"The Dark Stranger": An Appreciative Editorial

In honor of his birthday, Lesya @ Eternity Of A Dream has created a list of Johnny Depp films she has never seen. Lesya and I are certainly not alone in our belief that Johnny Depp is the greatest actor in recent cinema history. But don't start thinking I'm some kind of groupie - although he may have devilishly good looks and a face that doesn't seem to age, Johnny Depp is the reason why I have become what I am today - a movie lover.

Back in the 90's, when I was 5 or 6 years old, I watched "Edward Scissorhands" for the first time. I don't remember if my parents had it on VHS or if it was playing on cable TV, but the movie never escaped my memory. I'm pretty sure that the film forever solidified my romantic sensibility and my penchant for the dark and odd. Ironically, at the time, my mother was working as an Avon sales representative. She would let me ride along with her as she made her rounds in our neighborhood. The connection I felt to Depp's character was something I had never felt before. The dark stranger in a bright and superficial world - that would become my identity.

The years that followed were, let's say, tumultuous. One of my go-to comforts was watching movies. For a long while, I didn't know who Johnny Depp was. I just knew who Edward was. On a lazy Sunday afternoon while I was staying with my mom, my younger sister and I watched "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." I think this was in '97 or '98. I immediately recognized his face - Edward's face. I made sure to make it through to the credits so that I could finally know his name. Johnny Depp. The dark stranger in a bright and superficial world.

I followed Depp as best as I could. It wasn't an obsession as much as it was a guarantee - I knew he could help me escape. He wasn't my heartthrob as much as he was my hero. Films such as "Donnie Brasco," "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas," "The Ninth Gate," "Sleepy Hollow," "Blow," "From Hell," "Finding Neverland," "Corpse Bride," and "Sweeney Todd" provided me with the little push I needed to fully embrace my movie love.

Now as an adult, my Depp-only days are over. I have branched out a bit, and now that I know what I need, I can rely on myself to find it. The escape is what I am obsessed with. Johnny Depp provided me with the blueprint. I am now going to build a foundation for my true passion. This blog is part of that foundation. Without Edward, without Gilbert - I would still feel like the dark stranger in a bright and superficial world.

The Vault: "Pan's Labyrinth" ('El Laberinto del Fauno')

When I think about the best movies of the past 10 years, "Pan's Labyrinth" certainly comes to mind. Released back in 2006, "Pan's Labyrinth" introduced (most) Americans to the brilliant Guillermo del Toro. I remember watching "Pan's Labyrinth" with the faintest notion that del Toro would be the next Tim Burton. With his whimsical characters, his eye for the fantasical, and a talent for storytelling, del Toro has been forever solidified in my mind as a true artist. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a story for all ages.

The film opens with the epic tale of Princess Moanna, the daughter of the King of the Underworld. The Princess grows curious about the world above, and one day she decides to leave the safety of the Underworld. As she spends time on Earth, she begins to forget about her father and her kingdom. Princess Moanna dies as a mortal, but the King believes that her divine soul will return to the Underworld some day.

In 1944 post-Civil War Spain, a curious young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to live in a remote military outpost in the forest. Her mother is pregnant with the son of Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), whose attention is focused on destroying the remaining members of the Republican opposition. The harsh reality of her new situation doesn't stop Ofelia's love for fairy tales and adventures. As she roams the grounds of her new home, Ofelia comes across an old labyrinth. Here, she meets the Faun for the first time. A gangly creature made of leaves and branches, the Faun explains to Ofelia that she is meant for bigger and greater things. He tells her that she has the soul of Princess Moanna, and that she must complete three tasks to prove that she is the real Princess.

As Ofelia attempts to complete the Faun's tasks, her nanny Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) is attempting to accomplish tasks of her own. Mercedes and the house doctor work together to bring food and medical supplies to the Resistance. There is a strong connection between the characters of Ofelia and Mercedes. Although they are aware of the painful reality of life, both Mercedes and Ofelia abandon thoughts of hopelessness and instead go on individual missions to make their world better. Mercedes encourages Ofelia to embrace her imagination, while Ofelia is the only one who knows that Mercedes is working for the Resistance. The two form a very strong bond, and their relationship is perhaps the most touching element of del Toro's fairy tale.

