The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

As with many a Terry Gilliam film, this one is an instant cult film. We all know it starred Heath Ledger (RIP) in his last role, but this isn't the only reason to see it.

The Imaginarium is a deftly told story of a deal between a man (Christopher Plummer) and the Devil (Tom Waits-expertly cast). Originally written as a full part for Heath, the script had to be amended and clearly not wishing to fail to finish another film (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote), Gilliam cast Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law to fill in and they did it with individual style.

Also introducing rising stars such as Andrew Garfield (in the new Spiderman) and Lily Cole (Supermodel), The Imagiarium of Dr Parnassus is a film of such Dali-esque invention as to entice and amaze in equal measure.

I Liked it.

Budget: $30,000,000

Gross: $60,325,930

Fun Fact: As with most Gilliam films, his imagination and style often conflict with the filmic powers that be, that being said, the US was the last region to release the film, after FOX declined and Sony accepted.

The Stuff

The Stuff, what is it?

Well, it's a bit like the guey stuff in Ben and Jerry's Phish Food Ice Cream, except in this flick, it's kinda alive and takes over ya brain and makes ya a zombie thing, kinda. It's pretty good actually, a statement on consumerism and things, bit like a cheap Day of the dead.

Budget: $1,700,000

Fun Facts: The bedroom scene is shot in the same room as in Nightmare on Elm Street and there's a blink and you miss it moment for Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino.

Eagle vs Shark

Starring from Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, this is a 2007, Kiwi comedy that revels in the geeky and the ridiculous.

Plot: A geeky girl-Lily with a huge heart, falls for a geeky guy-Jarrod, but he thinks he's well cool and stuff and thinks he's better than her. So they go to a party, have sex and then she travels back home with him to face the bully that tortured him as a child.

There's a lot to be said for this film, it feels and looks like Napoleon Dynamite, but in New Zealand. Funny and endearing throughout.

Gross: $1,298,037

Not so Fun Fact: The Village Voice had very few complementary things to say about this film, I can only imagine they have little to no sense of world humour.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Released in 2003 and directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi for the Toei studio, this animated feature is the perfect blend of elaborate, colourful headonism and Daft Punk (who came up with the concept).

Plot: Maniacal record producer somehow kidnaps a band of blue faced performers from a parallel universe and proceeds to make a fortune with them, but a fan in a spaceship comes to the rescue.

It's a musical, I think. I love it, but I've never had a harder time pin pointing a specific genre for a film. It's awesome and if you like Daft Punk and their music you can't fail to see and relish this film.

Budget: $4,000,000

Fun Fact: Empire film magazine regarded the film as little more than cartoons for Daft Punk videos, I see their rationale, but Empire tend to talk crap most of the time, so who you gonna trust, eh?

Moon

Only released in 2009, but Moon is already widely regarded as an amazing film and staunchly in the cult genre.

Starring Sam Rockwell as a space station janitor effectively, who begins to realise that his being alone on the moon with a robot and a few videos ain't quite right.

This is a film that grips you with every aspect, especially the set design and performance in what is almost a monologue.

Budget: $5,000,000
Gross: $9,760,104

Fun Fact: Won 'Outstanding debut by a British writer/director' at the 2010 BAFTAs.

Oldboy

One of the best action films of all time!

Park Chan-wook directs a feature that continues his 'revenge-trilogy' and follows the life of Oh Dae-Su, a rather rubbish person, who is abducted and kept locked up in a hotel room for 15yrs without any knowledge of why it happened. One day, he is set loose...then the fun begins and Oh Dae-Su ain't best pleased.

Best bit to look out for? When Oh Dae-Su finds his captors and beats the hell out of 'em, awesome!!!

Gross: $14,980,005

Fun Fact: Won the 'Grand Prix' prize at Cannes film festival in 2003.

Barbarella

Jane Fonda, 1968, pre-Hanoi Jane, in skimpy outfits, on a strange planet and learning the ways of coitus...awesome!!!

The only thing that makes this film even better is the presence of John Philip Law (the best 60/70s cult actor), who's reponsible for Danger: Diabolik (to be reviewed).


Budget: $9,000,000
Gross: $613,285 (not the best receipts ever)

Fun Fact: This film produced the name that would become synonimous for 1980's music fans...Duran Duran.

Over the Top

Co-written and starring Stallone, 1987.

Plot: He's a truck driver. His rich wife is dying and he has to go get his son from military academy and take him back to see her. Problem being, her father (rich fella) don't like Sylvester and is trying to stop em' 'bonding'. So Sly loses his son, but then his son runs away to find Sly, then there's this arm wrestling competition and if Sly wins, he gets enough money to start his own trucking firm and look after his son and stuff....

Pretty awful really. Arm wrestling is fun, the rest kinda ain't. You wanna slap the kid throughout.

