Apostrophe S

A still from “Pan’s Labyrinth,” directed by Guillermo del Toro.

I forgot to mention that Michelle and I did a double feature at Pilot Butte last weekend. We say “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Las Kind of Scotland,” both of which I would highly recommend. But I would recommend “Pan’s Labyrinth” higher if you asked, because it was one of the most visually stunning and downright engaging films I’ve seen in a long time. And it was Spanish!

“The Last King of Scotland” was a bit like “Ray.” There was one really great performance (Forest Whitaker) stuck in an otherwise mediocre movie. But it was kind of violent and frightening, all the more so because it was based on actual events. What a nut.

Anyway, if you want to see either of these films, I would recommend splitting them up over at least two days. Back to back, I started to feel a bit like Alex from “A Clockwork Orange,” strapped to a chair with my eyes pinned open, forced to watch a lot of the old Ultraviolence in order to change my behavior. And indeed I did feel a bit squeamish after “Last King,” but that was mainly due to one particularly violent act I was forced to witness. Pair either of these with a nice romantic comedy to lighten the load is all I’m saying.