Ah, isn't he a gem? (the critter pictured above, assuming the link isn't dead) Meet the Faun, one of the main characters from the movie Pan's Labyrinth. He is a flamboyant, raspy voiced creature who was the liason with the underworld for a young girl who was to find out that she is a princess trapped in the realm of mortals. Made, literally, of the earth he guided Ofelia (the main character, a young girl) in the completion of 3 tasks that would ultimately lead her to her real father and her true destiny.

I had the pleasure of seeing Pan's Labyrinth this past weekend and IT WAS GREAT! On the surface, the film was dark, depressing and seemingly hopeless (as many civil wars are). But if you open your mind, just a bit you'll find the innocence and idealism of a child (coping with a dire situation) lurking in the details as well as a fantasy-reality that it seems everyone at some point in their lives has wished for.

A few things tickled my brain as I watched the 120 minute masterpiece.
1) The movie was spoken in Spanish and subtitled in English. Usually I find the subtitles distracting, but this story was so enthralling to me that I kind of wonder if I stopped reading the subtitles and just understood what was being said.
2) Watching the Captain and how his fear and arrogance caused him to be many of the things I despise about humanity made my blood boil. As soon as I watched him beat this young boy to death (I won't give away too much), I couldn't wait for him to get what was coming. I wondered to myself if I was as bad as what he represents because of my thoughts, but decided that I didn't really want anyone to die, I just wanted the fantasy to grant my forbidden wish. I was not disappointed either. El Capitan was justly dealt with and I was satisfied!
3) When I was a child..I had a fever! Oops, that was Pink Floyd (another delightfully twisted movie I should write about (The Wall)). When I was younger, I had many fantasy worlds that I lived in. Sometimes I made them out of boredom, sometimes inspiration (after seeing a really great movie like Star Wars). I also created them to escape some of the situations I was placed in and even still I would create fantasy scenarios that let me control my environment when the adults of my life were "doing their thing." Watching Pan's Labyrinth kind of made me connect with those memories of my fantasy worlds and all of the adventures and fun I had creating them, interacting with them and day dreaming.

To make a short story long, I enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth. The idea of a fairy tale being rated 'R' (ages 17+) and being so dark but with such a warm message really spoke to me. If you haven't seen this film, have a few extra dollars (or euros/francs/etc.), and it's playing in a theater near you, I highly recommend checking it out. But make sure you unlock the door where your "inner child" lives, because he/she will want to come out and watch with you.

PEACE my friends!

So for those of you who don't know, I have two kitties. If you've ever seen one of my pic galleries, you've seen them. They are often the subject(s) of my photos. Anyway, the younger cat, "Slartibartfast" LOVES to eat stuff from the kitchen counter. Today I was workin' in photoshop and I heard the all-too-familiar noise of Slartibartfast jumping onto the counter. I then heard the clanking sound of a piece of silverware rattling on a plate. I immediately, but calmly grabbed the green spray bottle from next to the computer, walked into the kitchen and sprayed her 3 times. She jumped down, without as much as a peep from either of us, and proceeded to eat from her food dish, like nothing had happened. Afterwards, I had to laugh a bit. The whole thing was so....formal, like going through the motions.

I hope ya'll are smiling!