Budget: $15,000,000

Gross: $16,057,580

Fun Fact: Won Razzie awards for worst new actor and worst star...oh dear.

Clerks

Shot in 1994 on a budget made up entirely of credit cards (ten of em'), Kevin Smith and chums created a dialogue heavy, laugh riot of a film that led to a series of sequels and comics following the lead characters.

Plot: Randal and Dante work at the QuickStop convenience store and video rental shop in New Jersey, occupying their dull days with questions relating to the ethics of StarWars and tackling tough situations such as a dead guy in the toilet and Dante's girlfriend shaggin' him. All good, wholesome fun.

Truely a great scriptwriter, but as many have said, not so directorially minded (his shots are rather obvious), Kevin Smith created a series of stories that have inspired the amateur and wanna-be film maker many of us, as did Rodriguez and the Coens' before him.

Budget: $27,575

Gross: $3,151,130

Fun Fact: There is a Clerks II (not bad) and Kevin Smith stated there may even be a third, but it'd be when the characters are in their 40/50s.

Transylvania 6-5000

What the hell is this? you might ask. I'll tell you what it is, it's a funny, funny, odd film.

Plot: Two tabloid journalists (working for a rag that reports on Bigfoot and UFOs) are sent to Transylvania to investigate a video they have seen , that aparently depicts Frankenstein living large. Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begly Jnr arrive in a sleepy village and begin to question the residents as to the validity of the videos claims, only to receive ridicule and taunts, but they don't give up. Mad scientist, Frankenstein, Dracula, Hunchbacks and much, much more...

This is a comedy/horror...I think, I just laughed my ass off!

Look out for the musical joke on the title/Glenn Miller song.

Budget: $3,000,000

Gross: $7,196,872

Fun Fact: Carol kane (nutso hotel assistant and a ghost in Scrooged), Gena Davis (continual co-star of Goldblum) and Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller's Day off) combine to create comic wonderment.

The Crow

I think anyone that knows anything about Bruce Lee, martial arts films, and cinema in gerneral knows about this film and the tragedy that befell the star. That is to take nothing away from the feature itself.

The Crow is superb.

Having not starred in much prior to the production, you'd be forgiven for thinking Brandon Lee's casting had something to do with his late father, you'd be right, but it can't be the only thing, simply put, Brandon lee is his own star in this film.

Plot: It's Devil's Night in Detroit, that in itself means stay inside as the city burns. Eric and his girlfriend Shelly are due to marry the following night, Halloween, but a gang of thugs break into their apartment, kill Eric and rape/beat Shelly. Eric's miffed and comes back as an avenging angel, in skin tight lycra/leather to put right the wrongs. 

Budget: $15,000,000

Gross: $144,000,000

Not so Fun Fact: Brando lee was shot accidentally by a dummy bullet that had lodged in a prop gun and hit his stomach. A re-worked script and filming cost an additional $8,000,000 to the budget and weren't completed until two months after the shooting.

Fun Fact: Ernie Hudson from the Ghostbusters is in it, sweet.

Bloodsport

Oh yes! Awesome!

The 1980's were a veritable cornicopia of bad/good and somewhere inbetween, regarding martial arts films...and I'm pretty sure JCVD was in 'em all.

Bloodsport is brilliant for one thing, not one thing only, but one thing mainly...it's based on a "true story", that of Frank Dux.

Plot: Frank is like the American uber soldier, trained from a young age by a kindly old Japanese chap with some mad skillz. When he dies, Frank decides to honour him by competing in an event called Kumite, an event that is held every 5 years and that his own master won. However, the American government are worried all the additional training they put into Frank will be wasted if he gets hurt or dies, so they send two guys after him to Japan, one of em's Forrest Whitaker. Frank runs away from em', shags a reported lady and fights various folk...brilliant.

Look out for the 'Dim Mak' ('Death Touch'-very Bruce Lee-ish), you may wince when he does the full splits though...oooooeeeeee, arghhhhh.

Budget: $1,100,000

Gross: $ 11,806,119

Fun Fact: Sitting happily in Steven Jay Schneider's book "101 Action Movies You Must See Before You Die".

Kickboxer

JCVD IN DA HOUUUUUUUUUUSE!!!!

That's right fans, here we are, reviewing the one, the only, the Belgian...Jean--Claude Van Damme!

Plot: Kurt sloane (JCVD) is the fella with the towel at his brothers kickboxing matches. When they are invited to the home of said sport, Thailand, the brothers decide to take it by storm...sadly not researching too deeply regarding the opponent. Kurt's brother Eric is left paralysed by the countries champion, Tong Po...a very unlikable character indeed. So, Kurt gets miffed, hunts out a 'master' to train him, falls for a girl and gets revenge on the ugly Thai guy. Job done.

Budget: $1,500,000

Gross: $39,286,030

Fun Fact: There's a rather poor sequel (no Jean-Claude) called...can you guess?