Just posting to alert people to Del Toro's new film Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/
http://www.movie-list.com/trailers.php?id=panslabyrinth

It's about a little girl who takes off for an imaginary world in grim militaristic post-WWII Spain.

Doug Jones who was Abe plays the fantastic looking faun. I still need to see some of Del Toro's ealier work, but this looks fantastic.

I'm not quite sure when it's getting released or where. IMDB says Dec 29 2006.

Oh yes, this movie looks absolutely stunning. I think Jones does some other work in it as well, not just as Pan.

Also, Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy, has done designs for some of the posters for the film, I believe.

It's an amazing film, Golden Globe nominated and also probably due for at least a couple of Oscar nominations.

Doug plays 2 roles in the film - El Fauno (the Faun) and 'Hombre Palido' (The Pale Man). Each took around five hours-worth of make-up (By Barcelona SFX shop DDT Efectos Especiales) and he had the most dialogue in the film - in archaic Spanish, a language he doesn't speak.

More here:

http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/pan.htm

Mike did a limited edition poster for Comic Con this year, and if you check out the posters link you'll see a magnificent one by Drew Struzan too.

The film begins a platform release Stateside on December 29th.

HM

Moved this thread from the Hellboy forum. I fgured it should get a little more notice.

It finally started playing here in the greater Boston area. (Or maybe I just finally got around to checking out the thearters again.) I just saw the movie tonight with a bunch a friend and a large group of his friends for part of his birthday party. It was quite amazing. I loved it myself.

Some of the others reactions were mixed. My friend went to check out the costuming and effects and seemed to like it. We were talking about some of stuff and I told him some of the things I heard. I filled him in about Doug Jones, who he remembered from played Abe in Hellboy, physically playing two monsters. I told him how he was playing Silver Surfer in the upcoming movie.

Some of the girls with us were rather grossed out or squeemish at some of the violence. Ok, ok, some of us guys were squirming and wincing at some of the scenes too. I myself winced at the use of needles a couple of times. Someone else commented that they expected more fantasy and less of the war drama. I enjoyed that, but I can see how this could be problem of marketing.

One of the things that amazed me, which I think a point of the film, was that some of the most monsterous and horrifying moments in the film were performed by the humans, not the mythical monsters.

Oh and I forgot to tell everyone before we were in the thearter that the film was in Spanish and subtitled in English, but the group was a bunch of anime fans, so I don't think anyone there minded them.

I gotta say, this was one of the best films I've seen in a while. Well, this and Children of Men, which I saw the day before. They oddly had some similar overtones with taking place in a fascist government and all. Both were simply amazing films, both of which I'd see again in thearters and a must own on DVD.

Pan's Laberynth won for

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Best Achievement in Makeup

Best Achievement in Art Direction

It didn't get Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. That went to German film The Lives of Others. (Considering 'Inconvient Truth' just won Best Doc and Lives of Others is about wire tapping, kinda seems they're trying to tell our administration something via these awards.)

It's still up for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

edit: Eh. Babel got the score one and Little Miss Sunshine got Screenplay. Still, I think the film did pretty well.

To be honest, I was torn on Cinematography. Children of Men and The Prestige were also beautifully shot. Didn't get around to seeing the other two unfortunately. I really couldn't decide between those three wonderful movies I saw. Also, I love the category and think it's terribly underrated. Being somewhat of a photo buff doesn't hurt.

Heya Xenos. Long time.
On Del Toro's past stuff. Cronos got me liking him as a director but I have seen nothing of his work previous to that. Which is to say a few films only (Geometria?)
After Mimic and Blade 2, I was ready to swear off on his flicks but along came Hellboy and Pan's Lab.
Loved those two so much that I forgive him for the abominations in his past.

In other words: see Cronos, man.