I was asleep for the live transmission a few hours ago — though I understand there were some technical issues — but no doubt many of you caught the (beautifully) Terry Gilliam-directed webcast of Arcade Fire’s Madison Square Garden gig. I look forward to catching up with the whole thing, but for now, here’s their performance of my current (and highly subject to change) favorite track of the new album. Is now the time to say something snarky and uncalled for and thoroughly truthful about this being the most worthwhile thing Gilliam has done in the last decade or more? Okay, consider it said.
Tag: Terry Gilliam
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Terry Gilliam calls bullshit on the Oscars
As certain as carols on Christmas Eve, you can always rely on the pre-Oscar weekend to bring a surfeit of “why the Oscars don’t matter” pieces — all other angles on the race having been exhausted in the preceding months. Hey, I sort of did one myself yesterday.True to form, today we have David Thomson in the Guardian dismissively asking, “Who cares about the Oscars?” (If Mr. Thomson did some digging around the web, he’d be in for a nasty surprise.) Elsewhere, you’ll surely be stunned to learn that Armond White doesn’t approve of the annual ceremony, either: Kathryn Bigelow is better than a stinky Oscar, runs his general argument.
Both pieces contain several nuggets of truth, but highbrow film critics kicking the Academy to the curb is hardly revelatory. More fun, then, is Vanity Fair’s slightly more inside view from filmmaker Terry Gilliam, a one-time Oscar nominee for “Brazil” whose latest effort, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” will compete in two technical races on Sunday.
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12/18 Oscarweb Round-up
• Anne Thompson reports that there is no “official” costume designer on “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” so anyone holding out longshot hope for its Oscar chances in that field can go ahead and focus elsewhere. [Thompson on Hollywood]• Melena Ryzik gets Ivan Reitman to admit “The Hangover” would be on his top 10 list. [The Carpetbagger]
• Dave Karger chats with “Nine” star Penelope Cruz, who could be on her way to back-to-back supporting actress nominations. [Oscar Watch]
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TECH SUPPORT: Best Art Direction — Volume II
When I first addressed the race for Best Art Direction in August, I spoke of how the branch tends to favor period pieces and fantasy films. Considering the research involved in the former and the often showy creativity on display in the latter, this is hardly surprising.That said, I often feel badly for exceptional contemporary films that have been slighted here in the past. Examples from this decade immediately popping to mind include David Wasco’s tremendously clever sets for “The Royal Tenenbaums” and Alex McDowell’s ultra-realistic airport design on “The Terminal.”
While many of the titles in contention are the same over two months later, the race has nevertheless undergone some significant changes. Primarily this is because many of the films have opened, been unveiled at festivals and/or revealed glimpses via trailers and other materials.
At the top of the list, still, is Rob Marshall’s “Nine.” John Myhre won this category on both of his previous two collaborations with Marshall. Dabbling in the world of Fellini seems like the perfect opportunity to grab his fifth nomination.
While the “Sherlock Holmes” trailer has been around for a while, the verdict is still out on the latest film from Guy Ritchie – a director whose work to date has hardly been typical AMPAS fodder. Nevertheless, Sarah Greenwood has been nominated twice before for capturing period England, Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement” doing the trick. She’ll be doing the same here, albeit on a much larger scale. A nomination seems a distinct possibility in my opinion.
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9/28 Oscarweb Round-up
• Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski arrested in Zurich for 1977 rape charge. [CNN]• Steven Zeitchik reports that Summit was set to be the first out of the gate with awards screeners this year with “The Hurt Locker.” Would it have made a difference? [Risky Biz Blog]
• Nathaniel Rogers considers Julianne Moore’s Oscar chances in “A Single Man.” [The Film Experience]
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‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ UK trailer
Sorry for the run of lazy posts, but I know a lot of you have been champing at the bit for this one. Make of it what you will … there appears to be more than enough quirk and baroque visual clutter here to keep the Gilliamites in thrall. (Oddly enough, I just passed through one of the key locations here on my morning run. “They should use this in more movies,” I thought to myself. Et voilà.)
