BuzzSugar

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus: A Little Too Crazy

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:30:43 PST

Not to be confused with that movie starring Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium), The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is perhaps best known as late actor Heath Ledger’s final role.

You may recall that his death occurred during production, in which case Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law stepped in to finish his role. The good news is that the transition from actor to actor is virtually seamless and works within the story’s construction perfectly.

The bad news? The film is still a bit of an all-over-the-map mess. To hear why, just

read more. The movie follows Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), an immortal man who runs a circus-style sideshow where he invites people into his imagination via a mirror. Once there, the participants must make a choice - will they side with the devil-like Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), or are they good at heart and will therefore align with Dr. Parnassus? Dr. P. struck a deal with Mr. Nick years ago that he would hand over his child Valentina (Lily Cole) once she reached her 16th birthday. Now days away, Nick shows up to collect with a proposition - if Parnassus can save five souls from his evil grasp (inside of Parnassus's imagination, naturally), then the doc can keep Valentina. With a stroke of good luck, Parnassus crosses paths with Tony (Heath Ledger), a former businessman with the gift of persuasion. If all of this sounds confusing, it’s because it is. Imaginarium is positioned as a morality tale, drawing connections to Parnassus as a god who allows free will, but what's the message? The story seems so concerned with being kooky and approaching larger, ambitious themes that it never grounds itself long enough to reach any "aha!" moment. There are still a few bright spots. Tom Waits is particularly charming as a rascally, mustached Mr. Nick, and Andrew Garfield (as a young man pining for Valentina) has an on-screen charisma that makes him a promising new face to watch. I even appreciated much of the over-the-top surrealist scenery, which shouldn't be surprising given director Terry Gilliam's unique brand of whimsy (the imagery mimics Monty Python in several instances). You can't blame the guy for having creativity; I just wish that Gilliam used a little more restraint here instead of working himself into a fantasy frenzy. The mumbo-jumbo overshadows even Ledger's performance, which could have been great if given some clearer development. Instead, I was left wishing that his brilliant turn in The Dark Knight had been the actor's swan song.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in community. I may even feature your critique on the site! Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Johnny Depp Steps Out to Appreciate Art

Molly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST

Johnny Depp has been laying low as usual recently, but he smiled and posed at Frank Pictures Gallery where the work of artists Kellisimone Waits and Tiffany Trenda was being shown in Santa Monica on Sunday. Kellisimone's father, Tom Waits, is a friend of Johnny's and a costar in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Johnny hit the stage to accept an award and hand one out to Keith Richards at last month's Scream Awards, but otherwise Depp's been hard at work on a handful of movies including the anticipated Alice in Wonderland - check out the awesome new poster for it here! He's also rumored to be taking on a new role in The Tourist that comes with a sexy costar, Angelina Jolie. No matter what Johnny's up to, he always keeps it interesting from his movie choices to his signature style.

View 5 Photos ›

Getting Into: Tom Waits

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:00:13 PDT

With Scarlett Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head hitting stores today, some folks may be wondering: Who's this Tom Waits character, and why would someone like ScarJo want to cover a bunch of his songs?

Waits is one of the great American songwriters, but several of his best-known songs became famous only once covered by someone else. He penned "Downtown Train," but that song will forever be associated with Rod Stewart; same goes for "Jersey Girl" and Bruce Springsteen. Yet Waits is a distinctive (if quirky) singer in his own right, performing some of his songs in little more than a growl but occasionally revealing a tender side to his voice as well. He's prolific, and his catalog of 20 albums might seem daunting, so in this edition of Getting Into, I wanted to suggest some ways to get acquainted with Waits without feeling overwhelmed. Here's my guide:

Beginner: Mule Variations and The Heart of Saturday Night
Mule Variations was the first Waits album I owned, so I can vouch for its effectiveness at getting a new listener intrigued in his music. What's great about this 1999 recording (which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album) is that it contains within its 16 tracks a big portion of the Waits spectrum. There's the sweet and tender ("Hold On"), the rockin' ("Big in Japan"), the growly ("Filipino Box Spring Hog") and the goofy ("Chocolate Jesus"). If you can find even one song to like, chances are you'll like other Waits material, too. The Heart of Saturday Night feels very different (for one thing, it's from 25 years earlier, so Waits' voice sounds significantly smoother), but it's a great showcase for Waits' songwriting, perfectly capturing the emotion of a jazzy Saturday night out on the town . . . followed by several long, lonely hours at a dive bar and a sad breakfast at a local greasy spoon.

