The Orphanage (in theaters now): 9/10
I will start off by saying this is one of the best movies I have seen in 6 months. This is from Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, other Spanish films), a director who has a distinct style but whose style greatly adds to his movies rather than detracts from them, like one of my favorite directors Tim Burton for instance.
One of the most enticing things about his movies is the childlike atmosphere they create which realizes our fantasies about things we see in the shadows and the supernatural realm of ghosts and faeries. The adult characters in these movies who estrange themselves from this world of childlike fantasy misunderstand what is actually happening and limit their perception of the world to a purely rational one. The way the director overlaps the world of "fantasy" and "reality" makes his movies that much more compelling.
This movie is as well-paced as No Country For Old Men, which is one of the most well-paced movies I have ever seen. The movie keeps your attention from almost start to finish (the beginning might be slow for some for about 10-15 minutes). It is not for children in spite of its childlike nature. There are some very disturbing and violent parts, but I would never degrade this movie by comparing it to a slasher flick or even your traditional horror movie. The movie masterfully creates an overarching suspense, so even if nothing ends up happening you are still on the edge of your seat.
The movie does a great job of differentiating itself from Pan's Labyrinth too in spite of their similarities. The characters, especially the mother in the story, act phenomenally, and you often forget you are even watching a movie. It is very accessible too, and in spite of its artistic quality is very enjoyable to everyone.
The ending is incredibly moving and definitely had my eyes watering. It ends on one of the saddest, but also one of the happiest notes I have ever seen. I expect this movie to win at least one Oscar and am very excited to see Guillermo del Toro's next film. I would recommend this movie to anyone and I will definitely buy it whenever it hits DVD/Blu-ray.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=luYDgj8W2cI
We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. –Raoul Duke
It is hard to shed anything but crocodile tears over White House speechwriter Patrick Buchanan's tragic analysis of the Nixon debacle. "It's like Sisyphus," he said. "We rolled the rock all the way up the mountain...and it rolled right back down on us...." Neither Sisyphus nor the commander of the Light Brigade nor Pat Buchanan had the time or any real inclination to question what they were doing...a martyr, to the bitter end, to a "flawed" cause and a narrow, atavistic concept of conservative politics that has done more damage to itself and the country in less than six years than its liberal enemies could have done in two or three decades. -Hunter S. Thompson
