serinde

audiovile and I went to see this last night. You can definitely see the shit-covered footprints of studio demands all over it, like the track of a kitty who has been having disappointing bowel movements, but there was still enough glorious Gilliam fantasy to make it eminently worthwhile. Even at the NYC pound-of-flesh rates.

Creepy as hell, too. There are points where I had to avert my eyes just from the sheer OMG of it. I don't mean gory, either, I mean creepy.

How many movies can YOU think of whose little "place and time" caption says "French-Occupied Germany" ? w00t!

Heath Ledger bulked up for this--not muscular, but a bit towards comfortably plump; I didn't even recognize him. That's a pretty ballsy move for an actor in this obsessive day & age, and I honor him for it. Steve is exceedingly smug about having spotted out the comic-opera-Italian operative of the French government as being the "This is how we do things on RUSSIAN space station!!" guy from Armageddon. I am exceedingly smug at recognizing Sam from Brazil as the French general. Matt Damon is TEH HOTT with hair of this particular length and he should do it more often.

Be advised: there are scenes where you have the very strong feeling that Gilliam set down the camera to go get a cup of coffee, and some dweeb who wants to grow up to be Chris Columbus picked it up and shot a sequence, then ran away before Gilliam came back.

8782 tells me that Gilliam did in fact walk off the set at a few points during filming, so there ya go. The ending definitely has that Blade Runner Theatrical Release vibe, and therefore I look forward to seeing the director's cut someday.