Terry Gilliam

Elki

Spoiler tags. Use them.



I am not as familiar with the man as I should be, having only watched the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing, and the Brothers Grimm (which was a bit weak).

A few minutes ago, I finished watching 12 Monkeys. I'm not sure how I feel about it, yet. Wonderful performances all around, great use of foreshadowing without being fucking annoying, brilliant Hitchcock references, design that completely fit the mood of the film, and not a moment where I thought "well, that was fucking stupid." I'm trying to think of a better 'time travel movie' and I'm coming up blank.

But.. well, it's just fucking depressing. In the end we're all doomed, right? Shit.

I'll sleep on it.


So, yeah, post about anything TG.

RMS Oceanic

Remember when all those leaves committed suicide?

I do.

Jacobkosh

I think Twelve Monkeys is possibly his high point as a director, even over Brazil. For me, it's the one movie where every single element clicks and nothing feels indulgent or unnecessary. Too many of his movies are visual feasts but have pacing problems or story problems, which isn't to say that they're not worthwhile (almost all of them are) but they all have an asterisk, some problem that it's hard to just ignore.

That said, I feel like The Fisher King deserves more love than it usually gets. It seems to be his forgotten film and I don't think that's fair. It's a bit high-concepty but reaches some surprising emotional places.

Cherrn

Terry Gilliam was my favorite director for the longest time.

Brazil, Munchausen, Twelve Monkeys, Fear And Loathing and Fisher King are fucking phenomenal movies. Not to mention his Monty Python stuff. Twelve Monkeys is quite possibly my favorite movie, period.

But he hasn't really done anything worthwhile for a decade. Brother's Grimm was weak, yes, and I haven't seen Tideland (but I haven't heard great things). That Doctor Parnassus thing was well-received by some pre-screening critics, I think, and it was Heath Ledger's last starring role, so I'm hopeful.

Elki

Cherrn wrote: »

That Doctor Parnassus thing was well-received by some pre-screening critics, I think, and it was Heath Ledger's last starring role, so I'm hopeful.

Ledger was replaced by Depp, because he passed away before they finished shooting.

I'm looking forward to watching that.

Cymoro

With the recent spate of celebrity deaths, I thought we had just lost another. God damnit, don't scare me like that.

And even though that old git has moved onto live-action movies, I'll still remember his animations he did with Monty Python. I still think they're up there with some of his movies.

Cherrn

Elki wrote: »

Cherrn wrote: »

That Doctor Parnassus thing was well-received by some pre-screening critics, I think, and it was Heath Ledger's last starring role, so I'm hopeful.

Ledger was replaced by Depp, because he passed away before they finished shooting.

I'm looking forward to watching that.

His parts are still in there, as far as I know. The main character apparently changes appearance throughout the movie, to the point that there are 4 different people playing him, including Ledger.

Another interesting note is they apparently revived "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote", a film in which the production failed so badly, they made a documentary about it. Which is also really good.

Cherrn

Also, Youtube has several of his rather good animations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KUqHzk26kI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH_U7asUjnE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB-1d9fM3OU

SQUIRREL!

I'll disagree with Kosh and say Brazil is his best film. At the very least, it's a must-see if you're interested in getting into him as a director. Time Bandits is my favorite Gilliam film, though. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is also a really fun, if flawed movie.

I'm really interested in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Tom Waits plays Satan, and it's Heath Ledger's last film. It's going to be interesting, to say the least. But it's Terry Gilliam, and the man basically has my money already.

Xagarath

I'd say Brazil is decidely his best film (I haven't seen Jabberwocky, but I doubt it qualifies), but I'd place the much-overlooked Tideland just under it. The vast majority of complaints about ti seem to consist of people complaining it was too unpleasant, which seems to me to be dramatically missing the point of a film meant to unsettle and disturb the audience.

SQUIRREL!

Cherrn wrote: »

Elki wrote: »

Cherrn wrote: »

That Doctor Parnassus thing was well-received by some pre-screening critics, I think, and it was Heath Ledger's last starring role, so I'm hopeful.

