Customer Reviews

Tideland (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This DVD has an introduction from Terry Gilliam at the beginning of the film, in it he says "I've got a confession to make, a lot of you aren't going to like this film." It's sad, but it's true, it's true because there are some very controversial scenes in the film, it's sad because a lot people won't be able to look past that, and see what a brilliant film this really is. No, these scenes don't have to be in the film, but maybe Gilliam's making a point about how we see the world; "If it's disturbing it's because it's innocent."

Tideland is the story of a little girl named Jeliza- Rose who travels to a small house in the country with her father, the film shows how she deals with her difficult life with imagination, the film's dark and disturbing, but ultimately optimistic.
There's a lot for Gilliam fans here, the camera angles, the odd fantasy elements and the strange dark humor.

This film could have been terrible if it hadn't been done properly, but the film stays interesting and gripping because of the connection Gilliam gives us to Jeliza-Rose.

I'm not here to judge, and if people don't like this film they're entitled to, but all I'm saying is give it a chance, because a fair few of you, like me, are going to love it for the beautiful film it is.

WELL, THIS'S IT, only swirled with near-psychedelic images (beautifully shot) and a bizarre, unsettling and confounding story and characters seldom seen on screen. Akin to CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, it's touching and scary at the same time. Taboos abound.

Tideland is insane. Delusional. Disturbing. Frequently dizzying. Made to be more felt than understood. It left me roiling over its strange characters, images and (maybe) hidden meanings. Shed your preconceptions and prejudices, expect to be frustrated and confused; but in the end you'll feel more stirred than shaken. It's definitely a see and re-see to be appreciated kinda movie. (And definitely a love-it or hate-it movie. Totally formula-less.)

Perhaps it meant to be so-overtly over-the-edge; maybe Genius Gilliam unleashed his visual and conceptual elegance so extravagantly to reach raw depths. Maybe he was on something; whatever, this is an Experience. Good luck.

This region 1 dvd really dropped the ball. The correct aspect ratio of the movie is 2.35:1, which is a dramatically wide picture. This dvd is 1.85:1, which has quite a bit of the picture cropped off. Nowhere on the package does it mention this, so if you're thinking you're getting to see the movie the way Gilliam intended, you are not. I can think of no reason this was done, and it is a true disservice to anyone who purchases this dvd. I hope a new edition is released in the future, but this version is a total waste of money.

Gilliam wanted this dvd released at 2.25.1 aspect ratio and instead ThinkFilm is distributing it at 1.77.1, cropping out image that Gilliam wants you to see! To make matters worse Gilliam gave them the correct aspect ratio and ThinkFilm decided to against it. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS DVD! Wait for a better edition which ThinFilm claims there will be!

The lengthy, literate review by Dein captures the real and wonderful essence of this film. While some scenes are indeed grisly, they are absolutely faithful to the novel and never overdone. And although this film and its delightful images are from Terry Gilliam's camera, the novel with its bizarre story is by Mitch Cullin, a very important young novelist. Read his recent A SLIGHT TRICK OF THE MIND for a sedate and thoughtful treatment of old age, a contrast to TIDELAND in many engrossing ways.

Terry Gilliam is best known for his acting, directing, and writing within the Monty Python troupe. Mention his name in comedic circles and instantly you'll hear titles like THE LIFE OF BRIAN and MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL or maybe even the cultish BRAZIL.

But more likely than not you've never heard of TIDELAND, which is unfortunate because it's a very good film. Not Mr. Gilliam's best directorial achievement, but certainly highly entertaining and grossly underrated. Receiving only a limited release in 2005, Tideland was quickly whisked out of theaters in favor of bigger blockbusters that held minimal substance by comparison.

What else is interesting is the perfect casting and surprising comeuppance of eleven-year-old Jodelle Ferland who appears in nearly every frame of the film. Side by side with such veterans as Jeff Bridges (THE BIG LEBOWSKI) and Jennifer Tilly (MONSTERS, INC.), Ferland's performance was hilarious, sad, and openly weird.

The story itself would've been intriguing enough, even without the great actors, in that it exposes the psyche of a young girl named Jeliza-Rose (Ferland) who must deal with the unpredictable, drug-addled behavior of her short-lived parents Queen (Tilly) and Noah (Bridges). She handles it by seeking solace in her imagination. When her mother dies, her father takes her on "an adventure" (think Alice In Wonderland) that carries her back to her father's vacant home in the middle of nowheresville. When her father decides to take a heroin "vacation", Jeliza-Rose is left on her own, playing with her bodiless dolls, finding a rabbit hole, and eventually stumbling upon a brain-damaged friend named Dickens (the PERFECTLY cast Brendan Fletcher, RV).

Finding a friend, no matter how psychologically damaged he may be, Jeliza-Rose and Dickens form an intricate if fatalistic bond. Dickens believes the trains that run near his home to be a type of "shark" that patrol the ocean-like fields of wheat that span the nearby plains. His attempts to destroy this shark are poignantly funny in that he leaves coins on the railroad tracks in an attempt to "sicken" or derail the creature. Jeliza-Rose, joining his fantasy into her own world, creates a barrier in her own mind to distance herself from death, and it is so dark and so funny that viewers will find it amazing that they're laughing at her circumstances.

