memo to terry gilliam: STFU

here's terry gilliam being a horse's ass on the subject of james cameron's 'avatar', a film which really brings out the worst in people who should know better...

"There are so many small, beautiful film-makers and actors and directors with so much potential that just can't get a look in because the studios are just pumping all their money into these huge projects," he complained at the London Evening Standard British Film Awards.

"There are such incredible lower-budget films that are magical, but we've got our work cut out with things like Avatar coming out. How are these young talents supposed to get a look in without the budget? That's the sad thing, because they are just as good."

The director of Time Bandits and Brazil added: "Those huge blockbusters that the studios spend millions upon millions of dollars on ... I mean, Avatar, they spent like $400,000 just promoting the thing. How can anyone compete with that?"

i especially love gilliam's complaint about studios pumping so much money into pictures like 'avatar'. you know, stuff that they might actually see a return on, as opposed to gilliam's sure-fire money losers. gilliam's latest, 'the imaginarium of doctor parnassus' cost its woebegone investors 30 million and has earned about 7 million here in america. it may turn a small profit, as it hasn't done badly abroad (most likely because johnny depp puts in an appearance), but it won't be any box office bonanza, that's for sure. 'the brothers grimm' a few years ago cost 88 million and brought in domestic grosses of less than 40 million. 'tideland', a small film that gilliam made in between 'grimm' and 'parnassus', took in a whopping $66,453.00 in domestic rentals. yup, that decimal is in the right place, the movie made a little over sixty-six thousand dollars. 'avatar' isn't stopping anybody in hollywood from making the kind of movies gilliam thinks should be getting made. people who make one money-losing flop after another like terry gilliam are doing that. if terry gilliam wants hollywood to make more interesting movies, he might try making a movie that someone's actually interested in seeing. it's called "show business" for a reason, terry.