El laberinto del Fauno/Pan's Labyrinth

My review of "Pan's Labyrinth" ("El laberinto del Fauno") is up on Flakmag today. It'll live on for eternity here.

Since writing this review, I've also watched Guillermo del Toro's earlier movie set during the Spanish Civil War, "The Devil's Backbone" ("El espinazo del diablo,") which, contrary to what the iMDB says, isn't really so much a horror movie as an historical thriller. Guillermo del Toro was recently interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air, and, among other things, described how he came to this interest in Spain's history. As it turns out, he befriended an exiled Spanish Republican in Mexico as a young man, and got a first-hand account of the Spanish Civil War and aftermath from someone who was able to escape to Mexico and work as a teacher, along with many others caught on the losing end of the war. Del Toro also describes how his grandmother used to exorcise him periodically. When you see the movie, you'll understand why.