Holy Shit, Trons Out!

Holy Shit, Trons Out!

Two years ago at Comic Con they announced that they were going to make a sequel to the 28 year old nerdy computer graphics filled Disney's Tron. A film that no one saw. I mean, no one. You ask around and you'll get confused looks from folks who never saw it and who probably never will see it.

To say that the effects and the movie itself is a bit dated is an understatement. It really wasn't heavy on the plot to begin with. The story was as follows. Jeff Bridges is a computer engineer who creates some of the most successful games which propels a company to the main spotlight. But the only problem is that someone stole the games from him and took the credit.



So he goes to find out proof of this, gets zapped into a computer server and has to fight the MCP, Master Control Program with the help of a program named Tron. Yes, that's right. Jeff Bridges is not Tron. He's Kevin Flynn. The fact is that the film was not named after the main character of the film. How do you like them apples?

Jeff Bridges, way before his days as playing The Dude, was still being a completely awesome character. In fact, it's what makes Jeff Bridges Jeff Bridges. He has a way of carrying out a character, even if it's some adult man-child who works above an arcade... You know.. speaking of which, how could I expect you to get into the spirit of an arcade film when I haven't linked this..



There we go. Now you're in the arcade mood! You know, if you haven't seen the original, don't worry. It's really very basic. There was recently a South Park episode that made fun of Facebook as well as Tron. Watching this gives you everything you probably need to enjoy Tron Legacy.

Besides that, Disney's not making it any easier by putting the original DVD out of print. Yup. It may sound crazy, but Disney made sure that you can't get Tron on Netflix or at the local stores as the 2002 collectors edition has been long out of print. Their defense to that was that they didn't really want people to look at the clearly dated CGI and make up their mind not to see this movie. Let's be honest, the original was really lacking in terms of plot. But what it lacked in plot and story, it made up for in revolutionary computer graphics that immersed the actor in the digital world for the first time.



What's amazing here is that Disney took their internal property of Tron, a film that barely broke the 20 million budget the first one had, was given a close to 200 million budget for a sequel. Something that even I'm doubting it's going to be a success in the box office. Which is really sad since I would love to see a sequel of Tron Legacy, as it has all the makings of a franchise with a lot of potential.

Tron, in 1982, was way ahead of its time. People didn't have home computers, let alone hand held computers that I'm sure will annoy the hell out of you while you watch this film and someone is updating their facebook status. So to have actors in this digital world was something amazing. Oh yeah, Tron also had a video game tie in. Something that is common practice now, but back then was only limited to pinball machines.



The original film really kicked off the CGI era. But when you break it down, the story of Tron is much like the Wizard of Oz. Someone finds themselves in a strange new world by accident and they can only get back home by going to point B on the map. Hell, the parallels to Wizard of Oz really go pretty deep on this franchise. Even Roger Ebert enjoyed it and saw the potential.

While I'm not a big fan of the latest wave of 3D films that is flooding our market, I do acknowledge that films shot in 3D are made for that format very well. This film used the same cameras that Avatar used. Especially useful when you have the villain be a 1982 Jeff Bridges. I mean, this character really looks like the dude back when he was just that great looking actor.



Then again, you can't talk about good looking actors and not mention Olivia Wilde. You may know her as 13 on House. Yes, Olivia Wilde is the female lead in this film and well, I don't think you could ask for better eye candy in a film that is all about eye candy.

I love these two Mondo posters that were made for the film. It's a two parter that combines the old and the new. Just look at how the old film is depicted...



And then you go to the modern new look in the next poster....



You put those two together and you have something that looks so fucking amazing. In this instance, let's just show you so you can put it on your desktop..



Now if that isn't considered a thing of beauty, then you'll have to define beauty as something completely different.

I guess now after going into the wish list of things, given that the 240 prints of those poster sold out in a whole 3 minutes, that I should bring my expectations on what I could get down some. You see, maybe I should shoot for something I could get by making it myself.

So for Christmas, can anyone recommend to me somewhere or someone who can make this design get transferred and look good on a t-shirt? Any good shirt shops? Cause this is a cross of a few of my favorite things.



