OCEAN'S THIRTEEN

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Carl Reiner, Eddie Izzard, Vincent Cassel, Andy Garcia, Elliot Gould, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Al Pacino, Julian Sands, Eddie Jemison, David Paymer, Shaobo Qin, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin

"What are the odds of getting even? 13 to one"

Some reasons why I enjoyed Ocean's Thirteen:
George Clooney and the whole gang are back.
They have visibly aged but their camaraderie is still intact.
Sleek script, the plot is a lot easier to figure out.
No mind bending twists.
But the heist itself is still rather complex.
The 70s feel and look of the cinematography.
Grainy, sometimes out of focus camera angles.
The neat CGi effects like that hideous structure known as the Banks Hotel.
Vincent Cassel's very brief yet powerful presence on screen.
The few witty and funny dialogue which merit a chuckle or two.
The realistic capture of glittery and gaudy Las Vegas, the Sin City.
The steady acting of a subdued Al Pacino. Not much histrionics which works better.
The able performance of the supporting cast like David Paymer, Julian Sands Eddie Izzard and Andy Garcia to name a few.
The fashionable wardrobe which made them, well most of them look like models for GQ magazine.
The crafty direction of Steven Soderbergh.
Mostly it seems like they all have a lot of fun during the filming of these Ocean films and it radiates on screen.

Number 1 reason this film doesn't rank as my favorite "Ocean" heist:
Ellen Barkin's leathery presence. She was just added to put some ooomph in the film but they should have given her role to a male actor instead. Ugh!

By the way, my favorite among the trilogy is the very complex but cleverly written "Ocean's Twelve".

LES MAUVAIS JOUEURS
 (GAMBLERS)

Pascal Elbe, Simon Abkarian, Isaac Sharry, Lihn Dan Pham

12TH French Film Festival, Cinema 3, Shang Cineplex

Despite it being entitled "Gamblers" in English, this French film isn't about high rollers and casinos but more about people taking chances and gambling with their lives.

It is set in the Sentier district of Paris, the center of the garments industry. A sector also known for its large immigrant population. Vahe works for his father's textiles store which is on the brink of closing down. His girlfriend Lu Ann has left him and he is suddenly forced to take her younger brother Yuen under his wing and suffers the consequences of his act.

It is an honest glimpse into the life of a man on the brink of making choices and sticking to them. Volatile times reign in modern day France which now has an alarming immigrant population. But Vahe's story isn't about the difficulties an immigrant faces in his host country but about the everyday travails of a group of people who just happen to be immigrants. A life riddled with crime syndicates, petty crimes but at the same time these people now make up the backbone of France, today. Their lives are intertwined with the lives of other immigrants who all seek to make an honest living by doing what they know best. It is about the young Chinese laborers who works at sweat shop like factories. A restaurant run by the Chinese family of Lu Ann. It is about the Lebanese merchants who sells the textiles to these factories which in turn are run by Hungarian mob like characters. But it is also about compassion, about romance and about life in general as seen through the perspective of assimilated immigrants who live in harmony with each other.

Pascal Elbe who in my opinion looks like a rougher version of Eric Bana portrays Vahe. A somehow compassionate person who can't seem to make things work to his advantage. He is still in love with his Chinese now ex girlfriend, Lu Ann to the point of obsessively stalking her. He takes it upon himself to help her younger brother, Yuen who is a restless young man more focused on courting than actually earning a living. Vahe is mostly a rather common character in French movies with immigrant themes. A character guided by his heritage yet trying to adapt to his host country to the best of his rather limited ability. Usually they can easily assimilate within society yet they are still judged by their stereotypical behaviours.
In the same breath, Lu Ann is a young liberated Asian woman of Chinese ancestry who was born and raised all her life in France. She can hardly speak her native tongue and she aspires to be more than just a dishwasher/helper in a Chinese restaurant. But when she gets romantically involved with a fellow Chinese, her friend tells her that she will be better off with a French guy because "Chinese no good".

