loved it! Dark but beautiful, bouncing back and forth between realism and fantasy. Another film that begins with a corpse to add to my growing list...

 

Check out Devil's Backbone if you liked this one.

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It has nasty elements, but it's not an entirely hopeless story, is it? She finds emotional and psychological refuge in her fantasies, and the nobility of sacrifice is celebrated. I found the ending very hopeful, in its own way.

 

Cheers to that. In addition to Ofelia's fantasies serving as a coping mechanism to help her through her dismal circumstances, they also motivate her to do things she may not ever have found the courage to do on her own (fleeing with her brother, etc). I think that was my favourite thing about this thoroughly wonderful story.

 

God, not to rag on Americans more than I usually do, but why can't American films be this good? I think four of my five favourite films of the '00s have been Spanish-language ones. If you'll pardon the vulgarity, it feels more and more with each passing year as if Hollywood's cunt has completely dried up.

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