And with that, I go to see this film and I'm very excited. It's been a couple of years since it was announced and a couple of decades to get a sequel from this. Let alone, I've been following the Flynn Lives online Alternate Reality Game for the last year and a half or so and have been so immersed in this film. So you can't really blame me for wearing my Tron hoodie jacket and hitting up the local arcade to get even more excited about this flick.

So yeah, go and see it.

Tron Legacy: Flynn Lives!

Tron Legacy: Flynn Lives!

This blog post has taken a year to write. I wish I had the excuse that I was trapped in a computer world mistaken as a program as to why I didn't ever get to post this, but I don't. It was a little less than a year ago that I started writing this after coming back from Comic con and being blown away by the announcement and footage of Tron 2.



Yes, Tron 2. You know, the sequel to Tron, the 1980's awesome Disney movie that used Visual FX and introduced the world to the inside of a computer. You may know it from the recent South Park episode that parodied Facebook.

In any case, much like this blog post, the film has gone through a lot of change in that year. Back then there was basic film test footage shown. Things have grown and evolved. Just look at the new logo. If you can look past how awesome the rest of it is.



Last year at comic con Disney released a small clip that was filled with the test footage of what was at the time called TR2N. The sequel to a movie from a computer centric film of the 80's that not many people seen. I loved it. I'm a nerd so that goes without saying. Since that footage was shown the only way to see it was on a very poor quality youtube video for at least 9 months. It was worth the wait to see a much better quality of it.

I'll give you a second to go and change your under pants. You back yet? So what is this all about? Yes, it's the Dude chilling in a computer. Jeff Bridges. Award winning actor now even though he does finish most of his sentences with "Man". It's jut his thing and it may very well tie the room together, man. Jeff Bridge's character is Kevin Flynn. A computer programer that is a master at arcade games. Oh yes, this man sure plays characters I want to be.



The teaser wasn't the only treat for the fans at Con last year. In the original film, Kevin Flynn ran his own arcade. Flynn's. So in true fashion Disney actually built a replica of the arcade in the gas lamp district. In it was working arcade machines and it was completely free. After a couple of minutes.. well, let's just let the video show you.



Fake wall letting you go behind the scenes and see the new updated lightcycle. That was pretty damn amazing in itself! How could you not be drooling over all this stuff? So if you still don't know what this film is about, here's the quick sum up.

"TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous."

The release date of December can't come soon enough in my opinion. Though around Comic con time I always say things can't come soon enough. It's just me getting really excited for all the projects that are popping up in the pipeline, is all.

How could you NOT get excited, especially when the latest trailer for this came out and it looks like this. Just listen to the end on how that sound is just popping. It really is going to blow your average movie theater sound system out to hell.



The cherry on top of all this is that Daft Punk is working on the Soundtrack. In fact, the music from both the SDCC arcade and Light Cycle reveal as well as the music in the new trailer are all done by Daft Punk. So with a new Tron film we're getting a new Daft Punk soundtrack.

If you didn't know who Daft Punk is, they're an electronic band that you most likely have heard.. in fact, even if you don't like electronic music, you heard them at least through Jay-Z remixing or adding random lyrics over their music. They're huge Tron fans and it's easy to tell from their outfits that they were inspired greatly by the film.



And as cool as those old Tron outfits may have been and what they inspired in the form of electronic music revolution, they did need an update. You wouldn't be surfing the internet on your old IBM, right? Much like the programs in the film, everything needed an update to the modern day. Fashion included.

Just compare the old and new styles of clothing and the look of the grid where all these programs reside. You have the Old and Busted



Then the New Hotness.



That shot alone is worth a thousand words. I mean, I want to lose weight so I can put on a black tight spandex neon suit for Halloween and look like that. That's just cool looking. Yeah, sure. I do have a Threadless Tron jacket that I seem to wear all the time, but it doesn't scream out "coolness" like that shot of the suits does.....

Or does it?



Okay, no it doesn't. But at least you know who I am in a crowded night club or during a power outage. But the look of the film itself looks amazing. Perhaps it's due to that enjoyment of neon lights, but it looks slick.

Besides, tell me if this shot doesn't look all sorts of kick-ass cool



In case you're wondering, yes. That's 13 from House in a very skin tight black neon lit suit. What else could you ask for in a film? I mean, she's.... so.... HOT! Maybe it's just that I'm very much enjoying the look of short hair these days. Maybe it's because it's summer. Who knows. But tell me that this wouldn't make you turn gay.. cause, 13 is a lesbian and all.