Although the story line is quite realistic, the editing could use some improvement. Certain scenes don't seem to coordinate with the main plot. They seemed too forced to make any relevance. The cinematography is true to its setting, a working class neighborhood which could really use some renovation. As is now common among French movies, there are no definitive conclusions to some side plots in the storyline. The director, Frédéric Balekdjian who is the son of Armenian immigrants loosely based the story upon his own life. He grew up in the Sentier district. Perhaps his idea is that the story of an immigrant or any person for that matter doesn't really have a conclusive ending as long as he is alive. The audience is left to form their own opinions about the fate of each of the characters once the end credits roll up in the dark theater. The question though is do we really care what happened to them?

THE MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

12th French Film Festival
Cinema 3, Shang Cineplex

I expected to see the French version of this known documentary about the flight of the emperor penguins since after all it is the French Film Festival, right? But lo and behold it was the Tagalog version with Sharon Cuneta (a local actress) narrating the story in her sometimes high pitched voice complete with giggles and trying to be cute effects. Blah! It was entitled "Penguin, Penguin paano ka ginawa?" ("Penguin, Penguin how were you made?") which is a play with words on a popular Filipino song or is it a poem? (I'm not sure) called "Bata, bata paano ka ginawa?" ("Child, child, how were you made?").

Nevertheless despite being visibly disappointed, this 85 minute documentary was interesting to watch, quite informative and educational. Drawing parallels with the trappings of human existence - it has all the necessary ingredients of a good story telling movie.

Conflicts in the form of some mother penguins trying to steal the other babies. Violence can be manifested through bitter fights among them as well as lurking dangers from menacing enemies (seals, eagles) in the chain. Romantic interludes once they choose their partners among the throngs of penguins and their mating rituals is like watching an elegant ballet dance. Laughter/joy mostly found at the sight of their little chick penguins hatching out of their eggs. Sad moments occur when some of the mother penguins die on their way back to the place where their hungry chicks are waiting to be fed.

Dramatic highlights in the life cycle of an emperor penguin include trying everything to keep warm during those unforgivable blizzards. Plus add in the cuteness factor - because ever so often you end up going "awww" every time you see an adorable furry little penguin chick shivering in the freezing weather.

But most of all I admire the fact that it is the male penguin who takes care of the egg for 4 months going without food while the female penguin goes off to hunt for food miles away from the breeding ground. How's that for (penguin) women's lib, huh?

As the French say "C'est genial!"

PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER

Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Hurd-Wood

"He lived to find beauty. He killed to possess it."

12th French Film Festival, Cinema 3, Shang Cineplex

An olfactory visual feast about a young man, Jean Baptiste Grenouille who is on a quest to find the perfect scent. His quest turns into a dark obsession fraught with the murder of innocent young women. This movie based on a book entitled "Das Parfume" by German author Patrick Suskind. A clear crisp narration by an uncredited John Hurt ably guides you through the film. It starts off with a pretty bleak story of a very unusual young man. A young man misunderstood by society, incapable of forming human relationships but with a keen sense of smell which affects everything in his sight and in his life. It is set in 18th century France which was described by the narration as:

"In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. Naturally, the stench was foulest in Paris, for Paris was the largest city in Europe."

So from the onset you brace yourself for a dismal depiction of a sad pathetic life. Yet as the movie progresses, you become a silent witness through the portrayal of the different scenes to Jean Baptiste's numerous experiences in his 'smelly' world. Cinematography was artistic to say the least with vivid scenes of a bright lavender field, the dark stinky marketplace of Paris to the lush greenery of the French countryside or the slow motion drop of compressed perfume oil. Haunting sounds effects of a beating heartbeat, the wails of a newly born baby as well as an operatic aria during some vital scenes gave the film some character. It is only towards the ending that the plot gets a bit convoluted and it seems a bit disjointed from the rest of the film. An odd and puzzling ending which is probably best explained in the book leaves you scratching your head and pondering "what was that all about?".

