8. The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1989)
I love Terry Gilliam's films. They're ambitious in scope and as deranged and delirious as his animation for Monty Python back in the seventies. Gilliam has made some astonishing movies: Brazil, The Fisher King and 12 Monkeys to name just three. One of his most spectacular achievements was this 1989 film about an old bloke with a penchant for outrageous exaggeration. Mired in production difficulties as a new executive team took over at Columbia, the film came in at almost twice its original budget. Terry Gilliam disputes this, suggesting that the new executives drove the estimated costs downwards in an effort to discredit the previous regime. What isn't open to question is just how incredible the movie looks and, as a result, it was Oscar nominated in four categories: Best Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup. In German folklore Baron Munchausen struggled against the duplicity and conventionality of the world around him, which pretty much mirrors what Terry Gilliam had to endure from the studio. Despite this he was able to capture stunningly inventive visuals and coax fantastic performances from John Neville as the Baron, and a very young Sarah Polley as Sally Salt. Wonderful cameos from Oliver Reed, Robin Williams, Uma Thurman and Sting add to the effervescent quality of this magnificent film which features visual effects way ahead of their pre CGI time. Like all Terry Gilliam movies, it's enchantingly odd and, like the Spanish Inquisition as scripted by Monty Python, an unexpected pleasure.