You know, isn’t it strange how Movie Nights can get …
Strange …
Well …
Odd …
Well, ok, not odd, per sé, just unexpected musical.
You see, myself, Movie Night Adrian, Kevin D and Kevins wife, Sarah, had all got together to catch a movie.
You’d worked that out, I know.
And Sarah, bless her, got here a touch late.
Complete with a trumpet she was going to fix up, and pass on to a friend.
You know, twiddle with the valves, blow the dust out, make sure everything was working.
That’s her, tootling away in the picture. She’s rather talented with brass, I should add …
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Which is sort of going sideways isn’t it … ?
It’s also sort of incidental to the film we’d all got together to catch.
The 2009, Terry Gilliam directed fantasy that is The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. And I swear whoever voiced the trailer couldn’t pronounce ‘Parnassus’.
Wouldn’t’ve happened with Don LaFontaine, I think. But that’s incidental.
Because The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus? Is quite good.
Maybe not on a par with some of Gilliam’s best work. But certainly not his worst, either.
The film follows the title character, Dr Parnassus — played by Christopher Plummer — as he, his daughter, Valentina and his two assistants — Anton and Percy — travel around London, with his small travelling show, the Imaginarium.
The twist in the tale … ?
Is that the Dr has been given immortality by Mr Nick: none other than the devil, himself, played with a certain relish by singer/songwriter* and actor, Tom Wait.
And the price of the good Doctor’s immortality is simple: that Mr Nick get’s the soul of the Dr’s daughter, Valentina, as and when she turn’s sixteen.
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13/10/2010. 12:28
Well, ok, I say morning …
But as you’ve probably noticed from the time-stamp, it’s actually a touch later than that …
Oy!
Bless ’em, I’ve just had Paul and Graham pop in on me: just as I was going to get in the shower.
Ahem!
Now, where was I … ?
Oh, yeah …
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Which I think I managed to tell you was the film that Movie Night Adrian, Kevin D, Kevin’s wife, Sarah — who I’m thinking should maybe dubbed Sarah, Tootles — and me all managed to catch, last night.
And I’ll have to admit, I think we can safely say we all of us enjoyed.
After all, Terry Gilliam is generally regarded a genius of a director.
If he isn’t … ? He’s certainly one of the more creative: with the possible exception of David Lynchº, I don’t think I know of any other that’s quite so visual.
And definitely one that’s capable of getting some interesting performances out of his cast: do you remember seeing Brad Pitt’s deranged performance in 12 Monkeys?
Exactly.
Which is kind of my point: I think he’s managed to do that again, with the cast and crew of The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus.
The shame of it is that Heath Ledger died. Because I think — had he survived — this could have been his equivalent. An off-the-wall Gilliam hit, with the rôle of Tony showing us a bit more of his range.
That’s not to talk down Johnny Depp, Jude Law, or Colin Farrell: who was the actor who stood out for me.
After all, Depp and Law’s scenes as Tony saw the Tony character turning up the charm, something I felt they did well.
But — granted their scenes didn’t call for it — I felt both Farrell and Ledger had a dangerous streak that gave us a little of what lay beneath the charm.
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All told … ?
Well …
There’s possibly a lot more I could add: especially about Christopher Plummer who I felt really shone as the title character.
But the bottom line is that The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus is a good film: although I know there was one scene that both Kevin D and Movie Night Adrian weren’t fond of.
But on the whole?
The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus an enjoyable film that we all felt is worth catching.
* You know, whenever I use the phrase ‘singer/songwriter’, I’m actually tempted to write ‘singer/songwriter/actor/dancer/model and Page Three Stunna!’ But that’s silly, isn’t it …
º Saying that, I don’t think I’ve seen as much Lynch or Gilliam as I’d’ve liked. I know that both Brazil and Eraserhead are on my bucket-list.
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