Anyhow, back to the movie promotion of this film. On Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles, Disney literally bought up the rights to a billboard for the entire year and has made it a point to put up new billboards every month till the film is released. How do you like that, a year of promotion.





E3 this year also had a lot of push for this film. I imagine that later today will show a lot of Tron on the exhibit floor at the Disney Booth. They're making Tron their main focus. In a sense, they're hoping that it spins off the potential of a trilogy. Disney's John Lasseter grew up, much like Daft Punk, loving Tron. So since he's running the company now it's easy to see that he's going to put priority and major push on this project.



Then you have Comic con where all of San Diego is going crazy with posters and banners leading up to the comic book convention. Look at the following images and tell me that the Dude would not oblige to this;



That is why I love Jeff Bridges. Now if only he'll sign the stuff I sent him.. But that's for a different blog entry.




The whole gas lamp is going crazy with this and I'm loving it. That's my main focus this con. Tron. There's a lot to an online ARG game for the build up of this film and I can't wait to see how it plays out on the streets. I mean, they're busting up why I fell in love with the news of this film again.

You see, here we are one year later and sure enough, look at what awaits the public if they look closely enough in the Gas Lamp district...



The best damn arcade that you'll probably never step into. I just have to wonder what else they're going to be giving out. Last year they did a T-shirt that was either for the arcade or pushing the online Alternate Reality Game for Flynn Lives.

As well as offering tokens for the arcade games. The trick behind this place is, as you've seen in the first video of this blog,



A piece out of the film. I love it. Did you know that Disneyland, back in 1982, actually wanted to theme two Tomorrowland attractions around the original Tron film before it was even released. They wanted a Tron ride thru attraction that was going to replace the old Mission To Mars attraction. There was even talk about a second project. A Tron-themed arcade which would have been built in an unfinished area on the second floor of Tomorrowland's Starcade

We did get the sort of first one in the section of the People movers that you entered the world of Tron. Though considering the people mover is long since dead, that shouldn't count anymore. As for the arcade.. well, that's a bit more complicated.



You see, while it's some miracle that almost 30 years after the first movie a sequel is set to be released later this year, it should now come to no surprise that Disney is going to be milking it. The proposed Starcade Tron Arcade is in the pipeline.

Back then they wanted the following, the second floor of the starcade was to have been reconfigured so that it could then feature:

• An Audio Adventure Maze (Audio Exploration)
• An Electronic Playground (Physical Participation with Electronic Games)
• Mind Games (A Showcase of Computer Intelligence)
• 3-D TRON Adventure Game (Visual Exploration)
• Laser Hologram Game (Laser Light Exploration)

Now if just a fraction of that is made, I'll be a happy camper. But looking forward to today's SDCC programing, The schedule is as follows;

11:15-12:45 Walt Disney Pictures: TRON: Legacy— Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and convention that started it all, Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a special insider look at the upcoming TRON: Legacy. Panelists include filmmakers and talent from the film: director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger, and cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and Bruce Boxleitner. The discussion, moderated by Patton Oswalt, is set to include exclusive glimpses of the film, as well as a Q&A involving all panel participants, along with special surprise guests. Hall H
Categories: Movies | Science Fiction & Fantasy

Making today the most anticipated day of comic con for the year. I'm am psyched!

See you on the other side, program

The Oscars - Getting A Clooney

The Oscars - Getting A Clooney

Well it's upon us at last. The accumulation of a years worth of crappy films as well as the good ones come together to make driving in Hollywood a royal pain in the ass for the next few days. While I've already given you my picks a bit back, I'm willing to change my mind on the Best Actor category. What can I say, it's a tough choice.



You see, I picked George Clooney to walk away with the award. How could he not? He was apart of two and a half great films this past year. Oddly enough I had a strange streak of watching all of them back to back to back when they were in theaters. Yes, that's right. Three George Clooney films in a span of three weeks. I don't think I've ever seen three new releases star the same person back to back to back before. But then you factor in that they were George Clooney films, so it's not like that's a bad thing.

