Here it is at last: the last Heath Ledger performance that the world will ever see.

This performance is encased within a meticulous and frantic dream world, cobbled together by the half-mad Terry Gilliam and complemented by the addition of three generous performers who stepped in after Ledger’s death. For fans of Gilliam, the movie is a delightful and often sublime return to form. For fans of Ledger, there may be some disappointment.

Heath’s character Tony is more of a secondary player and for the sequences taking place within the titular Imaginarium, he is portrayed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. Depp does the least speaking but looks most like Heath, Law’s is the most sympathetic and multi-layered, and Farrell hits most closely to what I think Gilliam was going for with Tony. And what of Ledger himself? He’s good for sure — one of the many ‘what ifs’ of Parnassus is what the film would have looked like if Ledger had been Tony for the duration. My suspicion is that it would have only improved things and added a unifying thread that the movie doesn’t quite have right now.

With that out of the way, though, let me say that The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a welcome surprise from Gilliam, who has long been one of my favorite directors, languishing amidst the zaniness and difficulty of his own projects. The last great movie he made was 1995′s Twelve Monkeys. Parnassus is no Monkeys, but it has that same delicious sense of the surreal, the absurd and the mythic with forlorn dreamers struggling against the grain and grit of the all-too-real mundane world.

Dr. Parnassus, played to obstinate, irritable perfection by Christopher Plummer, was once a monk who now wanders the Earth in his painful immortality due to a bargain he made with the Devil (Tom Waits) centuries ago. In the shabby backstreets of London, he and his entourage run a smoke and mirrors production referred to as The Imaginarium. Parnassus’ secret is that behind the dime store mirror is a world where the subject’s innermost fantasies are tweaked and twisted by both the doctor and the Devil in a war for their souls. Parnassus’ daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) becomes the next object in the bargaining war, and  the first one to claim five souls wins Valentina’s.

Heath steadies the sequences around the Imaginarium, and the colleagues who take over for him add elements of needed humanity to the overstuffed fantasy set pieces. But on the acting front the movie is won by Plummer’s Parnassus and Tom Waits, a black-hatted, pencil-mustached Mephistopheles who looks like Ron Perlman but sounds like Dennis Leary in need of a lozenge. They are playing mythical archetypes — the wily, old man and the deceiving trickster — but inasmuch as they can, they give their parts a playful sense of camaraderie.

Lily Cole is extraordinarily beautiful and the odd juxtaposition of her childlike features and womanly body work well for Valentina’s character. Her acting is good too and the chemistry she shares with Andrew Garfield as Anton lends her spot in the picture a sweet romantic light that doesn’t shine anywhere else. Verne Troyer has been given that thankless job of the little person in a Gilliam film (Percy) but he doesn’t play it that way. Instead, he’s Parnassus’ conscience, and rises to the fore in scenes with Plummer, which isn’t an easy thing to do.

The script is a strange nuts-and-bolts concoction that never feels completely thought-out at the story level, but has a certain rightness as a fantastic fable. Gilliam, for whom narrative cohesion is usually an albatross around the neck, sticks to the tale as much as he needs to and uses the Imaginarium as his outlet.  Jellyfish lift people out of the air and into a hovering, phosphorescent world, while children wander off across ephemeral vistas that look like Candyland, constructed by Salvador Dali. The moving parts of this vast dream world are mostly CGI, and Gilliam has yet to comfortably nail that technology, but his fierce imagination wins the day.

In the end, Dr. Parnassus is another odd love letter to the power of storytelling as viewed through Gilliam’s off-kilter lens. I fancy he sees a lot of himself there within Parnassus, the old man who wants the whole world to dream with him and keeps being disappointed by the demanding reality of life that nibbles the edges off his enchantment. When he pulled Ledger in to help him realize his vision, he couldn’t have imagined how the path would end. But here we are, and this Imaginarium is one that both Gilliam and Ledger may be quite proud of.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

While his performance in The Dark Knight earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar, it won’t have the distinction of being the last movie to star the late actor.

On December 25th, audiences will be able to see Ledger on screen one last time in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Ledger’s death came during the filming of the movie, and caused production on the film to be temporarily put on hold.

At the recent premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Ledger was lauded by the film’s director, Terry Gilliam, who addressed going forward with the movie without Ledger’s presence.

