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Reviews
Brazil (1985)
Wow, what a nightmarish movie.
I was interested in seeing this film, as I wanted to get into Terry Gilliam. The only film I had seen of his was The Brothers Grimm, which was a huge disappointment, but after seeing such a high score on IMDb, and after reading the plot line, I was interested, and rented it from Netflix. After just having finished watching it, all I can say is WOW! This movie has an amazing visual style, it captures the ethereal feel of dreams as well as seeming officious and bureaucratic. I felt like I was watching a twisted nightmare, with such strange imagery as concrete arms reaching out and grabbing Sam in his dream, and the giant samurai warrior. The visuals and special effects are fantastic, and they hold up surprisingly well today. Sam Lowry is a feeble man who works in the Ministry of Information. He tells everyone that he has no ambition, and doesn't wish for attention or promotions, but in his dreams, his true feelings are revealed. In his dreams he appears as a great warrior, with giant angel wings and strong armor. He constantly sees a beautiful woman, but is unable to get to her because of a giant samurai warrior keeping her in a cage. When he glimpses a woman resembling her, he pursues her relentlessly. Throughout the movie, I really began to care for Sam, I felt very sorry for him, I could tell that inside he really wanted to break free of his government and his job. He wanted something more, and haven't we all felt that at one time? Jonathan Pryce is wonderful as Sam Lowry, he's nervous, and he gets the unlikely hero down pat. This film was also chock full of other famous actors, such as Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, and Robert De Niro, who are a delight to see and try to spot. This movie was just a lot of fun. The black humor got many a laugh from me; it was great seeing such Pythonesque jokes in a movie like this. Yes, it is a bit like 1984, but it's much more lighthearted, but I wouldn't say it isn't as depressing. In the last 20 minutes, Sam tries to save his love, Jill, by pretending to kill her. Unfortunately, he is captured by police and sentenced to jail. What follows is an extremely confusing and nightmarish chase through the streets. You begin to wonder what is real and what isn't, and Sam's sanity is questioned. Could this all just be a dream? Then, just when you think everything is OK, you think they've gotten away, BAM! You're hit in the face with the jarring realization that Sam has snapped, and has been lost to his dream world forever. This sequence was amazing, I felt like I had walked right into the middle of a horrifying nightmare. Overall, this was an amazing film with good acting, an amazing visual style, and a nightmarish vision. Bravo, Terry Gilliam. You've made me a believer.
Trick (1999)
A fun, uplifting gay movie.
I had made a list of "gay" films I had wanted to see, and this was on the list. I saw this airing on Logo yesterday, so I watched it. For a gay themed movie, it was pretty good. Normally, if a movie has gay characters in it, it's a depressing story all about how they have AIDS, and how they deal with it, things like that. But this was a gay movie that was actually fun to watch. I was a little worried about it being a comedy, because they might stereotype the characters, but the only character in this movie that was a queen was Perry, but some gays are actually like that, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm not a huge fan of Tori Spelling, but she was tolerable in the movie. I thought it was sweet when she finally came to terms with the fact that she was a lesbian. But the one thing I didn't like was that I had a hard time getting into the characters because honestly, they weren't that deep. I mean c'mon. Timid music writer meets hot guy, and they fall in love? Not very easy to feel for them. Another thing was that it seemed like they kept avoiding a kiss. I mean, they tried to kiss what, like 3 times in the movie and they kept getting interrupted? I know this movie was made in 1999, before people were so accepting like they are now, but c'mon. But at least they kissed at the end. I would recommend this film for a rent if you feel like watching something uplifting. But unless you are making a detailed collection of gay films, then I wouldn't recommend buying this one. Overall, it's a fun film, but falls short. 7/10.