Terry Gilliam

Monty Python Members to Reunite for Sci-Fi Comedy ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 12:44 pm

Those holding their breath for another Monty Python reunion can now rest easy, as it looks like many members from the comedy troupe are set to come together once again; for a sci-fi film, no less. Variety reports that members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus are reteaming for the sci-fi farce Absolutely Anything. The film will combine CGI and live-action, and the Pythons are set to voice key roles “as a group of aliens who endow an earthling with the power to do ‘absolutely anything’ to see what a mess he’ll make of things.” Life of Brian director Terry Jones co-wrote the script with Gavin Scott and will helm the comedy.

The remaining members of Monty Python that could reunite for the pic include Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle. Robin Williams is also in discussions to play a Frenchman in the pic, which Jones and Scott have been developing for two decades. There’s no word on when production will begin, but given the undeniably Python-esque nature of the story, count me wholeheartedly in. Hit the jump to relive some Python from years past.

Terry Gilliam’s THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE May Have New Life (Again); Gilliam also Circling Adaptation MR. VERTIGO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 21st, 2011 at 8:57 am

No matter how the movie eventually turns out, you have to admire Terry Gilliam‘s tenacity in getting The Man Who Killed Don Quixote made.  The collapse of the production was told in painful detail in the documentary Lost in La Mancha.  In May 2010, it looked like the movie would finally get off the ground again with Robert Duvall playing Quixote and Ewan McGregor as a 21st century advertising executive who travels back in time to 17th century Spain and joins in Quixote in his adventures.  Then the project fell apart again when financing collapsed four months later.

But according to Italian site Altarimini [via The Playlist], Gilliam says he plans to start shooting in the spring with Duvall still attached to play Quixote (it’s unclear if McGregor is still on board).  While that’s far from a confirmation of a hard start date, Gilliam says the project has found new life.  He tells Empire: “There’s somebody new come along with a new bit of energy… a person who can get money.”  Hit the jump for more including what Gilliam had to say about adapting Paul Auster‘s Mr. Vertigo.

BRAZIL Blu-ray Review

by Phil Brown    Posted: August 7th, 2011 at 7:07 am

Twenty-six years later and with all of the controversy surrounding it’s release a distant memory of filmmakers-getting-fucked-over Hollywood lore, Brazil still stands as a masterpiece. The film isn’t perfect and it’s certainly not for everyone (no Terry Gilliam movie is), but Brazil remains one of those rare Hollywood creations: a large scale, spectacle-filled personal film. It’s weirdly appropriate that Gilliam had to fight so hard to get Brazil released given that the movie itself is about how easily dreams and imagination can be crushed in an unforgiving modern world.  In a weird way, it’s almost as if the director looked into the future and made a film about his career long struggle to create bizarre and bracingly original movies.  My review of the Blu-ray after the jump:

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: April 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 am

Terry Gilliam is one of the most undeniable directors to ever work in the medium. I say that in the sense that when you watch his films you feel the master’s fingerprints all over, and sometimes that makes the film a bit blurry. Gilliam is one of those directors that it is often hard to relax into because he’s so there; it’s hard to ignore what he is doing. Which is why The Fisher King strikes as one of his strongest works in the sense that it is accomplished without shoving itself down your throat. He was brought in last minute to direct an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and took the project up only to have stars Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro already locked in as his leads, had to rewrite everything that came before, and do it (perhaps as it should be done) as a no-holds barred, gonzo, “let’s shoot this fucker” kind of film. My review of the Criterion edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on Blu-ray after the jump.

TIME BANDITS May Be Remade as Family-Friendly Franchise

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 31st, 2011 at 10:22 am

Last September, we reported the sad news that financing had once again fallen apart on Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and that the director was considering a 3D version of Time Bandits.  At the time, it sounded like he was going to do a post-converted version, but now it sounds like the 1981 cult classic is being remade as family-friendly action film.  Variety reports that producers Guy Collins and Michael Ryan are in talks with an unnamed Hollywood co-producer to reboot Time Bandits into an action franchise.  It’s unknown if Gilliam would be involved with this reboot or if his plans for Time Bandits is to simply give it a 3D post-conversion.

