The beloved British comedy troupe Monty Python, well-known for their films and sketch shows from the late ’60s through to the early ’80s, are set to return once more to the big screen together for a new sci-fi farce, Absolutely Anything.

The film will be a mixture of CGI and live-action, Variety report, with Terry Jones directing and Mike Medavoy (Black Swan, Life of Brian) producing. The Pythons will be lending their voices to,

“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 — which is precisely what happens. There’s also a talking dog named Dennis who seems to understand more about the mayhem that ensues than anyone else does.”

And to add even more excellence to this story, guess who’s going to be voicing the dog, Dennis.

Robin Williams.

In his description of the film, Jones says,

“It’s not a Monty Python picture, but it certainly has that sensibility.”

He also says that Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, and Michael Palin have all agreed to perform, and that the producers are trying to sign Eric Idle too. Idle said many years ago that he wouldn’t ever perform as part of a reunion, but with Jones saying that this isn’t a Monty Python picture, it’s at least possible they’ll all be lending their voices for the film.

The sixth original member, Graham Chapman, died of cancer back in 1989, and the group are in fact working together on an animated adaptation of Chapman’s autobiography, entitled, A Liar’s Autobiography: The True Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, for which they will be lending their voices as well, and which is expected to be released later this year.

Speaking about the project, Medavoy says,

“Terry and Gavin have crafted a classic farce — something I feel I know a little bit about after all the ‘Pink Panther’ pictures we did with Blake Edwards at United Artists,” Medavoy said. “In fact, the movie even has a pompous Frenchman reminiscent of Inspector Clouseau — but there the similarity ends. Like all projects originated by any of the Monty Python guys, ‘Absolutely Anything’ delightfully defies a logline.”

And he adds that he and the other producers are in talks with Williams to play the Frenchman, so we could well see him taking on more than one role.

Jones has been working on the script for Absolutely Anything for the past two decades with Gavin Scott (The Borrowers), and the plan is for filming to begin here in the UK this spring. As you can imagine, this definitely sounds like something to get excited about, and we’ll be bringing you more news on the project as soon as we get it.

And in case you missed it last week, you can read all about Gilliams’ latest project, The Wholly Family, right here, which became available to stream on Monday.

This is a piece of very good news to end the week on.

From Monday, the 23rd of January you can watch The Wholly Family, the latest film from cinematic legend Terry Gilliam via The Guardian who are always carrying out a Q&A with the director from 7pm on that day.

You can choose to stream the film for a small fee and join in on the conversation and there’s a very good reason why you should. The film is great. It is Gilliam untamed, with a delicious and dark flavour to this cautionary tale. Made in association with Garofalo pasta Gilliam’s film is a prime example of a rewarding and very welcome trend in sponsored films.

Unlike the outrageous product placement of the new Resident Evil: Retribution trailer (which has to be seen to be believed) there is no gorging on platefuls of pasta with close-ups of the Garofalo label, and like Spike Jonze’s film I’m Here, which was sponsored by Absolut, there is not a product placement in sight.

Instead we are treated to a wonderfully twisted fairy tale, one which hark back to the Gilliam of Brazil and Time Bandits, but The Wholly Family follows on nicely from Dr Parnassus and his blurring lines of the real and the surreal which made visits to his Imaginarium so rich.

This is the site to bookmark, and keep in mind that it’s a small price to pay, not only for a new film from one of the true visionaries of cinema but also for the chance to help fund a new method of filmmaking. Without agenda other than to make great films, which resonate with the heart rather than the wallet.

The Guardian‘s Xan Brooks sat down with the director to talk about the making of project and, as its Gilliam, it is well worth your time.

The stream will cost you £1.99 to stream, and you can watch it five times within thirty days of payment. I’ve seen the stream and it’s excellent quality and makes for a fine viewing experience and it’s Gilliam. So there’s no excuse.

Hanna’s teen assassin Saoirse Ronan is a busy actress at the moment. The 17-year-old is headlining both the adaptation of Twilight novelist Stephenie Meyer’s The Host and Neil Jordan’s trip back to vampiredom, Byzantium.

Variety is reporting that she’s also signed on to star in fantasy wartime drama, How I Live Now. She’ll play the lead yet again, this time in the role of a young American girl on holiday in the UK who is caught up in a terrorist attack during World War III and separated from her family, whom she struggles to be reunited with.

Based on the award-winning young adult novel by Meg Rosoff, Kevin MacDonald has signed on to direct, with Jeremy Brock (his co-scribe on The Last King of Scotland) and Terry Gilliam-regular Tony Grisoni providing the script.

We’re a fragile planet, and the imagined end of days has long kept storytellers busy with brainy apes, sentient computers, Emma Thompson’s cancer cure with vampiric side effects and Government sponsored culling of the populace just a few of the ways our planet will go to hell in a handbasket.

While Bill & Ted will eventually save us all with their most excellent music (and the underlying philosophical decree that we should ‘Be Excellent to Each Other’) there’s a long road ahead with many disasters, diseases and dystopian frontiers to cross. Here are a few of the recent examples of our world gone horribly wrong. Enjoy!

Children of Men

This is bleak vision of a doomed human race coming to its end as the population loses the ability to have children. Immediately PD James’ stark vision of the near future has a unique and terrifying quality. The very first scene has Clive Owen’s character walking through a busy London thoroughfare with its sullen atmosphere only broken by the building-high projected peppy adverts for Government-approved suicide kits. A bomb goes off in a coffee shop. Given what comes later this is actually a fairly light opening.

Key to the film is the decaying world with very few futuristic additions. The old school building fallen into disrepair and the military enforced ghettos are striking projections of a world drained of colour and soon to be drained of life. The novel’s power comes from the very sudden and seemingly irreversible denial of the reproduction we take for granted and the imagined world which follows on from this is well realised on the page as well as the screen. Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 film seems to have been forgotten, relegated to a semi-regular slot on ITV4 on week-day evenings but there is more to the film that its prominent and technically masterful, ‘continuous’ takes.

Alternative Alternative Future: Margaret Attwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has a similar feel, with its dominant theocracy subjugating those women who are still able to breed (the eponymous Handmaids) and is perhaps the more terrifying vision of the future as some new order has been established (and established so easily it seems) while there is no such stability for in Children of Men, and possibly no future at all.

Logan’s Run

This William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson novel is perhaps better known as the 1976 film adaptation starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter. The novel takes the premise of a society whose population is a drain on the natural resources and solves this problem by having everyone visiting what a Sleepshop at the age of 21 to be put to death. In the film version the age is upped to 30 and the ominous Sleepshops become the bizarre ritual of the Carrousel in which the corpses-to-be enter a round arena and are sucked up by a giant vacuum cleaner.

Escaping the inevitable is a popular theme of speculative fiction and what is perhaps more worrying is not the arranged nature of death but the acceptance of it. The film’s rendition of the ritual is as a public spectacle with the celebration of death not as a part of life, which is something I think a lot of people can understand, but as a powerless compliance with an enforced end.

Alternative  Alternative Future: In Time, which has a similar theme but takes the adage of Time is Money literally and has Justin Timberlake facing death at 26 (the first 25 years of life are a given, after that you have to earn your keep) before an insanely rich man gives him his many years and then dies. Our review of the film is here so you can see what Andrew Niccol, whose other glance forward with Gattaca was a memorable one, has made of this particular brave new world.

Twelve Monkeys

Terry Gilliam’s Brazil is one of the most brilliantly realised cinematic futures we have. The sad love song of Sam Lowry struggling to break free from the totalitarian hold of the various Ministries whose labyrinthine corridors cloister any dreams of something more to this life is heartbreaking. It’s a sweeping, witty and wonderful story and perhaps Gilliam’s masterpiece but there was a later look ahead with 1995′s Twelve Monkeys which has what’s left of the Earth’s population living underground following a deadly virus killing off a healthy (or unhealthy if you see what I mean) percentage of the population.

