TERRY GILLIAMS BROTHERS GRIMM
May 24th 2008 02:17
With nothing on the box last night I went through my DVD stash and came across The Brothers Grimm. And after a moment I realised I'd never watched it. It must be one of those cheap movies I pick up in the $10 baskets from time to time. Anyway, I stuck it on.
Terry Gilliam never makes a straight forward movie. And I imagine if he could have the final cut he wants, not what the studio suits want, his films would be even more bizarre.
Which would be a good thing. So this one stars Matt Damon (Will) and Heath Ledger (Jacob) as the brothers of the title. Seemingly based (very very loosely) on the German brothers who wrote a host of grim and scary fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood among others.
They spend their time scaring German villagers with make belief witches which they then dispense of for a fee. While Will is a sceptic in all things paranormal, Jacob believes and continually searches for all things magic.
After being found out and caught they are brought before General Delatombe. He orders them to solve the mystery of a small village in which youngsters are going missing. They go there assuming its the work of con-men like themselves, but on arriving find its the work of an evil queen (Monica Bellucci). She wants the children to restore her eternal beauty (which only exists in her reflection) to go along with her immortality.
So the Grimms along with Angelika: a local huntress, and Cavaldi: an Italian torturer, set about stopping her.
So after a couple of failures: a run in with some psychotic trees and the queens shape-shifting henchman as well as a couple of be-heading's the boys eventually stop the queen and her dasterdly plans.
If it seems like I've wrapped this up a bit abruptly, I'm sorry. But if I was to try and mention every detail or plot point of a Terry Gilliam movie I'd be here for a week. Like most of his films the lasting memory is of individual scenes. Because as a whole the film is a mess.
Gilliam does seem to have the makings of great films but like Fear & Loathing or Barom Munchausen there's just to many great ideas all trying to get a look in.
And the actors all look as confused as us. Matt Damon loses his way quickly. I'm not really sure what accent he was using. Heath Ledger is good, probably the character Gilliam was most attached to. Jonathan Price and Peter Stormare as Delatombe ang Cavaldi are all ham and hot air. While the two women: Bellucci and Lena Headley are there to look good. Which they do very well.
As I say its the individual parts that stick in the mind rather than the whole.
A very confusing 5/10
Terry Gilliam never makes a straight forward movie. And I imagine if he could have the final cut he wants, not what the studio suits want, his films would be even more bizarre.
Which would be a good thing. So this one stars Matt Damon (Will) and Heath Ledger (Jacob) as the brothers of the title. Seemingly based (very very loosely) on the German brothers who wrote a host of grim and scary fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood among others.
After being found out and caught they are brought before General Delatombe. He orders them to solve the mystery of a small village in which youngsters are going missing. They go there assuming its the work of con-men like themselves, but on arriving find its the work of an evil queen (Monica Bellucci). She wants the children to restore her eternal beauty (which only exists in her reflection) to go along with her immortality.
So the Grimms along with Angelika: a local huntress, and Cavaldi: an Italian torturer, set about stopping her.
So after a couple of failures: a run in with some psychotic trees and the queens shape-shifting henchman as well as a couple of be-heading's the boys eventually stop the queen and her dasterdly plans.
If it seems like I've wrapped this up a bit abruptly, I'm sorry. But if I was to try and mention every detail or plot point of a Terry Gilliam movie I'd be here for a week. Like most of his films the lasting memory is of individual scenes. Because as a whole the film is a mess.
And the actors all look as confused as us. Matt Damon loses his way quickly. I'm not really sure what accent he was using. Heath Ledger is good, probably the character Gilliam was most attached to. Jonathan Price and Peter Stormare as Delatombe ang Cavaldi are all ham and hot air. While the two women: Bellucci and Lena Headley are there to look good. Which they do very well.
As I say its the individual parts that stick in the mind rather than the whole.
A very confusing 5/10
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