Movies: Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men

Today I saw "Pan's Labyrinth" because it had gotten such good reviews and the images I'd seen from it were so intriguing. I had read a little about it, but found that I wasn't prepared for it.

I assumed the "magical" parts of it were more uplifting or something, I don't know. The bulk of the movie is pretty brutal. I can't remember a movie that had me wincing more than this one. Some amazing images and effects, but it's pretty dark. I don't want to give anything away, but I think if I had known how it was ahead of time I might have appreciated it more. One guy down the row from me said, as the closing credits came up, "I need a stiff drink after that movie."

The other night I saw "Children of Men," which also was quite gritty and violent, but much more redeeming and affecting in an odd way. The futuristic spin of the film was quite interesting (man, will cars really get ugly in a few years or what!), but while the setting was a downer, it's a fascinating and hopeful film... sort of.