I’m reserving judgment. But I will say that it’s both disorienting and weirdly comforting to see Heath Ledger in a trailer for something fresh. That’s never happening again.
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Gilliam talks completing ‘Parnassus’ without Ledger and his defining film moment
At Comic-Con last month, Motion/Captured’s Drew McWeeny was fortunate enough to sit down with director Terry Gilliam for a solid 60 minutes, allowing the conversation to drift from actors like Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to the Criterion Collection to Gilliam’s latest, the still domestic distributor-less “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and everything in between.The piece is broke up into two parts. Part one is interesting enough, especially for the mid-interview interruption by some idiot who should have known better, but I think the meat of the piece is in part two, where Gilliam starts to talk the philosophy of cinema and “Parnassus” in particular.
Gillaim talks at length about the film’s state of disarray after Heath Ledger’s untimely passing in January of 2008, leaving an entire performance to be completed and no easy answers. He called Johnny Depp first, completely sapped with no idea how to go forward. Ultimately Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law filled in for Ledger for the character of Tony’s three transformations in the film, but even completing the script at hand was difficult for some on the production.
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‘Parnassus’ causes much head-scratching at Cannes
It was always a safe bet that, in spite of the curiosity value of Heath Ledger’s final screen performance, Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” wasn’t cut out to be a crowdpleaser. It’s been over a decade since the defiantly eccentric filmmaker made anything approaching the term “accessible,” much less something widely liked. And the apparent opacity of his latest, beginning with that unwieldy title, didn’t suggest he was going any easier on his audience, or himself.So it’s no surprise to report that the reviews thus far are mixed at best, with some vocal detractors already apparent. (Catherine Shoard at the Guardian describes it as “a horrible mix of reheated Munchhausen and stale Faustian mumbo-jumbo.) Still, several critics have salvaged some value from the project, and are unexpectedly supportive in their reviews.
Todd McCarthy asserts that Gilliam has made “a pretty good thing out of a very bad situation,” commending him for his “visual panache” and “considerable discipline,” but is careful to defuse any exaggerated expectations of Ledger’s work:
It’s another “Alice in Wonderland”-like playground for Gilliam, and while all the specific action may not be entirely coherent or exciting, it’s always visually stimulating and allows the three incarnations of Tony to host assorted guests.
Tony is not a demanding dramatic role, nor a particularly flamboyant one like the Joker, so this can’t legitimately be described as one Ledger’s most striking performances. Like most of the other actors here, he’s antic and frantic, dirty and sweaty, as the principals flail around trying to cope with their desperate straits.
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Gilliam wants “another award for Heath”
It may not be in the Competition lineup, but Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” is surely one of the most eagerly — and curiously — awaited films of the Cannes festival. The bulk of the interest, of course, rests on the unfinished final screen performance of Heath Ledger, and how (or, indeed, if) Gilliam’s audacious strategy of completing the late thesp’s characterisation with contributions from three other actors will work.All will be revealed when the film makes its Cannes debut next Friday, but for now, Gilliam talks up “Parnassus” in an interesting interview with the Times of London — and the famously bolshy director minces no words when it comes to his awards hopes from the film:
The planned release date for Doctor Parnassus is in the autumn. “We want to be in that last third for the Academy Awards! Maybe we’ll get another award for Heath. We’re going to get as many awards as possible for him, long after he’s gone.”
Meanwhile, he’s confident that Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell’s continuation of Ledger’s role is a success, both in terms of artistry and commercial viability:
We were lucky because we have a magic mirror in this movie. Not every movie has a magic mirror. So you can very genuinely say that these other actors are different aspects of the character that Heath plays. And it works. The point was, we’ve got to keep going. It was a bit like half being there, but apparently on autopilot I can still do a few things … It’s a hard thing to do, walk into a character and take over. But they did it.
