The Directors Project: #16 - Terry Gilliam

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

TERRY GILLIAM

Years Active: 1968-present

Films as Director: 12

Oscar Wins: 0

Who: It is one of the strangest career trajectories, but after getting his start in Monty Python, Gilliam went on to push the surreal imagery and artistic design to new places with a storied career full of sci-fi films that weren't just visually obtuse, but also thematically resonating. He is an ambitious director whose art often overpowered the budgetary constraints that surrounded him. It helped to create an experimental style that was at times strikingly bleak and rather funny. Unlike most of the other directors on this list, his career benefits from being unpredictable and still managing to make highly enjoyable, strange films that reflect what sci-fi could be doing when it isn't focused on big budgeted blockbusters.

POINTS TALLY

Scene from Brazil

-- 12 Monkeys (1995) --

Flickchart Ranking: #130 (800 points)

IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)

Perks: None
Total: 870 points

-- The Fisher King (1991) --

Flickchart Ranking: #233 (700 points)

IMDb Rating: 6/10 (60 points)

Perks: None

Total: 760 points

-- Brazil (1985) --

Flickchart Ranking: #377 (550 points)

IMDb Rating: 6/10 (60 points)

Perks: None

Total: 610 points

-- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) --

Flickchart Ranking: #534 (450 points)

IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)

Perks: None

Total: 520 points

-- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) --

Flickchart Ranking: #59 (850 points)

IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)

Perks: None

Total: 920 points

-- The Meaning of Life (1983) --

Flickchart Ranking: #689 (350 points)

IMDb Rating: 7/10 (70 points)

Perks: None

Total: 420 points

OVERALL TOTAL: 4100 points

WHY DO I LOVE?

Scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Like most people who are into comedy, I do hold a special place in my heart for Monty Python. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan, but there's plenty to admire about them. From there, discovering Gilliam's career afterwards is itself an amazing mind-meld. He doesn't so much apply the ethics of weirdness, but redefines it consistently for each and every film with some of the most delightfully strange stories that I have seen. I don't even like sci-fi that much, but I can rely on Gilliam to take me on a journey and show me something exciting and fresh. I look forward to his films just to see what experimental thing he has done this time. They're visually appetizing and easily memorable in ways that I feel that any other film of its nature nowadays isn't.

UP NEXT: A former horror maestro who turned to big scale film making and helped to redefine epics.