Gilliam’s ‘Imaginarium’ To See U.S. Release Date Soon? Paul Giamatti Replaces Sean Penn In ‘Stooges’?

"…the trailer [Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus] didn't really dazzle us though Gilliam devotees to seem to think it's the second coming of christ, but what else is new."

Translation: "Here at The Paylist we have orders to assail Terry Gilliam every chance we get in hopes of essentially making him the next Mel Gibson. Now that people are figuring this out, we have to beat up on the man's fans too. If that doesn't work we will also call you silly Heath Ledger fans –who only makes a meager "onscreen appearance" — (yes, we tirelessly repeat this trivialization for effect, but hopefully it works)."

Yawn, thanks for your continued extra hits to our site via comments.

It's worth the extra hit to your site for me to agree with the first comment. It seems that Playlist has an issue with either this movie or its director without having the benefit of seeing this film. I've seen the trailer and I've read the script. The movie looks spectacular and the script is amazing.

Please feel free to agree with that comment. We've done more coverage on Parnassus than almost any other movie blog out there, but of course none of you have even noticed or cared.

Why so much coverage. Cause we're obviously fans of Gilliam and we cared about the project.

Brazil is one of my all time favorite films. I love many, many of the early works, but I/we are not blind fanboys that love anything and everything that a director does.

The special effects do not look good here. I'm still hoping it's a good movie, but you know, that trailer doesn't instill a lot of faith.

Seriously, try and find me a site that's not dedicated to Gilliam or Ledger that has covered the film more.

But you won't and you'll bitch and whatever… feel free, it's your perogative.

Oh, it's the Black Rider (lol) trolling on IMDB, funny.

You seem to keep unfairly bashing a film you haven't even seen!

I have seen the complete movie "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" at the Munich Film Festival and I have to say, I was deeply impressed by it. It is far beyond my expectations.
It is a great film, a fantastic dream world, it is funny, serious, touching, it is a film made with love and it is a film you will love.
The film has a wonderful cast of characters, it is very entertaining, and there is no dull second in the movie. And it’s not confusing and unfocused, as some early reviews from Cannes suggested, but has a rather comprehensible and straightforward plot.
Given the tragic circumstances of its making, the Imaginarium works astonishingly well.

In Munich, Germany, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus got a very positive feedback among the audience and the press – and after the premiere, there were standing ovations.

There's a world of difference between being a "blind fanboy" and being a moviegoer who is genuinely excited about the chance to see what Terry Gilliam has done with this film.

So the trailer doesn't grab you – is that any reason to badmouth the whole film 'sight unseen', and run down the people who happen not to agree with you? Someone with a REAL affection for films would keep their judgments to themselves until they had something to judge.

I think everyone is making too much out of how Imaginarium has been covered here. I find it pretty even. The Playlist is skeptical but I don't think it's cynical on the movie.
The movie STILL doesn't have distribution in North America. Maybe Gilliam is pricing himself out.

I agree the with the comments that the trailer looks pretty good, but not spectacular. So I won't judge it based on that.

I`ve seen the trailer and I look forward to seeing the whole movie.

I am a Terry Gilliam fan, too, Playlist. Brazil was great. So, IMO, was Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I went back and read everything you tagged as Imaginarium of Dr. P. Yes, you've covered it at length and you do seem to have been down on it from the first. The six posts from the last week support that position, IMO.

You have a right to your opinion of the script and the trailer and interviews Gilliam has given. You have a right to quote reviews and blogs which agree with your take on it. You have the right to respond to comments on your site in any way you please. Mr. Gilliam is a public figure, so you have the right to criticize him repeatedly for his outspokenness.

What I don't think you have a right to do is to assert that anyone who thinks the movie is great is a blind follower of Gilliam or a crazed fan of Heath Ledger or seriously misguided ( because why else would they be excited about work you don't like?)

I'm not a fanboy, a screaming, swooning girl with a crush on a movie star or an uncritical consumer of anyone's work. I didn't think much of The Brothers Grimm, which is also a movie made by Gilliam and featuring Heath Ledger, for example. I like the look of this movie and I like what I've heard and read about the story and the performances. But, without meeting me, you seem to have decided my opinion is not worth considering. I'm not much encouraged by your provocative comments and putdowns in the comments, either. Reasonable discussion seems unlikely to occur.

I will, however, look for your review when you see the film, though what you've said so far doesn't raise my hopes that you will view it with an open mind.

jjbeier

One question for you Playlist:
Have YOU seen the film [TIOPD]?

Didn't think so.