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Gilliam to receive BAFTA Fellowship
In one of the few good decisions BAFTA has made this year, Terry Gilliam will receive the Academy Fellowship (yes, that’s a lifetime achievement award to you and me) at Sunday’s ceremony in London. That’s a pleasantly inspired choice, if you ask me. Here’s an extract from the press release:
Awarded annually by the Academy, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honoured Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, John Barry, Stanley Kubrick and Judi Dench. Last year’s recipient was Anthony Hopkins.
Finola Dwyer, Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee, said: “We’re delighted to make Terry a fellow of the Academy: he is one of the most original, imaginative and innovative directors working in the industry today.”
Terry Gilliam adds: “This is a great honour for someone who needs so many other people to do his job.”
Because they’re genuinely clueless about how to stage an awards telecast, BAFTA tends to place the Fellowship award right at the end of the ceremony — you know, after Best Film has been presented and most viewers have flipped channels. I suspect they’ll make the same error this year, but stay tuned. Gilliam ought to be worth watching.
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EW’s Heath Ledger appreciation
Entertainment Weekly’s current cover story is a somewhat engaging retrospective on the career of Heath Ledger through the words of his friends and collaborators. The first story of its kind to date, the piece is a nice idea given that Jan. 22 is both the anniversary of Ledger’s unfortunate death and the day he will likely nab a posthumous Oscar nomination for his work in “The Dark Knight.”My only beef with the story is the insistence on either writers Josh Rottenberg and Cristine Spines, or their editor (can’t be sure which), to fish out the most US Weekly-brand quotes from some of these people, splashing suspicion on the drug use about (though director Terry Gilliam refutes that at one point), leaning heavily on talk about Ledger’s insomnia and basically painting a much more morose portrait than was really necessary. It’s a tough, sad read as a result. But it’s solid and, like I said, unique. Here are some highlights:
“The Patriot” co-star Mel Gibson:
His audition for The Patriot was rough. But he got the gig because of some kind of honest thing that was intrinsic to him. He was just authentic and sincere. I don’t think he knew the power he had already. So he’d work himself up into an angst situation, trying to get at things that were already there. You almost wanted to say, ”Dude, just calm down and be yourself. It’s good.”
“Monster’s Ball” director Marc Forster:
When he read the script, Heath said, ”Look, I get this character. I totally understand him. I’ll come down there and breathe in that world.” He wanted to try something different, something where the movie wasn’t resting on his shoulders. The one thing he said was, ”I’m not going to participate in the promotion of the movie. I’m just going to come in and focus on the acting.”
“Four Feathers” co-star and friend Wes Bentley:
Heath didn’t give himself enough credit for his talent as an actor. He didn’t know what he had so he decided to enjoy what was being offered to him. I wanted to explain to him, ”Please wake up to how great you are.” He didn’t have any classical training. He didn’t have anyone making him feel like he had credibility. The only voice he listened to was his own self critic, because it was the loudest.
And finally, this sobering remark from Gilliam:
I was in Vancouver, and there was a computer with a BBC website and it says, ”Heath Ledger found dead.” My immediate response was, ”It’s a f—ing Warner Bros. publicity stunt for the Joker!” We kept looking at the computer thinking it was going to change. But it wouldn’t go away…We’re cutting Parnassus now, so it’s like I work with Heath every day. He’s in fine shape, at least in the world I’m inhabiting at the moment. It just doesn’t make sense. Every day goes by and I think, He’ll be back in a second.
Read the rest of the piece here.
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Getting carried away with ‘WALL-E’ and the LAFCA
I have been griping about the state of the movie year since after the Toronto International Film Festival, and frankly I took some heat for bitching about it. So yes, I feel some vindication about the way the season is shaping up: 2008 is a hugely disappointing year at the movies, with only a handful of really brilliant films. After the bounty of last year, obviously our hopes were high, which is a mistake, but it seems we have endured one failure after another this year.So the Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted “WALL-E” best film of the year. Does this increase the film’s Oscar chances for a Best Picture nod? It will certainly draw some more attention but at the end of the day the film will land in the feature animation category, which is where it belongs.
