Register | Login | Search | Help | New Boards | Harassment Policy | Rules of the JC | TOS | Markup Codes
Post Reply | Active Topic Notification | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic
« 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 - Previous | Next | Reload
Author Topic: The Trailer Park: "Planet 51" (2009)
Date Posted: 11/7 5:12pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009) - Date Edited: 11/7 5:14pm (1 edits total) Edited By: JohnWesleyDowney

Background on Dr. Parnussus:

According to Terry Gilliam, the last line Heath Ledger spoke for filming on the set was "Don't shoot the messenger." When Johnny Depp filmed his role after Ledger's death, Depp asked Gilliam if he could try a new ad-lib: "Don't shoot the messenger", unaware that Ledger had improvised an identical line. Gilliam was astounded, remarking, "Heath is still out there. Johnny's channeling Heath somehow. I mean, Shirley MacLaine would love all this."

Heath Ledger's last movie project.

After the death of Heath Ledger, production was shut down for a few months. Then it was re-started when Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell agreed to complete Ledger's role. The film's fantasy premise, and some clever rewrites, let the actors play a man whose appearance changes as he travels between imaginary worlds.

The first film that Terry Gilliam storyboarded himself since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).

Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law gave all the income they received for this movie to Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda so that her economic future would be secure.

The film contains various references to the classic staging of Samuel Beckett's play Waiting For Godot including Tom Waits' black suit and bowler hat and Jude Law dragging a rope noosed around his neck (as does Lucky in the play)

Heath Ledger improvised half of his comedic dialogue on set.

This last piece of information I find potentially problematic. Could be good, could be bad. We'll have to wait and see.

 

-----signature-----
Namaste.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Title : Title: RPF Banner Designer
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/8 7:50am Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
I think Ledger's previous film was proof enough that he can improvise quite well. wink

 
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/8 8:10pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Reynar_Tedros posted:
I think Ledger's previous film was proof enough that he can improvise quite well. wink


That's true. But I regard Christopher Nolan as a sane director who would provide structure and balance to Heath's ad-libs. Gilliam, on the other hand, who knows? Gilliam can't even provide structure and balance to his own work, how could he do it for an actor?

 

-----signature-----
Namaste.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/8 8:15pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
You're being far too critical of Gilliam and his work. He has made numerous excellent, well-structured and balanced, even beautifully-made films, including Tideland (which if one can look past its unpalatable subject matter is extremely good), Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, Baron Munchausen, and Brazil. All well-structured and well-balanced, IMO, and indicative of a sharp, focused mind.

 

-----signature-----
"Chance makes playthings of us all." -- Seneca
Shameless non-Manager Emeritus sock of Vortigern99.
Fan of George RR Martin, JK Rowling and JRR Tolkien.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/9 2:21am Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Merlin_Ambrosius69 posted:
You're being far too critical of Gilliam and his work. He has made numerous excellent, well-structured and balanced, even beautifully-made films, including Tideland (which if one can look past its unpalatable subject matter is extremely good), Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, Baron Munchausen, and Brazil. All well-structured and well-balanced, IMO, and indicative of a sharp, focused mind.


I agree 100%. Just look how perfectly he directed Jodelle Ferland in Tideland - hers is the best child-actor performance I've ever seen. He said in an interview that he basically let her do the decisions on how to play a scene, so it would all be as natural as possible, only slightly guiding her, so it would fit his idea. I'm sure he managed perfectly to accomodate Ledger's ad-libs.

 

-----signature-----
"He was caught in Alicante with a sheep."
"Flagrante, Chris, in flagrante."
"Yeah... flagrante."
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/9 3:51pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009) - Date Edited: 11/9 3:52pm (1 edits total) Edited By: JohnWesleyDowney

I've enjoyed many of Gilliam's movies and I think he's a talented director, and some of his movies have flashes of brilliance in them that are amazing, genius level. But I find I like pieces of his work, rather than the overall, completed films which often leave me feeling like "what the heck was that all about?" YMMV.

The Brothers Grimm could have used some tightening and clarity.

I'd be curious to know how much input Gilliam had on the Imaginarium trailer.

 

-----signature-----
Namaste.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
38656 posts
40038_Jawa
Zaz 
Title : Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 4:01pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Some directors are all visual imagination, and I think he's one of those. There are movies where this can work, and work well ("Black Narcissus" and "Sleepy Hollow" comes to mind). Sometimes it doesn't work at all.