I couldn't care less how many snarky articles you churn out or how many "hits" they get. They're all pointless because you're really not saying anything relevant, are you? Oh yes, I've noticed all the "coverage" you've given the film. Frankly, none of it has been insightful in any way and I've been repeatedly far less "dazzled" by your grasp on what constitutes true criticism than you were by the trailer.

Yawn.

And btw, I don't know where you're getting the idea that us "blind Gilliam devotees" are just blindly bedazzled by "second coming of Christ" fanaticism as you've termed it, but I have a pretty good idea. And thanks for the continued extra hits — right back at ya 😉

"We've done more coverage on Parnassus than almost any other movie blog out there, but of course none of you have even noticed or cared."

It's your TMZ approach to this film that has some of us scratching our heads.

Much-needed irreverance is one thing, but you are acting like every other tool in the establishment's belt when it comes to Terry Gilliam.

"What I don't think you have a right to do is to assert that anyone who thinks the movie is great is a blind follower of Gilliam or a crazed fan of Heath Ledger or seriously misguided ( because why else would they be excited about work you don't like?)"

First off, i think i have a right to say pretty much whatever, I please because it's my blog.

With that out of the way, that's not exactly what I'm saying, but if people are going to troll the boards here, fine, but you'll get blasted back is all i'm saying.

I'm basically saying, to me the trailer looks not so hot. As always I'm happy to be proven wrong.

With all due respect, the only one who did name calling was you (and no I don't belong to any group you have described herein). These people only responded to the tone you set and the names you called them.

I have come here to read your articles on various subjects for a long time. I thought that made me a reader, however, you make it clear that if a reader doesn't agree with you it makes them a troll. In this and other articles you have written I disagree with you and there have been many where I agreed with you.

I liked this trailer and this movie is on my must see list.

So since, like these people I disagree with you and I am, respectfully, speaking up about it as many of them did, it makes me a troll in your book. I suppose I need not come back since that makes me undesirable. I don't need to come to a site that treats it's readers so shabbily because they don't agree with the blog owner.

Yes, it is your blog. But it is the reader's choice whether or not to come here. What kind of blog would it be without your readers, the very people you have offended today by casting insults and blanket aspersions? I don't know these people, but just because they defended themselves and their beliefs, they are not trolls or undesirables.

An Objective Observer

Dear Objective Observer, great post. Unfortunately, most people don't come here with that tone. The movie is on your must-see list. Cool. It's on my list too. I just don't think the trailer looks great, cool?

Dear Playlist,

"I just don't think the trailer looks great, cool?" and "the trailer didn't really dazzle us though Gilliam devotees seem to think it's the second coming of christ, but what else is new" are two extremely different tones. Both came from your mouth. So which is it? If you didn't like the trailer, you didn't like the trailer. But what's the point of mud slinging towards anyone who did like it? And what do you expect people to do when they come to your blog expecting to find something worth reading only to be called essentially automatons unable to think for themselves? I agree, you have a right to say whatever you want. And likewise everyone has their right to their response. I myself am not a long time fan of Gilliam or anyone in the cast for that matter. I've only seen Brazil. I liked it. Though I thought the director's cut was far better. So because I've seen the Imaginarium trailer, and I happen to like it, and it peaked my interest in the movie, what does that make me? Just curious.

"So because I've seen the Imaginarium trailer, and I happen to like it, and it peaked my interest in the movie, what does that make me? Just curious."

That makes you someone with a differing opinion, but you have to understand, this is not one thread. The "Yawn" comment comes from the site seems to you like unwarranted response, but that's not the entire context. The contex is being attacked on like 5 Gilliam stories today basically calling us retards for expressing such opinion. It's been going on for a few days now on differing stories.

We posted something about Quixote today and we've followed that project for a long time, but people jumped all over us.

It all stems down to me saying I wasn't dazzled by the trailer and i thought it looked lame.

It gets tiresome. So that's the full picture. And the guy saying we "assail Gilliam" every chance we get is really boring, cause it's just untrue. I was with Parnassus until I saw the trailer. I've been blogging a ton about it, because i've been hoping it will come out.

I do get frustrated having to apologize for my opinions. I don't feel as i should have to, but i do get sucked in by occasional trolling.

Anyhow, that's really it from me. I spent too much time on this already. If anyone wants to believe there is some campaign against Gilliam feel free to believe that. I'm done trying to convince anyone otherwise.

I saw the trailer for Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus and I thought it was wonderful. I want to see the entire movie. And I think that there should be worldwide release. including the US. I think this movie will do very well, not only with Terry Gilliam fans but with Heath Ledger's fans as well. And also for those movie goers who want to watch an entertaining movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.

I don't think I "trolled" you, but perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.