Ledger was replaced by Depp, because he passed away before they finished shooting.

I'm looking forward to watching that.

His parts are still in there, as far as I know. The main character apparently changes appearance throughout the movie, to the point that there are 4 different people playing him, including Ledger.

Another interesting note is the apparently revived "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote", a film in which the production failed so badly, they made a documentary about it. Which is also really good.

The other two playing Ledger's character are Jude Law and Colin Farrell. I don't know what to make of this fact.

area

Fear and Loathing is exactly what you'd expect to get from a Python directing a film about drugs. I honestly don't know if I enjoyed it or not, but I'm certainly glad I've seen it.

Duki

Elki wrote: »

Spoiler tags. Use them.



I am not as familiar with the man as I should be, having only watched the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing, and the Brothers Grimm (which was a bit weak).

A few minutes ago, I finished watching 12 Monkeys. I'm not sure how I feel about it, yet. Wonderful performances all around, great use of foreshadowing without being fucking annoying, brilliant Hitchcock references, design that completely fit the mood of the film, and not a moment where I thought "well, that was fucking stupid." I'm trying to think of a better 'time travel movie' and I'm coming up blank.

But.. well, it's just fucking depressing. In the end we're all doomed, right? Shit.

I'll sleep on it.


So, yeah, post about anything TG.

It's up to interpretation. The lady from the council or whatever being on the plane with the bloke hints that they figured out how to change history rather than just visit it.

But then again maybe not.

Bogart

Time Bandits is my favourite Gilliam film. Glorious and silly, with the edge of nastiness that all good children's adventure stories need but rarely have. Of the many highlights, David Warner as the supreme evil is my personal pick.

Time Bandits

I also want to see Tideland.

Atomika

I think, currently (unless Parnassus proves me wrong), Gilliam has shit the bed. He's always been a conceptual genius, and has always had quite the eye for composition and art direction, but I haven't seen anything I'd call "growth" since 12 Monkeys, and even that was only a perfect intersection of all involved elements.

He's one of the poster children of the "unfulfilled promise" generation of directors, taking his seat near George Lucas and Brian DePalma. His evolution as a director has simply show his early style and talent to basically be the only tricks up his sleeve, much like M. Night Shayamalan, where the attributes he was formerly praised for are perverted and prostituted in lieu of anything actually novel or progressive. In art, you either accept your faults and improve upon them, or deny them in totality.

And much like the aforementioned Lucas, Gilliam seems content to dig his hole and become contentedly insular, continuing to churn out lesser products out of fear (or inability?) to prove himself capable of anything else. Or just perhaps he's doing the best he can.

At least it was interesting for a while, right?

Bogart

Oh no, he killed the dog!

Also, how to manage your team

SQUIRREL!

Atomic Ross wrote: »

I think, currently (unless Parnassus proves me wrong), Gilliam has shit the bed. He's always been a conceptual genius, and has always had quite the eye for composition and art direction, but I haven't seen anything I'd call "growth" since 12 Monkeys, and even that was only a perfect intersection of all involved elements.

He's one of the poster children of the "unfulfilled promise" generation of directors, taking his seat near George Lucas and Brian DePalma. His evolution as a director has simply show his early style and talent to basically be the only tricks up his sleeve, much like M. Night Shayamalan, where the attributes he was formerly praised for are perverted and prostituted in lieu of anything actually novel or progressive. In art, you either accept your faults and improve upon them, or deny them in totality.

And much like the aforementioned Lucas, Gilliam seems content to dig his hole and become contentedly insular, continuing to churn out lesser products out of fear (or inability?) to prove himself capable of anything else. Or just perhaps he's doing the best he can.

At least it was interesting for a while, right?

Dude, the man made 6 fantastic, unique, progressive movies in 17 years. He is in no way comparable to Lucas who only actually directed two good movies, and only slightly to DePalma who's had ups and downs throughout his career. The weakest Gilliam movie that I've seen (Tideland being the only one I haven't after Time Bandits) was Brothers Grimm, and it ain't half bad. It's not like Gilliam started out strong and just got weaker and weaker, given that Twelve Monkeys came out in '95.