In order to discover the origin of the disease a convicted criminal is hurled back in time to find the answer suggested by piecemeal information from the future. The Army of the Twelve Monkeys is high on their list and the initial culture shock of a man who has lived most of his life underground being thrust into a teeming world is a potent reminder that we’re taking a lot of things, our future included, on trust. The opposition of the fearful future and the fearless past is what makes this story so compelling, that and Gilliam’s requisite dizzying flights of fancy although these are toned down (the birds in the decrepit shopping mall is one such example) and the ending, or the beginning, doesn’t so much twist the knife as shoot it out a cannon straight at the heart.

Alternative Alternative Future: Mirroring the man travelling back in time, Woody Allen’s Sleeper has his character frozen in 1973 only to awake two hundred years later into a world of giant vegetables, robots in servitude and the very latest in domestic appliances – the Orgasmatron. One of the funniest films I’ve ever seen and the only film in which a president is assassinated by steamroller.

Here at HeyUGuys, we’re pretty big fans of Terry Gilliam, and one of the London Film Festival films we’re most excited about is his short, The Wholly Family.

So when we saw him walking past us at the Coriolanus premiere, we had to grab him for a quick chat.

HUG: As a feature director, what was it about doing a short?

TG: It was very simple. What happened was that, Quixote was what we were supposed to be doing last year…  When Quixote, for whatever reason didn’t happen, luckily [The Wholly Family] filled the hole up, which is a lot more fun than doing a full length feature.

HUG: Is there a possibility that you might be doing more shorts then, if you enjoyed it that much?

TG: I was actually thinking that it would be nice to do a couple more, and then put them all together and make an instant film festival.

So there you have it, Terry Gilliam would like to make more shorts, and while we’re yet to see The Whole Family (we’ll be doing so later this week), from the critical praise it’s received, we suspect that we’d like him to too.

Sunday night in Lodon held the UK Premiere for brand new movie, George Harrison: Living in the Material World which is directed by the fabulous Martin Scorsese. It’s a biopic based on the life of Harrison who rose to fame after being in a band you may have heard of called The Beatles!

Scorsese was present at the UK premiere along with Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and many other well known celebrities. Our friends from Upbeat were present at the premiere and caught up with many of the filmmamkers.

The 3 and a half hour documentary uses interviews with Eric Clapton​, Terry Gilliam​, Eric Idle​, George Martin​, Paul McCartney​, Yoko Ono​, Tom Petty​, Phil Spector​, Ringo Starr​ and Jackie Stewart​ to look at a life of a fascinating man.

We’ve posted a list of cinemas that are showing the documentary that you can see here. Understandably, the movie won’t go on general release but will be available on DVD and Blu-ray 10th October and you can order your copy here.

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD focuses the imaginative and inspired eye of one of cinema’s most preeminent filmmakers on one of the world’s most influential men.  The film takes viewers on the musical and spiritual voyage that was George Harrison’s life, much of it told in his own words.  The result is deeply moving and touches each viewer in unique and individual ways. Academy Award^®-winning director Martin Scorsese traces Harrison’s life from his musical beginnings in Liverpool through his life as a musician, a seeker, a philanthropist and a filmmaker, weaving together interviews with Harrison and his closest friends, performances, home movies and photographs.  Much of the material in the film has never been seen or heard before.  The result is a rare glimpse into the mind and soul of one of the most talented artists of his generation and a profoundly intimate and affecting work of cinema.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World is released in

We’ve had the trailer but here is the first clip from the brand new documentary directed by Martin Scorsese focusing on George Harrison which has the title, George Harrison: Living the Material World. The documentary focuses around Harrison who was in the band The Beatles and who died 29th November 2001.

The 3 and a half hour documentary uses interviews with Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, George Martin, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Ringo Starr and Jackie Stewart to look at a life of a fascinating man.

We’ve posted a list of cinemas that are showing the documentary that you can see here. Understandably, the movie won’t go on general release but will be available on DVD and Blu-ray 10th October and you can order your copy here.

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD focuses the imaginative and inspired eye of one of cinema’s most preeminent filmmakers on one of the world’s most influential men.  The film takes viewers on the musical and spiritual voyage that was George Harrison’s life, much of it told in his own words.  The result is deeply moving and touches each viewer in unique and individual ways. Academy Award^®-winning director Martin Scorsese traces Harrison’s life from his musical beginnings in Liverpool through his life as a musician, a seeker, a philanthropist and a filmmaker, weaving together interviews with Harrison and his closest friends, performances, home movies and photographs.  Much of the material in the film has never been seen or heard before.  The result is a rare glimpse into the mind and soul of one of the most talented artists of his generation and a profoundly intimate and affecting work of cinema.

Having one of their number die in 1989 is clearly no obstacle when the Pythons decide to get the band back together, and it’s a Beatles ‘Free as a Bird’ style reunion as the remaining members of the comedy group are currently recording voices which will be cut together with Graham Chapman’s own voice recording of his book A Liar’s Autobiography: Volume IV*.

The New York Times report that an 85 minute 3D animated film will be the result with a number of animation companies working on bringing the surreal stories to life on the screen, although there’s no news on Terry Gilliam’s involvement on the animation side, something he has said he has deliberately moved away from over the years, however there’s never been a better time to return to the drawing board.

Exactly how much truth there was in Chapman’s book is not known, even to those who knew him well, as one of the producers Jeff Simpson put it,

Graham’s is the story of a man who was openly gay but secretly alcoholic,” Mr. Simpson said. “This is not the story of Monty Python, it is a man’s life.

Creatively, the different [animation] styles reflect the stages in Graham’s life

The Pythons will be playing different characters within the book and the film will appear in cinemas in the UK next year. After the news last week that a BBC film is to be made on the controversy surrounding Life of Brian the potential of further Python is very welcome indeed. Below are a few pictures of the recording and mocked up animation style of part of the film. More news as we get it.

And finally here’s one my favourite pictures of all time,

*sadly the first and only volume to be published. A further volume was rumoured to have been completed when the computer it was written on was stolen from Chapman’s house. I’d happily send down a Bronzino feet to squash the feckless git who pinched it.

Time Bandits, the 1981 fantasy from director Terry Gilliam, has been lined up against the remake wall and fingers are tightening on the triggers.

Collider pointed us to this Variety article which details the plans a number of ex-Handmade Films executives have for Time Bandits and a TV series based around The Long Good Friday with Ray Winstone in the role of Harold Shand, played in the 1980 film by Bob Hoskins.

The dreaded word ‘reboot’ crops up in the article, as does a mysterious ‘Hollywood co-producer’ (played by David Warner naturally) and apart from the assertation that any new film version of Time Bandits would be the start of a ‘bigscreen kids action franchise’ there is not a lot to go on. But is it a case of this?

SATIRE

I love Terry Gilliam’s film. It acted as a gateway to the worlds of Monty Python and Gilliam’s other films and I have a great fondness for it. I don’t baulk at the idea of remaking it, as a franchise it has the plot mechanics to sustain numerous adventures, but I do worry that it would jettison the dark elements of the original film and the dollar signs spinning in the eyes of the producers would deny the story the harsh edges which made Time Bandits so compelling (and enjoyable for a child) and we end up with a sanitised jaunt through time with celebrity cameos for historical figures.

And do we really think that any studio would include something as brilliant and subversive as this for their family-friendly production?

Spoiler: This is a scene from the very end of Time Bandits – if you’ve never seen it then don’t click this – go and watch the film.

Following his recent peep behind the curtain of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Terry Gilliam has turned his talents to a short film with The Legend of Hallowdega as well as directing Arcade Fire at Madison Square Gardens.