While I think Time Bandits could work as a kids action franchise, it sounds like it will lose all the delightful strangeness that made the original movie work so well.  For those unfamiliar with Time Bandits, hit the jump to check out a trailer and the synopsis.

David Arquette Exclusive Interview; Talks About Terry Gilliam’s THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA, SCREAM 4, and Directing CSI: MIAMI

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 30th, 2010 at 12:11 pm

With Terry Gilliam’s new short film, The Legend of Hallowdega, premiering on LegendofHallowdega.com tomorrow after the AMP Energy Juice 500 race (the first chapter will be sneaked on ESPN just prior to the race at 1pm), I was able to get on the phone with David Arquette the other day.  In the short film, Arquette plays a techno-geek paranormal expert who teams up with an investigative news show (Justin Kirk) to explore the mysteries around the Talladega Superspeedway.  They’re trying to figure out if the race track was built on  an old Indian burial ground and that’s the reason for the spectacular car crashes.

During the interview we talked about how happy he was to work with Terry Gilliam and how he’s been a fan his entire life.  Of course with Arquette also starring in Wes Craven’s Scream 4, we also talked about what it was like to return to Woodsboro and what can fans expect. In addition, Arquette talked about how he’s going to be directing an episode of CSI: Miami and Cougar Town and some of his other films projects.  Hit the jump to either read the transcript or listen to the audio:

Exclusive First Look at the Poster and Footage from Terry Gilliam’s Short Film THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA Starring David Arquette and Justin Kirk

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 8th, 2010 at 11:53 am

We’re pleased to bring you an exclusive first look at the poster and footage from Terry Gilliam’s upcoming short film The Legend of Hallowdega.  Here’s the official synopsis:

The comedy, THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA, explores the mysteries around Talladega Superspeedway as the host of an investigative news show (Justin Kirk) joins forces with a techno-geek paranormal expert (David Arquette) to dodge close-calls and chase crazy leads to get to the bottom of THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA.

While I wouldn’t immediately associate Terry Gilliam with anything pertaining to NASCAR, this looks like it could be interesting.  The short film is set to air will premiere on Halloween Sunday with the first chapter to debut on ESPN just prior to the start of the AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.  The full film will be available to watch that night at www.LegendofHallowdega.com.  Hit the jump to check out an exclusive sneak peek and the poster:

John Oliver to Star in Terry Jones’ ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 14th, 2010 at 2:51 pm

The Daily Show‘s John Oliver is set to star in the sci-fi comedy Absolutely Anything.  Directed by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame), Deadline says the plot is being kept under wraps, but the film’s producers say that the story involves “aliens, a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness.”  Robin Williams is in talks to play the role of Dennis the Dog while Jones has reached out to fellow Flying Circus members John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam to voice the aliens.  Production is scheduled for next spring.

Oliver is The Daily Show‘s best correspondent and I can easily see him making the leap to feature films.  Hopefully, Absolutely Anything will be a far better movie than his last cinematic outing, 2008′ The Love Guru.

Financing Has Collapsed on Terry Gilliam’s THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE; Is Interested in Making 3D TIME BANDITS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 6th, 2010 at 11:26 am

Financing on Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has fallen through.  The director tells Variety, “The financing collapsed about a month and a half ago.”  However, Gilliam hasn’t given up on the project as he goes on to say, “Robert Duvall is Quixote, Ewan McGregor is also there, and we are looking for new financing right now.” Gilliam’s previous attempt to make the film fell apart in a very public way as it was documented in the 2002 film Lost in La Mancha.  Mister T’s Movie Click [via The Playlist] adds that filming probably won’t begin until at least September 2011 due to Gilliam’s commitment to to a production of Berlioz’s “The Damnation of Faust” at the English National Opera in London next year.

Hit the jump for what else Gilliam may have going on in the future (or the past).

