Tideland

Terry Gilliam begins Tideland with an amusingly ominous introduction, urging us to return to a state of childlike innocence in order to appreciate what is surely the most daring film of his maverick career, since perspective is essential to grasping what Gilliam aptly describes as Alice in Wonderland meets Psycho. In Gilliam's vision of a nightmarish childhood, Jeliza-Rose (played by precocious nine-year-old Jodelle Ferland) is a bright girl with junkie parents (Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly) who overdose in the early scenes. Left alone in the abandoned, ramshackle home where her father once lived, Jeliza-Rose's imagination goes into Alice-like overdrive, constructing a fantasy-escape of perpetual playtime where squirrels talk and severed doll heads are best friends, as Gilliam's spin on Lewis Carroll becomes an unsettling tour of internal and external grotesqueries. Tideland arguably represents the most uncompromised expression of Gilliam's directorial vision, but even though it's a loyal adaptation of Mitch Cullin's novel, it's also an unpleasant film to watch—and one that many viewers will find difficult or impossible to sit through—because its horrors aren't lightened by the Gilliam-esque whimsy of Brazil or The Fisher King. Worth a look for Gilliam fans and completists, but otherwise this is not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc 'collector's edition' include audio commentary by director Terry Gilliam and screenwriter Tony Grisoni, a brief intro by Gilliam, a 'Getting Gilliam' featurette with optional commentary by filmmaker Vincenzo Natali and Gilliam, interviews with Gilliam (15 min.) and producer Jeremy Thomas (10 min.), a six-minute 'making-of' featurette, six minutes of deleted scenes with commentary, a 'Filming Green Screen' featurette with commentary (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: although the extras are solid, Gilliam completists will want to hold off buying this set since the aspect ratio isn't what Gilliam intended and ThinkFilm has stated that they are 'currently working on getting a 2.35:1 master to work from and will plan a re-release when it is made available.'] (J. Shannon) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 21, 2018—Arrow, 120 min., PG-13, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 2005’s Tideland features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include audio commentary by director Terry Gilliam and co-writer Tony Grisoni, the 2005 'making-of' featurette 'Getting Gilliam' (45 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), 'B-roll Footage' (21 min.), a 'Filming Green Screen' featurette (3 min.), interviews with Gilliam (15 min.), producer Jeremy Thomas (10 min.), and costars Jeff Bridges, Jodelle Ferland, and Jennifer Tilly (5 min.), an interview with a brief introduction by Gilliam, deleted scenes (6 min.), and a photo gallery. Bottom line: Gilliam fans will appreciate that Tidelands is finally available in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.]