While the figure of Don Quixote looms on the horizon the director has just announced that one of his future projects will be making his opera directing debut with Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust for the ENO.

The production will run for 10 performances in May and June this year and is certain to be a treat for fans of Gilliam’s work, as the director explains below, there is an operatic feel to many of his works, he also teases us with Brazil: The Opera, which I’d pay to see every night I suspect. Here’s the man himself talking up Berlioz,

Here’s the press release and which includes the dates to put in your diary right now.

From cartoons to animation to film to opera: Terry Gilliam, Monty Python legend and cult film-maker, directs a new production of Berlioz’s

The Damnation of Faust

ENO stages a new production of Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust directed by actor, screenwriter and film-maker Terry Gilliam. This large scale company work ranges from intimacy to grandeur with a powerful score that showcases the ENO Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by ENO Music Director Edward Gardner, and featuring a stellar cast led by Christine Rice.

Terry Gilliam’s vivid imagination and ability to bring his often surreal vision of the world to life is a trademark of his work. His iconic animation for Monty Python has led to an esteemed career in Hollywood, his films often demonstrating escape from society through eye-popping magical and surreal interpretations of reality – from Time Bandits and Brazil through to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Berlioz wrote The Damnation of Faust with clear directions of setting and action to guide the performers’ imaginations, but never expected the directions to be physically realised. Berlioz was a maverick figure who, despite his veneration for composers such as Gluck and Beethoven, pushed the boundaries of the art form. The Damnation of Faust is the perfect vehicle for Terry Gilliam’s rich imagination.

Based on a translation of Goethe’s dramatic poem and conceived as first an oratorio, then an opera, and finally a ‘dramatic legend’, Berlioz’s story examines the idea of temptation, and the lengths a man will go to for love. Faust, despite his age and religious faith, is tempted by the devilish Mephistopheles, first with the promise of knowledge and youth, and then by the promise of love. This familiar morality tale turns tragic, as, having fallen madly in love with the beautiful Marguerite he is prepared to do anything to save her, even if that includes signing away his soul. As Faust descends into hell – Mephistopheles having claimed his reward – Marguerite ascends into heaven, moving the two characters irrevocably apart. Ultimately Faust writes his own tragedy – his inability to resist temptation condemning him to eternal torment.

Collaborating with Gilliam is the celebrated German set designer Hildegard Bechtler, whose experience encompasses theatre, television, film and opera. Her previous work for ENO includes the critically acclaimed Peter Grimes. The creative team is completed with costume designer Katrina Lindsay and lighting designer Peter Mumford, whose recent work on Lucrezia Borgia has been highly praised.

ENO Music Director Edward Gardner conducts a superb cast led by Christine Rice as the seduced and abandoned Marguerite, following her acclaimed performance for ENO as Zenobia in Christopher Alden’s Radamisto earlier this season. After an outstanding performance as Sharikov in Simon McBurney’s Olivier nominated A Dog’s Heart, Peter Hoare returns to ENO to sing the role of Faust, the intellectual who sells his soul for love and Christopher Purves makes his role debut as Mephistopheles with Nicholas Folwell singing the role of Brander.

The Damnation of Faust opens at the London Coliseum on 6 May 2011 for 10 performances -

6, 12, 18, 20, 27 May & 2, 7 June at 7.30pm and 14 May & 4 June at 6.30pm and 8 May at 3.00pm

Nike has been really upping their game in the promo/viral field of late. You may recall that the company recently managed to acquire the talents of cinematic big-hitters Alejandro González Iñárritu and Terry Gilliam to deliver incredible-looking, inventive, big-budget adverts.

Now Texas-based DIY action auteur Robert Rodriquez has produced a five minute viral where he plays himself, pitching a film idea to US basketball superstar Kobe Bryant where the sportsman will appear as an alter-ego named The Black Mamba.

The film comes to life through the meeting and three big names (Danny Trejo as The Crippler, Bruce Willis as Mister Suave and Kanye West as The Boss) all appear as potential casing ideas as the story progresses.

It’s a fun, flashy viral, very much in the vein of Rodriquez’s recent work (particularly with the Grindhouse-esque introductory character title cards) and it ends with a ball game atop of a huge flaming building, with Bryant shoot hoops against a zombiefied basketball squad.

Watch it below:

Terry Gilliam has agreed to act as a creative advisor on a new film by British digital animation specialist, Tim Ollive. 1884 will be set in the titular year, but with Europe at war, the sky filled with steam-powered flying cars and man having landed on the moon.

Director Ollive collaborated with Gilliam on the SFX for everything from Life of Brian, through Brazil and Twelve Monkeys up to the more recent The Brothers Grimm. The screenplay is by Ollive and Dennis de Groot, who also has a long history with Gilliam, having worked on Life of Brian and Time Bandits. Gilliam and the other producers showed a four-minute teaser to an FX forum in Paris last week and apparently a number of the former members of Monty Python will be on board the film as part of the voice cast. Gilliam has said of what he has seen so far:-

“The quality of the work is amazing: It’s not slick and sleek CG work, such as studios in L.A. particularly produce. It looks crafted by an artisan, and the scale and design are spectacular.”

Apparently the film will look like animation, but will mix live-action puppetry with CGI heads and actors’ filmed eyes and mouths. The backgrounds will feature collages of miniatures, film, graphics and period photography.

Frankly that sounds like a pretty bonkers mix and it remains to be seen what the final effect will be. Certainly the work of Nick Park and films such as A Town Called Panic and Fantastic Mr Fox have shown that retro animation techniques still have something to offer in these times of CG-animation ubiquity. Maybe this will prove to be something very different but in a very good way.

Source: Variety.

Lots and lots for Gilliam fans to enjoy here, as we get closer to the release of his next film, or filmette as the promo material has it.

Throwing a supernatural slant on the Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR races Gilliam brings David Arquette and Justin Kirk together for a short film that will premiere on Halloween night. The Legend of Hallowdega is a sponsored short, in the same spirit as the recent Vodka soaked Spike Jonze film I’m Here which I loved and I’m very excited to see this one.

Keep those broswers pointed at The Legend of Hallowdega website for more.

So, here’s a ton of stuff, mostly from Collider, starting off with this great looking poster,

Here’s the lovely trailer,

Here’s the mighty Gilliam talking about the project,

And for desert, three set photos.

AMP ENERGY AND TERRY GILLIAM PRESENT: THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA

TO PREMIERE AT THE TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY ON OCTOBER 31ST

The Legend of Hallowdega stars David Arquette and Justin Kirk

New York, NY (October 8, 2010) Award-winning filmmaker Terry Gilliam will premiere his short film THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA starring David Arquette and Justin Kirk with special appearances by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip and more on October 31st, 2010. The film, produced by AMP Energy Juice and @radical.media, 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. Starting Halloween night, the film will be available in its entirety on www.LegendofHallowdega.com. THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA is the first short film for both Gilliam and AMP Energy Juice.

“AMP Energy Juice is fueled by great partnerships that include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Talladega Superspeedway – and now, director Terry Gilliam,” said Frank Cooper, Chief Consumer Engagement Officer, PepsiCo Americas Beverages, maker of AMP Energy Juice. “Terry has a distinctive vision and is a truly gifted storyteller. AMP Energy Juice is proud to have produced his one-of-a-kind take on the legends and lore that surround Talladega Superspeedway for race fans and film buffs everywhere.”

Director Terry Gilliam added, “To bring our little circus into the world of a truly monster circus was a thrill.”

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.

“The great folks at AMP Energy Juice have developed a new and innovative idea to research and debunk some of the myths surrounding HALLOW-DEGA” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch. “We anxiously await the release of the film to see what Terry Gilliam and AMP Energy Juice have come up with.”

