Douglas johnson house fire man in the hat
(1/5/96)Īrbor, Highland, Lake Creek, Movies 12, Riverside, Roundrock, WestgateīALTO D: Simon Wells with the voices of Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda, Phil Collins, Bob Hoskins. It often seems as though Gilliam is the least prolific of fantastic directors working today (with the possible exception of Alejandro Jodorowsky), but once again, it was worth the wait. Recurrent flashbacks throughout the film telegraph the ending a bit too much in advance, but thatÕs a minor quibble when held up against the mirror of GilliamÕs wild, wild ride. ItÕs Hieronymous Bosch by way of Ren and Stimpy, a bogglingly eerie world where nothing is ever quite as it seems. GilliamÕs direction is, as always, a wonder to behold, cramming the screen with outlandish images simultaneously nightmarish and cartoon-like. Willis gives his best characterization to date, alternately heroic and pathetic, his doors of perception in dire need of a good greasing Stowe is equally excellent as the rational mind fighting off the dark impossibilities hurled before her.
Pitt effectively shelves the sexy bad boy image thatÕs made him a star and instead delivers a crazed, all-stops-out performance as the deranged Goines. All three leads Ð Willis, Stowe, and Pitt Ð give painstakingly nuanced, wonderfully layered performances. ColeÕs search for the mysterious 12 Monkeys takes him in and out of various stages of madness? reality? some bizarre netherworld? Gilliam keeps the audience guessing, and in doing so creates a startlingly effective rumination on the nature of sanity and madness cloaked in the shroud of a sci-fi thriller. While there, Cole meets the raving, wild-eyed Jeffrey Goines (Pitt), who helps him escape before Cole seemingly vanishes into thin air. Confined in a mental hospital that makes Bedlam look positively cheery by comparison, Cole is watched over by psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Stowe), who feels oddly drawn to this drooling, battered husk of a man. Willis is James Cole, a seemingly deranged man who may or may not be an emissary from the future sent back in time to stop a deadly plague Ð possibly created by the mythical ÒArmy of the 12 MonkeysÓ Ð that will eradicate 5 billion people in 1996. Virtually no one else could have made this film as well as he has (indeed, the thought of 12 Monkeys falling into the hands of someone like Steven Spielberg is nearly as disturbing as the movieÕs premise).
DOUGLAS JOHNSON HOUSE FIRE MAN IN THE HAT FULL
Terry Gilliam may be the most gifted cinematic surrealist since Luis Bu–uel and, while his newest film fits more squarely into the category of science fiction than that of fantasy, his quirky, disquieting, and thoroughly unique vision is on full display once again. 12 MONKEYS D: Terry Gilliam with Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, Frank Gorshin, Jon Seda.