The Brothers Grimm (by Terry Gilliam)

So, I thought to myself, Gilliam—that lucid cinematic charmer—actually gets a chance to make something decent once in a while. Why not head out and see what he’s cooked up lately? Uh, there would be plenty on that list, so maybe better to just get into why one should actually go...

Two brothers, Jacob and William Grimm, spend their time making a buck off the superstitions of the common folk, all while jotting down those fantastic tales they’re supposedly experts in—stories of good and evil doom. But during one of their travels, they end up becoming part of a story where all those motifs we grew up with through their magical tales start intertwining. It’s actually quite interesting how Gilliam managed to stitch together a coherent whole; it loses its thread and concept at times, sure, but hey, it's fantasy, so anything goes. Traveling through a world built like this becomes a stylistic adventure with a few decent bits where laughter and fear swap places effectively, if predictably. Add to that a certain lack of charisma from the two leads, and you've got an interesting afternoon at the theater that you'll likely forget in less than 24 hours. I have to point out Peter Stormare's performance as the Italian officer; it was quite good. But when directors start pushing their own kids into their movies, you know the film is in trouble.

A lot of people on IMDb compare this movie to Sleepy Hollow, and they're right—SH was done much, MUCH better, with a far better sense of rhythm and storytelling. I expected a little more from Gilliam, honestly.

Rating: ** of *****.

I feel like we’ve already touched on this movie somewhere... 😁
That PG-13 rating was a bit of a letdown for me. But hey—it's Gilliam's baby, so I guess I'll give him a pass...
The original fairy tales (which the Brothers Grimm mostly just made up or "borrowed" from those French refugees) were honestly pretty gruesome.
If Gilliam had actually stuck to that source material, nobody under 17 would have even been allowed to see it. And man, I was really hoping for that... 😢

I think I'll go check it out... UCLA is handling the distribution, and their site makes it look like it's dropping any day now...

I'm just crossing my fingers they don't butcher half the movie on the DVD like they did with Cursed... 🙄

I feel like we’ve already touched on this movie somewhere else.

Maybe... but my point is, I actually watched the film myself 😉 😳

Gerald Barrett25 said:A lot of folks on IMDb are comparing this movie to Sleepy Hollow, and I mean, they aren't wrong... Sleepy Hollow was just done SO much better. It actually had a sense of rhythm and a coherent story.

But wait, wasn't the plot and the narrative pacing actually the worst parts of SH?

Anyway, I'm watching this regardless of how bad the hype was surrounding the film.

I guess I'm just a sucker for these kinds of stylistic indulgences. 😎

quietdriver3 said:Weren't the plot and narrative pacing actually the worst parts of SHa?

That really makes you wonder just how bad the storytelling is in the works of the Grimm Bros, doesn't it?😬

As you pointed out, the film is bound to be a stylistic indulgence—plenty of flair, but remarkably little substance. At this point, whether I actually enjoy movies like this depends entirely on whether I find the specific aesthetic they're pushing appealing; if I'm looking for deep plots or complex characters, I might as well forget it. I enjoy Sky Captain and Sleepy Hollow not because the writing is anything special, but simply because they lean into visual styles that happen to resonate with me.

I suppose we'll see what the consensus is here once the reviews roll in. For now, my primary motivation for checking this out is basically just this:link na veliku sliku . 🙂

casualotter21 said:I don't really care if the plot is amazing or whatever... I dig Sky Captain and Sleepy Hollow mostly because they lean into those specific aesthetics I'm into.

yeah, exactly 👍 👍

I mean, as long as a movie manages to capture that vibe from Gilliam's earlier "living nightmares," I guess I'm pretty happy with that. 🙂

Sandra King86 said:I feel like we’ve already touched on this movie somewhere else. 😁
Honestly, that PG-13 rating bummed me out—I was hoping for more—but hey, since it’s a Gilliam baby, I guess I'll give it a shot.
Those original fairy tales (which the Brothers Grimm basically made up or "borrowed" from those French refugees) are straight-up terrifying.
If Gilliam had actually stuck to that raw material, nobody younger than 17 would even be allowed to see it! And man, was I hoping for that vibe. 😢

Did you ever catch that old Simpsons short—you know, back when they were just shorts before becoming a massive show—where Marge sings that rock-a-bye baby song?
Rock-a-by baby upon the treetop
Maggie in her cradle at the top of the tree
When The Wind Blows The cradle will rock
The wind shakes the cradle
When the bough breaks The cradle will fall
The branch snaps
Down comes the cradle with baby and all.
Maggie falls right along with the cradle...

