Beneath The Outer Shell

ok, i've finally decided to go there. here. a post about a man i have tried for so long to appreciate on the same level as directors i consider my favorites. Aronofsky, Nolan, Tarantino, and even number one, Kubrick. i am now watching The Fisher King...for the first time. i'm not sure how i missed it, but after less than an hour, i'm thankful i made it this far in life without it. this movie marks the final crack in my brain and in my heart i will allow Mr. Gilliam to cause.

here's the problem...

i just don't get it. i don't understand why it's great to release films that don't feel like they were finished completely. it's not style. i believe it's a form of insanity even i have yet to achieve. Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, and Oprah? you there?

my brother cracked for the final time on our last Gilliam event we did together. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. we lasted about 45 minutes. i don't know. people liked the film. all i saw, and my brother, were monty python sets filled with elaborate costumes mixed with random long moments of obscure dialogue. this was Heath Ledger's last film, and his death messed things up a bit. i say he was a bit lucky to not have been forced to watch this one...in his absence they decided to employ Johnney Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law to replace him. why three? well, Gilliam wanted to show three different aspec....ya know what? never mind. it's a complete mess, for me at least.

after that we thought about a GOOD movie which ironically is about an unraveling of a Terry Gilliam movie. the movie is a documentary called Lost in La Mancha. basically, it's a funny look at how this man could not make the movie he wanted to...at that time. everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong...and everything that no one could have imagined going wrong, went wrong too. it's also funny that they were filming so much of this...as if they KNEW a Terry Gilliam film was on thin ice and ready to implode at any moment. the documentary is quite revealing and explains a lot when you look at one of his films, and wonder...what??? the good news (for fans) is that Gilliam is trying again. look for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote sometime in the "future".

but my brother and i think that the man must be cursed. his films just don't really work right. i know this is all opinion, but good lord...i have only been able to finish one of his films. i did it only once too. 12 Monkeys. this is the only film i thought followed some sort of rational pattern of insanity with decent editing and continuity.

if you haven't seen one of his films...i'm not even going to recommend it.

which ones did he do you may ask?

Jabberwocky (1977)
Time Bandits (1981)
Brazil (1985)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
The Fisher King (1991)
12 Monkeys (1995) (inspired by Chris Marker's La Jetée).
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Tideland (2005)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

if i know most people (aside from 12 Monkeys, and possibly Brazil) the one that sticks out the most is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

let me tell you something about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. it's not as good as people say it is or remember it as. i still can't finish the film. i give up around the time the room is filling up with water. i know the film looks good, and it's a little funny...but here is why most people say they LOVE Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

1)it's got Johnney Depp in it.(women who like him have many many of his movies on their "favorite list")

2)the film is about Hunter S. Thompson. once certain kids get to college, or once they hang out with college kids, they have to eventually talk about how cool this guy is because of his life and the drugs...and, (because of this movie)...how cool THIS movie is.

3)the film has massive amounts psychedelic drug use along with cool hallucinations the viewer gets to experience too. not sure what it is about drugs, the counter culture, and whatever attracts even the straight laced kids to drug films, but it ALWAYS works...at least in my lifetime (1977+)

and there ya have it. people will talk about Fear and Loathing as if it's a masterpiece. i don't think it is. it's not terrible. but it's, just not good.

the movie Brazil? couldn't finish it, both times.

Tideland? nope...lasted under 30 minutes.

Time Bandits? well, i was a kid and always got sick of it being on HBO...because i couldn't finish it.

The Brothers Grimm? woah. not even close to a full hour.

and there ya have it. there are a few i haven't seen. guess what. DON'T NEED TO!

i'm not here to blast Terry Gilliam, and i know i haven't given a lot of critical analysis or explanation for my frustration. this was a venting post, once again. just be honest with yourself, or just trust me.

ohh, and as i finish this, i have made it about an hour into The Fisher King...and there is a guy with a mustache in a red dress dancing and singing on a table in a fancy restaurant. if i wanted loony tunes, i would change the channel. i think i will. better make this official:

The Fisher King? about an hour.