Week 46 in film

Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
Ranks really high in some of the notorious lists on the internet (they shoot pictures). I can see why but at the same time some elements here are not that good, some are even bad. The love interest of John Wayne isn't a brilliant actress and there is hardly any chemistry between them. The plot is as thick as an episode of the A-team but boy is it fun. Not a masterpiece but way too entertaining and funny too miss. 7.5/10



Mallrats (Kevin Smith, 1995)
Saw this film years ago, so its always a good indication of how my taste may have changed. To be honest, it didn't change much for as far as this movie goes. Funnier than most films, but definitely not the best or funniest film from Kevin Smith, who I still consider to be one of the funniest guys in Hollywood.  6.5/10

Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964)
"These are Marxist fanatics, not normal people. They do not reason the way you reason, General Black. They're not motivated by human emotions such as rage and pity. They are calculating machines. They will look at the balance sheet, and they will see they cannot win."  7.5/10

This Must Be the Place (Paolo Sorrentino, 2011)
Sean Penn as a retired lethargic rockstar (inspired by Robert Smith and Ozzy Osbourne, I believe) who wants to track down the nazi who humiliated his father in WW II. Sorrentino manages to incorporate some of his trademarks making this a very poetic and humanistically interesting film. Sean Penn is great and I am surprised this film didn't get more attention because it deserves it. 8/10

Zabriskie Point (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1970)
One of Antonioni's American films. This one clearly against the consumer society. I like Antonioni. I like his cinematography but this film is not his best in this respect. Has a couple of great scenes (the love-making in the desert, the explosions) but not my favorite by the director. 7/10



The Counselor (Ridley Scott, 2013)
Scott reaches a low in his respectable oeuvre with this film. Despite an impressive cast, the script is crappy and Scott never manages to elevate this. Forgettable, tedious dialogue and lacks focus. 4/10

Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981)
Welcome to the ever wonderful and original world of Terry Gilliam. Through the eyes of a child we travel through history with a team of dwarfs called 'Time Bandits'. I would have loved this film as a child, as an adult it's still amusing. 7/10

Predator (John McTiernan, 1987)
One of the action classics that slipped my mind when I was consuming a lot from the genre. I can see why this is considered a classic. Schwarzenegger shows his 'Commando' skills in the first half hour. When the Predator comes into play the film actually feels quite serious. This works for a bit but the ending lacks suspense. Proves that not showing the danger works much better than showing it, especially when it looks a bit ridiculous. 6.5/10

Sombre (Phillipe Grandrieux, 1998)
Ok, I believe Grandrieux is talented. Inspired by film makers like Lynch he manages to enter the darkest corners of humanity and portray them in very original manner. The beginning feels promising, the middle does and then....nothing. Keeps repeating itself instead of going in depth of the why and motivations of the twisted protagonist. Boring.  3.5/10

Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)

Predicting the future, that’s what makes the science fiction genre so fascinating. In 1968 Stanley Kubrick already predicted that computers might take control over us humans. The most interesting decade for this genre is probably the eighties. Pictures like Blade Runner,Videodrome and Robocop all have a certain prospect for the future and their message is undoubtedly a warning. The same holds for Terry Gilliam’s Brazil from 1985, which might be considered ‘Orwellian’ in its message.

We are somewhere in the 20^th century, society is strictly dominated by rules and regulations. If you are behind with a payment or if you are otherwise disobedient you will be taken by force and receive treatment to become a perfect citizen. When the usually flawless system fails by swapping identities of a felon named ‘Tuttle’ and an innocent guy named ‘Buttle’ the latter dies because of heart failure during the electrical ‘treatment’.

Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a small part of the huge bureaucratic system. His ambition is minimal, even though his mother keeps pushing him to make a big career, she even organizes a promotion for him. Lowry refuses at first but changes his mind when he meets the girl of his dreams, who was a witness in the Buttle case. In his current position he doesn’t have the authority to get the address details of the girl, who was not only a witness in the messed up case but is also considered a possible terrorist. When Lowry decides to take the job in the ‘information retrieval’ department and traces the girl he keeps seeing in his dreams, he is not only jeopardizing his job, but even his life.

The message Terry Gilliam gives us is pretty obvious, but he wraps it beautifully and with a stroke of Monty-Python-like humour. There is a scene where Lowry moves into his new office where he is more or less sharing the amount of desk space with his colleague who is on the other side of the wall. This is one of the many small joys that are present (sometimes very subtle, recall a dog with two band aids on his behind, to prevent him from ‘littering’). Another noteworthy joy are some local kids playing in the neighbourhood. As you and I were probably playing a soldier, cowboy or movie-hero, they are playing ‘government’, interrogating each other and referring to the excessive use of forms, regulations and their respective numbers and codes. Gilliam presents a world that in its essence is not very different from ours which makes it quite frightening and effective.

As mentioned earlier, this movie is predicting some interesting points for the future. Not only is Gilliam criticizing the bureaucratic system, he also shortly pays attention to cosmetic surgery (remember this movie is from 1985!). I also noticed some flat computer screens, funny enough the rest of the pc equipment was the same as in the 80’s. Last but not least the director’s view on the American approach on how to handle terrorism suspects is more present-day than ever.

The style of the film is both impressive and chaotic. Gilliam seems to have put all his fantasy and imagination in the stunning sets and art direction. With linear distortion and grim use of colours he makes the surroundings seem both distant and claustrophobic. Unfortunately he doesn’t manage to keep his story perfectly balanced and as a viewer it takes a bit of concentration to follow the story entirely. Some of the battles that Lowry is having in his dreams are funny and imaginative but at the same time somewhat overdone. Especially towards the end Gilliam gives his viewer a lot of action and visuals that don’t really seem to help understand the story. The final act is both as confusing as stunning.

Brazil for sure is an interesting movie that clearly refers to Orwell’s 1984 but is not copying it. Gilliam shapes his own creative, confusing and entertaining world that doesn’t always serves its narrative in a strong way but surely entertains and leaves a big impression. An instant science fiction classic.

“This is your receipt for your husband... and this is my receipt for your receipt.”

8.5/10