The Imaginarium is one of those movies that gets better with every viewing. Really wasn't sure about it on first viewing but I've seen it about four times now and I absolutely love it.
Fair enough. I respect your opinion but personally I think it's one of his best films and the way the world looks through the eyes of Jeliza-Rose is, for me, very Gilliam. I guess we all see things differently. Peace.
Flawed though it is, the films positives far outweigh the negatives. It's a sublime spin on the Faust story which as you would expect from Gilliam is both wonderfully quirky, imaginative and visually eye-popping. Yes, it's somewhat over-indulgent in the storytelling and it does begin to run out of steam towards the end but it's still a hell of a ride through the writer/director's bizarre imagination. Also, being a Monty Python fan, there's a nice dose of Pythonesque humour throw in.
@TulseLuper Heath Ledger didn't die because he was a drug addict. He wasn't a drug addict; he died because he combined two forms of prescription medication that caused his heart to stop. It was an accident, not intentional.
Hello Skag, Eric Ryder here! Mark does an excellent review of the movie "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus". I thought that it was a really colorful, eccentric fantasy film that Terry Gilliam is famous for. Christopher Plummer shows that at his advanced age, he can still outperform a lot of the cast members (especially the younger cast members like Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole) and the imagery is one of the main reasons why this film stands out. I like the story being told about making a deal with the devil and this fantasy world where your imagination can become real is just fascinating. I liked how they treated Heath Ledger's death and edited it well into the story and that Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law filled in the character Tony by making him look differently each time. Sure when Ledger shows up on the screen had me in tears at least, he got a good send-off in this movie. I also enjoyed Verne Troyer's role as Parnassus' assistant and Tom Waits was really good as the devil himself, Mr. Nick. It was a great film and great for fans who love fantasy films. Please stop by channel anytime to check out my review on "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus". Feel free to leave a comment. Okay? Thank you.
"...somebody who dreams large in a world which doesn't really appreciate that kind of dreaming..." Doctor Parnassus? Sam Lowry in "Brazil"? Baron Munchausen? Don Quixote? Or Terry Gilliam? These films are semi-autobiographical metaphors and he is the main character in them all. Perhaps...
Yeah I have my own reservations about the film but I still have it in my Top 10 of the year, and I do think it's miles above The Brothers Grimm and even Tideland, which I liked. Gilliam may be past his prime (What older filmmaker isn't?) but he's still one of cinema's true geniuses who hasn't given up on trying to tell amazing stories.
strange, down by law is at this moment sitting in my computers disc drive waiting to be watched for the first time by me on the 13th of december 2010 ad.
@ComradeRichey But he had been mixing prescription drugs for quite some time because he was having trouble sleeping. He may not have been shooting heroin or doing lines of coke when he died, but we're still talking about a man abusing drugs.
Ah, yes. It's interesting how so many directors spend a lot of time exploring themselves. Ang Lee goes back to impossible love again and again ("Crouching Tiger", "Hulk", "Brokeback Mountain"), Hideo Nakata and his mother/abandonment issues (which Kermode has also noticed), etc. :)
I was really let down by Grimm and Tideland, they didn't feel like Gilliam to me. I didn't want to get my hopes up for Parnassus, despite it's early Gilliam throwback qualities, so I just put my head down and observed it. And I have to say, I found no imperfections. The story was great, the characters were endearing. Tom Waits was impeccable. The philosophy was raw. I put it up there number two to Brazil, but only because I like this kind of thing.
@edobriensgrin Thematically, sure, visually there were signs, but there was just somethingabout it, maybe the way it was filmed, the use of colors. It really didn't feel like Gilliam for me.
Fisher King and Brazil are two of my favourite movies ever; 12 Monkeys and Fear & Loathing are great movies; Munchausen, Time Bandits and Jabberwocky are lovely. His work with the Pythons is astonishing. The last movies he did are, I'm afraid, utterly unwatchable. Tideland in particular. Ugh. Such a shame.