THE LEGEND OF HALLOWDEGA reflects AMP Energy’s continuing commitment to support innovative talent in the creation of unique entertainment.

Solve the mystery at www.LEGENDOFHALLOWDEGA.com

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 34th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 171 – Twelve Monkeys (1995) – Rating 8.1

Terry Gilliam’s unconventional film about time travel is a masterful and wonderful film that again shows the director as one of the greatest there has ever been.

In 1996, a deadly plague kills 99% of the human population forcing the other one percent to take refuge underground. We open the film in 2035 where convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) becomes a hesitant volunteer for an experiment to travel back in time to gather information about the origins of the lethal virus and a group known as “The Army of the 12 Monkeys” that were believed to be responsible for its release.

Initially arriving at the wrong time, Cole is imprisoned and institutionalized due to appearing insane with his ideas and behaviour. Cole meets Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and fellow inmate Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) sharing his stories about their future eventually convincing Railly of his quest. In a race against time, he and Kathryn try to stop the plague from occurring whilst Cole deals with his own sanity.

Twelve Monkeys is a wonderful film with short glimpses into Gilliam’s mind of visual creation with the bleak future shown with the typical Gilliam industrial run down look that always appeals to my tastes. The acting from Willis is strong and he leads the film well from scene to scene; it’s one of his finest roles and most memorable. Brad Pitt puts in a performance that earned him an Oscar nod which came shortly after his turn in Seven that made him one of the best actors of 1995, his crazed performance as Jefferey Goines inhabit some of the standout scenes in Twelve Monkeys, despite being relatively low on screen time, he aids the story by dangling a huge red herring for us throughout.

Madeleine Stowe was ok as the Doctor dragged into Cole’s journey but seemed to lack a substantial role worth caring about and was more of a needed level headedness to Cole’s decreasing sanity but it does all work very well to provide a typical magic Gilliam masterpiece that’s well worth a place on the list.

No. 194 – King Kong (1933) – Rating 8.0

King Kong is one of those films that just inspires and that’s mainly down to Willis O’Brien’s contribution of stop motion animation. It brings an incredible look and feel to the classic 1933 movie.

The story is so well known and King Kong is one of the most loved movies of all time and deserves to be higher in the list in my opinion. The film follows Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) who agrees to star in a film directed by Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) and they sail to a mysterious island where along the way Ann falls in love with Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot).

The natives of the island capture Ann and offer her in a sacrifice to Kong and Driscoll, Denham and the crew head off to rescue Ann but with an ulterior motive to also capture the beast and return with him to New York.

When Kong is revealed to the New York audience he escapes, captures Ann again and scales the Empire State building where he memorably fights for his life before falling to his death. Its movie magic at its best.

The film is so well made for its time with some incredible character design and stop motion that although is now dated, has enough charm and quality to hold up to make it one of the greatest movies ever made. The fights of Kong and the T-Rex’s are some of the best moments in the film and heart wrenching finale on top of the tower is stunningly played out and easily one of the most well known scenes in movie history. The cast really perform well together and it’s incredible trying to appreciate how difficult it must have been filming a movie like this, a film that had never been attempted in the huge scale of King Kong with such ambitious special effects and storyline, it’s remarkable.

The rumour of the notorious spiderpit sequence cut from the film still hangs over King Kong which hopefully will surface someday soon, the thought of giant spiders, crabs and other bugs devouring the crew is something I’m dying to see, the fact it was cut due to being too scary is part of wonderful film lore and that it’s apparently lying somewhere waiting to be found makes it more exciting. Peter Jackson revived the idea in his remake which worked really well but nothing beats wanting to see the original scene.

No. 226 – The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Rating 8.0

Errol Flynn stars in one of the greatest, most colorful, bold costume adventure films in film history, this is Technicolor on drugs.

The film is the classic Robin Hood tale with Errol Flynn as the legend in tights who steals from the rich to give to the poor and it has everything you could want from a Robin Hood story.

Check list: the pivitol shooting of the King’s deer, Robin’s first meetings with Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette), the classic archery contest trap with a cunningly disguised Robin winning by splitting his opponent’s arrow, Maid Marian romancing and the return of King Richard (Ian Hunter) from the Crusades and it is quite possibly still the best telling of the Robin Hood story.

Errol Flynn is just wonderful as the swashbuckling hero and it’s easily my favourite incarnation of the legend. He leaps, climbs, fights, charms, swings, pounces and flips to deliver everything you could want from an action hero with such great enthusiasm that makes the film more enjoyable at times that it probably should be. The look is outrageous in design thanks to the use of the three-strip Technicolor process that added a bold and bright colour to the costumes and scenery that is way over the top but another charm to the film.

The supporting cast are all equally enjoyable with Basil Rathbone as the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne standing out and being someone I really enjoyed watching and of course the comedy from Little John and Friar Tuck adding some welcome laughs to even out the action and romance. It’s a classic film, it fully deserves its place on the list and will always hold a place in my favourite films.

No. 157 – Gone With the Wind (1939) – Rating 8.1

I’ve never been a fan of Gone with the Wind and after seeing it from start to finish for only the second time in my life I’m now more of a fan than I was before but I still struggle to enjoy the film for its story, however I am completely in awe of its production.

The film’s story is basically about Scarlett O’Hara’s love and life in the Old South around the time of the civil war. She works her way through men, gets married a few times, gets land, loses land, gets caught up in civil war and gets told where to go by one of the most charming actors of all time. all in a long four hour period with a musical intermission half way through.

The problem I have with the film is despite its long running time I take little from it that sticks with me apart from a few scenes and moments, mainly the wonderful pullback shot that reveals the devastation of the war which fills the screen which is just sublime, the ears of build up to the “Frankly my dear i don’t give a damn” scene is classic and any scene with Clark Gable is noteworthy.

Apart from that I hold little love for the film’s story or performances or even the often dull dialogue that fills it from start to finish from mostly forgettable performances in a truly remarkably designed and produced film, it’s a shame as I always expect so much more from it.

Maybe I’m missing something but for me a four hour film needs a lot more to hold my attention and to be honest I find it a strain to watch. Deserving of its place on the IMDb list? absolutely, but not for the film itself but for how much of an impact it had and how staggering its production is.

No. 248 – Blood Diamond (2006) – Rating 7.9

I could watch Leonardo DiCaprio films all day, for me he is the greatest actor of his generation and I can’t name a film I haven’t enjoyed him in. Whether it’s his early films of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? or Quick and the Dead to recent hits such as Inception or The Departed, he’s the main draw to these films for me and Blood Diamond is no different, but overall I’m not sure it deserves a place on this list.

DiCaprio stars as South African Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler from Zimbabwe who’s on the trail of a rock that’s worth a fortune. On the other side of the story is the diamond’s discoverer, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), whose family has been seized in the brutal 1990s Sierra Leone civil war and sent to a refugee camp. The story teams the unlikely pair and plays out a simple plot of locating the diamond with Danny promising to help free his family.

Two sub-plots develop from this story of Archer’s relationship, with the moral compass of the movie, investigative reporter Maddy (Jennifer Connelly) who is desperate for a contact to expose diamond companies from the West for having blood on their hands by exporting the blood diamonds.

The second sub plot is more emotional and hard hitting as it that tells of Solomon’s son being taken, trained and brainwashed by rebels as he is turned into a child soldier. The film loses its balls towards the end as it goes for a Hollywood ending when going for the jugular at the start with a powerful politcal message about the need for diamonds which fades away to just a diamond hunt action movie which is a shame, but still it offers a fine movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The performances were on the whole good, Jennifer Connelly was pretty unconvincing as the reporter and was my least favourite character of the film but Hounsou played is conflicted character brilliantly and his on screen chemistry with DiCaprio is the heart of film and very engaging. The standout though is DiCaprio, he puts in a really outstanding performance with a decent and convincing accent and providing an interesting character I gave a damn about, fully deserving of his Oscar nomination.

