This is a Terry Gilliam film made in 1998. Terry Gilliam is en ex. Monty python, so for those familiar with that series, one can understand his background. However, what makes him different than his other mates is his unique approach to film making. Films such as Brazil, time bandits, and of course fear and loathing in Las Vegas have made him one of the auteurs of world cinema. Now I would not put him in the same class as Fellini who is the genius of them all, but TG is in the top 10 or 20 of all time.

I remembered his film fear and loathing the other day when I was writing my white rabbit piece. In that movie, you get to see the magic of Johnny Depp, another under rated actor by many, but in a class of his own, a very intriguing guy.

The junk that we have been subjected to in the last 10 years or so from the American Cinema industry has made us numb and stupid. The films they make, not all but 95 % are utterly completely stupid and meant to amuse the simple minded human. Movies are not meant for everyone, and they should be done in a special way. Movies are art.

If we look at the history of movies, we see a nice progression in the early 20th century, when films were starting in Europe mostly. You saw innovation in art, cinematography and also direction. As time moved on in this dimension, we got to a point where the mass production became the theme in food, cars, houses, and of course films. Everything has to be big, more is good, taste is not important, art is not important. The consequence was that film became a manner of making money and selling merchandise instead of art. The soul of movies have been taken away.

In the same 10 years, a movement began where independent movies came to prominence. Films such as PI for example, a magical nice movie, and slowly commercial movies began to get competition. However, it has not been enough to change my attitude about film.

I keep watching films, mostly on TV, and only get interested in renting a movie if I know the director. The director tells you all you need to know about the movie, regardless of the story. So, next time you want to see a movie, try to understand the background of the director and you might understand what I mean.