I found 12 Monkeys to be mediocre, but I rather liked Fear & Loathing as I recall although I don't rank it as one of his best movies. Time Bandits is good, and both Jabberwocky and Munchausen were passable. I hated Tideland and Brothers Grimm though. Both were cinematic bores. As far as his best movies go, Brazil and The Fisher King (with the latter being arguably his most mainstream movie to date) are both impeccable masterpieces. Imaginarium although flawed was still a good, imaginative spin on Faust. It's pretty flawed, like the storytelling being somewhat overindulgent and it begins to run ut of steam towards the end. Yet, I'd still rewatch it more than most of his other movies.
You didn't feel Tideland was like Gilliam? Really? I feel a story of protagonists retreating into a fantasy world to escape their reality is pure Gilliam. Brazil, The Fisher King, Baron Munchausen (Don Quixote if it's ever made) and Dr Parnassus all follow this theme. Give Tideland another go, it's everything Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland should have been.
True, I enjoyed the Imaginarium but it doesn't have the darker edge to it that the likes of Brazil and Time Bandits had. Funny thing is that Time Bandits which was more family friendly as it was intended for that audience he as a fairly downbeat ending (Brazil is both downright bleak and a total head-trip) while this movie is more upbeat all be it bitter-sweet and poignant. It may be true that that's why like Maunchausen it doesn't work quite as well as previous, darker movies of Gilliam's.
@SmokiSounds I'll bet your one of those people who thinks Heath Ledger was actually killed by the Illuminati. Y'know, as opposed to being a drug addict...
The only reason to watch this is for Tom Waits as the devil---the rest is a dull and pointless addition to the dimishing "talents" of Terry Gilliam. Lily Cole is pretty easy on the eyes as well.
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Man, his Waits impression is actually really good!
Probably one of the greatest movie review speeches ever spoken!
Why is there no mention of the Fisher King. I would argue that is Gilliams finest with an outstanding turn from Jeff Bridges.
The Imaginarium is one of those movies that gets better with every viewing. Really wasn't sure about it on first viewing but I've seen it about four times now and I absolutely love it.
That Ron Waits impression was pretty spot-on towards the end there!
Lmao who???
Fair enough. I respect your opinion but personally I think it's one of his best films and the way the world looks through the eyes of Jeliza-Rose is, for me, very Gilliam. I guess we all see things differently.
Peace.
the tom waits impression was actually spot on lmao
Flawed though it is, the films positives far outweigh the negatives. It's a sublime spin on the Faust story which as you would expect from Gilliam is both wonderfully quirky, imaginative and visually eye-popping. Yes, it's somewhat over-indulgent in the storytelling and it does begin to run out of steam towards the end but it's still a hell of a ride through the writer/director's bizarre imagination. Also, being a Monty Python fan, there's a nice dose of Pythonesque humour throw in.
@TulseLuper Heath Ledger didn't die because he was a drug addict. He wasn't a drug addict; he died because he combined two forms of prescription medication that caused his heart to stop. It was an accident, not intentional.
Hello Skag, Eric Ryder here! Mark does an excellent review of the movie "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus". I thought that it was a really colorful, eccentric fantasy film that Terry Gilliam is famous for. Christopher Plummer shows that at his advanced age, he can still outperform a lot of the cast members (especially the younger cast members like Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole) and the imagery is one of the main reasons why this film stands out. I like the story being told about making a deal with the devil and this fantasy world where your imagination can become real is just fascinating. I liked how they treated Heath Ledger's death and edited it well into the story and that Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law filled in the character Tony by making him look differently each time. Sure when Ledger shows up on the screen had me in tears at least, he got a good send-off in this movie. I also enjoyed Verne Troyer's role as Parnassus' assistant and Tom Waits was really good as the devil himself, Mr. Nick. It was a great film and great for fans who love fantasy films. Please stop by channel anytime to check out my review on "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus". Feel free to leave a comment. Okay? Thank you.
"Soufle of a film" as opposed to a "great dark cake of doom".
good way to describe it.....damn good Tom Waits impression I might add
:)
"...somebody who dreams large in a world which doesn't really appreciate that kind of dreaming..."
Doctor Parnassus?
Sam Lowry in "Brazil"?
Baron Munchausen?
Don Quixote?
Or Terry Gilliam?
These films are semi-autobiographical metaphors and he is the main character in them all.
Perhaps...