Dustin Hoffman was a revelation as the mentor who teaches Jean Baptiste Grenouille everything about the perfumery trade. A short but significant role nonetheless. Alan Rickman is always effective in any role he portrays. But the main praise goes to the young actor, Ben Whishaw who portrays Jean Baptiste. His innocent looking face sparkles each time he discovers a new scent. You can't help but totally commiserate with his fate. The whole movie naturally revolves around him. Whishaw's acting although a bit stiff in some scenes was overall credible and effective.

By the way, the film is entirely in English and not a single French word was uttered by anybody in the cast who ironically sported English accents not even trying to sound French at all. Strange! There is a hidden symbolic meaning to the rather bewildering ending but that shouldn't put you off the fact that Perfume is a very well made yet complex movie. But it is probably not really suited for every one's tastes.

According to Guiseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman) a scent has 3 chords. The head, the heart and the base. The head is the first impression you get from the smell. The heart is the main soul of the perfume. The base is the trail that lingers long after the scent has evaporated. I'd say this film also has 3 chords. You are first awed then you discover who Jean Baptiste really is and finally you realize it is one cinematic feast which will linger in your mind long after you've left the theater.

ZODIAC

Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anthony Edwards, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Chloe Sevigny

"There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer"

Cinema 6, SM Megamall

This film is based on actual case files about a serial killer named "Zodiac" with references from the books written by Robert Graysmith. The San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal who got obsessed by the case. David Fincher who also pegged "Se7en", "Panic Room" and "Fight Club" uses a now familiar visual technique prominent in most of his films. Dim, grainy images, a few jarring hand held effects to depict the era/setting of the film. "Zodiac" starts from the late 60s and spans 4 decades. To give the film a more documentary feel, the time frame was shown on screen to indicate the evolution of the case. But it distracted me because I kept trying to figure out "8 weeks later from which month?". Well I was never good in math, anyway!

The ensemble cast of mostly good actors essayed their well developed characters efficiently. Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr and even Elias Koteas all sported the 70s look complete with wavy hair, bushy sideburns, bell bottoms and tight suits. But how come Jake Gyllenhaal still looked the same throughout the movie? OK granted that he portrays the author of the books upon which the film is based so he had a more lengthy role but it would be fair to say he actually had just one expression on his ruggedly pleasant face throughout the movie.

Of course how else can you expose the evil machinations of a serial killer without resorting to violent scenes? The violence was rather graphic in some shots and merely implied in other scenes so it wasn't too disturbing to watch. .It makes you wish that DNA profiling was available back then so that the killer would have been caught right away. Yet the very fact that technology wasn't up to par back then makes the "Zodiac" case and the film for that matter so engrossing to follow. Fincher presented factual information and thankfully didn't sugarcoat it with any embellishments to give it some dramatic effect for Hollywood sake.

Yes, the film is long but it was cleverly edited in such a way that every scene was vital for the audience to get a better grip on the case. It had the right mix of gripping suspense, tinges of violence, good repartee among the actors and a coherently solid plot to sustain your attention.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END

Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley,
Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Keith Richards, Stellan Skarsgard, Chow Yun Fat

Cinema 8, SM Megamall

"At the end of the world, the adventure begins."

I watched this film a week ago and all I can recall from its merry twists and turns of a plot is Johnny Depp with his thick kohl eyeliner makeup as Jack Sparrow hallucinating in Davy Jones's locket.

I guess it says something about a movie when despite it being over 2 hours , the only scene which stuck to my mind is a hallucination. Truth be told, I've long forgotten what happened in the second installment (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) of the franchise. So while I was still familiar with the main characters like Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, Captain Barbossa, Davy Jones, the two goofy pirates (Pintel and Ragetti) and of course, Jack Sparrow, I felt like I myself was abandoned on an island somewhere so I was totally disoriented.