Not bad but not one of the best 250 films of all time.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

Having Terry Jones return to the big screen is always an excellent thing, and the good news that Phoenix Pictures are set on producing a script co-written by Jones and Gavin Scott is compounded by the notion that some of Jones’ Python alumni may be joining him. Oh, and Robin Williams is up for a role as a talking dog.

Deadline have the story that Phoenixites Mike Medavoy, David Thwaites, and Brad Fischer, who are Black Swanning around Toronto right now, announced the project, entitled Absolutely Anything, with the report quoting Medavoy,

Funny is money.

The prospect of having the Pythons working together is priceless indeed, although the reins were put on a little as it’s reported as Jones having simply ‘approached’ Messrs. Cleese, Palin, Idle and Gilliam to voice a band of aliens. With the description consisting of said aliens, ‘a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness’ it seems the comedy giants would be perfect.

Also aboard is Daily Show man John Oliver as the lead, presumably the goofy Brit, and though it’s been a good fourteen years since Jones stepped behind the camera for a feature length film, the assembled team should do him proud.

Did I mention Robin Williams as a talking dog? Sold.

It seems financing for Terry Gilliam’s long gestating Don Quixote film may have fallen through once again.

Speaking at the Deauville American Film Festival on Saturday, Terry Gilliam was quoted by Variety as saying,

“The financing collapsed about a month and a half ago [...] I shouldn’t be here. The plan was to be shooting  [The Man Who Killed Don] Quixote right now.”

It’s not the first time financing has fallen through. In 2000, when filming was underway, Jean Rochefort was seriously injured during a freak storm, eventually leading to production being cancelled in the November of that year when it was made clear that Rochefort would be unable to return.

In 2008, Gilliam re-started production on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, this time with Rubert Duvall in the role of Dox Quixote, with Ewan McGregor also being added to the cast. Filming was expected to commence during the summer of 2010 but, as financing has now collapsed again, production has, once again, been shut down.

Gilliam, though, refuses to believe “the curse of Don Quixote”, and remains hopeful that the film will eventually see the light of day. He was quoted as saying, “Robert Duvall is Quixote, Ewan McGregor is also there, and we are looking for new financing right now [...] Don Quixote gives me something to look forward to, always. Maybe the most frightening thing is to actually make the film.”

If the project does make it to the big screen, expect it to focus on an advertising executive (possibly McGregor) who jumps back and forth in time between 21st century London and 17th century La Mancha, where Don Quixote (Duvall) mistakes him for Sancho Panza.

Before I start this post with the words ‘This is a trailer for a Serbian film’, notice that I’m not capitalising the three words – this is a far cry from Srdjan Spasojevic’s taboo eviscerating horrorshow.

Tears for Sale was directed by Uroš Stojanović in 2005 and hit the festivals a few years later, and is finally coming to DVD in the UK on the 20th of September and I wanted to share its charms with you in the form of this trailer.

The press notes compare it to Gilliam, and evoke the works of early Jeunet & Caro and thus ensure that I have to see it, so I’m hoping to report back good things when I get my hands on a copy.

Here’s the not so brief synopsis,

It’s the 1920s in post-World War I Serbia and the remote village of Pokrp is facing a serious crisis. Many years of warfare have resulted in the decimation of the village’s male population, leaving the womenfolk love-starved and desperately craving a man’s touch, companionship and attentions. When beautiful, virginal, twenty-something sisters Ognjenka (Katarina Radivojevic) and Little Boginja’s (Sonja Kolacaric) attempts at experiencing the pleasures of the flesh result in the unfortunate accidental death of the village’s sole surviving male – the elderly and near catatonic Grandpa Bisa – they are condemned to death by the other women. The sisters manage to gain a temporary reprieve by promising to set out on a quest to find and bring back to the village within three days one virile man. At stake if they fail are not only their own lives, but also the very soul of their departed grandmother, which has been summoned from beyond the grave by the village witch as collateral to ensure their return. Their search sees them fortuitously crossing paths with two travellers, a slick dance-hall dandy known as the Charleston King (Stefan Kapicic) and a circus performer calling himself the Man of Steel (Nenad Jezdic). Naturally falling for the men, Ognjenka and Boginja decide they want them for themselves, but mindful of the threat to their grandmother’s soul they agree to fulfil their promise and deliver their newfound beaus to the women of Pokrp…

So, without further ado here’s the trailer, and because I just fancy it I’ve included a trailer from Jeunet & Caro’s The City of Lost Children and Gilliam’s Brazil.

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 30th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

This week I watched five absolutely brilliant films for the project, all very different but all highly entertaining in their own way. Chaplin provides some silent movie laughs, Bruce Willis puts on one of the greatest every action movie performances, A shark terrorises a small beach town, the Python’s put on one of the funniest films and Johnny Depp goes for an Oscar as a rum drinking Pirate. I could barely find a fault with any of them.

No.170 – The Gold Rush (1925) – Rating 8.1

Another Chaplin movie from the list and again Chaplin offers everything you could want from a comedy film with heart.

The story of Gold Rush has the iconic character Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) travelling to Alaska to take part in the Klondike Gold Rush. Bad weather strands him in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with fellow prospector Big Jim Mckay (Mack Swain) who has found a large gold deposit. An escaped fugitive called Black Larsen (Tom Murray) joins them and after reaching a point of starvation they part ways with the Big Jim and the Larsen fighting over the claim ending with Big Jim getting a blow to the head causing amnesia and Larsen falling off a cliff to his death.

The Tramp eventually returns to town where he gives up prospecting, falls in love with a girl Georgina (Georgia Hale) and lives in a run down cabin planning to spend his life with Georgina but when Big Jim arrives and recognises the Tramp he also remembers the claim and so recruits the Tramp to help him find his claim by leading to the place they shared for a split of his gold.

The story is typical Chaplin with equal measures of comedy brilliance and touching moments. The stand out scenes are Chaplin doing the iconic bread roll dance to impress Georgina that will always put a smile on my face, the shear simplicity of the scene just adds to the magic of Chaplin and his natural comic ability. Another scene where Chaplin and Big Al struggle to find food so they cook up and attentively eat a stewed shoe or where the cabin hangs over the edge of a cliff and Chaplin does his fantastic physical comedy to add laughs to a dangerous situation. All add so many memories for me from the film and add fuel to the fact that Chaplin is easily one of the greatest ever comedy directors/actors there will ever be.

If you haven’t seen a Chaplin film before the Gold Rush is a fine place to start. The story is a joy to watch and Chaplin’s performance is as ever perfect. Another film that will no doubt be placed in the IMDb 250 list for a long time to come.

No. 114 – Die Hard (1988) – Rating 8.2

Die hard, the greatest action movie ever made? in a lot of peoples eyes absolutely, for me it’s definitely up there with the best.

The story is classic action movie popcorn. Police officer John McClane arrives from New York to attend his wife’s office party in a huge office tower at the same time as some terrorist robbers arrive who proceed to hold the party hostage. McClane avoids capture and for the rest of the film torments head terrorist Hans Gruber and his goons by killing them off one by one until it’s just him and Hans who takes the express elevator to his death.

Die Hard has everything you could possibly want from an Action Movie. The plot is wonderfully creative and the characters are just perfection with our hero John McClane full of charisma who carries the film so well, his partner over the walkie talkie, Sgt Al Powel (Reginald VelJohnson), gives McClane someone to bounce banter with and is his voice to the outside world and the villain of the film, Hans Gruber played majestically with intelligence and brains by Alan Rickman in his first film role is equally as strong and memorable as Bruce Willis is as John McClane. Top this all off with some excellent cliched bad guys then you have everything in place for a great film.