So where do we start? How about in the half good film. The Men Who Stare At Goats... yeah, it wasn't a terrible film. It was over all enjoyable though it was just missing that extra push to make it extra special. I mean, how could you mess up the premise of it? Strange government experiments for soldiers? Openly mocking private security firms in Iraq? I mean, it had it all! It even had Jeff Bridges as a military version of the dude.



Which is the main reason why I have to flip the coin on who wins Best Actor. Jeff Bridges and George Clooney were both in Men Who Stare at Goats.. but they both had their next film be amazingly good. Jeff Bridges did a great job in Crazy Heart and he's Kevin Flynn.. AND the Dude. Let's face it, Jeff Bridges is just about the most awesome actor possible and his characters have been a source of entertainment in my life for a long time now. So maybe I will go with Jeff Bridges for the Oscar gold..

Let's move on to The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Here's a few things you should know about the film;

It's a Wes Anderson film.
It's Wes Anderson film done entirely in stop motion.
It features the vocal talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Angelica Huston, and Owen Wilson.
It looks amazing
It has George Clooney in it.



For all you naysayers thinking that Wes Anderson would screw it up or put his own twist on it.. Um, it's not proper Roald Dahl unless there's something vaguely unsettling about it. A dude wearing a fox's tail for a tie.. Totally unsettling enough.

Though I have to question the youth of today. It was a little strange that they mentioned that it was based on a book by saying "By the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" rather than just saying Roald Dahl. I would have thought that Dahl would be well enough known to carry his own weight.



As for Wes Anderson, yeah, the Darjeeling Unlimited was a bit of a disappointment, but for the magic that is Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic, I think Wes can do 3 or 4 shit movies before he gets into Tim Burton territory.

The film carried a really cute look for itself and they nailed the old style stop motion look. It was very jagged and jumpy motion. While it's not as smooth as Caroline, kids loved it. When I went to see it the theater was jammed packed. Bill Murray's voice fit animals so well. From Garfield to this, I always laugh at Bill Murray being a demolitions expert. In short, Fantastic Mr. Fox was just utterly Fantastic..



And finally we get to the one that tops my life of films of the year. With a year that had great films that I loved like 500 Days of Summer, Up, Away We Go, Coraline and the already mentioned Crazy Heart and Fantastic Mr. Fox what could be the best film for me in 2009? Up In The Air

There was many reasons why this film struck a nerve with me. Perhaps it was because of the isolation factor. I'm also not really all that close with my own sisters. One already had a failed marriage and the other is... well, she's like her in the sense that I wouldn't be surprised if she did ask to do some sort of cut out picture of themselves to get pictures taken in various locations. Yup.. she's strange like that.



This aspect alone made me think about the film differently. Ryan Bingham is tasked by his sister to take cardboard cutouts of his sister and her future husband and take pictures with them all over the United States. Ryan thinks it's stupid because they aren't really there. I tend to agree with him but I have to say that Ryan wasn't really there either. He is a cardboard cutout himself. His whole life centers around fake "loyalty" to and from an airline, fake domesticity and hospitality by hotels, and being a fake employer firing real people. He doesn't even own real keys, he just has a fistful of identical plastic rectangles.

But hey, that's what happens when you throw yourself in your career. You're never really fully there and I could relate considering my line of work. Long hours. I mean, really long. You would think that being in a union would help with this sort of thing... but it doesn't. These long hours that I do work have been a torn to the side of my relationships. So like Ryan Bingham in the film, I felt that isolation. I was happy. Who wouldn't be. Working in "the industry" is a sort of life long goal for most in Los Angeles but it didn't come without some hang ups.



It killed so many relationships in the past that I was already giving up the notion of possibly ever entertaining the idea of having a serious relationship. That's where I not only related to the character but to the actor. You see, it goes beyond Ryan Bingham and reflects on George Clooney himself. He's embraced that mentality and for the very same reasons I was struggling with for a long while. The choice of work over domestic bliss. As you can read in this MSNBC article about George Clooney's view on women and children.

Famously marriage-phobic actor George Clooney has no regrets when it comes to his lack of a long-term relationships and kids. For him, it’s simply a choice of work over domestic bliss.