For my intermediate and advanced selections, just

read more. Intermediate: Rain Dogs, Small Change, and Bone Machine Rain Dogs is one of the best-known Waits albums. Like Mule Variations, it covers a wide range of styles, from ballads to country music to straight-up pop - and there's even a polka! The 1985 album includes Waits' "Downtown Train," which Rod Stewart would later make into a top-10 hit; it also has "Anywhere I Lay My Head," the song from which Scarlett's album takes its name. Small Change again goes back to the jazzier feel of the early Waits era and has some of the funniest songs that may have ever been written about a drinking problem ("The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)"). And I recommend Bone Machine here largely because at this point, you'll be able to appreciate the hilarity of Waits' scratchy voice singing "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," which the Ramones later made famous. Advanced: Waits' soundtrack albums, including One from the Heart, Night on Earth, and Alice; Orphans One of the most intriguing things about Waits is his film work: He's appeared in several films by director Jim Jarmusch and written the soundtrack for another: Night on Earth. I've always been intrigued - and a little spooked - by Alice, a recording of songs Waits wrote as an opera inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And Orphans, the newest release, is three discs of collected songs that never found a home on any of Waits' other projects. Source

WTF?!

GiggleSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Gravelly-voiced eccentric Tom Waits (you know, the guy whose music Scarlett Johansson covered?) is embarking on his "Glitter and Doom" summer tour and decided to release a vid of his nutso press conference onto an unsuspecting public. Lord, I love the crazies! Be sure to watch until the end. . .

Buzz News Roundup, 5/5

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:33:13 PDT

According to Variety, the next Terminator movie will attempt to broaden its audience with a PG-13 rating.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has signed a huge deal with Fox that makes him the highest-paid writer-producer in television, Reuters reports.
Tom Waits has announced Summer tour dates via a bizarre faux press conference, Billboard reports.
The Hollywood Reporter has the mind-boggling news that Tristan Wilds (Michael from The Wire) is joining the cast of the 90210 spinoff. Another actor, Michael Steger, has also been cast.

Meanwhile, TV Guide has news that Brea Grant, who played Landry's rebound girl on Friday Night Lights, has been cast as a Heroes character with the power of superspeed.
Amy Winehouse won't be recording the new Bond movie theme after all, writes Variety.
Billboard announces that Nine Inch Nails is offering a free download of its new album, The Slip.

Source

Check Out More of Scarlett's Tom Waits Covers

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:30:03 PDT

The first track from Anywhere I Lay My Head, Scarlett Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers, gave us a pretty good indication of where the album might be headed: thick, fuzzy production, androgynous vocals, and some pretty drastic reinterpretations of Waits' songs. Now, six full tracks from the album are streaming online, and sure enough, they all have a similar vibe.

Those of you who thought the vocals on "Anywhere I Lay My Head" sounded manly will have a field day with "Town With No Cheer," on which Scarlett's voice sounds flat and almost spooky. The title track still seems like the most dramatic makeover of a Waits song, and thus far, my favorite is the first single, "Falling Down," which has backing vocals courtesy of David Bowie (who also contributes on another of the streaming tracks, "Fannin Street").

Having heard more of the songs, I'm still not positive I'd buy the album, but the result is nothing like the disaster I imagined way back when I first heard ScarJo had her eye on Waits' catalog. How about you? To listen to Scarlett's version of "Falling Down" along with a live version of Waits singing his original, just

read more. Tom Waits - "Falling Down" (Live): Source

First Listen: Scarlett Johansson, "Anywhere I Lay My Head"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:28:16 PDT

It's been a long wait for ScarJo's album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head and we still have until May 20 for the full album, but today we can at least hear the title track. Apparently, the album's producer Dave Sitek was "going for a 'cough medicine/Tinkerbell' vibe" on the album, which it actually helps to know when listening to "Anywhere."