Gilliam’s interview speaks very openly about the impact of Ledger on the cast and crew, and speaks highly of the actor saying, “We weren’t going to let Heath’s last work just disappear.”

And thank goodness for that.

To hear more of what Gilliam had to say about Ledger and the film, watch the video below.

Director Terry Gilliam’s latest feature from Sony Pictures Classic comes a mysterious yet mystical tale known as The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Starring the late Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, this story is about a traveling theater company that goes through parrallel worlds in order to rescue the doctor’s daughter. Here is the US theatrical trailer below, set to come out this Christmas Day in limited theaters:

This past week, I revisited the Back to the Future trilogy, directed by Robert Zemeckis. These films essentially laid the groundwork for Michael J. Fox’s career — the man is synonymous with Marty McFly. The movies are a mad dash, guaranteed to raise your stress level and blood pressure no matter how many times you see them. I swear, I always think Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty are going to miss their one lighting quick chance to send Marty back to the future in the first film, despite watching it happen probably hundreds of times.

They got me thinking though — do we have any young actors like Fox in these films, frantic but cool, likeable but authoritative? Do any young guys have a role that’s so synonymous with their name that they’ll never be able to part from it?

Shia LeBeouf, for example, is probably most closely associated with the Transformers movies. As Sam Witwicky, he has the Spielbergian frantic nature of the young male role down pat. He’s aloof and certainly likeable (perhaps diminished by his off-screen personality, in some people’s opinions). But I never felt while watching those films that he was supposed to be anything but “cool.” Marty McFly was cool, but also in over his head, naive and fairly stupid. LeBeouf actually probably comes closer to resembling this in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a role that he was pretty hated for.

It seems that Hollywood has been unable to tether young actors to blockbuster roles the way Fox has forever been tied to McFly. Heath Ledger will obviously be legendary for his work as The Joker, but he was approaching his thirties, and certainly The Joker wasn’t a hero. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, despite turning in stunningly great performances, doesn’t conjure up a particular name other than his own.

Daniel Radcliffe is the only actor, in my mind, who has achieved this — he is the face of the Harry Potter franchise, and likely always will be. Perhaps Robert Pattinson in Twilight, as much as it hurts me to say, embodies this as well? Michael Cera still has a chance, as does Emile Hirsch, to become the face of a series or franchise that a generation can connect to.

Two notes before I’m out of here — first, this isn’t to say that young actors aren’t turning in good work. In fact, I’d argue that the shift from big blockbuster roles to more sophisticated character pieces is a great thing that’s happened. I’d much rather see Emile Hirsch turn in a wonderful performance in Milk than another Speed Racer, and Gordon-Levitt’s (500) Days of Summer was as relatable to me as a young man as any big blockbuster could hope to be.

Second: I’m not excluding female actors for any reason other than I intend to write more about their presence in big Hollywood films in the future. That, and I think the male dominance in pop culture-accessible roles like Marty McFly in Back to the Future has shifted to a female dominance in a big, big way.

Till next time, folks.

(Author’s note: I apologize for getting this now. When I took off I had yet to charge my battery and arrived in too late and exhausted. Anyone who just doesn’t read about Comic Con and actually goes to the event knows what I’m speaking of.)

RECAP – Terry Gilliam caps off the panel by showing a first ever trailer of the film. Impressions are fairly good, although like Terry said they’re the boring parts. However, it’s gorgeous to look at and just goes to further the epic vision Gilliam has. I’m not sure if this being Heath’s last film will help or hurt (in the sense all the attention will be focused on him, not the film. Even Gilliam had to address that.) Overall though, what we see is a traditional trailer that gives us a look to what’s in store. In a word? Pedestrian. Very gorgeous pedestrian though.

5:20 PM PST – Ok, that’s the dumbest question of the day. “Did you have to approach anyone to be in your movie?” Even Gilliam gave a “What the hell?” response.

5:19 PM PST – Everyone kisses Gilliams ass at the mic. Then this guy asks Gilliam what he would have done different with the first HARRY POTTER.

5:17 PM PST – Person asks about RUM DIARIES. Gilliam asks what’s wrong with him, and then person cites fighting TWILIGHT fans.

5:16 PM PST – Gilliam sees world in his films as normal, calling them documentaries.

5:15 PM PST – Gilliam and Troyer lament on Ledger’s legacy.

5:14 PM PST – Idiot Question Guy comes up again and what does he ask? Give you a hint. It involves The Joker.