Bogart

Gilliam isn't retreating at all. He's continually trying to do new stuff, and his recent stuff is never less than interesting, though it may not be up to Brasil. Ross, your comparisons aren't really valid.

Honk

Gilliam is on my list as one of the most important humans to have lived!

darleysam

Man, I was afraid Gilliam had died when I saw the title. That was a relief.

Twelve Monkeys is awesome, but I was just a kid when I first saw it so I had no clue what was going on.

Dynagrip

I didn't know The Fisher King was Gilliam. I remember really liking that movie when I caught it on broadcast television.

I loved Twelve Monkeys but I don't think it's one of those movies that's nearly as enjoyable during repeated viewings.

Atomika

Bogart wrote: »

Gilliam isn't retreating at all. He's continually trying to do new stuff, and his recent stuff is never less than interesting, though it may not be up to Brasil. Ross, your comparisons aren't really valid.

Sure, it's interesting, and I've always lived by the motto, "An interesting failure is better watched than a perfect piece of crap." I just don't find Gilliam all that interesting anymore. You say he's doing "new" things, but all I really see is the same indulgences spread across new canvases. Stylistically and thematically, he's not done anything new since Brazil, and Brothers Grimm was completely incoherent. Ergo, if Parnassus doesn't change that perspective, I'll stick to my guns.

TeaSpoon

darleysam wrote: »

Man, I was afraid Gilliam had died when I saw the title. That was a relief.

Twelve Monkeys is awesome, but I was just a kid when I first saw it so I had no clue what was going on.

That was my response as well. Something along the lines of "Aaawww, not him too!"

Honk

Strangely my feelings for Brazil goes against general convention. I do not like it one bit.

Atomika

Honk wrote: »

Strangely my feelings for Brazil goes against general convention. I do not like it one bit.

I wouldn't necessarily call it "entertainment," but I do commend its attempts at creativity and broadening the scope of cinema. But then I also feel that every movie since then could be described as "Brazil in a fairyland/futureworld/timetravel/fairyland."

Xagarath

Tideland is thematically the inverse of Brazil.
Not in the actions of the characters themselves, but in how the audience reacts to them.

Bogart

Atomic Ross wrote: »

Stylistically and thematically, he's not done anything new since Brazil.

That's just flat-out wrong. How is the Fisher King Brasil in another setting? Or Fear and Loathing? Or Baron Munchausen? And yeah, he's got a distinctive visual style that marks his stuff out. So what? Since when did having a visual style become a bad thing?

Campy

Also on the bandwagon del 'sweet Jesus not Terry Gilliam too!'

I'm going to make it my mission this weekend to find and watch Tideland.

also

chamberlain

Anyway.

I watch Fear and Loathing about once a year. It has the effect of both making me want to go on a vegas ether endused bender and then frightening me off from ever attempting such a thing.

SageinaRage

I love the Gilliam stuff I've seen, and need to see more. I've only seen Fear and Loathing, Baron Munchausen, Brothers Grimm, Brazil, and everything Monty Python. I really didn't think Brothers Grimm was as bad as a lot of people said, though it's not nearly as imaginative and strange as his other work.

nexuscrawler

Gilliam does have a talent for making flawed masterpieces

I loved Brazil but fucking loathed the dream sequences

Mike Danger

Jesus, I thought he was dead, too.

With regards to Twelve Monkeys, I've always seen it as having three possible interpretations:

The Good Ending: The woman scientist (Jones?) is on the plane to kill the guy with the virus. "I'm in insurance" is shorthand for "I'm going to insure we don't end up in a trashy future."

The Bad Ending: The woman scientist has been in on it all along, and the scientists (or just her) engineered all of this to end up dominant. She's insuring that Cole hasn't fucked up the past by visiting it.

The Worse Ending: She hasn't been sent back in time at all, and this is her circa the catastrophe.

