3DD!3

Heath Ledger was resurrected to steal this his last movie. Against all odds, Gilliam successfully managed to bring the picture to a successful conclusion. Not completely first-class, but very good all the same. His imagination works on overdrive and I can’t help thinking that Parnassus is actually personification of Gilliam himself who time and again makes a bet with the devil about whether he will be able to finish his next story. The special effects, although not completely perfect, are spectacular and depict stuff I personally like to see in movies (temple carved into stone in the shape of Buddha sitting on some elephants, jellyfish flying in space, well who could resist that?). They nicely contrast with quite realistically depicted period London full of drunks and Russian mafia ;-). Heath’s stand-ins are incorporated really well into the movie and don’t interrupt its flow in any way. Even though “flow" is not exactly the right word because here and there it falls apart in Gilliam’s hands. Who knows if he really had managed shoot all of the scenes with Ledger that he needed. Don't believe everything you read. Especially “The Mirror".

Haha! At last a Holmes to be proud of. He may still be a bit mainstream, but he’s darn nice. It’s funny to see that this rather madcap version, overflowing with snappy-lines is the most faithful to Doyle that I have ever seen. Downey rocks again, but he’s not alone. I’m not very keen on Jude Law, but his Watson is an equal to Holmes, and likewise Mark Strong is a respectable adversary (although underexploited). The story steeped in mystery is interesting enough to keep the viewer’s attention, but it’s clear that this is mostly about fights and snappy lines which are both first-class. And it gets even better when Zimmer’s catchy melodies play during the action sequences. If Holmes hadn’t run out of breath sometime in the middle, I would have given it five, but as it is it scores just a grubby 4. In the merry month of May, From my home I started, Left the girls of Tuam, Nearly broken hearted, Saluted father dear, Kissed my darlin' mother, Drank a pint of beer, My grief and tears to smother, Then off to reap the corn, And leave where I was born, I cut a stout blackthorn, To banish ghost and goblin, In a brand new pair of brogues, I rattled o'er the bogs, And frightened all the dogs, On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road And all the ways to Dublin, Whack-fol-lol-de-ra. In Mullingar that night, I rested limbs so weary, Started by daylight, Next mornin' light and airy, Took a drop of the pure, To keep my heart from sinkin', That's an Irishman's cure, Whenever he's on for drinking. To see the lasses smile, Laughing all the while, At my curious style, 'Twould set your heart a-bubblin'. They ax'd if I was hired, The wages I required, Till I was almost tired, Of the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road And all the ways to Dublin, Whack-fol-lol-de-ra. In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity, To be so soon deprived, A view of that fine city. Then I took a stroll, All among the quality, My bundle it was stole, In a neat locality; Something crossed my mind, Then I looked behind; No bundle could I find, Upon my stick a wobblin'. Enquirin' for the rogue, They said my Connacht brogue, Wasn't much in vogue, On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road And all the ways to Dublin, Whack-fol-lol-de-ra. From there I got away, My spirits never failin' Landed on the quay As the ship was sailin'; Captain at me roared, Said that no room had he, When I jumped aboard, A cabin found for Paddy, Down among the pigs I played some funny rigs, Danced some hearty jigs, The water round me bubblin', When off Holyhead, I wished myself was dead, Or better far instead, On the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road And all the ways to Dublin, Whack-fol-lol-de-ra. The boys of Liverpool, When we safely landed, Called myself a fool; I could no longer stand it; Blood began to boil, Temper I was losin', Poor ould Erin's isle They began abusin', "Hurrah my soul," sez I, My shillelagh I let fly; Some Galway boys were by, Saw I was a hobble in, Then with a loud hurray, They joined in the affray. We quickly cleared the way, For the rocky road to Dublin. One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down the rocky road And all the ways to Dublin, Whack-fol-lol-de-ra.

Another series of my youth that I still remember to this day. The episode where Earl becomes a tree or something used to give me nightmares. Those were the times. “Honey, I'm home!”

Buck reminds me of a rabbit that my dad used to call Big Boss. Uninspiring animation, but the gags carry this thing forward. The scene when he’s armored up like the Predator is perfect and the post-credits icing on the cake made me give this 4. Long live the Blender.

Michael Douglas. He makes this special. Otherwise it’s just a classic story about how the apprentice made it to the top and challenges his master to a duel. But this time the setting is speculation on the stock market. Charlie Sheen is also great here. "Greed ... has marked the upward surge of mankind…"

2 strangers, 1 conversation, 1 city. Before Sunrise is not for everyone but if you get caught up in it, it won't let you go. I don't want to get into the details - it's better if you see it for yourself. When you witness the perfect chemistry between the main characters, when you stroll with them through summertime Vienna. Then perhaps Celine and Jesse's story will become something more for you. Something you will want to remember. P.S.: Yes, I know I'm a hopeless romantic. ;-)

Interesting. Some parts are excellent, some are weaker but all together they create a unique mosaic of stories of people connected by a single city. Some of the actors give their best, although I was most impressed by Shia and Hayden Christensen in very unconventional roles. And after wandering around the city in this movie, New York really seems worth a visit.

Blood, badass dudes, wisecracks, and a beautiful woman. After a great start, it fluctuates a little, but some nonsense always comes along that makes you laugh. A drunk mom, a burned-out Doug Hutchison. On top of that, Jane is better in this badass role than most. A really enjoyable B-movie. - Do you think it’s because of me? - It’s more likely your dumb face.

Harry Potter. Without the magic and the brooms. Holmes must have been an inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s stories about our well-known sorcerer. After all, even Watson resembles a small, if chubbier, Radcliffe. But back to Holmes. The story is thrilling, if a little predictable, and will leave you breathless. The special effects by ILM are very high quality (the glass knight is the first completely computer generated character ever) and the hallucinogenic scenes are quite respectable to this day. From an acting point of view, I have nothing to complain about, and the music (especially the chants in the pyramid) stirred my heart. Holmes is like a long-lost gem of the adventure movie genre, and I'm glad it finally found his way to me. P.S. The post-credits scene is really worth it. :-)

Wimmer's screenplay isn't particularly great, but it’s central idea is really good. Moreover, the excellent Gerard Butler immediately got not only to me, but also to my sister, and we were on his side throughout the whole movie. Personally I understood why he was doing it. Hell, I'd do the same thing. Unfortunately, the closer we get to the conclusion, the more the creators make him a negative character so that they could slip into an established template. Not that this suddenly makes the whole movie bad, it just takes a certain aura away from Butler. Something is stolen from the film that could have made it an unforgettable spectacle. It's not what you know, Clyde. It's what you can prove in court.