George and I watched Pan's Labyrinth last night. I had moved this movie to the top of my Netflix list. This movie is dark. We were both very captivated throughout, but we both commented as we were watching it about how "dark" it was. I think I expected something fanciful and fairy-tale, but what I didn't expect was the deep element of evil that surrounds the characters, whether in real life or in the Labyrinth. George said at one point that there was no relief from the bad stuff...that it was all bad upstairs and down.

I think it is a wonderful movie. I went to the website today, Pan's Labyrinth.com, and was amazed at all that is there to see. If you have seen the movie, please go to the website and see all the comments about how the movie was made. I love the website and it is obvious that everyone who was connected with this movie was really in love with it, including of coure, the wonderful director Guillermo Del Toro. Don't miss the INTERACT feature, Guillermo Del Toro's Sketchbook! It really is incredible, and they know it! Even the music behind the website is wonderful and usually I hate music on websites.

The characters are incredible and the art direction is amazing. But don't expect a light and frothy fairytale. This is NOT a children's movie.

After I watched it, I decided that I wanted to know more about the Spanish Civil War and the fight between Franco and the rebels in Spain. This is the war that Ernest Hemmingway and other famous Americans signed up for. This movie makes you think as well as feel. I was fascinated by the rebels and their bravery in the face the of the brutal Captain Vidal. And I was fascinated by the cast of characters in the labyrinth. It is all brutality, murder and mayhem and a lot of red blood handled in very artistic ways. And it is beautiful. It is almost impossible to imagine writing such a screenplay...much less making this fantastic vision into a movie.

Have a great day.