Numerous subplots abound (much like the first 2 films) but the main technique of visually stimulated scenes still held fort. Swashbuckling fight scenes, a wide array of merry characters hopping from one ship to another traveling the high seas, the muted romantic angle between Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, the comedic dialogue, the good computer generated effects - all contribute to make Pirates 3 a highly entertaining senseless fun movie to watch. At the same time, certain humanely poignant scenes like Will Turner becoming the captain of the Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones returning to his 'human' form give the film some soulful interpretation and doesn't relegate it to some inconsequential frolicking romp at sea.

The much awaited appearance of Keith Richards though was a bit disappointing because it was very brief. It would have been more interesting if they added and developed that side plot more extensively. Chow Yun Fat's character in my opinion didn't contribute anything significant to the plot. He didn't make a dent in the whole shebang. It seemed like a wasted effort on his part. As was customary with the first two Pirates movies, just when you thought that some conflicts were nicely resolved, another conflict arose from the turbulent seas. The film though was cleverly edited in such a way that there is no dull moment and every scene is vital for the fluidity of the film. I like the fact how loose ends finally yet slowly after much dilly dallying got some closure.

So while it was implied that there might be more Pirates films in the offering, I believe this one was a fitting end to the trilogy. Surely Jack Sparrow needs to take a bow and make his graceful exit from the world of the cinema and go back to where he belongs - a character on a Disney theme park ride where he can regale us with his charming presence.

Parlay!

FRACTURE

Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Billy Burke

"If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot"

Cinema 6, Galleria

The trailer for "Fracture" practically reveals everything about this thriller. It is marketed as an open close case with a twist but the film makers also piqued our interest by suggesting things aren't as easy as they seem in this murder mystery. If it was, then why bother watching it, right?

Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins), a wealthy aeronautics engineer shoots his wife at close range after he discovers her affair. He confesses to the detective in charge, is arrested then arraigned for trial. Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is a young public defender with a foot out of the door as he embarks on a his new career in a private law firm. He takes the case assuming it was an easy one to handle but ends up embroiled in something more that he bargained for.

Without revealing much of the plot and its neat little twist towards the end, let me point out the main draw(s) for this average film. It is the two lead stars who essayed their roles with credible conviction. Anthony Hopkins as the wily and cunning perpetrator of the 'perfect' crime was brilliant. He does have a tendency to mumble some of his lines in his other movies but surprisingly and pleasantly so in "Fracture" he delivered his dialogue with a clear diction and sharp eloquence. His portrayal of Crawford as this beguiling aeronautics engineer was at best cunningly smooth with traces of menacing demeanor. His shifty eyes, his eloquent play with words all framed in a subtle almost creepy demeanor gave him the edge over his other co-stars.

Ryan Gosling impressed me with his role in "Murder by Numbers" but totally repulsed me in "The Notebook" and I have yet to see him in his Oscar nominated role as a teacher in "Half Nelson". Here he is a young ambitious and somewhat arrogant attorney named Willy Beachum and he was effectively good. He didn't come across as too forceful yet at the same time, neither was he a weak character on screen. He was just right for the role. It is interesting to note how Willy's character developed from a complacent attorney whose mind wasn't wholeheartedly in the case to that of an ethically moral person who decides to pursue Crawford relentlessly to enforce justice and bring proper closure to the crime.

The scenes which make the most impact are the repartee between Gosling and Hopkins. Granted that they will naturally have scenes together because he is the opposing counsel in the case, it was nonetheless refreshing to watch these two good actors 'battle' it out on screen. Neither of them chose either consciously or unconsciously to steal the scene from the other. Good chemistry and rapport maybe a sign of respect between the two actors shone through the film. No hysterical over the top acting just pure exchange of adroit straight to the point delivery of dialogue.

