The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

"Nothings permanent, not even death"

Director Terry Gilliam invites you into the world of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a former monk who made a deal with the devil thousands of years ago. The two share a secret that comes along with the deal involving the doctor's fifteen year old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) that states that when she is sixteen she will belong to the devil. The good doctor and his crew of two, including Percy (Verne Troyer) and Anton (Andrew Garfield) travel England with their show and invite people into the world of "The Imaginarium", which is inside the mind of the doctor and takes you to places you couldn't even imagine. Along their travels they find a man named Tony (Heath Ledger) hanging from a bridge, not knowing who he is or where he came from, he is taken in as one of their own and assists with the show. With Valentina's sixteenth birthday approaching the devil approaches the doctor with a kind of competition for souls. First one to get five souls wins. If the doctor wins he keeps his daughter, however if he loses she will be the devil's mistress.

Filled with dazzling effects you'll feel like a kid watching this. Although the material is at sometimes dark and this movie can be somewhat confusing, it is a modern marvel. With an all star cast including Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Tom Waits along with numerous others. This film is a tribute to the late Heath Ledger and was pushed back and rehashed due to his untimely death. For Terry Gilliam who is no stranger to bringing to the screen new and exciting worlds and has delivered such monumental films as "Time Bandits", "The Fisher King", "The Meaning of Life", and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", this is his masterpiece and a wonderful film. 4/5-tom

SECOND OPINION

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with Tom on this one. I so wanted to see this movie and I really wanted it to be good especially considering the circumstances surrounding it and star Heath Ledgers passing. Unfortunately, the hiring of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell do not save this mess of a movie. It feels very unfinished and rightly so since its lead died halfway through filming but even the footage with Heath Ledger feels like rough takes; as if there were no time to do reshoots before he died. It all comes across like a bad improv show when he is on screen and that sucks because Heath Ledger is a wonderful actor. The plot is confusing and never makes any real sense and casual viewers will be lost before it is even half over. Perhaps this too is because of Heaths death and the fact that the movie had to be partially rewritten and restructured. Terry Gilliam is at home with this wacky material and it definitely is a sight to see but it just feels bland due to the muddied story. Not only that, but I felt the special effects occasionally looked cheap. It's not without its highpoints though and there are a few. Tom Waits is FANTASTIC as the devil in this movie as is Andrew Garfield as Anton. Watch out for Andrew Garfield because he is going to be a big star, especially in 2012 when he takes on the role of Peter Parker in the "Spider-Man" redo. Watch this only if you are a hardcore Terry Gilliam fan, everybody else will be just end up confused and mad they wasted a slot on their netflix que list. 2/5 -andy

Highlander (1986)

"There can be only one!"

"Highlander" came out in the middle of a decade where every action film was about bad ass cops or ex-military types who were getting revenge and killing anything that moved. "Highlander" without a doubt is one of the most original and best films to be released throughout the entire decade. A spectacular movie with great action, a real heart and wonderful characters. You may be familiar with it already, but for those of you who are not allow me to enlighten you. Christopher Lambert stars as Connor MacLeod who has been alive for about 400 years. As a member of the Clan MacLeod in the Highlands of Scotland, Connor was originally killed in battle by the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) who is the toughest of all immortals. Connor heals and is banished from his village for being in league with Lucifer after his miraculous survival. Five years later he has a new life and woman when he meets Ramirez (played with delight by the one and only James Bond, Sean Connery). Ramirez has sought out MacLeod and teaches him about being immortal and on how to fight. He reveals to MacLeod that to kill an immortal means you have to cut off their head, but you all probably knew that by now, right? Years of movies about creatures and others who cannot be killed except for separating the brain from the body have been permeating cinema a long time now and are quite commonplace. In 1986 however, it was still really cool.

Fast forward to 1985 when Connor, going under the assumed name 'Russell Nash' is the owner of an Antiquities business where he showcases and sells various items he has collected throughout his long life. Connor kills another immortal in the parking garage of Madison Square Garden where he is arrested speeding away and is interrogated by the police. He is released but curious Forensic technician Brenda becomes as interested in him, as Connor is in her. Soon the Kurgan arrives in New York where all the immortals have come for 'The Gathering', a time when the few immortals that are left will battle until there can be only one and he will receive the prize. What is the prize? Well, even I'm not 100% clear on that but you'll have to watch it and see for yourself.

I could go on about "Highlander" forever. While it's not without its 80s corniness so prevalent in films from throughout the decade, it never exhibits ANY of its pesky cliches. The soundtrack from Queen is far better than the average Techno / Hair Band score we usually hear in these films and as I said in the beginning it stays away from the whole military, cop 80s Action trap. I almost didn't want to review it during 80s Action week because it is so unlike any other 80s Action film but I found it hard to classify as anything else except for maybe fantasy. Probably my favorite thing, though small and seemingly insignificant, is the relationship Connor has with his secretary Rachel - a young girl he rescued during World War 2, now older than him in appearance only. It is really quite touching and lends something to the film beyond just action. "Highlander" spawned 3 film sequels, a TV series and a couple of terrible SyFy channel movies. Its too bad none were nearly as good and muddied what started out as a wonderful story. Not A perfect film but very close. 4.5/5 -andy