No Spandex, No Bowie, No Children Allowed.

I think he was called Mr Tumnus, the half man half goat dude from The Lion The Witch The Wardrobe. He was a fawn. He was all nervous and cutesy.

When Guillermo del Toro read the Narnia books (I'm sure he has) he probably imagined Mr Tumnus with shit stained leg warmers and hooves seeped in blood. I get this impression because he's made a film with hugely fantastical elements that children aren't going to be able to watch.

Well, they can watch it...but they'll also be watching a spanish peasant having his face caved in with a bottle. Graphically. Then shot.

There's a creature in this film that looks like something out of Hellraiser. He has eyeballs in his palms.

If you haven't guessed already this film I'm referring to is Pan's Labyrinth, or El Labertino del Fauno is you're a spaniard. Or pedantic. I saw it today and really enjoyed it, it's set in 1944 during the Spanish Civil War, General Franco and such...resistance fighters hiding in woods etc. In fact the large proportion of the film is set in the 'real' world, dealing with the young girl and her heavily pregnant Mother moving to rural northern spain to be with the Mother's new husband - the evil Captain Vidal. The young girl happens upon the entrance to a Labyrinth with the help of a fairie, and meets a fawn 'Pan' who sets her off on tasks and so forth and so on. I don't want to give too much away in terms of plot, but it's interesting and has plenty to hold the attention and I give it quite a high recommendation. Maybe four stars.

But it's also quite brutal, which works in conveying the monstrosity and distress in various scenes, but can be showy and somewhat gratuitous in others. The otherworldly effects for creatures and places are a strange contrast for the effects used in showing people getting shot in the face at close range. Maybe I shouldn't have expected anything different from the guy who gave us Blade 2 and Hellboy. The unfortunate thing I'm getting at - thats right I'm getting at something - is that it feels like del Toro is going out of his way to make it a film for adults, he's taking every opportunity to press home the violence and grotesque acts people are capable of. Obviously this helps make the fantasy Labyrinth underworld all the more desirable for the young girl and the audience, but it's done so with heavy hands. I can't help but think del Toro was scared of the film and the issues within it being trivialised if he had accomodated for a younger audience, that people would dismiss it as a childish fantasy rather than what is obviously quite a personal project for him. Ironically I think that if he had managed to marry the fantasy elements with a more palatable portrayal of the Civil War he would have a far wider reaching film that could have been appreciated by more people of all ages.

As it stands it's an adult film about a child dealing with tradgedy and fear and escaping into her own fantasy world. With blood, guts and a razorblade smile. I wouldn't let my kids watch it though.

At least it's not as scary as Return to Oz.

Ok the next blog will definitely have some t-shirt designs on it and maybe a couple of prototypes. I went to the Paul Frank shop the other day and got slightly disheartened by the high quality of the competition, but fuck it - I can draw a monkey better than he can. I did like the moustache t-shirt though. Bah.

Also if anyone hasn't seen the trailer for '300' yet, shame on you. Heres some gravy.