Our Netflix Weekend

Ghost Rider (Nicholas Cage, Peter Fonda) - Couldn't really tell 'ya...I fell asleep after the first 20 minutes! Loretta managed to stay the course and said, "It wasn't too bad". Not a glowing recommendation.

The Messengers (Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbet ) - This is a Amityville Horror meets The Grudge meets Every Other Haunted House movie. Synopsis: A unassuming family (mom, dad, teenage daughter, and baby boy) escape their citified existence and move into an old sunflower farm house in the country. Of course, evil deeds had been perpetrated in the recent past leaving behind pesky poltergeists to scare the shit out of the new residents. Two redeeming aspects of this low-key horror film: It was directed by twin brothers from Hong Kong (Danny & Oxide Pang), thus offering the Asian ghost flick creepiness that only they seem to know how to do successfully. Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Evil Dead, The Grudge, etc) was one of the producers, helping to make The Messengers a decent, sometimes scary, film. No gore, no blood...but a collection of mildly disturbing scenes including the obligatory twitchy ceiling-crawling specters in the background. Good popcorn flick.

Pan's Labyrinth - This is a movie that ended up being much more than I had originally perceived. Set in 1944 fascist Spain, it combines elements of the war, guerrilla fighters, and the life of a young girl whose past and destiny are rooted in the supernatural underworld. When Pan's Labyrinth first came to theatres a few months ago, it appeared to be just another CG fairy tale ala Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Quite the contrary. It really does a superb job of combining the mortal world and that of those dark tales of folklore. It's actual title is El Liberinto del Fauno (labyrinth of the faun). Directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II, Mimic), it is a Spanish language film with American subtitles. The mood is serious and dark...no comic relief here. There are some disturbing torture scenes as well as one of the most nightmarish characters I've ever seen on film. The acting from the all Mexican/Spanish cast is superb and unrelenting. There are some CG special effects, but not nearly as much as I had anticipated from the trailers...and that is a good thing. The storyline and message remains unencumbered by gratuitous movie effects. The only drawback for us gringos: subtitles. Beyond that, it is a film worth watching (without the kiddies).