The entire cast provide us with a film that’s so full of wonderful scenes, whether it’s the roof top explosion scene as McClane escapes gun fire and explosions or when McClane dispatches a number of baddies with humour and agility like the Ho Ho Ho now I’ve got a machine gun part. It’s eternally memorable, it’s completely cool and it’s just pure energetic action movie perfection from start to finish.

I can’t fault it as an action movie and as always I had such a blast watching it, despite being roughly the twentieth time of watching it, I can never get bored of watching John McClane kicking arse.

Another bunny recreation below.

No. 106 – Jaws (1975) – Rating 8.3

One of the greatest films of all time, but only placed at 106. Come on.

I remember seeing Jaws for the first time as a kid and the music just completely scared me, the scene was set and after watching the film I never wanted to enter the sea again. That’s an impact you never forget.

From the opening John Williams score you know the film is going to be something special as the camera speeds through the sea with the Tuba blasting the unforgettable theme. The kill of the girl straight afterwards is just suspenseful genius, you know whats coming, you know she’s going to die and when she does it’s just horrible to watch as you can feel the bites pulling her under the water from the unseen killer.

The film goes on to follow Chief Brody and the town of Amity island dealing with a collection of deaths from what seems like a shark attack. Through bad judgement from the mayor of the town due to it being the peak season, they keep the beaches open for the tourists but another death sparks further panic and so Brody recruits marine biologist and shark specialist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) and boat owning shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to capture the great white shark. One thing’s for sure, they will need a bigger boat.

The story is so well paced with plenty of character development to make the film less of a horror/monster movie than you would expect and throughout the tension is built to create a genuine fear of the water. You barely see the shark throughout the movie as its fin breaking the water or the floating yellow barrels that have been harpooned to the shark that are trailing after Brody’s boat is enough to create panic and fear. But when you do finally come face to face with the shark it’s an incredible moment that reminds me of The Third Man and Orson Welles appearance, it’s what you have been waiting for the whole film and when it comes it’s a wonderful unforgettable movie sequence.

Spielberg has made one of the finest films of the 70′s and of all time and what really sets it apart from the average creature movie are the strong characters, the faultless acting and excellent dialogue delivered from every single person in the film. There are also some really memorable scenes littered throughout, like the really charming moment where Brody and his son are sitting at the table and he mimics everything his dad does or when Quint introduces himself to the panic stricken town folk with nails down the chalk board and especially the scene when Quint, Brody and Hooper compare stories, scares and booze on the boat and eventually singing us out with “Im Tired and I want to go home”, I can’t help but love the film and every time I watch Jaws I fall in love with it again, there is no better movie of its type and I doubt there ever will be.

No. 67 – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – Rating 8.4

I believe that The Holy Grail was my first introduction into the world of Monty Python when I was a young chap, I never really got the jokes first time round and as I grew older my love of The Holy Grail grew too as I understood the genius of the comedy. It’s a film I really really enjoy with a passion.

The story of the film is a Monty Python retelling of the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table seeking the Holy Grail. It is of course typically hilarious, bonkers, surreal and highly entertaining.

We follow King Arthur (Graham Chapman) as he trots (trusted aide clapping two coconut halves together) across England trying to recruit Knights for his Round Table. Arthur enlists the Knights Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin), Sir Lancelot the Brave (John Cleese) and Sir Robin the not quite so brave as Sir Launcelot (Eric Idle) as they take on different sub quests and venture to find the Holy Grail.

There is not much else to say on the plot as the film takes on the form of short sketches involving the Knights and their misadventures to find the Grail, they come across killer rabbits, horny nuns, insulting French Knights, animated multi-eyed monsters, Tim the Enchanter, a psychotic Black Knight, The Knights that say ‘Ni’, Shrubbery’s,  three headed Knight, the Police and many more. There are just so many funny laugh out loud scenes to pick from as they start coming right from the beginning of the film with probably the funniest ever opening credits ever made and each little sketch is full of quotable lines and really original comical situations.

It’s so good to see a collection of comedic actors in such fine form performing in such a natural and enjoyable way and with Terry Gilliam co-directing with Terry Jones it has a real feel of pure Monty Python madness. Michael Palin always stands out when I watch it and his multiple performances always have me laughing the most but Cleese comes very close with a truly memorable turn as Lancelot, especially his raid on the castle, and as Tim the Enchanter. It’s a very consistent comedy and lacks the realy surreal moments which I know puts a lot of people off Python comedy and the story, despite being crazy, it’s so enjoyable you can return to it time and time again and almost quote every scene with a big smile on your face.
I recently had a chat at work about the film and we both ended up laughing out loud a lot when recalling our favourite moments, you cant beat that effect a film has on you.

Regarded as being better than The Life of Brian by 81 places, The Holy Grail is definitely a more accessible comedy film, but better? I don’t think so. It has spawned a very successful musical production and is definitely one of the most loved comedy films ever made, if I ever need cheering up I would probably stick it on for an instant pick me up.

My favourite scene below.

No. 221 – Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) – Rating 8.0

Pirates of the Caribbean is a surprise inclusion in the IMDb250 list, it won’t be there for much longer as it will no doubt drop out of the list by the end of the year, but what it is is one of the finest swashbuckling action adventure movies to have come out in many many years and a film that created one of the most loved movie characters in Captain Jack Sparrow played effortlessly and with perfection by Johnny Depp.

The plot is of Jack Sparrow sailing the seas in a small dilapidated boat and arriving in Port Royal to steal a better ship. He mistakenly saves a drowning woman called Elizabeth (it would have been a better film if she drowned) who is the governor’s daughter and because he’s a pirate he’s put in jail and condemned to hang. An evil pirate called Barbossa attacks Port Royal and searches for a gold coin, held by Elizabeth, that’s needed to end an ancient Aztec curse that’s been cast on himself and his crew of the Black Pearl. Barbossa kidnaps Elizabeth believing she’s the child of old shipmate Bootstrap Bill and her blood is whats needed to lift the curse.

A blacksmith called Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who loves Elizabeth, enlists Jack’s help to rescue her. Jack agrees and the pair hijack a British naval ship, recruit a motley crew of scabs, and chase the Black Pearl to the Isla de la Muerta for Jack to reclaim his ship ‘The Black Pearl’ and for Turner to rescue Elizabeth. Yo Ho Ho.

There is something truly enjoyable about Pirates of the Caribbean, It has a perfect combination of Johnny Depp stealing the film with his memorable Oscar nominated role as Jack Sparrow, a plot that’s from the books of Pirate mythical lore with walking the planks, parrot’s, caves, buried treasure etc, a wonderful musical score from the legend of Hans Zimmer and the resurrection of a genre not seen for many years so it felt really fresh and original. Add to this some awesome action set pieces with a fair dose of comedy then you have one of the most enjoyable summer blockbuster of 2003.

Unfortunately the film had to build on its success and it produced two pointless sequels with a forth film with a new story in the work. It’s become a rather disappointing franchise, although I am quite hopeful about the forth film as it doesn’t star the minimal acting ranges of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom who just annoy the hell out of me.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 28th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

This week gave me the chance to revisit some great great movies with the highlights being the revisit to the classics Pulp Fiction and Brazil, a wonderful first time watch of Night of the Hunter where Robert Mitchum produced one of the creepiest performances ever, I got another watch of the brilliant animated film in Princess Mononoke and an average probably undeserving placed film in our list for James Bond return in Casino Royale.

On a side note it is interesting to see that Christopher Nolan’s Inception has jumped into 3rd place in the IMDb250 best films with a score of 9.1, will it hold its place? I reckon it could and for a longer time than many people would expect, but who knows if a film like Brazil can drop out of the 250!