“I don’t expect to ever get married again or have children,” the “Ocean’s” star told Britain’s People. “I am never at home and every woman gets sick of it. … If I was them, I would never put up with me for long — and they don’t.”

That’s right, it’s the women who tend to leave the Hollywood hunk, not the other way around. Still, George places the blame firmly on his lifestyle.

“I do begin to wonder, ‘Am I going to be relegated to these three-year relationships for the rest of my life?’ My trouble is that I keep on taking jobs, and jobs take me further away from home,” George confessed. “What I really have is work. I like being on a film set, freezing my ass off, or whatever.”

An uncle, also named George, deserves some credit when it comes to the actor’s “no regrets” philosophy.

“I learned a lot about death from him,” George said. “People keep on asking me, ‘Don’t you want to have kids?’ I have not wanted to have kids. Then they say, ‘Aren’t you afraid of dying alone?’ But we all die alone. I remember Uncle George sitting in bed, 68 years old. He looked at me and said, ‘What a waste.’ … I came to the conclusion that I was not going to wake up one day in my 60s and say, ‘What a waste.’ I was going to grab as much out of this life as I could.”

So you see, it's the women who tend to leave him. Now I'm not calling myself a George Clooney, by any means, but I can really relate to what he is saying. When I was doing movie productions I would be gone for months at a time. This does not make for a good relationship. At least not a good normal one.



It got to the point that I was settling for just a mate. No... not like that. I mean it in the British sense. A good friend. Someone to go out and have adventures with. That didn't involve being romantically connected to. It's clear that booty calls just end up leading to hurt feelings and that's never good. Oddly enough, I ended up with a girlfriend who I care about a great deal.. and who actually is able to cope with my work load.

That was a big shocker to me. I mean, I didn't expect that to happen at all. And while I haven't been completely destroyed by work lately, I still find that I'm doing more production work than I think I should and somehow I'm not worried about losing this one because I'm trying to make as much money as possible for the future.



That also touches on one of the themes that is in both Up in the Air as well as Crazy Heart. In both of them the main character gets pushed towards change.. or at least the desire to change because of a love interest. The girl gives them some realization that they need to change.. or at least the desire to change from the life they are currently living, no matter how comfortable it is to them.

I also enjoyed the lack of a Hollywood ending in both films. Ryan begins to reevaluate his life, tries to make an immediate drastic change that blows up in his face, and then takes a more appropriate babystep; just get on a plane and goes. His future is *gasp* "Up in the air" and it's a refreshingly ambiguous way to end a film



Crazy Heart, while the film has a lot of cliches, I mean a ton of them, it still takes the lack of Hollywood ending. Hell, it wasn't even going to make it to theaters but Fox searchlight picked it up when critics were going crazy over it. It took an aspect from The Wrestler and mixed it up with country music and instead of steel chairs, it's guitars instead and well, made a movie that has a great look and and even better story.

Both those films had one hell of a lead actor running the show. George Clooney made me feel like my past fears were justified and Jeff Bridges... well shoot. Jeff Bridges deserves this Oscar more than anything. Not only that but Disney could use his Oscar win as an ad tag line when Tron Legacy comes out in December. But still, why can't they both win for best actor? Such a toss up.

To close this Oscar coverage out.. here's The Dude abiding.

And The Oscar Nomination Goes To....

And The Oscar Nomination Goes To....

So there I was awake at the butt crack of dawn getting ready for work and the Oscar nominations pop up. Yup yup. Not only that but Anne Hathaway is announcing them. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush on her. I mean, who wouldn't? So anyway, waking up to that sight wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself.



Moving on now, the Oscar nominations are really something to talk about.. sure, they're not as big as the actual Oscar telecast or anything, but it's a lot more interesting than hearing about the Grammy's and let's face it, the golden globes are just the mini version of it. So what are they? If you haven't found them in the many other media outlets that are going to be beating this into the ground, here you go along with my predictions and thoughts.


Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Wow, there's some really interesting surprises mixed in there. That's a pretty decent list, nothing overtly out of place other than The Blind Side. Which I'm not sure how the fuck it got in there. Yeah, give Sandra a best actress nod, if you want. But the Blind Side isn't anything that isn't done weekly on Friday Night Lights weekly, only done a lot better.

