The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

I'm starting a crusade of my very own this week. Go out and rent (and then buy???) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus!

I'm doing this to spite the silly company (not gonna give them any hype here) who decided they'd release a Terry Gilliam movie but treat it as movie-non-grata. They gave it absolutely no advertising and a very limited release - and in a very akward way. [Explitive deleted] studio!

The movie studios should know by now that Gilliam has a devoted following and should have at least tried to market this film.

OK. So it's probably not his best film ever. But it is still very good. Any fan of Gilliam will appreciate and like this film - and in a new way.
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Gilliam has always displayed a vivid imagination in his movies - but has done so in a now outdated way with lavish, grandiose sets - and, to paraphrase my friend Bug, the technology finally caught up with him. This is, by a million miles, his finest looking film. He uses digital effects for the first time. And it is beautiful where it's supposed to be, bleak where it should be! (Bigger screen TVs will be more effective here.) I was very upset that it didn't win the Oscar for Art Direction.
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Imaginarium is about Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) who has a running bet with the Devil (Tom Waits). The entire cast is spectacular! The story and script are better than average.
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This is Heath Ledger's last movie. He died while filming. But he had completed all his "real life" scenes. So after much deliberation, Gilliam got Heath's acting buddies to fill in for the dream-like scenes. But this is not a distraction. On the contrary, I think it adds to it.
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As I eluded to, non-Gilliam fans might not dig this movie as much because of its subtle humor, pace, and a python-esque scene or two.
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But I'm still urging everyone: Please, at least rent this movie. Show the Big Corporate Studio that original directors like Gilliam still have an audience!

Live from Baghdad

Here's another good HBO film to rent. It's a docu-drama from 2002 called Live from Baghdad.

Based in Baghdad (go figure), a CNN crew struggles to cover the lead up to the 1991 Gulf War.

This is an interesting film. It highlights the rise of the 24-hour news network, while showing the CNN crew struggling with moral dilemmas while still trying to get actual news out of a very secretive regime.

Michael Keaton and Helena Bonham Carter star as the producers of the film crew. Both do an excellent job, as do the rest of the cast.

Music Within

Here's an inspirational movie based on a true story: 2007's Music Within.

Ron Livingston (Office Space) stars as Richard Pimentel. Richard looses almost all his hearing in the Vietnam war. He comes home and finds a new calling - fighting to get wounded vets and otherwise disabled people jobs.

There are a few problems with the movie, like Ron Livingston is not able to pass as a 19 or 20-year old. And it is rated R for bad language, so kids who'd be able to learn quite a bit from it are not its target audience, I guess.

But otherwise this is a really good movie. Your emotions will run the gamut. It's funny, touching, tragic, and inspiring. And most importantly, it's honest. Here's a real biography of a real person - good and bad.

It's also worth watching 2 of the DVDs extra features: the making of, and actual live footage of the real Richard Pimentel.

Primer

This week my suggestion is a real low budget movie: 2004's Primer.

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It was written, directed by and stars Shane Carruth. And he managed to make it for under $8,000. Needless to say, you won't recognize any of the actors.

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Without giving too much away, it's about 4 guys who use their spare time to invent stuff in their garage. Their latest sci-fi-like contraption threatens their bonds, in more ways than one.

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This is a good movie. It is slow paced, but stick with it. It's intelectual and realistic for a sci-fi based concept.