Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...

I don’t think you can call what Frank Darabont wrote a “review” in a typical sense, but a few days ago, Del Toro Films ran a letter from Frank in which he practically preaches about how great PAN’S LABYRINTH is.

And he’s right. I was at that screening, and I can vouch for the ecstatic reaction from everyone in the room, whether it was Jeff Goldblum or Randy Cook or Clive Barker or Nicolas Cage or Nick Nunziata or Mr. Beaks. There couldn’t have been more than 40 of us there that night, but the reaction when the closing credits began was as big and as impassioned as any standing ovation Cannes has ever experienced.

PAN’S is on the very short list of the best films I’ve seen this year so far, right up there with BABEL and THE FOUNTAIN, and I think it’s going to cement Guillermo’s reputation as the best filmmaker working in fantasy right now. It’s not a horror film, although it’s got its fair share of dark material in it, and it’s not like any fairy tale that I’ve ever seen on film, but it feels like a story that’s been handed down and polished over time.

I’ll have more to say about the film closer to release, but for now, check out that link above and see how much the film affected Frank. It’s a pretty moving testimonial, one filmmaker inspired by another.