I agree with Kris that “WALL-E” is over-appreciated and hugely overrated. Yes, it was a good film, a beautiful picture that was a stunning visual experience, but it’s not the masterpiece it is being hailed as. In my opinion it is indicative of the weak movie year we are suffering through. I have three more films to see to wrap up my 2008 coverage, and at this writing, “The Dark Knight” is my choice as best film of the year, with Nolan my best director. So I have to say it was cool to see both slide in as runner-ups.
But let’s be realistic about the L.A. Film Critics. They like to make a statement. They did it in 1985 with “Brazil,” an unreleased film from Terry Gilliam that somehow won their Best Picture prize and forced Universal to finally put it in theaters.
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Studios could care less about Terry Gilliam’s ‘Parnassus’
Nick Plowman points us today to a Hollywood Reporter story (and really, we needed the heads up in this case…anyone reading THR anymore?) painting director Terry Gilliam’s latest film as a “tough sell.”Of course, the film in question, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” contains Heath Ledger’s swan song performance.
Here’s the Reporter’s Steven Zeitchik:
For U.S. distributors, the quirky Terry Gilliam film — centering on parallel worlds, a theater troupe and a devil-dealing 1,000-year-old doctor — presents a conundrum. On the one hand, it’s a chance for the history-making opportunity — not to mention a marketing coup — of releasing Ledger’s last movie.
But it also comes with challenges that lately have followed the stubbornly noncommercial Gilliam. The director has been behind a series of boxoffice flops and hasn’t had a hit since “Twelve Monkeys” in 1995. Buyers who might otherwise be willing to shell out for a Ledger film are holding back.
“In this market, unless I have a reason to think a movie like this is going to be a slam dunk I’m not going to take a flyer on it, even with Heath Ledger,” one distribution executive said. One specialty exec added few execs at his company had been tracking it.
And Plowman’s sharp reply:
Whenever a Terry Gilliam film is released, it’s a risky affair. They are never quite box-office or critical hits, and even the supernatural would rather he stayed away from the medium of film as well. He hasn’t had a hit since 1995…
And you know what? So be it. Penance for Gilliam’s asinine comments from last month if you ask me. Ledger lives on in infamy with “The Dark Knight.” Given Gilliam’s track record as of late, “Parnassus” could be a blight on that legacy.
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Good
I’m really glad Jeffrey Wells joins my sentiments in calling Terry Gilliam out on his idiotic comments from last week regarding Warner Bros’ position on Heath Ledger in the marketing of “The Dark Knight.” Calls him a “bonehead.” Perfect.
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Terry Gilliam should be ashamed of himself
To say nothing of the fact that he has proven to be painfully irrelevant for over a decade, director Terry Gilliam has crossed the line with his recents comments chastizing Warner Bros. for what he feels is “tasteless” capitalization on the death of Heath Ledger.From Yahoo! News (via WENN and The Movie Blog):
…the moviemaker fears that the producers of Ledger’s second to last picture, The Dark Knight, are shamelessly capitalising on rumours that the late star will be awarded a posthumous Oscar for his role as evil villain The Joker.
He says, “That’s what Warner Brothers are saying, but they’ll do anything to publicise their film. That’s just what they do and you can’t get upset because it’s bulls**t.
“They’re like a great white shark which devours whatever it can.”
“Bullshit” doesn’t begin to say it, Mr. Gilliam. Any time I hear someone go on about how the studio has disrespectfully gone out of its way to plaster Ledger’s image on the promotional materials for “The Dark Knight,” I immediately controlled the urge to wrap my fingers around a roll of quarters and smash a number of teeth entering the double digits out of their skull.
What would you have them do? The Joker was always going to be a focal point of marketing. This is the “it” role of the film. It is the character any marketing whiz would be a fool to ignore or even modestly exploit in the build-up to a release such as this. And because poor Terry Gilliam has so many years of trouble with studios digging into his side, he goes and joins the chorus of ignorance with comments such as this.
Give me a fucking break.