Source: Chud
By Shawn C. Baker
The movie theatre grows suddenly dark and an ominous voice over fills the aural spaces of the lushly carpeted room:
(In the Optimus Prime guy voice:)
IN A WORLD RACKED WITH CONTRADICTION FOR MOVIE GOERS:
THEY WANT SPECIAL EFFECTS.
THEY WANT OSCAR-WINNING STORIES.
THE SAME PREJUDICES THAT DIVIDE THEM COULD ALSO UNITE…
Why, when half the movie going public sits down for two plus hours and drools over a piece of absolute excrement such as transformers two and the other half argues the importance of plot over effects, why do most of these folks fail to see that the best of both worlds is possible?
What, you think I’m wrong? You think it’s not possible?
Terry Gilliam makes it possible. Well, so do others, but today’s soapbox is Gilliam-flavored. He makes clever, involving films with crazy effects. Yet picture after picture he gets ignored/lambasted for his work – event though it is light years ahead of most of the other stuff grouped in the ‘fantasy’ realm that filters out through the studio system every year.
Cases in point Brazil. Twelve Monkeys. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Time Bandits.
Need I continue?
Films highly influenced by Gilliam, i.e. Julie Tamor’s Titus or Tarsem Singh’s The Fall may not necessarily get huge box office outings but they do seem to garner immediate and rabid ‘indie cred’. Fine, they deserve it. But that’s like singing the praises of Kurt Cobain and insulting The Pixies.
Gilliam gets nothing. Except from his fans. Which judging by the difficulty Dr. Parnassus had getting an American distributor and it’s subsequent teeny tiny run now that it does have one, with next to no advertising* I’d say number considerably less now than just as far back as say Brothers Grimm in 2005.
Terry Gilliam is disappearing from the industry. Tim Burton retreads the same shallow ground over and over again** and Gilliam is lucky to be able to do anything.
Current case in point: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Now, yes, some of you are going to argue that Dr. Parnassus’ story is not as magnificent as I’m making it out to be. Fine, it’s not the most tightly written film of the year (or Mr. Gilliam’s career). But it’s not a bad story. It’s not ‘the same story’ we get with most fantasy/sci fi. It’s human failability (is that a word?) It’s love, and weakness, and death and the devil. It’s the magic of the Imagination, a concept present in nearly all of Gilliam’s films. It’s endearing. READ MORE HERE
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Saturday, 6. February 2010
This is a very good article. It seems many people feel that the Dr. Parnassus movie is very underrated. It does not make sense when other stupid movies get tons of advertisement and a good movie like Dr. Parnassus does not hardly get any. This movie has gotten so much great reviews from fans and movie goers who have seen it. Everyone should get the chance to see the Dr. Parnassus movie in a theater.
Thursday, 11. February 2010
Now THERE’S a man writing from the heart. Take heed, dear readers! You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.
Friday, 12. February 2010
Good work! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts in such an insightful way.
Saturday, 13. February 2010
Brilliant review. Loved it!!!