Crap. Anthony Lane's review of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus makes me sad. Because it is not a glowing rave, and I was really looking forward to this movie and wanted it to be good. I still want to see it. But this criticism, like so much of Lane's writing, is very astute: "I have no idea... whether C.G.I. was the best or the worst thing that could have happened to Terry Gilliam. His gifts of invention were already so fecund, and so prolix, that this newfound ability to construct anything that drifts into his mind's eye-as opposed to the ramshackle, hand-drawn delight of his earlier animation-spells both enchantment and chaos. He can follow any train of thought, so he does, and it's no surprise when the trains run out of steam."
Thursday, December 17, 2009
11
Console yourself that Lane arguably misused "prolix."
I suppose he could have meant "prolix" if he thought Gilliam's work was verbose or talky, which it never has been. Surely he must have meant "prolific" or "prodigious?"
Lane's review amounts to "not my cup of tea," anyway, so I wouldn't let that spoil my fun.
perhaps visually 'talky' as in busy or intricate?
If a movie is meant to be crazy and trippy and surreal, it really ought to alienate some of the critics, right? That's what I'm going to tell myself, anyway.
I haven't read his reviews recently, but I don't remember ever reading one where he liked the movie.
They are rare, but convincing.
The basic rule of films now is that if you think it's going to suck (Avatar), it's good, and if you think it'll be good (9), it sucks.
See also, Where the Wild Things Are and 2012 for the former and Precious for the latter?
NOTE: I've seen none of these films.
I love Terry Gilliam, but frankly this looks phoned in. I was invited to a preview screening and I actually passed.
Have heard nothing but disappointment from people who've seen screenings. Personally, I'd rather Gilliam spent all this energy just making 12 Monkeys over and over and over, ideally as a stage play on my lawn before I go to work each morning.
I saw the beginning of Time Bandits again the other day for the first time in years (because I never much cared for it) and I was blown away. The reconstruction of Castiglione was so uneccesary and so absolutely beautiful and perfect. This guy...This Guy! God bless 'im. I don't grok his dogma but I even enjoyed The Brothers Grimm. I love Baron Munchausen. Brazil is a timeless classic. The less said about 12 Monkeys the better but this guy is aces.
But this movie looks like a stinker.