Terry Gilliam – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Absolutely Anything (2015)

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Sci FiTagged British, Comedy, Eddie Izzard, Eric Idle, Gavin Scott, Joanna Lumley, John Cleese, Kate Beckinsale, Meera Syal, Michael Palin, Robin Williams, Romance, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sci Fi, Simon Pegg, Terry Gilliam, Terry JonesLeave a comment

Written and directed by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) with the help of skilled screenwriter Gavin Scott (Small Soldiers, The Borrowers), this is a weird and wonderful concoction.

Neil (Simon Pegg) is a teacher and aspiring writer when he is given the powers to do absolutely anything by a group of all-powerful aliens (voiced by the Python crew). The fate of the world rests on whether he uses his powers for good or evil.

With Kate Beckinsale and Robin Williams supporting, this film is brilliantly put together and very funny. It’s also extremely silly, in the best possible way.

100 Word Review – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

February 4, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in Comedy, F-RatedTagged adventure, animation, British, Comedy, dark, epic, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, historical, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry JonesLeave a comment

The Monty Python (Life of Brian, Meaning of Life) guys are on a quest.

Follow King Arthur (Graham Chapman), Lancelot The Brave (John Cleese), Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin) and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir Lancelot (Eric Idle) along with a host of other characters (Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam) as they seek the Holy Grail.

Complete with witches, shrubberies, unladen swallows, a killer bunny and a castle of French men, this film is everything you would expect from the Monty Python crew. Gilliam’s animation are wonderful as always, as are the random jokes. Endlessly quotable, historically inaccurate and thoroughly British.

100 Word Review – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

September 21, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged adaptation, Benicio Del Toro, Drama, drugs, Hunter S Thompson, Johnny Depp, Las Vegas, Terry GilliamLeave a comment

Based on the psychedelic ramblings of Hunter S. Thompson, this was never destined to be a comfortable film to watch.

Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his psychotic “attorney” Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) drive to Las Vegas to cover a car race. With a boot full of drugs, what could go wrong.

Having seen this film several times, I’m still not certain how it ends.

Directed by the king of weird, Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Brazil, Twelve Monkeys) this film falls somewhere between a nightmare and a psychotic break. It is also remarkable and incredibly clever.

100 Word Review – The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

September 20, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., FantasyTagged Andrew Garfield, Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell, Fantasy, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Lily Cole, Terry Gilliam, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer1 Comment

It’s a shame that this film is best known for being Heath Ledger’s last and not for its own merit.

Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) with his daughter (Lily Cole) and the rest of his theatre company (Ledger, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield) travel through modern London performing their strange show, ever followed by the mysterious Mr Nick (Tom Waits).

Written and directed by ex-Python Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys, Brazil), it is coated in his trademark style of combining the mundane and the bizarre to create something magical. Co-starring Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law.

100 Word Review – Life of Brian (1979)

April 23, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Comedy, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, history, Jesus, John Cleese, Judea, Michael Palin, Monty Python, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones1 Comment

He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!

Now piss off!

Brian is just a normal guy who happens to live in Judea just after the BC/AD switch over and spends his life being mistaken for Jesus Christ.

If you’re already a fan of the Monty Python gang (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman), you’ll love it. If not, prepare yourself for satire, silliness and delightfully dark humour.

Between them, the Pythons play 40 characters throughout the film. Perhaps not the most historically accurate but definitely an imaginative and only mildly offensive film.