Also it's pretty cool to see District 9 get some love. Peter Jackson must be thrilled since he got some luke warm reaction to Lovely Bones and he really supported Neil Blompkamp in making that film when everyone gave up on it. Not to mention that it's a first-time director getting a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. That's really awesome. As awesome as seeing Sci-fi come back to the Oscars.

But this one is going to The Hurt Locker. You just have to remember the political landscape of the Oscar voters and let's face it, it's a really interesting and compelling film.



Actress, Supporting
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

This one is pretty simple. Precious is one of those movies that has Oscar written all over it. Urban struggle

Actor, Supporting
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

I really didn't find this one compelling. It'll got to Christoph just for the sake that he's the best option there.



Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabby Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

This one is tough. I thought Meryl Streep was amazing as Julia Child. But it could go to Gabby Sidibe cause really, Precious was pretty intense and the general idea that the Blind Side had Sandra Bullock acting... well, like an actress, could give it to her.

Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, An Education
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Jeff Bridges could win it next year for Tron 2.0, George Clooney was amazing in Up in the Air and it'll be a real tragedy. He deserves it like no other. Though I have to say I'm really happy for Colin Firth getting a nomination for such a great role. Not to sound a little light in the loafers, but I always do see him as Mr. Darcy, so it's nice to see such a challenging different performance from him instead of the typical role as the modern perfect gentleman.



Directing
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

It could also go to Quentin Taratino because he deserves it. Maybe not for IB, but he does. Kathryn getting my vote is just to rub it in Cameron's face as it's his ex-wife.

Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up

I'm giving it to A Serious Man cause I liked it.



Adapted Screenplay
District 9
An Education
In the Loop
Precious
Up in the Air

Again, Precious is going to get it because it's what Oscar does.

Foreign Film
Ajami (Israel)
Secreto Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Like you care why I choose this one. You probably haven't even heard of any of these films.


And I'm reminded of my girlfriend when I see this image.

Animated Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess and the Frog
Secret of Kells
Up

While I know it won't win, it's so nice to see the Academy ignore the "Nope, Animation has it's own category" rule for once. Now if only they'd actually allow a comedy category sometime in the near future. I really want Up to win Best Score just because the movie's most emotional scenes wouldn't have been half as effective without it.

So there you have it. That's the Oscars in a nut shell.. one day later than it was announced. Yay me for my time delay in getting you valued information! Now you know my picks and you can prove that I know shit about how the folks in the academy vote for anything when the results come out in March.

Enjoy your hump day..

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a Brilliant Film

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a Brilliant Film

I've admired Gilliam for a long, long time. Growing up watching Monty Python it was only a matter of time before I moved on to his films. I practically watched Time Bandits every weekend as I remember it being on TV all the time. Now if there's a movie that can scar you as a child, it's one about time jumping midgets. Let me tell you that I seldom ever wanted my parents to make any toast after that film.



But when I say that every Gilliam film is really great and totally worth your time, it's because I mean it. Even people who don't like Gilliam can admit that his films have the best peasants ever. Above all, he really is a master of creating environments. Every single one of his films is chalked full of wonder and the setting and visuals will accompany them. From the dystopian futures of Brazil and 12 Monkeys to the fairy tale atmosphere of Time Bandits and Baron Muchausen, it is always an immersible, unique, and above all believable environment that the audience is brought into no matter how absurd it seems.

Brazil, Time Bandits, and Fear and Loathing are some of his stronger works to me. Brazil takes the idea of a this dystopian future but incorporates ridiculous aspects of modern society into it such as hyperbolic bureaucracy and cosmetic surgery. Few films have made me ever feel so rapped and claustrophobic. The city landscape created feels dark, tall, methodical, and inescapable. The minimal florescent or neon lights give a strong sense of a cold world.



Then Fear and Loathing, based on Hunter S. Thompson's book about his adventures as a Journalist in Vegas covering a motorcycle race... This Book/Director pairing was perfect. The film itself carries the atmosphere of being in Vegas. The smell of the sweat seeping into neon pink shag carpeting, blanketed with cigarette smoke comes through the monitor. The mix of Terry Gilliam visuals as well as Hunter S. Thompson's drug induced trips bring out these horrible acid flash backs that will cause even the most straight edge to feel like they've just had an hour long acid trip.