No. 120 – Princess Mononoke (1997) – Rating 8.2

Another masterpiece of animation from Studio Ghibli and one of the greatest animators of all time in Hayao Miyazaki, No.120 on our list is Princess Mononoke.

I think Princess Mononoke was my launch pad into the world of Ghibli and it was where my personal collection started to grow of Miyazaki’s classic movies as it offers so much entertainment from stunning animation, excellent story and a wondrous imagination of worlds and characters that just can’t be missed.

The story of Princess Mononoke or to give its native name “Mononoke-hime” is about the conflict of man and nature that takes place in ancient Japan at the dawn of the Age of Iron. A Cursed God in the form of a boar covered in worm like creatures attacks a small village destroying everything in its path in a visually stunning opening sequence that just blows my mind every time I see it. Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) rides head on to face it to protect his village and he succeeds in killing the creature but his arm comes in contact with the beast and he gets a curse that will eventually kill him. Ashitaka is told that his only hope for survival is to travel West and find the Forest Spirit who may approve to cure him so Ashitaka heads off with his faithful Elk Yakul in an adventure full of danger and destiny.

Ashitaka eventually comes to Irontown after battles with samurai that he fights off with his new found power due to his cursed arm, Iron Town is a remote place built into a hill that has destroyed the surrounding forest for their production of Iron, it’s populated by outcasts and ruled by the Lady Eboshi (horribly voiced by Minnie Driver). Iron town is under siege from samurai and is also waging a war with the Boar Gods and other Gods of the Mountains including Wolf God, Moro (Gillian Anderson) her two sons and her human daughter San (aka “Princess Mononoke”, voiced by Claire Danes) due to the damage to the forest. San attacks the town alone to kill Lady Eboshi where Ashitaka saves her life but gets shot in the process, San brings him to the Forest Spirit that heals his wound but does not remove the curse.

The story then follows Ashitaka and San caught between warring humans and forest creatures and a hunt for the elusive Forest spirit by a monk and his men to get its head for their own selfish reasons, ever the peacemaker Ashitaka tries to prevent all sides from unleashing a war that will destroy everyone but with the Gods and lady Eboshi intent on winning at all costs, however the murder of the Forest Spirit decides the outcome of the war for all.

The story is original with interesting characters that are all well designed with imagination and depth, the tale of industry destroying nature is all to common and familiar and equally hard hitting in its message. Miyazaki knows how to tell a story and by adding some striking animation that at times is breathtaking whether it’s the action battle scenes or subtle background details or beautiful realised scenery, all make it your typical Studio Ghibli sky high level of quality that just doesn’t come with your regular animated movies and just have to be seen to be believed. Princess Mononoke’s only let down is if you watch the Americanised vocal talent dubbing, which I did unfortunately as my copy was in storage, some of the voices don’t fit like Minnie Driver’s English accent which was clearly too flat and boring to fit a powerful female character of Lady Eboshi but that is a minor gripe resolved by only watching the original language version which I would do given the choice.

Princess Mononoke is a wonderful example of Studio Ghibli running at full steam and if you haven’t yet entered the realms from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki then Mononoke is an excellent place to start.

No. 244 – Casino Royale (2006) – Rating 7.9

There is no surprise that since we started the IMDb project, Casino Royale has dropped out of the IMDb top 250 films and I doubt it will find its way back into it. Although it is one of the best Bond films ever made it’s by no means one of the finest 250 films ever made by a long shot.

The rebirth of James Bond, played excellently by Daniel Craig, is quite literally a new beginning for the franchise, showing how 007 got his double 0 Licence to Kill and adding a very different take on the Bond mythology with very few gadgets and more well choreographed action and story but James Bond is pretty much just an endless stream of remakes so you know what your going to get.

The film opens up showing Bond brutally killing a few bad guys to earn his 007 ranking and then going rogue after one of the best James Bond action sequences ever as he chases a parkour trained villain (He must be bad as he has scars all over his face) up, down, over and through a building site finishing at a foreign embassy where he breaks all kinds of foreign policies by trespassing and blowing most of it up to get some vital information that leads him to Le Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations.

MI6 reveals that Le Chiffre is planning to raise money using his clients collateral, in a high-stakes poker game at Le Casino Royale in Montenegro so James Bond is assigned to play against him to win and destroy the Organization. Bond works alongside Vespa Lynd (Eva Green) the MI6 treasury accountant who tries to keep him on a leash but as the card game reaches its climax with bluffs, attempted murder and bond eventually winning millions, Le Chiffre kidnaps Vespa then captures Bond, trying to force the code for the winnings out of him in the most eye watering way, and then some strange rushed further plot development is added of Vespa double crossing Bond for the money because her boyfriend was kidnapped and held for ransom, Vespa dies and Bond hunts down the man behind it ending with the start of Quantum of Solace.

There is definitely a lot to like from James Bond part 22 with Daniel Craig impressing as the tux wearing agent despite the negativity surrounding his appointment, he has a fantastic mean streak and presence on the screen that works perfectly and matched with a very good storyline, especially the Poker tournament and events that surround, it makes it one of the most enjoyable Bond movies of all time and as I said the opening action sequence was one hell of a way to introduce Bond back after the Pierce Brosnan era.

The film hit a low when the funniest line I think I’ve ever heard was delivered, which makes me cringe every time I hear it, as Eva Green says to a testicle battered Bond “James, I want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you’d still be more of a man than any I’ve known”, I remember laughing out loud with a number of people in the cinema, it is so ridiculous. Apart from the dramatic change of story at the end and that it runs for far too long it’s a pretty fine film and with the way things are going with the franchise at the moment we may have witnessed Daniel Craig’s best performance as James Bond in 1 out of 2 films.

No. 245 – Brazil (1985) – Rating 7.9

Brazil is just one of the greatest movies ever made, and seeing that it has also dropped out of the IMDb250 list since we started the project is a travesty it is more surprising that it doesn’t hold a higher position in it.

Brazil is Terry Gilliam at his best, both visually and creatively and there is nothing else like it in the IMDb250 list as it has some of the most incredible visual settings, idea’s, characters and scenes of all time. Some are so striking that I remember images from it when I caught glimpses of it as a child on TV when I was at an age that I had no real interest in anything on the box unless it had the Muppet’s performing but the shot of a man wearing a baby face mask in some strange vast room (See attached image) stuck with me and triggers my infant memory when I re-watch it, It’s one of my favourite ever movie moments.

The story of Brazil is set in one of the most fascinating worlds ever created where our hero Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a statistician working in the Ministry of Information who daydreams of being a superhero with wings trying to save a girl. A sequence of events is set off when a bug in the computer system causes a glitch altering the arrest record for a terrorist named Tuttle (Robert De Niro) to read Buttle which leads him to be killed during interrogation. Lowry is charged with investigating the mishap and comes to visit the Buttle family and meets neighbour Jill Layton (Kim Greist) who is the same woman as in his dreams but is also now considered a terrorist due to her complaints. Lowry also happens to come across the real Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro), a renegade expert air conditioning maintenance worker who once worked for the government but left due to the amount of paperwork, Robert De Niro puts in such a great performance.

Sam Lowry realises the only way to learn about Jill is to transfer to the Information Retrieval department where he would have access to her records and learn more about her and so after a quick promotion due to his plastic surgery obsessed mother having friends in high places Sam ends up in Information Retrieval. He locates Jill before she is arrested and the pair fall in love but Sam is arrested for misusing his position and is taking for interrogation by his once good friend Jack Lint played by the always excellent Michael Palin, a wonderful sequence then takes place with Sam being rescued by Tuttle and after escaping events start to go strange with Tuttle being engulfed in rubbish paper and disappearing, Sam appears in his dream world reliving all his horrors but finally ends up with Jill travelling into the sunset….or does he. Depending on which version you watch I hope you never see the Happy Ending!

