A Knight's Tale

Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Alan Tudyk, Mark Addy

Directed by Brian Helgeland

Rating: B-

William Thatcher (Ledger) wants to change his stars. Born a peasant, Thatcher was sent to work for Sir Ector  (Nick Brimble) who we found dead at the beginning of the movie. Sir Ector was due to joust and so Thatcher jousts in his place to win enough money for food. While on his way home with friends Wat (Tudyk) and Roland (Addy), Thatcher convinces them to pool the money together in order to give him proper jousting lessons. Lacking the proper papers to prove (in this case lie) to show his nobility, Thatcher allows Chaucer (Bettany) to tag along and write the proper paperwork. Thatcher becomes tough competition and makes an enemy along the way. Sir Adhemar (Sewell) and Thatcher both have their eyes set on Jocelyn (Sossamon), a pretty, young, woman who catches their attention.

A Knights Tale is an entertaining movie with memorable quotes; "it's called a lance... hello." Infused with some rock moments, like the opening scene to Queen's "We Will Rock You", A Knight's Tale is a fun to watch movie. Ledger is charming as a determined young man, refusing to let his peasantry get in the way of doing something he likes. One of the my favorite characters in this movie is Wat. He says a lot of funny things and makes the audience laugh. Kate, a female swordsmith, brings a bit of femininity in the movie, even teaching the boys how to dance for a feast.

I would recommend this movie to anyone thirteen and older, after all it does have some dialogue not fitted for young children (though it does not dominate the conversations). A Knight's Tale is a movie I like to watch yearly because it has the action, charm (from Ledger) and plot that keeps me interested. It's a fun movie to watch with friends and comment on and I would hope I'm not the only one who feels this way.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Christopher Plummer

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Rating: 4 stars

A traveling theater company in London, England, displays a routine show with a magical twist. Anton (Andrew Garfield) usually escorts an audience member on stage through an extraordinary mirror. Upon entering the mirror, the audience member enters into their desire. However, the theater company's act doesn't intrigue many people. While traveling across a bridge, they come across a hanged man not quite dead. This man has trouble remembering who he is but finds out his name is Tony (Heath Ledger). Tony has some good ideas to help the company earn more money. The only problem is, Tony attracts quite a bit of trouble during an act and brings trouble inside the mirror.

A little known fact to many people is that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is actually Heath Ledger's final film. This movie deserved four stars and is a great end to Heath Ledger's acting career. Since Heath Ledger died halfway through making the film, Terry Gilliam had to find a replacement. He not only found one but three replacements: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrell. Now, you might think that it's a bit silly that three people would be playing Ledger's role but it actually fits perfectly. Since crossing the mirror transforms into whatever the person entering desires, the character Tony changes actors each time he crosses the mirror. In order to go into the mirror, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) has to meditate for the passing to work. Otherwise, you pass the mirror into the back of the stage. The main plot of the movie is that Dr. Parnassus made a bet with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) who is also the devil. Each person to go into the mirror has to make a choice and that choice is either giving your soul to the devil or choosing not to give your soul. It's not as simple as saying "no thanks" because Mr. Nick has tricks up his sleeve. If Mr. Nick collects five souls before Dr. Parnassus, Mr. Nick gets Valentina (Lily Cole), Dr. Parnassus' daughter. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is clever and an interesting film to watch. I would definitely recommend this movie to watch if you're a fan of the bizarre, dream-like movies. However, this movie does not have a happy ending but one that makes you think.