5:13 PM PST – Coolest Kid Ever comes up to ask a question again. He’s still great, and cites Gilliam as an influence.

5:12 PM PST – Final clip shown. We get an actual look at the Imaginarum. So far, genius, visually.

5:08 PM PST – Clip of Ledger shown, just to remind us we’ve lost a true talent. Verne Troyer then comes out, and he’s shorter than I thought. Not a rip on him.

5:06 PM PST – “THE DARK KNIGHT is going to come out. Heath’s going to be the biggest star on the planet.” Yep.

5:05 PM PST – Gilliam takes a nice stab at Blair and Bush. Brilliant.

5:03 PM PST – Anders Wright Quote of the Panel “That’s some good looking boring bits.”

5:02 PM PST – As visual as it was, Terry Gilliam wasn’t lying.

4:59 PM PST – Clip is about to be shown. Gilliam addresses Ledger and informs that the film is about Parnassus.

4:57 PM PST – Terry Gilliam promises to show us all the boring bits.

4:56 PM PST – First footage is shown on a reel celebrating Terry Gilliam. So far, so good.

Follow your nose.

Though played to mixed reviews at Cannes, Terry Gilliams’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has one thing going for it: Heath Ledger’s final performance. Sure…part of the film is faux-Ledger mixed with CGI, “movie magic” Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, but the late actor is there. Somewhere.

In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) leads a traveling theatre troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession. Members of the troupe include a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Andrew Garfield), and a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer ); Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits), who now comes to collect on the arrangement, targeting the doctor’s daughter (Lily Cole). The troupe, which is joined by a mysterious outsider named Tony (portrayed by Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell), embark through parallel worlds to rescue the girl.

Parnassus, despite the Ledger hype, is still having trouble finding a distributor for its U.S. release. See three clips below at what American audiences may be missing:

Oscars air live on February 22nd

The nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards are in and to be honest not to surprising. The group behind the noms are getting to be pretty predictable. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button brought in 13 nominations to lead all other films.

Other films such as Slumdog Millionaire, scored 10 nominations.

My personal favorite of 2008, The Dark Knight, failed to earn nominations in both the best picture and best director categories. Personally I would not think it would win because of all the old farts on the board, but the money it earned alone should of been a hint to the old fogies that someone enjoyed it.

Heath Ledger did get his Best Supporting Actor nod. If he doesn’t win, there may be a broken TV in Maryland somewhere. I would be sure to bet that he is the leading candidate for the win.

Another favorite movie of mine, GranTorino was snubbed in a few categories also.

The Oscars will be on TV February 22nd live from the Kodak Theater in a Hollywood.

Below are the nominations:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River , Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
”Down to Earth,” (WALL-E)
”Jai Ho,” (Slumdog Millionaire)
”O Saya,” (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Critic's Choose Heath as their Choice

Last night, the 14th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards aired on VH1, and it was met with tumultuous applause.  Well, at least one particular award was and I’ll give you three guesses which, but you’re only going to need one.

Of course, I’m talking about the late Heath Ledger receiving a standing ovation after the actor won the Critics’ Choice for Best Supporting Actor for his haunting and menacing work as The Joker.  Director Christopher Nolan accepted on Ledger’s behalf, once again reiterating how pleased he was to have worked with Heath and also how happy he was to bring the actor’s career-defining role to audiences and for it to receive such recognition.

But that wasn’t the first time Nolan took the stage last night, as “The Dark Knight” also took home the award for Best Action Film.  This may mark the beginning of a swift Awards journey for the box office behemoth, as it’s already been nominated by the WGA and DGA for more awards as well as another nomination for Heath at the Golden Globes; nods for Oscars seem inevitable now.

Critics also chose winners just as worthy in the remaining categories, including Sean Penn as Best Actor, Danny Boyle as Best Director and Kate Winslet as Best Supporting Actress.  Below is a complete list of the winners:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress was a TIE! : Meryl Streep, Doubt and Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Acting Ensemble: Milk

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Writer: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Feature: WALL-E

Best Young Actor/Actress (under 21): Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Action Movie: The Dark Knight

Best Comedy: Tropic Thunder

Best Picture Made For Television: John Adams

Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir

Best Documentary Feature: Man On Wire

Best Song: The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen for The Wrestler

Best Composer: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

So, do you agree or disagree with the critics?  Let us know!