It is directed by Gregory Hoblit who also pegged that visceral courtroom drama "Primal Fear" which in my book launched the career of Edward Norton. "Fracture's" thin story line does have its weak points like a romantic angle between Gosling and Rosamund Pike which fizzles out even before it begins. Certain questions do abound, but overall the little twist in the end seals the deal. This film isn't exactly as gripping as a John Grisham courtroom drama but neither does it qualify as a bad episode of any of the Legal TV shows like "The Practice" or "Boston Legal". It takes its time to flesh out the characters. The plot moves at a slow pace until the ending where everything starts to quickly make sense complete with loud thumping music enough to get your pulse racing. So I reiterate that the presence of two solid actors who portray complex yet contrasting characters is worthy enough to see this average crime thriller.

SPIDER-MAN 3
Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Dallas Bryce Howard, Topher Grace, Thomas Hayden Church

"How long can any man fight the darkness ...
before he finds it in himself?"

Cinema 5, Greenbelt 3

The main issue with a film being the 3rd installment in its franchise is that it would invariably be compared to the original and its sequel. I don't like comparing anything in life, most of all movies so I won't get into whether Spidey 2 was better than the first Spidey or if Spidey 3 even deserved to be made. Instead , I will focus on the merits of the film based on what I liked and what I didn't like about it. Fair enough, right?

The opening credits of the film starts with a montage of scenes from the first two films shown on these glass cut panels rotating around accompanied by some loud music. A cutesy little voice over from Peter Parker himself pans us into the main story. Things are going well for Spidey. He is a top student in class, his romance with Mary Jane is steady and he is adored by a hero worshipping public. Then we are introduced to not 1, not 2 but 3 villains all out to give poor Spidey or more specifically the stuntmen something to do in the film. Cleverly choreographed fight scenes with loud heart pounding music as well as CGI enhanced techniques ensues. The film didn't hold back in the sounds department - sounds of metal hitting metal, loud thuds, shrieking non human noise from some black gooey meteorite stuff, ambient traffic noise. Masks wearing villains in the form of the New Goblin and Venom all add to the hugely entertaining factor of the film.

The main draw is a well buffed Thomas Hayden Church in a very 'sandy' performance as Flint Marko aka "The Sandman". After he has wreaked havoc on the streets of New York, you feel as if you're on a beach in Boracay with pesky sand oozing from every nook and cranny of your sun burnt body. The way Flint Marko evolved into the Sandman is a neat cinematic visual effect which merits a pat on the back of those hardworking graphic artists. It reminds me of the scene in "The Mummy Returns" where the sands shift into this big wave forming into the face of The Mummy. "The Sandman" was portrayed as a sympathetic villain and you can't help but believe that deep inside he didn't want to do any harm but he was merely a misunderstood petty criminal who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The somewhat amiss parts (I won't say 'bad' because it is too negative) are mostly wasted footage delving on the conflicted Peter Parker grappling with his darker alter ego personality. You know the one where he has bangs, wears that dark Spidey suit inside his clothes and he roams the streets like a creepy gigolo swaying like Travolta in "Saturday Night Live" dance moves. He shouldn't have resorted to acting like a goof ball, it just seemed so forced and totally off character behaviour. Then you have Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) not using her real voice when she sang during her off Broadway play as well as a waitress/singer in a jazz bar. But then it doesn't really matter anyway. That girl can't act even if her life depended on it. All she can do is shriek her lungs out as she hangs precariously from a tangled web mess atop a building. Yes I never liked Kirsten Dunst so it is useless for anyone to convince me otherwise about the obvious lack of her acting abilities.

Thankfully, director Sam Raimi cast the effervescent Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy. Her luminous presence fared a whole lot better than the scruffy looking Mary Jane. Her hair dyed a glaring platinum blond accentuated her expressively set eyes. Even though it was a brief role and very cartoonish in nature, she registered well on screen. Topher Grace as the competitive freelance photographer Eddie Brock was a good 'sidekick' comic relief. The scene where Eddie Brock accidentally transforms into the hideous looking antagonist Venom is another worthy CGI art form.