Pushing boundaries is what good and great cinema is all about, and it certainly is what this film does. Tickling that dark funny bone while tugging heartstrings is probably one of the toughest things directors and actors can do, but Gilliam and his crew pulled it off without a hitch. The dark tonality of the production mixed extremely well with the comedic events that Jeliza-Rose inserts in order to protect herself.

If you're a dark comedy fan, this one is a must.

If you've read the very mixed reviews, you will know that this is something you will either love or hate. You'll either get it or you won't Absolutely no middle ground here.

Gilliam crafted a movie as eloquent and beautiful as it is bizarre and twisted. It delves into the mind of a young girl who handles a troubled - yet surprisingly love filled - upbringing with a strange grace. Well into the film, I finally understood what Gilliam was doing (I hope). This is meant to show the story from the perspective of a young girl's imagination. We see everything through her eyes and experience on an almost visceral level her interpretation of the events of her tragic life.

And as I mentioned, there's a surprising amount of love in the movie. Her drug addict loser dad (played by Jeff Bridges) showed her nothing but kindness and affection, despite his considerable defects of character and irresponsibility.

The character of Jelize-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) was brilliantly performed and directed. Young Ms. Ferland's performance was as professional and compelling as any actress could hope to deliver.

And you got a sense that no matter how weird events became, you knew that in the end all would be well. The worst of everything never seemed to touch little Jelize-Rose too deeply, and she displayed a remarkable strength and resiliency. A happy ending was guaranteed; even with the catastrophic scenario Gilliam put at the end, Jelize-Rose would be just fine.

The film is unique, and a great accomplishment. If you can get past the insanity.

Rarely has a film been able to capture that vivid imagination of the age of innocence - as seen through the eyes of Jeliza Rose (Jodelle Ferland). Caught within a twisted existence of heroin, death, and talking squirrels, Jeliza seems to be falling down a rabbit hole, to the point where reality becomes the illusion. Played on after the adventures of "Alice in Wonderland", Jeliza lives in a world of talking dolls, where death is the joke, and strange is the warm welcome to a garden of roses. To those familiar with the strange and peculiar vision of director Terry Gilliam (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil, The Fisher King, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) will at once fall in love with the humanity of this film, as it does transcend beyond mind and soul, into a realm of the unknown. Images burst off the screen, as the camera makes love to the emotion of its characters, letting a radiance of beauty shine upon the screen. Gilliam, once again, invites us to gaze through a looking glass into a world of chaos and misery. And this time, it is through the eyes of a child - the carefree drifter that once was in each of us. There's also a truly remarkable performance by Brendan Fletcher, whom I remember first having seen in Goosebump's "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp" - he surely has matured as an actor!

Terry Gilliam lets his imagination and cinematic skills run free in this amazing adaptation of Mitch Cullin's unique novel. As he says to viewers before the film starts (a la Hitchcock) you may love this film or hate it, but it will affect you and it will be hard to forget. The little girl who plays eleven year old Jelizza Rose is outstanding. Gilliam fans should enjoy this, but those who aren't especially fans will find Tideland a mesmerizing journey into the mind of a small girl as she tries to come to grip with a harsh and foreign reality.

I don't know what to think of it. Beautiful? Yes, Creative? Of course. Disturbing? You bet. Funny? Hysterically. What could be funnier that Jeff Bridgess playing aged Dude to the extreme, part II - "Duddy takes vacation to the point of no return"? Or Jennifer Tilly as a caricature of Courtney Love? Unpleasant? Very much so. Original? The director himself called his movie, "Alice in Wonderland meets Psycho" and these are just two references of many. You can name all novels, short stories or the movies about the little girls escaping their dreadful realities in the world of their imagination as well as "Wizard of Oz", Tennessee Williams' plays, Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" and one of the most stunning screen adaptations of "Alice in Wonderland", Jan Svankmajer's "Alice". Gilliam in "Tideland" borrows from them or rather meditates on the same themes, using his unique tools, and bringing his unique vision and talent in the familiar harrowing story of a child lost.

The movie is technically superb and visually arresting - it must be. If anything, Terry Gilliam is known as one of the most talented and wildly imaginative modern filmmakers, the true eccentric. He describes himself better than anyone ever would:

"There's a side of me that always fell for manic things, frenzied, cartoony performances. I always liked sideshows, freakshows. ...Absolutely grotesque, awful, tasteless. I like things to be tasteless."

I guess, whether you'd like "Tideland" or not, would depend a lot on your sharing his fondness for the things "absolutely grotesque, awful, tasteless" - there are plenty of them in "Tideland" yet strangely it is tender and sad, and in its best moments undeniably brilliant. Often called modern fairy tale for adults, the movie fits perfectly the description. Fairy tales, the unabridged versions of them are often scary, graphic, disturbing, violent, bloody, gory...and fascinating. Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson - his "Little Mermaid" is one of the saddest, even tragic tales ever written". Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, "Arabian Nights" - the real thing, not the adaptations for the children; myths and legends of ancient Greece - the myth of two brothers, Atreus and Thyestes, the story of Oedipus - that's pure horror and tragedy. Well, back to the Gilliam's fairy tale. Did I like it? I don't know. What I do know that the very last shot of the movie, the one which supposed to symbolize the happy ending, that of the girl's face from the angle that distorts her features turning the angelic face into the sinister cynical mask that could belong to the creature of the darkest nightmares and with two huge black holes of eyes is the most horrifying one in the movie which is packed with the scenes of horror. None of them is as disturbing, unsettling and memorable as this face - happy end according Terry Gilliam.