Yes, you do have the right to say what you please–I said that earlier–my language was sloppy in the sentence you quote. But I suspect you understood what I meant, which is that you're generalizing unfairly about those who are excited and impressed by the trailer and the clips that have been released.

"Gilliam devotees seem to think it's the second coming of Christ, but what else is new?"

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but most comments I've seen simply say that they loved the clips and the trailer and can't wait to see the movie. Doesn't sound like they're having a religious experience to me.

You've repeatedly criticized Mr. Gilliam, often scathingly, for what he's said and done in the course of promoting the movie. Perhaps some of those who feel you are biased against him were influenced by these remarks?

And perhaps it wasn't your intention, but you seem to be saying that the film is not yet sold in the US because the distributors find it incomprehensible and don't think it will attract a substantial audience. Umm, when was the last time we thought the distributors were connoisseurs of independent films? The Faust story isn't that complex, and Gilliam's belief in the power of imagination and the importance of seeing what's really going in the world and opposing forces that seek to impose their views on us isn't a new theme for him. So why is it incomprehensible?

I'm not convinced that they're correct that a movie with Heath Ledger and Johnny Depp will have that much trouble gaining a substantial audience, either. Especially with those crazed Gilliam devotees and Heath Ledger fans out there. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

jjbeier

Hey civil responses, cool.

""Gilliam devotees seem to think it's the second coming of Christ, but what else is new?" <<— this line came out of the frustration of being attacked for posting remotely not-positive thoughts on the trailer.

You really be surprised how people can shit on you just because you're not fully in the tank for the project the love.

I've scathingly criticized? Even when i wrote that piece about those questionable quotes Gilliam gave Variety, all i said was, "Is Gilliam Speaking out of turn?"

You'll notice I didn't condemn him in that piece even though he said some rather personal things about Ledger and Williams that is probably not for public consumption, but suggested he perhaps learn to filter himself for the media.

"but you seem to be saying that the film is not yet sold in the US because the distributors find it incomprehensible and don't think it will attract a substantial audience."

I may have hinted at this, but hell, Anne Thompson, THR, and publications of such have basically come out and said it and people don't tear their heads off for saying it because it's a valid thought.

If you've followed this story closely enough — which it sounds like you haven't, honestly — you'll know the attraction of Ledger and Depp, et all, brought on interest by every major studio and when they saw the picture….

well, they weren't even that interested. Sony Pictures Classics seemed… somewhat interested at one point, but now it feels like a smaller distrib like IFC will put out the film and that definitely and unequivocally speaks to how much appeal the studios think the film will have… a limited one.

I.e. it still will have a relatively big appeal worldwide, but not the huge appeal everyone was expecting. If IFC does put out the film, that means it opens in New York and L.A. and trickles into the rest of the country.

Hey, half the films i love and see each week get that kind of release, so that doesn't invalidate their existence at all, but it does speak to how the studios feel it will perform which is small and for a niche audience.

If it was a slamdunk, the majors would put it out in a hearbeat. And there's no getting around the fact that most critics at Cannes felt the film was really uneven.I was at Cannes, and while I missed Parnassus, that's exactly the vibe I also received from the critics I know and trust.

Also, please stop leaving civil comments, because then you really compel me to respond and I need to get some work done, heh.

I guess the reason some of us who have been following your blogging of Gilliam's latest film feel you have it out for him (for whatever reason, I don't know), is because you do. Seemingly. (I'll extend you that courtesy). You say you were "on board until you saw this trailer" but those of us who have followed your blog know that's hardly the case. In fact you've really done nothing but to highlight the fact that it's Ledger's last film and to highlight any negative responses to the film by those who actually saw it, ignoring the positive ones by those who actually saw it. Not everyone has to like a film for it to be credible. And Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting while he was alive.

You've been negative on the film since day one, including the very first clip that was released to the general public, as well as the script, which you described as the "the fairly convoluted Parnassus script" back in May, after reading, I can only assume, a pirated version. The bottom line is you took the first shots and you haven't seen the film. So for those of us who have read your blog over the past several months, this is not simply about your derogatory remark of today regarding Gilliam's fans. There's a history here.

Oh i do have it in for him, right. OK, i guess you know how i feel.

And duh, the last appearance by Heath Ledger is a negative thing? It's the last time you're going to ever see this tremendously talented actor onscreen, why would I not point that out?

This is what I'm dealing with? Clearly, any critical eye is not appreciated among the Gilliam community. I suggest you go elsewhere, there's tons of fan sites that will probably give you what you need.

God, you Parnassus whiners need to shut the fuck up already.

"The contex is being attacked on like 5 Gilliam stories today basically calling us retards for expressing such opinion. It's been going on for a few days now on differing stories."