The inner personality conflict which started brewing within Peter Parker/Spiderman added more character into his otherwise boring personality. It showed his vulnerability as a Superhero. That he wasn't a goody good hero after all. Let's face it if all he did was save someone from falling from tall buildings or fighting against much powerful enemies then it would be pretty boring. My thinking is that as an actor Tobey Maguire has a rather limited range. His detached expressions are mostly one dimensional limited mostly to this blank stare with bulging eyes throughout the entire film. The writers should have thought of something far more innovative than merely let Peter Parker have bangs to signify his alter ego. They should have exploited this side plot more to their advantage. Instead of portraying him as a goof ball with cheesy dance moves. The transformation of Harry Osborn into the New Goblin was a lot more interesting to watch. He had more range as Harry bent on avenging his father's death by killing Spidey. Then he hits a snag when he develops temporary amnesia but towards the end he redeems himself when he teams up with Spidey (his best friend) to defeat the enemies.

Overall, this film had its glaring flaws - underdeveloped characters, poorly edited scenes, wasted extra footage, numerous side plots - but the special effects (both visual and sound), the good ensemble cast and the action scenes make up for it. The recurring theme of lasting friendships, the triumph of good over evil and the familiar family oriented values still remained intact somewhere within the tangled mess of this Superhero movie. Although it may not be the best installment in the Spider-Man franchise, I was relatively entertained so be it.

EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO

(PAN'S LABYRINTH)

Sergi Lopez, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero

"Innocence has a power evil cannot imagine."

Cinema 7, Galleria

So while everyone was off to see Spidey weave his trail, I was happily ensconced in a dark theater getting awed by an enchanting fairy tale. The beauty that is "Pan's Labyrinth".

A film set in fascist Spain in the 1940s with two stories unfolding simultaneously onscreen. It is peppered by multidimensional real and mythical characters so genuinely authentic, you feel like you stepped inside the pages of a sombre yet fascinating book. Neatly narrated by the haunting voice of a menacing faun, you are easily transported into a magical world. Not necessarily a fun, cheerful place but it still has the same effect. After all, aren't most fairy tales frighteningly dark in nature?

All the usual ingredients for a dark fairy tale are present in this film. You have the lonely little girl, an evil step father, the slimy giant toad, the fairies, a magic chalk, the winding maze, the scary eyeless creature that eats children and of course the faun. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), the main heroine in this film is a typical little girl, a somewhat lonely soul who escapes into a fantasy world to block out her apparently harsh young life. Well I wouldn't blame her. Her young life is doomed to be spent in a merciless place with her equally doomed pregnant mother and her sadistic, torture loving step father, Capitan Vidal (Sergi Lopez).

Beautifully filmed in a dark Gothic like atmosphere, the film shifts effortlessly between the real setting and the fantasy world. A damp muddy place provides the backdrop for the very authentic depiction of a small fort/village being inundated by the Communists. Scenes of bloody and violent rebel uprising as well as shots of brutal torture mostly perpetrated by the Fascist soldiers are disturbing images yet you can't help but watch with awe. The fantasy part though supposed to be a magical place is just as dark too. Images of a dim labyrinth, a hidden world which can be entered by drawing a door with a chalk are all cleverly shot with cinematic prowess. A place inhabited by scary and revolting creatures, you sometimes wonder if this is really a fairy tale. Even the fairies look creepy, if you ask me. But it is refreshing to come across a film where you can tune out every few minutes within the fantasy world and in the same breath be exposed to really gruesomely harsh facet of Fascist Spain.

The actors all gave powerful performances without upstaging each other nor did they deviate from the central plot. Sergi Lopez who I've watched in several French movies was masterful in his grand portrayal of Capitan Vidal. A Spanish/French actor with a chameleon like ability to portray mostly villain roles, he has always brought something unique to each of the antagonists he has portrayed in his numerous films. Here, he is this slick haired, clean freak of sadistic and maniacal proportions incapable of any emotional attachment. Yet at the same time, you can't really hate his character because you understand his ruthless streak stems from a troubled background. You comprehend that Capital Vidal was merely performing his duty to the best of his abilities and he had to maintain a reputation befitting his position as an officer in the Spanish army.

