Brian's Brain

Another weekend approaches and, with it, here's another movie recommendation for you. This one's not yet out on DVD; last Sunday, Lil and I made a rare movie theater visit. The Crest is a beautiful restored downtown venue, locally owned (which, I admit, also was a factor in our decision to tackle an outside-the-house viewing) and with several projection rooms recently added in the sub-level, but our chosen film was shown on the stunning large, original main screen. And what a film it was; Pan's Labyrinth, the latest production from director Guillermo del Toro (whose past works that I've seen include the equally exellent The Devil's Backbone and the surprisingly good Hellboy).

I'm not going to spoil the plot for you aside from saying that it takes place in the early days of Franco's rule in Spain, a time period that's been of interest to me ever since I read Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls while visiting Spain in 1996. What struck me about Pan's Labyrinth from a business and technology standpoint, though, were three inter-related factors:

1) The special effects were abundant, lush and stunning, and

2) Well-integrated within the plot, not detracting from it, while

3) Implemented within a film whose estimated total production budget was only an estimated $17.7 million USD.

I regularly write about film making; its historical progression, current status and possible future evolution. Note, for example, my long-standing coverage of standard- and high-definition video and accompanying surround sound audio in homes as competition for theaters, and my subsequent encouragement for the cinema industry to embrace enhancements such as high quality digital projection, specifically 3D projection, as a means of getting (and keeping) customers in seats. I also regularly cover the HDV video format and its more recent competitor, AVCHD, seeing them as cost-effective tools that'll bring high-def capabilities to a much larger population of videographers.

And, with movies such as the one I enjoyed last weekend, I'm now clearly seeing the positive effects that cost-effective computing hardware and software can have on the film-making process. A compelling plot, along with smoothly-incorporated special effects, will always be necessary for both critical and commercial success. Therefore, a lot fewer Star Wars: Episode 1's and 2's going forward, counterbalanced by more Pan's Labyrinths, will be critical to the continued relevance of the film genre in the future.

Followup: A solid (warning: and spoiler-inclusive) review from Wired.