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Animated visionary returnsNew adventures from Terry Gilliam with 'Brothers Grimm'By Todd Leopold  Heath Ledger, left, and Matt Damon are the eponymous siblings in "The Brothers Grimm." ON CNN TV Watch "Showbiz Tonight" on CNN Headline News, weekdays at 7 p.m. ET.
RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- There's nothing like a Terry Gilliam film. Even his "real-world"-set films such as "The Fisher King" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" have otherworldly qualities, including waltzing commuters in Grand Central Station and drug-addled hotel visions. And then there are the endless ducts and tentacled machinery of "Brazil," a Botticelli come to life in "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (has Uma Thurman ever looked so heavenly?) and the insane asylum of "Twelve Monkeys." Perhaps that's to be expected from the inventive man who handled Monty Python's strange and thrilling animation, who often made use of Renaissance art, Edwardian photos and completely loopy inspiration to create bridges between the group's completely loopy sketches. The thing about being visionary, though, is there's not always a place for you in Hollywood. Gilliam is a notorious perfectionist whose films have sometimes run over budget ("Munchausen" has become famous in Hollywood lore for its overruns, followed by its poor box office) and his absurdist creations aren't the kind of fare Hollywood finds commercial. Gilliam famously had to take out an ad in the trade paper Variety to get his version of "Brazil" released; years later, an attempted production of "Don Quixote" went completely off the rails, as shown in the fascinating Keith Fulton-Don Pepe documentary "Lost in La Mancha." Gilliam ran into similar problems with his latest, "The Brothers Grimm." He and producer Bob Weinstein disagreed on what the film should be; Gilliam even left it behind for several months while he worked on another project. But eventually it was finished, and -- if a recent New York Times article is to be believed -- everybody is happy. "The Brothers Grimm" seems like prime Gilliam material -- a period setting, fairy tales, lurking monsters. Now the question is if any of it will appeal to the box office, which would really make Weinstein happy. Eye on Entertainment takes a look. Eye-opener"The Brothers Grimm" stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the eponymous siblings, who travel through late 18th-century Europe exorcising credulous villages of monsters and demons. They don't believe what they're doing for a minute. In other words, they're con men. Eventually, they're brought to a village that seems to have a real problem with monsters and demons -- or, at least, an enchanted forest that seems to be taking away its girls, such as those who travel in little red riding hoods. The brothers have to find out what's causing the disappearances, or perhaps die in the attempt. There's also a demanding French officer (Jonathan Pryce) who arrests the brothers, his vicious henchman (Peter Stormare) armed with a variety of torture tools, a beautiful maiden (Lena Headey) and an aging sorceress (Monica Bellucci). So far, reviews are mixed. Some critics applaud the film's set design and storytelling skills; others believe it's too busy and loses its way. In other words, it's par for the course for a Terry Gilliam film. "The Brothers Grimm" opens Friday. On screenOn the tubeSound wavesPaging readersVideo center
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