What Happened... Centuries ago, Mr Nick (Tom Waits in devilish form) challenged Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his monks' belief that their story supported the world. Our foolish fogey bets Nick that he can win more souls through imagination and stories than the charismatic imp can through base desires.

Where He Went Wrong... Parnassus kept doubling down on the bet like a gambling addict, thereby essentially proving Nick's point.

Consequences... Parnassus ends up locked in a seemingly never-ending struggle for the hearts and minds of humanity and for the life of his sexy daughter Valentina (Lily Cole).

Next Time Try... A quick trip to Vegas, where you can combine beautifully-designed stories (Cirque Du Soleil) with relatively harmless debauchery (everything else).