November 22, 2010

The Fantasy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Kubla Khan [story time]



In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

November 18, 2010

Captain Vidal stars as the Wicked Witch [review by starlight]


Pan’s Labyrinth is an incredibly brutal film that will make you feel the harshness of the world, particularly because of the contrast with a beautiful fantasy. There is a realist story intertwined with a fantastic one, where the world of the adults is dark, cruel and without any justice, and Ofelia, as a child, is able to access a just and beautiful world if she overcomes dangerous obstacles. Her part of the story is the Fairy Tale. Captain Vidal is the bad guy for both the realist of the Spanish Civil War and the fairy tale of Ofelia’s quest. His character really gets the idea across that there is no cosmic justice. Vidal represents the cold, irrational brutality of the world.

Tears and Goose-bumps! [nostalgia time]

That is how I always react to a Harry Potter trailer, but this time I don't think I'm going to be let down! I just have a feeling. The Harry Potter films can be hit or miss. They are chalk-full of emotional moments, particularly for a fantasy series (where there is more focus on sweeping, world-changing events than on character depth), so whether or not they are good quality films, I have ended up crying in each and every one.