Warner Bros and Joel Silver Fast-Tracking DON QUIXOTE Adaptation

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 11th, 2010 at 12:31 pm

Poor Terry Gilliam.  Just as the director finally seems close to assembling his adaptation of the Miguel Cervantes novel Don Quixote, Warner Bros. and superproducer Joel Silver (Sherlock Holmes) have their eye on the story with the intent to fast-track it to blockbuster status.

Pajiba reports that the project is being described as a “Pirates of the Caribbean-style swashbuckling version of the story.”  The studio will reportedly jettison the insanity inherent to the lead character, and set would-be knight Don Quixote’s adventures with faithful squire Sancho Panza amid actual fantasy.  That seems like an odd choice, but I haven’t read the book.  My only real point of reference is the Wishbone episode, which you check out after the jump.

Ewan McGregor to Co-Star with Robert Duvall in Terry Gilliam’s THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 17th, 2010 at 11:29 am

Ewan McGregor has signed on to star opposite Robert Duvall in Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.  According to Empire, McGregor has the role that Depp was set to play back in 2000 when the film fell apart (and infamously documented in the tragic Lost in La Mancha).  Depp was still attached to the part, but with filming on Quixote set for September and Depp’s schedule uncertain due to filming on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Gilliam decided not to take any chances and chose McGregor for the role.  If the script is the same as the one attempted back in 2000 McGregor will play a 21st century advertising executive who travels back in time to 17th century Spain, where he meets Don Quixote (Duvall) and becomes involved in adventures with him.

In an interview with Steve back in December for Crazy Heart, Duvall said he would play the role if financing came together.  That now seems to be the case (however his budget will now be $20 million compared to the $35 million he had in 2000).  Hit the jump to read what Gilliam had to say about bringing McGregor on board.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 23rd, 2010 at 6:10 am

Terry Gilliam is one of the most undeniable directors to ever work in the medium. I say that in the sense that when you watch his films you feel the master’s fingerprints all over, and sometimes that makes the film a bit blurry. Gilliam is one of those directors that it is often hard to relax into because he’s so there; it’s hard to ignore what he is doing. Which is why The Fisher King strikes as one of his strongest works in the sense that it is accomplished without shoving itself down your throat. He was brought in last minute to direct an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and took the project up only to have stars Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro already locked in as his leads, had to rewrite everything that came before, and do it (perhaps as it should be done) as a no-holds barred, gonzo, “let’s shoot this fucker” kind of film. My review of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on Blu-ray after the jump.

Terry Gilliam and Verne Troyer Video Interviews THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 5th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

With director Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus expanding into 500 additional theaters this Friday, it’s finally time to post my video interviews with Gilliam and Verne Troyer.  As most of you already know, the film is a fantastical tale set in the present day about a traveling carnival show where visitors pay to pass through a magical mirror and enter a world of their own imagination.  But Doctor Parnassus long ago made a bet with the devil, which is coming due.

While I wasn’t sure how Gilliam was going to pull off making this film come together after the death of Heath Ledger, not only does the film work, it’s Gilliam’s best work in years and you should really try and check it out.  Hit the jump for my interviews:

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

At first glance, the death of Heath Ledger combined with his posthumous Oscar® for The Dark Knight would seem to overshadow his final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, an independent feature from a director whose last two films flopped both critically and commercially.  But in an unexpected triumph, director Terry Gilliam shows that his limitless imagination can keep the outside world behind the theater doors and invite audiences to step inside the world he depicts on the screen.

Lily Cole Video Interview THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 21st, 2009 at 6:14 pm

Finally opening on Christmas Day is director Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.   While I wasn’t sure how Gilliam was going to pull off making this film come together after the death of Heath Ledger during production, not only does the film work, it’s like he meant to do it all along.  In case you’re unaware, Gilliam had some of Ledger’s friends step in for him (Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell) when the characters go into some of the various worlds. For more on the film, I recommend checking out the clips and reading the synopsis and my thoughts here.

To help promote the film, I was able to speak with Lily Cole.  In the film, she plays the daughter of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).  During our interview we talked about working for Terry Gilliam, how grateful she is the film is finally getting released, going to college in Cambridge, what she has coming up, and a lot more.  Check it out after the jump.  And if the film is playing in your area this weekend, I definitely recommend checking it out.

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