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defrogOh, I’ve been to the movies again. I have opinions and crap.
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Basically a fictionalized version of Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book about the Pentagon’s experimentation with LSD, psychic warfare and New Age superpowers that, ultimately, may have led to the idea of blasting Iraqi prisoners with the Barney song.
It’s funny and full of good performances – and no one ever said it wasn’t fun to watch Jeff Bridges say to George Clooney: “I'm your commanding officer and I'm ordering you to let out the dance!”
But as a satirical vehicle, it plays things way too safe. One of the points Ronson made in the book was that the Barney story and many other aspects of US psychological warfare – and the potentially troubling implications therein – were watered down to light-hearted punchlines in the media. The film version basically waters it down even further.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Inevitably this film always be known as Heath Ledger’s last gig and be judged by the fact that Terry Gilliam had to struggle hard just to get the damn thing finished, which in itself is an accomplishment. But for all that, it’s also Gilliam’s best film since at least 12 Monkeys (with the caveat that I haven’t seen Fear In Loathing In Las Vegas or Tideland).
Gilliam makes the most of the basic premise – Dr Parnassus battles The Devil for souls using a magic mirror that reflects yr imagination, and encounters a mystery man who may be the key to getting out of his own pact in which he traded the soul of his daughter for immortality – with twisted fervour, and the result is sometimes messy but rarely dull, depending on how much you like Gilliam’s stream-of-consciousness fantasy scenes.
I like them fine, and I like Gilliam’s tendency to pit Victorian looking-glass fantasy against modern London. Granted, he's done it better, but at least he's still doing it. Also, bonus points for casting Tom Waits as The Devil.
You bet yr life,
This is dF
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Basically a fictionalized version of Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book about the Pentagon’s experimentation with LSD, psychic warfare and New Age superpowers that, ultimately, may have led to the idea of blasting Iraqi prisoners with the Barney song.
It’s funny and full of good performances – and no one ever said it wasn’t fun to watch Jeff Bridges say to George Clooney: “I'm your commanding officer and I'm ordering you to let out the dance!”
But as a satirical vehicle, it plays things way too safe. One of the points Ronson made in the book was that the Barney story and many other aspects of US psychological warfare – and the potentially troubling implications therein – were watered down to light-hearted punchlines in the media. The film version basically waters it down even further.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Inevitably this film always be known as Heath Ledger’s last gig and be judged by the fact that Terry Gilliam had to struggle hard just to get the damn thing finished, which in itself is an accomplishment. But for all that, it’s also Gilliam’s best film since at least 12 Monkeys (with the caveat that I haven’t seen Fear In Loathing In Las Vegas or Tideland).
Gilliam makes the most of the basic premise – Dr Parnassus battles The Devil for souls using a magic mirror that reflects yr imagination, and encounters a mystery man who may be the key to getting out of his own pact in which he traded the soul of his daughter for immortality – with twisted fervour, and the result is sometimes messy but rarely dull, depending on how much you like Gilliam’s stream-of-consciousness fantasy scenes.
I like them fine, and I like Gilliam’s tendency to pit Victorian looking-glass fantasy against modern London. Granted, he's done it better, but at least he's still doing it. Also, bonus points for casting Tom Waits as The Devil.
You bet yr life,
This is dF