Mr. Critic just can't handle criticism, can he?

"We posted something about Quixote today and we've followed that project for a long time, but people jumped all over us."

As for this point. One person, me, i responded to the Quixote story and no one else (and you knew this the entire time). This is how you operate. You tactically exaggerate and then when you are called on it you retreat to your Alfred E. Newman "who me" pose. The only people you are convincing at this point are the people who haven't been readily paying attention. Which seems to be what your Gilliam campaign relies on, posturing, sophistry, and negativity.

"It all stems down to me saying I wasn't dazzled by the trailer and i thought it looked lame."

Keep pretending.

"It gets tiresome. So that's the full picture. And the guy saying we "assail Gilliam" every chance we get is really boring, cause it's just untrue."

You didn't quite assail the man yesterday as much as you normally like to do, but then again you had a few people calling you out on your BS, too. I'd say there is something to be said for that. Mainly that you were in damage control-mode and neutralizing pesky fans was now high on your list of priorities.

"I was with Parnassus until I saw the trailer."

With friends like you, who needs enemas, huh? Actually i think you are just making shit up again. But what do i know, by your contrived estimations i probably came here for the sole reason to troll you.

"God, you Parnassus whiners need to SHUT THE FUCK UP already."

Mr. Playlist said this to me yesterday when i asked why a broader context to one of his stories wasn't provided therein.

Now today he is taking the high road and "civil" responses are the only thing he is taking seriously.

Either that or you are just another choice identity saying what he can't be seen at the moment saying.

I wanted to be fair about this so I spent a long time last night pouring over your articles on The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus so that I could speak knowing that I had been fair to you. That being the case, over 80% of the articles you have written about this movie or Terry Gilliam take no less than two unnecessary, bashing swipes at the film and/or Gilliam. How then can you say you were on board with this movie until the trailer. What you have done is contradict your own reporting. But I don't feel it should be called reporting because it is not original content, it is more like your own repeating.

I'm not a Gilliam fan or a fangirl or any of those things, but the fact is that your comments here, other than being way out of line, don't stand up to scruitiny. If anything your rants have made me want to see this film because I consider an excellent reverse barometer after reading all you've written on the film.

You know, I don't mean to be disrespectful of you and I am not a troll. Yesterday was the first time I've been on your site, but you need to realize that critics are nothing more than one more opinion and you need to have a concrete reason (like seeing a movie)to voice opinions like you have in not only this but other articles and be taken seriously or respected. Also, respect is earned through actions not a given. Give respect and you will get it.

I'm so done with this site.

I saw the trailer and I liked it. If there's only one thing I can sort of see your point about, Playlist, it would be the voice over narration which you wrote about in your other, even more scathing blog post about the trailer. But you're acting as if it's an anomaly in the world of cinematic trailers. It's the SAME voice actor they use in just about every trailer on the planet with narration. Get over it.

What I did love about the trailer is that it is visually stunning. I think the film is going to be Gilliam in top form. I don't know if you were expecting the trailer to contain a big reveal, but I think Gilliam tends to be one that doesn't like to give away the surprises.

And of course, getting to see Ledger's last performance is a good thing. I don't think anyone suggested anything to the contrary. But you can't expect people to believe that YOU think it's a good thing when your opening remarks in this article contain this: "which, for the umpteenth time, features the last onscreen appearance of Heath Ledger." Maybe you should put more thought into what you write.

I too went back and read all of your older posts about this film and like others, I've concluded the same thing everyone else seems to be saying. You've taken every opportunity possible to take an unnecessary swipe at Gilliam and this film. I don't know why we care though. I mean who are you, really? Some guy sitting at a keyboard in a room somewhere spinning negativity.

I did some analytical cross referencing with some charts and graphs that I will soon unveil on my blog, but I think empirical research will show the Playlist was 69.48% negative about Parnassus on a whole throughout the months of January 1, 2009 and August 10, 2009. Then I'm going to advocate to Blogger that the website get stripped of their status, perhaps affecting a permanent ban on all conversation about the picture which they have grossly and maliciously aimed to destroy. I also think a collective civil suit could be one. That will teach them to offend Mr. Gilliam!

please email me @ [email protected]

Professor,

Did you mean "won?"

I don't think Mr. Gilliam is offended at all. I think Mr. Gilliam has better things to do with his time than read the Playlist. I think we should all follow suit and find better things to do as well. If anything, maybe he's enjoying the free publicity. I know all this bashing of the film sight unseen has only made me want to see it all the more.

Are you related to "Fred" by any chance?

Somehwere at the Ministry of Truth of raw nerve is dangling helplessly with only a kitchen sink to protect it.