The song has a dreamy/hazy thing going on, with lots of synth. Scarlett's low voice gets somewhat lost in all the percussive stuff, and I could probably do without the drum machine. Something about this reminds me of Annie Lennox, though I wish Scarlett's vocals would take on some more of Lennox's emotion. Overall, though, I give Scarlett a lot of credit for transforming Waits' song into something totally novel.

Update: Sadly, I had to take down the music file for "Anywhere I Lay My Head."

Buzz News Roundup, 1/25

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:33:06 PST

Stephen Colbert's WristStrong bracelets have raised more than $170,000 for charity, the Associated Press reports.
In Sundance deal news, the well-received comedy Baghead has been bought by Sony Pictures Classics, Variety reports.
Lionsgate and Marvel have struck deals with the striking WGA that will let union writers work on their projects, USA Today reports.
After completing Revolutionary Road, director Sam Mendes will get to work on an untitled comedy written by David Eggers and Vendela Vida, reports Zap2It.

Shout Factory has gotten the rights to release every episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on DVD, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Scarlett Johansson's album of songs written by Tom Waits will be released May 20, writes E! Online.
Lance Reddick of The Wire has been cast on the new JJ Abrams show Fringe, as has John Noble of The Lord of the Rings movies, TV Guide reports.
Variety has news that The Color Purple will end its run on Broadway February 24. Meanwhile, Reuters writes that Phantom of the Opera will mark its 20-year anniversary on Broadway this weekend.
NBC is all about competing parents this spring, scheduling the reality show My Dad is Better Than Your Dad and searching for America's Favorite Mom; details on both are at The Futon Critic.

Source

Scarlett Johansson's Album Might Actually Be Good

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:03:58 PDT

When I first heard that Scarlett Johansson was recording an album of Tom Waits covers, I didn't quite know what to think. Sure, she proved she could sing when she joined Jesus and Mary Chain onstage at Coachella, but Waits's music seemed like an odd - and challenging - choice for the actress.

Now, Pitchfork has revealed some new details about the album, and it actually sounds quite promising. It's being produced by David Sitek of TV on the Radio - a band that knows a thing or two about production - and will feature members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's been recording in Louisiana, according to the Daily Advertiser newspaper in Lafayette, which reports:

Wal-Mart, margaritas and music was the life for Johansson, who spent 33 days in Maurice recording her debut CD at Dockside Studio. Owned by Steve and Wish Nails, Dockside is a 12-acre recording complex hidden along the Vermilion River. ...

Johansson, star of The Horse Whisperer, Girl with a Pearl Earring and other films, worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily in the studio with producer Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration also performed on the recordings, which Steve Nails describes as cinematic rock.

"It's like theater, big screen," said Nails, who sat in on all the sessions. "Lots of heavy bass tones in it."

Wow, apparently Scarlett is even hipper than I thought. What do you guys think? Would you buy her album?

Source

Link Time! 5/1

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:10:53 PDT

FitSugar's getting into the swing of things with these socks that look like they could give Spider-Man a run for his money.
The TV Addict offers his take on more than 50 of this season's TV finales.
Tom Waits tops Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily's list of the 25 most underappreciated artists.
TV Filter pays its respects to recently deceased character actor Dabbs Greer.
Harry Potter's Emma Watson apparently said that playing an American high schooler would be her "worst nightmare," Cinematical tells us.
Stereogum gum gives us a brand spanking new Interpol song.
If laughing at "The Bachelor" from afar isn't enough for you, TV with MeeVee has the scoop on how to apply for a spot on the show.
Film Experience picks apart a candid on-set photo from Australia, the upcoming Baz Luhrmann/Nicole Kidman project.
Pop Candy makes me happy with a podcast about Sassy magazine.
TV Squad laments the sad, cancellation-happy state of Fox.