Yeah I have my own reservations about the film but I still have it in my Top 10 of the year, and I do think it's miles above The Brothers Grimm and even Tideland, which I liked. Gilliam may be past his prime (What older filmmaker isn't?) but he's still one of cinema's true geniuses who hasn't given up on trying to tell amazing stories.
strange, down by law is at this moment sitting in my computers disc drive waiting to be watched for the first time by me on the 13th of december 2010 ad.
@ComradeRichey But he had been mixing prescription drugs for quite some time because he was having trouble sleeping. He may not have been shooting heroin or doing lines of coke when he died, but we're still talking about a man abusing drugs.
Ah, yes.
It's interesting how so many directors spend a lot of time exploring themselves.
Ang Lee goes back to impossible love again and again ("Crouching Tiger", "Hulk", "Brokeback Mountain"), Hideo Nakata and his mother/abandonment issues (which Kermode has also noticed), etc.
:)
I was really let down by Grimm and Tideland, they didn't feel like Gilliam to me.
I didn't want to get my hopes up for Parnassus, despite it's early Gilliam throwback qualities, so I just put my head down and observed it.
And I have to say, I found no imperfections. The story was great, the characters were endearing. Tom Waits was impeccable. The philosophy was raw.
I put it up there number two to Brazil, but only because I like this kind of thing.
@edobriensgrin
Thematically, sure, visually there were signs, but there was just somethingabout it, maybe the way it was filmed, the use of colors. It really didn't feel like Gilliam for me.
I couldn’t work out If Ledgers character was English/Cockney/posh OR Australian!???
Don't forget Raoul Duke in Fear & Loathing.
The Fisher King might be the only Gilliam film in which nothing went wrong during the production.
@SmokiSounds You're quite welcome. I shall continue uploading as well as mocking your crackpot ideology which almost makes Scientology look sensible.
That's actually not a bad Tom Waits impression.
Terry is way smarter than you think. This movie is his shining.
Fisher King and Brazil are two of my favourite movies ever; 12 Monkeys and Fear & Loathing are great movies; Munchausen, Time Bandits and Jabberwocky are lovely.
His work with the Pythons is astonishing.
The last movies he did are, I'm afraid, utterly unwatchable. Tideland in particular. Ugh. Such a shame.
I found 12 Monkeys to be mediocre, but I rather liked Fear & Loathing as I recall although I don't rank it as one of his best movies. Time Bandits is good, and both Jabberwocky and Munchausen were passable. I hated Tideland and Brothers Grimm though. Both were cinematic bores. As far as his best movies go, Brazil and The Fisher King (with the latter being arguably his most mainstream movie to date) are both impeccable masterpieces. Imaginarium although flawed was still a good, imaginative spin on Faust. It's pretty flawed, like the storytelling being somewhat overindulgent and it begins to run ut of steam towards the end. Yet, I'd still rewatch it more than most of his other movies.
@SmokiSounds ??????
@Soboredwtf tom waits is a great man
Well said. Another instance of rushed media practise leading to ruined reputations.
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@TulseLuper And Robin Williams was superb.
Oh absolutely. Bring on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote!
You didn't feel Tideland was like Gilliam? Really? I feel a story of protagonists retreating into a fantasy world to escape their reality is pure Gilliam.
Brazil, The Fisher King, Baron Munchausen (Don Quixote if it's ever made) and Dr Parnassus all follow this theme. Give Tideland another go, it's everything Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland should have been.
I agree that Gilliam is better in the dark. EVen Time Bandits had a dark side about it.
True, I enjoyed the Imaginarium but it doesn't have the darker edge to it that the likes of Brazil and Time Bandits had. Funny thing is that Time Bandits which was more family friendly as it was intended for that audience he as a fairly downbeat ending (Brazil is both downright bleak and a total head-trip) while this movie is more upbeat all be it bitter-sweet and poignant. It may be true that that's why like Maunchausen it doesn't work quite as well as previous, darker movies of Gilliam's.
Lets play a drinking game. Drink every time these guys say Tom Waits. However it's spelled.
@SmokiSounds I'll bet your one of those people who thinks Heath Ledger was actually killed by the Illuminati. Y'know, as opposed to being a drug addict...
No one gives a Fuck about your opinions ...we make our own minds up
The only reason to watch this is for Tom Waits as the devil---the rest is a dull and pointless addition to the dimishing "talents" of Terry Gilliam. Lily Cole is pretty easy on the eyes as well.