The Brothers Grimm

I saw the Brothers Grimm last night and I must say it was very good.

It had been given a solid "meh" by sources close to me, so for that reason, coupled with a lack of cash, I just let it slip through the cracks.

I was a fool.

It's classic Gilliam. It's an amazing fairy tale and I don't think anyone but Terry Gilliam could have done it justice. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for Gilliam. Time Bandits has been a favorite of mine since childhood and Brazil persists in consistently blowing my mind. And who doesn't love 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing? Add to that his career with Monty Python and there is not a single credible reason to beleive he'd make a bad movie. I was shocked when people weren't giving it anything better than a lukewarm "mediocre" rating, but missed it nonetheless.

On a Lark I went to see it last night and was truly blown away. It's not Gilliam's best film, but it's much better than most of the crap that makes it to the theatres nowadays. And it actually felt like a genuine Grimms fairy tale, not a watered down "Disney-fied" version. It was harsh and ugly and beautiful. The acting was phenomenal (was that really Heath Ledger?) The acting wasn't like there was anyone begging to be a lead, everyone was focused on top-notch character work. And I have to say the sequence with the Gingerbread man is "double-plus-good."

I would say the whole movie is a solid 8 out of 10. Excellent.

Now I'm pissing myself to see Tideland.

Film related sidenote: I saw the 40 year old Virgin a few nights ago. It was funny. But we should criminalize the act of making studio comedy's that exceed 90 minutes in length.