Guillermo del Toro has a keen eye when it comes to creating creatures and critters. Ofelia's first task involves retrieving a golden key from the mouth of a large toad that lives under a tree. After feeding it three magic stones, the toad explodes from the inside out, revealing it's stomach contents where the key is found. For her second task, Ofelia must face a grotesque creature. Its eyeballs rest not in the sockets of the head, but in the sockets of the palms. With murals depicting the creature violently gorging on the flesh of babies, and a heaping pile of children's-sized shoes resting in the corner of the room, this creature is truly terrifying. Ofelia must resist the urge to feast on the wealth of fruit and sweets in order to keep the creature from waking up.

I do not want to go too far into detail with the ending, in case some of you have not seen the film. I will say that the climax of the movie brings the struggles of both Mercedes and Ofelia together in an edge-of-your-seat moment. (I will also say that if your eyes do not water towards the end of the movie, then I believe you have no soul).

Upon reading some other articles on "Pan's Labyrinth," I discovered that when it made its debut at Cannes the movie was received with a 20-minute standing ovation! Well-deserved, if you ask me. "Pan's Labyrinth" is right up there with "Edward Scissorhands" as an unforgettable modern fairy tale. It's a beautiful movie that is sure to not let you forget about it.

Review Roundup: "The Hangover 2" and "X-Men: First Class"

Cut. Copy. Paste. Move. Save As TheHangover2.doc. Rub hands devilishly and laugh at all the stupid people. Did you walk out of "The Hangover 2" with the nauseating feeling that you just got played? Mmhmm. Me too. Here we are in Bangkok, once again following the epic tale of outlandish drunkenness with The Wolfpack. There's another wedding on the horizon, this time for timid dentist Stu (Ed Helms) and his Thai bride. With Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and the bride's young brother Teddy (Mason Lee) in tow, the nightmare begins. The guys wake up in a sleezy hotel room with no knowledge of the events that have just taken place. Instead of missing incisors, a jungle cat, and a baby, we get a Mike Tyson face tattoo, a chain-smoking monkey, and Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). Instead of marrying a Las Vegas stripper, Stu has a very close encounter with a ladyboy. Instead of a Mike Tyson cameo, we get one from Paul Giamatti - wait, scratch that, we still get the Tyson cameo. Do you people see where I'm going with this? "The Hangover 2" is a carbon copy of "The Hangover." And my reaction is a carbon copy too: I wasn't all that impressed. I chuckled a few times under my breath, but not one moment in the entire movie sent me to the edge of hilarity. I don't know why I was expecting more.
Grade: C-

"X-Men: First Class" deserves a good chunk of credit for its efforts. The X-Men franchise has been haunted by crummy scripts, poor acting, and mediocre special effects. Eleven years later, we finally see some improvement. The fuel that drives this movie is the doomed friendship of Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender). Armed with an Oxford education and plenty of family money, Charles goes the way of peaceful mentor to the young mutants he and Erik find. Erik, on the other hand, has made it his mission to destroy Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), compelled by the desire to avenge the death of his mother. In the background, Charles rounds up some teenage mutants, most of whom are forgettable characters. The movie attempts to dig a little deeper into the origin of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), who wrestles with her appearance and self-esteem. Let's talk acting, briefly: Michael Fassbender is the stand-out performance. James McAvoy wasn't as annoying as I thought he would be. Jennifer Lawrence was pretty bland, but not as bad as January Jones (Seriously! Are you just going to stand there?) Nothing against Kevin Bacon, but why was he the bad guy? I thought that was a very strange casting choice. With a running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, I was feeling a bit restless towards the end. Overall, "X-Men: First Class" was a well-executed origin story that was worth the ticket.
Grade: B