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Gilliam has always displayed a vivid imagination in his movies - but has done so in a now outdated way with lavish, grandiose sets - and, to paraphrase my friend Bug, the technology finally caught up with him.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.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

This week's suggestion is called Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai.

Forest Whitaker portrays a thoughtful antihero, a modern-day hit man who lives by the code of the samurai, who has sworn to protect the mafia member who saved his life. Things soon turn nasty when the mob put a hit out on him.

This is a really interesting movie - mixing action and philosophy, mafia and samurai, modern and ancient.

I found a couple problems with the realness of some of the action scenes, and it has an odd flow to it. It's not a typical Hollywood action flick. But that's the point here.

Closet Land

I'm going to break my own rule here. This is a super obscure movie that I loved watching when it first came out on VHS (1991), but haven't been able to see it since. Netflix doesn't have it so if you have a Mom & Pop video store near you that has a great selection you may still be able to watch this. And I highly recommend that you do!

Closet Land is a little movie - 2-person cast - produced by Amnesty International. But both actors are amazing in it - Alan Rickman (Die Hard) and Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys).

It's about a children's book writer (Stowe) who is imprisoned and interrogated at length for suspected political messages in her books.

Rickman 's use of accents is especially good as the interrogator. But it's when his accents slip that it gets really intriguing.

This is a superb look a dark subject, nuanced and intelligent. A true study of human nature.