Shadey

Auto mechanic Oliver Shadey (Antony Sher) discovers he has the ability to read peoples minds and project those thoughts onto film when he holds a movie camera next to his head. He offers his services to businessman Sir Cyril Landau (Patrick Macnee) under two conditions - he won't work for the military and he wants enough money to afford a sex change operation (!). After Shadey proves his talents, Landau takes him up on the offer but quickly trades him to Dr. Cloud for some real estate. Dr. Cloud is, naturally, working for the British government and Shadey is conflicted. Honestly, this is one of those films where you wonder just exactly how it got made. It is so strikingly original and bizarre. Sher is very good as the odd psychic. Also, 1985 must have been the year Katherine Helmond decided to get all the weird out of her system with her role here as Macnee's insane wife ("You let her eat coal...again!") and her work in BRAZIL. Obviously the producers had no freakin' clue what they had on their hands with SHADEY as the US video box displays a guy in S&M gear surrounded by two sexy women, which has nothing to do with the film at all.