Eventful Trip

I was, on the whole, a good trip to Jayne's.

On the way down I got (accidentally) hit on the head with a metal umbrella in ALDI! It was more of a shock than anything else, though I have had a headache for two days now...

Things went better in Sydney. I spent my $50 credit on an 800+ page biographical manga and a little book about emotions.  Oddly enough the gift certificate I used was dated exactly one year before I bought them! Then I saw the exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art - very refreshing. Had dinner on Oxford St and caught a train/bus to Jayne's.

Good to see Jayne again. I gave her my old DVD play and also my SD set top box. I set both up in the morning and was amazed at how many standard definition digital channels there are in Sydney! They're broadcasting two channels for federal parliament (test only at the moment), a teacher's channel, and something called EXPO that seems to only show infomercials.  "Ten million channels and nothin' on", as they say.

Saw The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in Liverpool on the way back home, and totally enjoyed it (though what the general public makes of it is anyone's guess). Otherwise it was a long trip home. I bought some ibuprofen at Strathfield and ended up giving most of those away to a young women at the bus stop at Glendale who was begging bus fare and had a bad toothache.

Funny sort of trip, but a good one. When I got home I fed the cats, myself, and crashed. Back to bed in a minute.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

I saw this film on the way home after a trip to Sydney. I was run-down, slightly feverish and head-achy, but none of that interfered with my enjoyment of the film.

I'd actually forgotten that the film'd been released but when I saw the choices available it was the logical choice. I missed 1 minute of the opening credits but for once that wasn't a crucial thing. This being a Terry Gilliam film, you know it's going to be a) fantastic in a classic sense, b) complicated with many red herrings and original characters, and c) something you can watch more than once.

I was not disappointed. It took a while before I followed what was happening and that's part of the charm of this film. The story (really a parable or allegory) is built up in layers and seemed to me perfectly cast (even allowing for Ledger's "ring-ins" after his untimely death). I particularly like the play between Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and Mr Nick (Tom Waits). I found it interesting to see the visual influences in this film as well. The fantasy segments all have the mark of the director's animation days with Monty Python. There's also a Harry Potter influence in that Parnassus's wagon/theatre looks like something from one of those films, and Parnassus himself reminded me strongly of a drunk Dumbledore.

But this is not a film for everyone. The ending is not a Hollywood style "happy ending" by any means, but one that reflects on the nature of life. Anyone expecting this film to be a bit of "holiday entertainment" will be sorely disappointed, as the plot is not as predictable and the clichés used in the film aren't the sort you usually see.

A top film.

SPAM COMMENTS

I just got a spam comment from dfgge. I've deleted it as SPAM, but that's the first time I've had one like that. Might have to change some setting on this journal I think.

 

Seems I'm not the only one.

World Builder

Best to watch THIS ONE on full screen: