Fantastic Fest: Pan's Labyrinth and other Austin festival news

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Pans LabyrinthAmeliorating somewhat my lingering feelings of selfish bitterness at having to forgo Funky Forest in favor of Apocalypto, tonight's super-secret screening at Fantastic Fest at least had the advantage of being an actual genre movie: Pan's Labyrinth. Everyone in the audience seemed to know that we'd be seeing P.L. before they walked into the theater, and emcee Harry Knowles acknowledged that fact by calling it the worst-kept secret of the Fest. Knowles also delivered an amusing in-character version of an e-mail message from director Guillermo Del Toro who was unable to attend.

Though I am a devout fan of Del Toro's, Pan's Labyrinth was not quite what I expected. I liked the movie quite a bit and will review it in depth later, but I'm hard-pressed to imagine a target audience in North America for this dark and bloody picture shot in Spanish. Those who aren't turned off by the overt fantasy elements may not appreciate the violence and wide swaths of moviegoers in the States simply won't sit still for subtitles. The film is essentially a tragedy, which makes me think that word of mouth will be negative: it's not really for kids, you have to read your way through the movie, and few people will want to see it more than once. I'm sorry to be down on this movie by analyzing it on its marketability rather than its artistic merits (which are many), but those were the thoughts in the back of my head as the credits rolled. (Watch those same credits for an odd Cheech and Chong reference.)

Meanwhile as one local film festival winds down another one kicks off; Fantastic Fest ends the night before the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (AGLIFF) begins. Fantastic Fest's closing night festivities on Thursday include a screening of The Fountain with writer/director Darren Aronofsky in attendance and a wrap party at the Barton Springs Saloon. Reviews on The Fountain are all over the map, with some hailing it as the best film of 2006 and others comparing it to the similarly ambitious (yet artistically disastrous) Zardoz. AGLIFF, on the other hand, launches their festival on Friday with an Opening Night Gala at City Hall, preceded by screenings of Puccini for Beginners and Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds at the Regal Arbor.

Lurking in the wings to attack filmgoers late in October is the Austin Film Festival, which will announce its full lineup in the next few days. In addition to the slate of independent films in competition, the customary assortment of studio films such as Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer will also screen at AFF. (Full disclosure: I do some marketing work for AFF - view this last tidbit as a shameless plug or as helpful information as you see fit.)

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