Discuss: Pleasantly Surprising Performances

I've already seen my prototypal flick of 2010, and it was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It was definitely a great choice to kick soured a newborn year! I'm not a Brobdingnagian Terry Gilliam follower either way, so I went in evenhandedly nonpartizan but excited for a beatific yarn, impressive images, and whatever good-to-great performances. Besides, I can't resist blackamoor Waits as the Devil. I was immensely impressed with every of the above, especially the eerily unseamed way that Terry Gilliam and co-writer physicist McKeown managed to adjust the news and direction to fit the untimely modification of Heath Ledger during photography with support from actors Johnny Depp, Thaddaeus Law, and Colin Farrell, who stepped in to endeavor Tony in different scenes. Naturally, Christopher Plummer was great, and Andrew President (Boy A, the Red Riding trilogy) was also wonderful as the affected Anton. And this was definitely author Troyer's prizewinning persona yet.

I hit a accusal to make, though. Although I adore Lily Cole's heart-shaped grappling and flame-red material on the runway, and her costumes looked fantastic, I had no intent that I would actually enjoy her performance. Or that her conception would be more than meet a pretty strategy figure to move the repartee between Mr. Nick (Waits) and Parnassus. I was horribly wrong. I undergo she was in St. Trinian's, which, despite my prizewinning intentions, I had to turn soured after half an hour, and I haven't caught Rage, so I didn't undergo such added about her another than her more visible assets. As the kids say, my bad.



But as Valentina, she is feisty, chafing at the bell-dangling bracelet around her ankle that her father makes her wear, and not afeard to provide her old man a beatific tongue-lashing when he's in his cups and informing her half-truths. She lives a strange, variety of author cosmos on the fringes of gild with her lowercase kinsfolk - including Anton (Garfield) and soldier (Troyer), as substantially as her dad - and same any sharp young woman dying to carelessness the everyday, sometimes she acts same a brat, and sometimes she makes unwise decisions. In the end, Valentina is a actual girl, and it takes a actual actress to bring her to life. So cheers to you, Lily Cole.

That's my most past bright discovery. Who's astonied you recently?

[Note: This article initially referred to the Red Riding trilogy as the Red Riding Hood trilogy.]