I want to believe in the good ending, and I don't think the bad ending makes a lot of sense (why bother with going through the rigamarole of sending Cole back in the first place?). What keeps me up at night is the knowledge that it's probably supposed to be the worst ending (although in retrospect, from a time perspective, it doesn't make a lot of sense either--Cole is a little kid when the virus is unleashed, and is in his 30s or 40s when he's sent back for the first time--her age doesn't seem to be any different when she's on the plane).

Sheep

I love everything by him save for Tideland, which is terrible.

Since when did having a visual style become a bad thing?

It's bad for Tim Burton.

But Gilliam's visual cues aren't nearly as bad and whored out as Burton's.

Alistair Hutton

Mike Danger wrote: »

Jesus, I thought he was dead, too.

With regards to Twelve Monkeys, I've always seen it as having three possible interpretations:

The Good Ending: The woman scientist (Jones?) is on the plane to kill the guy with the virus. "I'm in insurance" is shorthand for "I'm going to insure we don't end up in a trashy future."

The Bad Ending: The woman scientist has been in on it all along, and the scientists (or just her) engineered all of this to end up dominant. She's insuring that Cole hasn't fucked up the past by visiting it.

The Worse Ending: She hasn't been sent back in time at all, and this is her circa the catastrophe.

I want to believe in the good ending, and I don't think the bad ending makes a lot of sense (why bother with going through the rigamarole of sending Cole back in the first place?). What keeps me up at night is the knowledge that it's probably supposed to be the worst ending (although in retrospect, from a time perspective, it doesn't make a lot of sense either--Cole is a little kid when the virus is unleashed, and is in his 30s or 40s when he's sent back for the first time--her age doesn't seem to be any different when she's on the plane).

You're wondering if a Terry Gilliam movie has an unhappy ending? If in doubt, Worstest ending every time.

Fatboy Roberts

Brazil was so good that after I saw it for the first time, I sorta sleepwalked to my car and proceeded to come THIS close to smashing into two different cars before I got to my house, which was maybe 6 minutes away. If you liked 12 Monkeys but thought the ending was jarring and a little fucked-up, you're going to be floored by Brazil. It's funnier, it's weirder, but it's also more sad, and more frustrating. There's only one bit of indulgence in that film, really, and it's a 5-10 minute segment where Gilliam, on the commentary, openly admits he was trying to be Spielberg and he just doesn't have it in him. Otherwise, the movie is Gilliam at his best.

If you can find the Criterion DVD of Brazil, watch it immediately.

My top 5:

1. Brazil
2. 12 Monkeys
3. The Fisher King
4. Time Bandits
5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Once you get past Fear and Loathing, you start seriously getting scattered but interesting films that never quite equal the sum of their parts, and you can argue Fear and Loathing is in that vein, too, but he was smart enough to be adapting a book that allows for that.

SirUltimos

I think the only movie of his I've actually watched is Tideland, although I had no idea he did Fear and Loathing and Twelve Monkeys sounds really interesting.

Also, it was just yesterday that I was thinking about Tideland and absolutely could not remember the name of it. So thank you for helping me remember. That was one disturbing movie.

Tach

We just picked up Brothers Grimm on DVD last weekend. Good movie.

Gotta say Time Bandits is probably my personal favorite, though. Although- I've never actually seen Brazil. It was always one of those films that I've heard about, but never got around to seeing. I'll have to rectify that.

NailbunnyPD

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Time Bandits have to be some of the most epic movies I have ever seen. So much adventuring, so much fun.

I forget that he did The Fisher King. That's a good one, too, though not in the same theme as the previously mentioned titles.

Feral

Man, I love Terry Gilliam. I love everything he's ever done.

That is all.

Chanus

Feral wrote: »

Man, I love Terry Gilliam. I love everything he's ever done.

That is all.

That's about all I have to add.

Behemoth

I don't really consider myself a fan of his, but thinking about it I've loved every movie he's ever made. Even Jabberwocky and Grimm.

Brazil is my favorite though. I especially liked the dream sequences, and the "real" ending.

EDIT: Great, now I have Brazil stuck in my head again