Paparelli's Movie ReviewsTideland
Sunday, August 06, 2006
year: 2005directed by: Terry Gilliam
written by: Mitch Cullin, Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni
notable cast: Jodelle Ferland, Brendan Fletcher, Janet McTeer, Jeff Bridges
Paparelli's rating:
(0 = worst, **** = best)For the first time in this blog I give the full four stars to a movie. And it should not be a surprise that it's by Terry Gilliam. Gilliam seems to have regained control of his artistic productions in this smaller scaled project. It's great to see all of his attention focussed on the movie itself again.
The reason for giving this movie the full rating is because it is a very literary one (especially as its based on a novel, by Mitch Cullin), while also very well filmed. Using all storytelling techniques cinema has to offer, a mesmerizing train of thoughts is presented and you're quickly taken along on a weird, kind of philosophical trip.
Presented as an alternative Alice in Wonderland, this movie seems to offer a lot more than that. The movie's story is captivating, and the experience as a whole just keeps one thinking. It seems to be filled with lots of views on life and the more one thinks about it, the more ideas can be discovered. In this sense it's a very rich movie that will keep your mind occupied for a long time and probably will make you want to go see it again a few times to really let it sink in.
What's special about this movie in regard to movies I've given 3.5 stars instead of 4, is that it's more profoundly philosophical than "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" or Krrish, and more entertaining than "Match Point". Gilliam uses basic but effective dramatic and cinematic techniques to convey a certain vision on life, and without expensive sets or effects he is still able to get very close and personal with his audience.
I wouldn't be surprised if this movie is a bit too confronting for some people as it addresses subjects that usually make people very sad. But Cullin and Gilliam address them in a respectful way, so it is a very constructive experience, besides a very entertaining and often spectacular one. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
A special mentioning has to be made of the performance of Jodelle Ferland, who does a miraculous job portraying the main part in this movie. The character she plays effectively carries the whole movie and she is very convincing in this role. Her strong performance (being 12(!) years old) contributes enormously to the strength of the movie as a whole.
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