Seriously though, nursery rhymes are low-key horror movies...

Brian Moore67 said:Did you ever catch that old Simpson's short—back when they were just shorts before the actual show started—where Marge sings that rock-a-by baby song?
Rock-a-by baby upon the tree top
Maggie's in her crib at the top of the tree
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
the wind shakes the cradle
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall
the branch snaps
Down comes the cradle with baby and all.
Maggie goes down right along with the crib..

Those nursery rhymes are low-key horror...

Just like those classic fairy tales 🤣

Gerald Barrett25 said:Oh, man, I was just thinking—Gilliam really is something else. That guy is such a brilliant, lucid cinematic charmer.

😂

Man... it didn't exactly turn out how I wanted to portray the guy... and honestly, I used to have a lot of respect for the artist... but then I watched that documentary about the disaster during the filming of Don Quixote and now I'm just 🙏 ... plus, I kind of convinced myself I actually knew the man. So... yeah, gotta calm down 😉

Gerald Barrett25 said:Man... I totally misjudged the guy. I actually used to be a big fan of his work, but after watching that documentary about how the filming of Don Quixote fell apart, I've become 🙏 ... and honestly, I thought I knew him better than I did. So... yeah, calm down. 😉

Exactly 🙏🙏 ...
I don't get why people even compare Gilliam to Burton. It’s not like he’s some rookie without a track record. 😕

Phil sat gathering dust on Miramax's shelves for about three whole years before they finally deigned to give it a theatrical release (and that was right when Miramax was practically a ghost of its former self 🙄)

As things stand, I think Gilliam might actually snatch the title of the film industry's biggest tragic hero away from Coppola. I see he's already lamenting the fact that nobody is willing to bankroll his take on Good Omens.
The guy is just incredibly childish and prone to tantrums—his own words, not mine—which doesn't exactly fly in today's corporate, rule-following Hollywood landscape.
It's such a shame.

Jose Miller17 said:I honestly can't help but wonder how on earth Gilliam ended up being constantly lumped in with Burton...

John Depp?

I can't help but notice that slight French accent coming through!

If this movie manages to nail an atmosphere even half as good as my favorite, Brazil, then we're in for a treat.

Richard Hernandez13 said:Looks like Gilliam is officially overtaking Coppola as the film industry's biggest tragic hero. I see he's already whining about how nobody wants to fund his projects anymore. Good Omens.
Tim is incredibly childish and petulant—his own words—and that kind of attitude just doesn't fly in today's rule-following corporate Hollywood.
What a shame.

Honestly, if anyone actually has the chops to adapt Dan Brown, it’s Terry Gilliam.
So you're talking about John Depp? Honestly, at this point, you probably wouldn't even recognize the guy from Loathing if you saw him walking down the street.😁

I mean, I don't get how anyone could actually compare Gilliam to Burton...

I never really saw them as being compared. It’s more just that this movie shares that same atmospheric, fairy-tale vibe you find in Sleepy Hollow. Maybe the main difference is that Sleepy Hollow is a bit darker, more mysterious, whereas Grimm Bros. leans harder into the FX. And obviously, there's the whole thing where Ledger and Damon aren't even in the same league as Depp, but that's a whole different conversation.

Gerald Barrett25 said:I don't think anyone's actually comparing them. It’s just that this movie captures a similar vibe and fairy-tale feel to Sleepy Hollow; maybe the difference is that Sleepy is a bit darker and more mysterious, while Grimm Bros. relies more on FX. And obviously, Ledger and Damon aren't even in the same league as Depp, but that's a whole other conversation.

Honestly, I'm just glad we didn't get stuck with an AFI award in the mix...
It's been seven years since Gilliam has put out anything, so I'll watch it even if it turns out to be a total disaster...😁

milk said:Honestly... if there is anyone out there actually capable of bringing a quite surrealist author like Pratchett to the big screen, it’s gotta be Terry Gilliam...
...Are you talking about Johnny Depp? ...Though I honestly don't think you could even recognize the guy from 'Loathing' anymore if you saw him today..😁

I'd say he's more than recognizable, especially considering how he absolutely channeled his inner Hunter S. Thompson just a few days ago. 🤣

newcomer said:... and then I watched that documentary about the absolute disaster of filming Don Quixote and I became 🙏 ...

Honestly, that stands as one of the most incredible documentaries ever made about the filmmaking process... truly, hands down.
... I mean, can you imagine the sheer chaos? They start out trying to get things moving, only to realize they've set up shop right next to a massive military base where fighter jets are constantly screaming overhead 😂