Then you have Depp's portrayal of Thompson being one of the best roles of his career. There are people who treat Fear and Loathing as a funny drug film, similar to Cheech and Chong or Half Baked and completely miss the point. It's not about how drugs are funny and you see reptiles. It's about how drugs completely ruined the revolution of the late 60's. Depp and Del Toro are pathetic sad characters who are still trying to ride that crazy wave in the most surreal city in the country. You're not supposed to watch them and think, "Haha, they're totally tripping out, that would be fun." The point is that people like Depp wanted fun and consciousness and understanding, with drugs, but instead fucked themselves up and are still trying to regain that illusion of a great wave of change. Depp's delivery of the "High Water Mark" monologue is heart breaking and all this poetic monologue is only helped with the Terry Gilliam signature.



Depp is back in Terry's latest film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Sadly it was because of situations that aren't the best.. and in fact, are just more reasons to add to the list of what has become a sort of curse for Gilliam. I don't even have to get into the most obvious note of his latest film, as it was the last film that Heath Ledger was working on when he died. The way Terry Gilliam got around the fact that he couldn't 'Weekend at Bernie's' the body into his film. Depp takes on the role as well as Jude Law and Colin Farrell... Yeah, Even Colin Farrell. I know, what the fuck, right? I can't see or even think about Colin Farrell without remembering how completely disgusting he was in that horrible remake of Miami Vice.

And after letting it sit for a couple of hours, what can I say about this film that isn't praise. It's a film that goes after my heart and much like it did with my attention, it never let go. What more can you ask for in a film... namely a Terry Gilliam film. This film had it all. A sharp critique of the modern western society by implicitly linking its lack of interest/faith in broad cultural narratives with its decline. Tom Waits "devil" character does this perfectly. Then you have the atheistic critique of blind faith in a very accessible and tastefully revolutionary manner as seen both by Old Nick proving that the world is not kept running by the monks' superstitious story telling and Tony's much prized tool for salvation when he needed it the most.



Lily Cole's cleavage was nothing to scoff at. It reminds me of those strange and foreign feelings I had as a child watching Baron munchausen.... What can I say, I like red hair. Maybe it's cause it's something "rare" or maybe we all hate gingers and I'm just fetishizing the enemy all the time. I mean, the Irish people became certified 100% white a long time ago.... But now I'm rambling so back to the topic... as much as I was scared by midgets, Verne Troyer is great in his role in this and erases the over use of mini-me that I have tried to block out of my mind since Austin Powers. It needs to be mentioned again, Tom Waits as the Devil just was amazing on all levels.. Then again, Tom Waits rocks in every film -especially Mystery Men.

All around the acting in Dr. Parnassus was quite strong. Many people will see this simply to see how the Joker really died. I suppose that will increase Terry Gilliam's viewership by double which is a good thing. Poor guy. I remember watching Lost in La Mancha at the New Beverly and while it was fairly busy of a night since it was a double feature with Adventures of Baron Munchausen, it was still fairly small crowd even for an Art crowd.



Funny enough, the man who killed don quixote is set to finally get finished come 2010 with a 2011 release date.. I'll believe it when I have my ticket to opening night, but if Lost In La Mancha is any indication on how much of a nightmare that film was to make, not even Johnny Depp's freed up production schedule will make Terry Gilliam's job any less of a Mission: Impossible.

Then again, if he can deal with one actor dying in the middle of his production and still finish it with little to small amounts of the story being a bit scattered because of the character's death, I suppose Gilliam has shown that he can face the vast void of shit hands being dealt and come out winning against the house. Talk about rolling with it. And by it I mean death of an actor.



Whenever I bring up the subject of Gilliam, most people, that is if they have even seen a Gilliam film, will complain that he almost never has a satisfying ending to his movies. He always ends on an anticlimactic or dismal note like he's playing a prank on the audience. For this very reason I love his films. I mean, really. He's a genius. Who else could make a movie about time traveling midgets?

I guess I'm just waiting for Terry Gilliam films to get popular enough to warrant the porn industry to make parodies of his films. I can't wait for "the whorarium of doctor pornassus: let your imagination cum alive" Till then, you may want to check out this film in theaters as it really is something special.

Oh yeah.. did I mention Lily Cole?