We'll see, but I'm not going to rule out seeing it, since it's obviously a movie to be seen in a theatre.

 
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Title : Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 6:56pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
It's not that Gilliam isn't focused; it's that often he's very tightly focused on creating a work and an atmosphere that isn't. When this works, it works like gangbusters; Gilliam got a career best performance out of Pitt in Twelve Monkeys, looser than Pitt's ever been anywhere else. Then again, that twitch, carried just a hair too far, could have sunk the movie and I've seen it do exactly that in other Gilliam movies.

The question isn't "did Gilliam get the performance he wanted out of Ledger?" The question is, "did Gilliam want a good performance or a terrible one?" Gilliam always gets what he wants, I think; often, however, he wants something too over the top for me at least.

 

-----signature-----
Don't be a fool, don't be blind
Heart of mine
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime
Heart of mine
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
38656 posts
40038_Jawa
Zaz 
Title : Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 7:00pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009) - Date Edited: 11/9 7:00pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Zaz
Even his contribution to Monty Python is about 20 per cent genius and 80 per cent sophomoric nonsense.

If his needle is on 'genius' for this movie,it'd be worth seeing.

 
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Title : Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 7:03pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Hmm, who's doing the score for this movie? I was going to post here and ask if Kamen was doing it and then I remembered that Kamen passed away a few years ago. Who's been doing Gilliam's scores since Kamen died? They were quite a pair; Kamen's score for Baron Munchausen is just unfettered . . . well, I don't know what, but whatever it is, it's definitely unfettered.

 

-----signature-----
Don't be a fool, don't be blind
Heart of mine
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime
Heart of mine
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
38656 posts
40038_Jawa
Zaz 
Title : Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 7:12pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Mychael and Jeff Danna

 
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Title : Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 7:17pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009)
Huh. Okay. That could work. I suppose Danny Elfman has gotten too mainstream. tongue

 

-----signature-----
Don't be a fool, don't be blind
Heart of mine
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime
Heart of mine
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/9 7:44pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" (2009) - Date Edited: 11/9 7:47pm (1 edits total) Edited By: JohnWesleyDowney

As long as we're in a Gilliam groove, let's take a look at one of the most creative trailers I've ever seen. It might be called "The Case of the Reluctant Trailer Narrator."

I like the set up at the beginning of this, so crank it up, "Remember my voice? I do trailers." *The screen is supposed to be dark at the start*

Time Bandits (1981)

I wondered earlier in the thread if Gilliam had input on the Imaginarium trailer. Well, there's no doubt in my mind he had something to do with the Time Bandits trailer. It's got his fingerprints all over it.

 

-----signature-----
Namaste.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Title : Title: Manager:
-Literature
-LACWAC
-Games
Total Posts :
Private Messages (0)
My Blog
My Collection
 Date Posted: 11/9 9:35pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "Time Bandits" (1981) - Date Edited: 11/9 9:35pm (1 edits total) Edited By: The2ndQuest
Amusing trailer concept- and not having seen this movie before (though one or two shots look vaguely familiar which suggests i may have flipped through it at one point in the distant past) but the visuals and overall look are really grabbing in that 80's-fantasy-movies-looked-awesome way- slightly dark, grimy and grounded-yet-epic.

 

-----signature-----
"When your future self tells you to do something, YOU DO IT."
K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Date Posted: 11/10 2:57pm Subject: The Trailer Park: "Time Bandits" (1981) - Date Edited: 11/10 3:19pm (4 edits total) Edited By: JohnWesleyDowney
It's interesting to watch the trailers for Time Bandits and the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus back to back.

There's a 28 year gap between the two, but one thing doesn't change, his wild, visual imagination.

Time Bandits 1981

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus 2009

And having just read the final edition of the book The Battle of Brazil, it blows my mind to think that Universal Studios wanted to remove most of the fantasy sequences from Brazil, certainly the most powerful visual sections in any Gilliam film, in order to release it in the U.S. and make it more commercial. Remove the fantasy from a Terry Gilliam film? doh! I highly recommend the book, it certainly informs one of the treachery of swimming in the waters of Hollywood.

Twentieth Century Fox had the foreign rights to it and here is their trailer.

Brazil 1985 European Trailer

 

-----signature-----
Namaste.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
« 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 - Previous | Next | Reload
© 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc (9.02.17.2300, ASPNET0) 0.781