Brazil (1985)

Brazil (1985)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Robert de Niro

Brazil is totally bizarre. This is the first thing that needs to be said. The movie is some strange hybrid between "Monty Python," "A Clockwok Orange," a Coen Brothers film and "Blazing Saddles." By the end of the first 15 minutes I was absolutely shocked -- but I was also hooked. A film being bizarre is not always a bad thing. Although this one was like nothing I had ever seen, and though it doesn't make "sense" in any literal way, I was completely mesmerized by the visual design and found it to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch as well.

The only relevance that the title "Brazil" bears on the action is the fact that the classic latin jazz tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim with the same title is played (with ever-changing arrangements and moods) during various scenes throughout the film. The movie takes place in an alternate reality in which everything is controlled by the government. However, nothing seems to actually be "under control" at all, because the government functions about as well as an Oldsmobile with a squirrel nest in the motor. Everything depends on a giant mess of unorganized paperwork that is totally out of control. Throughout the whole film it appears that these people are very advanced in their technology, with their surveillance robots and automatic toasters and coffee machines, but none of the gadgetry has been perfected. All of it is constantly breaking down and malfunctioning. The mood conveyed is similar to the feeling you get when you can't find your homework because your backpack is stuffed with crumpled, mostly useless, papers, and later that night you realize that your assignment was balled up and jammed carelessly into the bottom the whole time, and all of a sudden you get that queasy feeling that your whole life is in shambles. . .
The acting is decent and this movie is intensely entertaining. At times it feels like a crazy comedy and at others like a psychological thriller. But after thinking about this movie for a couple of days, I have have realized that, above all, it is wildly innovative and couldn't be more original. Whether I've just made you curious, or whether you're looking for something different to spice up your viewing for a change, this is simply a movie that you can't miss -- from the "Monty Python" star and wild man Terry Gilliam.
I've added a few extra screenshots to display the outstanding visual design.
-Jack Lewers
Rating---9.25

Chinatown (1974)

Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholsen, Faye Dunaway

Jack Nicholson stars in the influential mystery classic as private detective J.J. Gittes. Gittes is contacted on the telephone by a mysterious woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulray. She tells him to spy on her husband, Hollis Mulray, who is an engineer for the LA water department. Clues lead Gittes to believe that Hollis is cheating on Evelyn, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Gittes finds himself caught up in a government scandal concerning the Los Angeles reservoirs and is inexorably drawn into a morass of deceit and drama as he tries to trace the clues that lead him to a final confrontation in Chinatown.
Nicholson delivers a star performance, suggesting the greatness to come, and Faye Dunawaye is more than adequate for her part. The story twists and turns at an exciting pace. Clearly the film paved the way for a number of modern thrillers, and it's easy to see why subsequent directors were so inspired by it. This is a classic movie that should not be missed and it is the kind of film just about everyone can enjoy.
Perhaps the film seems a little dated now, but it is still, no doubt, a masterpiece by Polanski, one of the greatest directors of our time.
-Jack Lewers

Rating-----9

Schindler's List (1993)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes

I watched this movie two days ago and it absolutely blew me away. I sat silently through the three hour-plus film and was completely mesmerized during the whole thing. It is the most emotionally powerful film I have ever seen and is one of the only movies that has really made me think about the world differently.
Liam Neeson gives one of the most intense, assured performances in the business as the German Oskar Schindler. The film tells the story of Schindler and how he protected eleven hundred Jews all through World War Two. Instead of dwelling on the warfare and historic battles that took place in World War Two, "Schindler's List" focuses on telling the story of the Jews and the struggles that they faced.
This is simply the most powerful movie I have ever seen and one of the only ones that I can easily give a perfect ten. Everyone has to see this movie.
-Jack Lewers

Rating---10

Jack's Top Twenty-Five Movies

Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton in "Crash"

As of January 23rd these are my top 25 Favorite films favorite films.

1. Fargo (1996) - Coen Bros.
2. No Country for Old Men (2007) - Coen Bros.
3. The Departed (2006) - Martin Scorsese
4. Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese
5. Crash (2006) - Paul Haggis
6. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Sidney Lumet
7. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Michael Cimino
8. Brazil (1985) - Terry Gilliam
9. Schindler’s List (1993) - Steven Spielberg
10. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino
11. Das Boot (1981) - Wolfgang Peterson
12. Pan’s Layrinth (2006) - Guiermo del Toro
13. Barton Fink (1991) - Coen Bros.
14. Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Quentin Tarantino
15. Munich (2005) - Steven Spielberg
16. The French Connection (1971) - William Friedkin
17. Full Metal Jacket (1987) - Stanley Kubrick
18. Miller’s Crossing (1990) - Coen Bros.
19. Chinatown (1974) - Roman Polanski
20. The Pianist (2002) - Roman Polanski
21. Collateral (2004) - Michael Mann
22. Sin City (2005) - Robert Rodriguez
23. Rosemary’s Baby (1969) - Roman Polanski
24. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Martin Scorsese
25. The Devil's Advocate (1997) - Taylor Hackford