At long last, it appears The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is close to getting a theatrical release. It’ll probably get more publicity as Heath Ledger’s final performance, and the casting of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell as his replacements, but jumps to the top of my must-see list – possibly behind Where The Wild Things Are – because it looks to be the first film in a long time to feature the full-on madness of Terry Gilliam.
Tideland was interesting – and one of the weirdest, most uncomfortable films I’ve ever sene – but it’s actually been 10 years since Gilliam totally set himself loose, on the beautifully demented Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Parnassus looks like a return to the good old days.
There doesn’t appear to be a North American distributor yet, but I assume it will happen eventually.