But without a doubt, my favorite character in this movie is the Fauno or the Faun. Mysteriously ambiguous and equally manipulative, he is like a wolf in sheep clothing. Friendly and charming one moment and the next instant he is aggressive and fierce. A creaky creature that resembles a very old tree with ears who talks in such a mesmerizing haunting voice. An ambivalent creature who seems to mean well yet you can't help but wonder if he was double crossing Ofelia. His stern goat like appearance towering over the young girl was a sight to behold. Doug Jones, who is an English actor and doesn't speak a word of Spanish portrayed the faun with such aplomb. You can't help but stay glued to the screen each time he made his creepy appearance. He is everything you would imagine a faun to look like. Interesting enough, the only other faun I've seen is Mr Tumnus in "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", who was amusingly portrayed by James McAvoy. The young actor who was acclaimed for his role in "The Last King of Scotland".

The fact remains that director, Guillermo del Toro was able to convey a suspended sense of heightened fantasy vis a vis an apparently sombre reality. It is admirable that he wrote most of the story himself. It projects a vividly creative and fertile imagination which always provides for a good story telling technique, cinema wise. The film visually presented the effects of war through the eyes of a young girl. But in the grander scheme of things as far as mature fairy tales go, I believe his whole point is that sometimes in this merciless universe, it is so much better to go to a happy place deep within the recesses of our mind to escape whatever difficulties we experience in life. The trick though is to know when to draw the line between fantasy and reality.

Granted that the film is a heartfelt cinematic vision, the fact remains that there are still a lot of questions which abound. I don't know about you but it suits me just fine to have endless questions linger in my mind long after the end credits have rolled by. I'm sure I will continue to question "Pan's Labyrinth" for some time. That's a good thing, you know!

SHERRYBABY

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Danny Trejo, Giancarlo Esposito, Brad William Henke

"No one makes it alone"

This film explores the journey of one woman to find her place in this world amidst several difficult but very realistic struggles. Sherry Swanson is a single mother recently released after 3 years in prison for drugs related offenses. Her first concern is to reconnect with her young daughter, Alexis. The child now lives with Sherry's brother Bobby and his wife Lynnette.

A film showcased in very basic surroundings with minimal effects, its simplistic approach belies the heavy human drama it aims to expose. We witness the various emotional upheavals that Sherry struggles to overcome. We cheer on as she connects with her daughter. We cringe at the way that she handles her job interviews. We are repulsed by the manner Sherry's father treats her. We pity her when she unravels after she discovers certain disturbing facts. Yet amidst such dramatic moments in her life, we don't judge her for her shortcomings and her failures in life.

Maggie Gyllenhaal's effortless portrayal of Sherry played a big part in why we the audience are so forgiving towards Sherry. Her acting was superb. Her facial expressions and body gestures convincingly convey a wide range of emotions sans the usual hysterics. She delivers her lines in a clear tone. Her complicated character evolves and grows both physically and mentally as the film unfolds. In the beginning, she is this vulnerable ex convict in tacky clothes trying to redeem herself. In an effort to assume a more responsible role both as a person and as a mother, she adapts a more mature appearance. Deep inside she also comes to grip with the fact that she is just human. Maggie's realistic and effective performance made us understand where Sherry is coming from. Her troubled childhood, her murky past, her vulnerability and most of all her desperate attempt to be a good mother against all odds.

Certain scenes are disturbing to watch but the director doesn't shield us from the ugliness of life. The painful struggles that a complex character like Sherry needs to experience as she goes on her path to succeed as a mother and most of all as an individual is presented within the folds of a clear and steady plot. Ably supported by other less known but nonetheless effective actors, this independent film is certainly Maggie Gyllenhaal's best bet at proving she is a talented yet underrated actress.

A poignantly realistic film about one woman's inspiring journey to make her life more meaningful. It doesn't aim to preach nor does it justify her actions. It simply tells her story, period.