[Ghoulish Delight]

Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a phenomenal movie. Man it's good to see Gilliam return to form. He's still on about the same stuff; good and evil, the power of the narrative, the contentious line between entertainment and enlightenment, and the loss of childhood innocence (the last theme magnified here owing no doubt to the fact that this was a daddy-daughter production).

Like all Gilliam films, it once again suffers from a lack of cohesion in production value. I still adore his sense of style, but without fail he seems to over estimate his abilities to fully integrate the full variety of visual effects he tries to use. It's not that any one particular element is bad, but there are just a few points here and there that feel out of place and less polished/skillfully executed, setting them apart from an otherwise visually stunning experience.

Fortunately, like Time Bandits and Brazil and Munchausen, as long as you're on board the overall visual package and the strength of the narrative, those fleeting moments of chintz are easy to forgive.

And, to fulfill the unwritten contractual obligation entered into by anyone giving their opinion of this movie, I must of course make mention of one particular member of the cast....Verne Troyer is a horrible actor.