The story of Brazil is very hard to summarise which is what I had real trouble doing above, but those that know and love the film know it’s so much more than just a few paragraphs of description. It’s just a mind blowing experience from the moment we see Sam taking flight to the computer screen magnifiers or the pipe filled homes of the cities residents, it’s a look just so incredible and creative in a way that only Gilliam can display. The characters we meet along the way are also brilliantly crafted and realised like Jim Broadbent’s excellent plastic surgeon Dr.Jaffe or the superb Ian Holm as Lowry’s boss Mr Kurtzmann and especially De Niro’s portrayal of Tuttle, all make Brazil a truly awe inspiring movie that even on a cheap budget does more than most CGI movies can realising a dystopian future.

Terry Gilliam is a genius and to see how his films have been received is clearly down to a matter of taste, i can fully understand why some people don’t like his work but for me it’s all so much more than just a film it’s a pure work of art displaying in front of your eyes from the mind of a creative legend, not many directors have that talent and none come anywhere near as close to him.

Check out the ‘What is Brazil’ Documentary below if you find time, it’s a stunning watch.

No. 5 – Pulp Fiction (1994) – Rating 8.9

Pulp Fiction is another glorious film that fully deserves its place in the top 10 of the IMDb250 best films, at the time in 1994 there was nothing like it from the posters that filled bus stop shelters and billboards displaying the iconic characters to the music that was being played everywhere from the soundtrack, there was a buzz I’ve never experienced from a movie before and after watching it everyone came out thinking the same thing “That film was bloody incredible!, and it is definitely a film I wish I could experience again for the first time.

Told in what is now typical non-linear Tarantino fashion Pulp Fiction tells the it’s story in three intertwining tales starting and finishing with a middle part of the now iconic “I love you Pumpkin, I Love you Honey Bunny” scene with Ringo (Tim Roth) and Yolanda (Amanda Plummer) being minor minor characters but some of the best loved. The film branches off into following two hit men Jules Winnfield (Samuel L Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) as they casually chat about Amsterdam, foot massages on their way to interrogate and execute some guys that have come into possession of a briefcase belonging to Marsellus Wallace containing something that flashes a golden light, it’s another classic quotable scene “Say What AGAIN” and that’s four unforgettable moments in the opening 10-15 minutes that’s topped off with the career defining Jules Winnfield’s preach “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men…” glorious.

We follow Fox Force Five’s Mrs Mia Wallace go on a date with Vincent Vega where they drink, dine, dance and she ODs on drugs followed by her being brought back with a shot of adrenaline through the breast plate with some help from Eric Stoltz and Rosanna Arquette to leave Vincent safe from retribution from Marsellus.

The comes the story of boxer Butch Coolidge who goes on the run from Marsellus Wallace after not taking a dive in a fight, we learn of his prized watch that’s been stuck up a few arse’s and we witness how Butch gets let off his debt by helping Marsellus from some hillbilly rapists by using his weapon of choice and leaving the soon to be dead Zed with Wallace for his own revenge. We then go back a bit and see the aftermath of the briefcase scene at the start of the film and get Marvin’s brain covering a car where Jules and Vincent get the help of Harvey ‘The Wolf ‘ Keitel to clean up and they end up back at where we started with Ringo and Yolanda in the diner to conclude one of the most entertaining movies of the 90′s, arguably the best.

Everyone whose seen Pulp Fiction can list of their favourite scenes, quote their favourite lines, identify music from the soundtrack or list the film references that are the inspiration for Tarantino’s creation, it’s a unique movie that was more than just a cool movie that’s high in style, it’s got a brilliant sense of humour, unexpected great acting from a surprising cast, pure energy that never lets go from start to finish and a story that you just want to run and run. I adore every second of Pulp Fiction and every time I watch it I notice something new and never tire of its perfection, it’s an absolute classic and a film that will surely hold its place in the IMDb250 top 10 for years to come.

No. 172 – The Night of the Hunter (1955) – Rating 8.1

This is Robert Mitchum’s film from his first appearance to the last and it’s easily one of the creepiest from the IMDb list, whether it’s his story of Love and Hate or his spine tingling song he sings nothing is more menacing and it makes it one of the most distinctive and unforgettable movies I’ve seen.

The film has a simple plot about a father called Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who is arrested after robbing a bank and killing two people but as he is about to be taken by the police he hides the money in his little girl’s doll and tells both his daughter and his older son to not tell anyone where it’s hidden.

The kids manage to keep their mouths shut but their father does not keep all his secrets safe and the person he tells of the money is his cell mate Harry Powell (Mitchum), a man of god who wears his suit with class and whose deep voice reflects a decent and good guy but with tattoo’s of LOVE and HATE on his knuckles and the dead look in his eyes as he preaches it tells a different story. Powell learns from Harper about the money, the place he lived but not its location so when Powell completes his time in prison he heads towards the money and ends up marrying the Harper’s wife (Shelley Winters) to get closer to the kids as he learns they know the money’s location.

Powell progresses his boogie-man statue by murdering his new wife leaving nothing between him and the kids who flee in a boat down a river in a truly visual nightmarish scene with Powell pursuing on foot casually singing his theme tune hymn that freaks me out. The kids eventually end up taking refuge in a home for abandoned children and looked after by scripture-quoting Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) where the battle of the good and evil between Harry Powell and Rachel Cooper is the essence of the film’s final third and the climax to Powell’s stalking of the children.

The Night of the Hunter is a great film and for such a simple story its incredibly unique and beautiful at the perfect moments especially when it’s at its most terrifying. Robert Mitchum gives one of my favorite performances from the project so far and even comes close to being one of my favourite screen villains of all time too. The cinematography is utter class with shots of shadows lurking from darkness producing some of the films greatest shots that have been copied to death in endless horror films since. The Night of the Hunter is a truly wonderful experience that really surprised me, I never expected a film like it or expected such a career defining performance from Mitchum and it’s one of those times that I’m so glad i’m doing IMDb250 project so that i get to see films I may never got round to seeing.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

This makes me angry, and I’m usually so easy going.

Pajiba cooly announced to the world that Warner Bros and ‘Mr. Producer’ Joel Silver are developing a big screen version of Miguel Cervantes literary quagmire of a novel, Don Quixote, and they are doing so with words such as ‘swashbuckling’, ‘tentpole’ and ‘blockbuster’ firmly in mind.

They also claim that the intention is to make the world as seen through the eyes of Don Quixote the actual world of the film. In other words, they’ll rip the beating heart out of the book and serve it up on a CG platter with windmills morphing into giants, Angelina Jolie as Dulcinea and Chris Rock as the voice of Rocinante.

I was nicely surprised with what Silver and Warners did with Sherlock Holmes, though it faded from memory the second I walked out the screening,  it was diverting, and yet I can’t see how you’ll get anything other than the basest, superficial rendering of the mistaken chivalry and epic misguidance of Cervantes delusional then melancholic knight with this premise.

You may remember the struggle Terry Gilliam had in making his own take on the story, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, documented in Lost in La Mancha, the wonderful and depressing film of the erosion of Gilliam’s film as natural disasters and injured actors conspired to shut down the 2000 production. Now that production has begun again on Gilliam’s vision of Quixote, with an all new cast (including Robert Duvall and Ewan McGregor) what effect will Warner’s apparently populist production have?

Put it in context it’s as if George Lucas put out Indiana Jones and the Totalitarian Dystopia instead of Temple of Doom in ’84.

Gilliam’s take on Quixote will undoubtedly have far more to entertain than any generic take on the epic novel, but put up against the wall with a Pirates of the Caribbeanesque bombastic romp and you can guess which one will be run through with a lance first.

Whatever next? War and Peace as a romantic comedy?

Like I said. Angry.