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Tideland (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:70
Fresh:19
Rotten:51
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Tideland is a disturbing, and mostly unwatchable effort from Terry Gilliam.
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: Terry Gilliam, the director of such fantasies as TIME BANDITS, BRAZIL, and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, tells a very different kind of story in TIDELAND. Based on the novel by Mitch Cullin... Terry Gilliam, the director of such fantasies as TIME BANDITS, BRAZIL, and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, tells a very different kind of story in TIDELAND. Based on the novel by Mitch Cullin and cowritten by Gilliam and Tony Grisoni, TIDELAND follows young Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland), the daughter of Noah (Jeff Bridges), an aging, drug-addicted rock-and-roller, and Queen Gunhilda (Jennifer Tilly), a mean-spirited, drug-addicted chocoholic. After her mother overdoses, Jeliza-Rose and Noah move to his mother's home in the middle of nowhere, an abandoned wreck of a house. As Noah gets lost in one of his "vacations"--his drug trips, for which his daughter prepares the speedball--Jeliza-Rose becomes friends with an emotionally and physically challenged epileptic named Dickens (Brendan Fletcher), the brother of Dell (Janet McTeer), a terrifying witchlike woman who is deathly afraid of bees and has a penchant for taxidermy. Jeliza-Rose also falls farther into her own fantastical world, particularly with her doll heads Mustique, Sateen Lips, Glitter Gal, and Baby Blonde--one of which falls down a dark and narrow rabbit hole--and a mysterious talking squirrel that is trying to tell her something important. Part PSYCHO, part ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, Gilliam's challenging film also includes an eclectic soundtrack featuring original songs such as "Wash Me in the Blood of Jesus" and "Van Gogh in Hollywood" (the latter performed by Bridges as the leader of a heavy metal band), as well as an eerie set that echoes Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World." [More]
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Jodelle Ferland, Brendan Fletcher, Jennifer Tilly
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Jodelle Ferland, Brendan Fletcher, Jennifer Tilly, Janet McTeer, Dylan Taylor, Wendy Anderson
Director: Terry Gilliam
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriter: Tony Grisoni
Producer: Jeremy Thomas, Gabriella Martinelli
Composer: Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna
Studio: ThinkFilm
Reviews for Tideland
Terry Gilliam has again stretched his craft to fashion a work of tragedy-tinged fantasy that uses the full range of dark movie making tools to great effect.
It seems, from the flat-out filmic disaster of "Tideland," that director Terry Gilliam is intent on ensuring a decisive end to his checkered filmmaking career.
Now, I like pushing boundaries as much as the next guy. When it's done well, as in say Todd Solondz' wonderfully dark Happiness, it can be searingly challenging. But in the case of Tideland it's just uncomfortable to watch.
Gilliam appears to be trying to throw us all off-guard, to make the theatergoing experience unpleasant. But in its own unlovable way, the movie is an unforgettable experience.
film stands as a metaphor testifying for the basic resiliency of the human spirit
This two-disc set is sure to keep Gilliam's few Tideland fans buzzing for some time.
This macabre fairy tale, a bizarre blend of surrealism and eccentricities, might be best described as a kinky cross of Psycho and Alice in Wonderland.
Never quite coheres . . . But Gilliam has still made an admirable--and, at times, daring--oddity . . . disturbingly different from most celluloid childhoods.
However misguided and off-the-mark Tideland may be, you can't say that it lacks artistic merit.
This is supposed to be a comedy, but it's not easy to laugh at the dire situation that surrounds this innocent girl.
"Tideland" is frustrating for the way it refuses to coalesce. You watch the film feeling abused and exploited, never knowing whether there's a bottom to this rabbit hole.
Tideland is flawed but it's still a must-see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of Gilliam.
When the little girl tells her decapititated doll, 'It's not just a bad dream,' she is right. It's just a bad movie.
Latest News for Tideland
February 27, 2008:
Total Recall: Fairy Tales for Grownups
On the festival circuit, Penelope, starring Christina Ricci as a pig-nosed recluse embarking upon the modern world for the first time, seemed to get about as much press... More...
November 18, 2005:
Time to face it. A lot of Gilliam's movies fail not because of some outside influence, but because of him. ![]()
More...
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