Brazil

Origin: G.B. (Embassy, Universal) 1985
Length: 131 minutes
Format: Technicolor
Director: Terry Gilliam
Producer: Arnon Milchan
Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, Tom Stoppard
Photography: Roger Pratt
Music: Michael Kamen
Cast: Jonathon Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Greist, Jim Broadbent, Barbara Hicks, Charles McKeown, Derrick O'Connor, Kathryn Pogson, Bryan Pringle
Oscar nomination: Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, Charles McKeown(screenplay), Norman Garwood, Maggie Gray(art direction)
Links: Brazil Trailer, Brazil Wiki

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The well-known history of bad feeling between Brazil creator Terry Gilliam and distributor Universal, in which the filmmaker resisted the studio's attempts to put out a severely truncated cut and eventually prevailed in getting his challenging picture released in the United States, has tended to soak up all the interest in this movie, which has its own unique strengths(and weaknesses) quite apart from any status it might retain as a near-political cause. Made significantly in 1984, and in parallel with the Michael Radford film of George Orwell's eponymous novel, Brazil is set "somewhere in the twentieth century," in an imaginary but credible oppressive state that combines the worst features of 1940s British bureaucracy, 1950s American paranoia, Stalinist or fascist totalitarianism, and the ills of the 1980s(e.g., and obsession with plastic surgery). Whereas Orwell's Air Strip One is built on an impossibly and horribly effective system of state surveillance, the worst aspect of Gilliam's invented dystopia is that it doesn't even work: The plot is kicked off by a farcical mistake as a squashed bug falls into a printer so that an arrest warrant intended for terrorist heating engineer Tuttle(Robert De Niro) is applied to an innocent Mr. Buttle(Brian Miller), and the grimly utilitarian city is falling apart even without the possibly state-sponsored terrorist bombs that periodically wreak appalling carnage.

Forbidden Planet - Matt

This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling with three of my friends (one being the other author of this movie blog) to Atlanta, Georgia where I attended a rapidly growing sci-fi/comic convention called Dragoncon. This was my third consecutive year to attend the con and I swear it somehow manages to get better every year.

I mention this because on the second day of the convention the American Science Fiction track had a movie night that was free to all attendees, and as you might have guessed by now, the movie they were showing was Forbidden Planet.

It was with quite a bit of anticipation that I entered the classroom where they were going to screen the movie. It's not every day that one gets to watch a classic sci-fi movie surrounded by fans of that very genre. The screen, sadly, wasn't very large and it was projected onto the screen with a sub-par projector, but that wasn't too big of a problem as we sat on the front row. I wanted to mention this so that you understand the environment that I watched this movie in, just in case it contributed to my views of the film. We have to be fair to the movie after all, and I don't want to mislead you dear readers.

I thought this movie was wonderful. It is the first time that I have seen Leslie Nielsen act at a younger age, and I thought he did a fine job of it. He played Captain J.J. Adams with authority and concern for his men. It was interesting to see him try to protect Altaira from his crew members, and these were some of my favorite moments in the movie. He commanded a natural respect from his men, and he did it in a way that the authority seemed to come straight from his character, it didn't seem forced at all.

Altaira, Anne Francis, was every bit as good as Leslie Nielsen. She really brought her character to life and I believe that without her performance the movie would not be nearly as good as it was. It was fun to watch this naive girl interacting with people other than her father for the first time in her life. She did not know how to behave and I thought that Anne Francis showed this in her character perfectly.

I also want to comment on Robby the Robot, who is actually billed as an actor in the beginning credits of the movie. What a neat concept for a robot. This robot was able to chemically analyze a sample of any material you provided him with, and then using a mixture of chemicals that he stored in his body, could recreate the material at will. I don't think I've ever heard of something like that, even in science fiction, and I loved it. It was interesting to see a true robot in the sense that it was void of much personality interact with the crew who, like me, had never seen anything like it before.

The sets in this movie were very well done. They were able to portray an alien world without going over the top. The spaceship looked both futuristic and believable at the same time, likewise with the Morbius homestead on the planet. I found myself through much of the movie just looking at the devices and inventions in the sets and wondering what they did or what purpose they served.

I do have one negative thing to say about the film. The sound effects, especially in the first 10 minutes of so of the movie, were loud and irritating. One scene in particular when the spaceship enters hyperspace really drove my hands to my ears. I could have done without that.

I could cover other parts of this film that are wonderful, but I've already written more than I originally meant to. The story was original and interesting, the acting was great, the sets were nice, the special effects in the film I feel hold up very well also. This movie was a treat to watch and I liked it quite a bit more than I thought that I would. I'll give it 9 robot made diamond dresses out of 10.

Forbidden Planet(John)

We saw this movie at Dragoncon, on a small projector screen with a room of about 30 - 40 people. The quality wasn't that great, but since the film was made in the 1950s I don't think it was a huge problem. I enjoyed the film and I was surprised at how well it holds up after almost 60 years.

The acting was good. It was weird seeing Leslie Nielson play a non-comedic role but he did a good job nonetheless. He played the hard nosed captain well. Anne Francis was very seductive in the movie, wearing short mini-skirts throughout most of the film. Another mention has to be Robby The Robot. Robby was an excellent cast member, injecting a little humor into the film as well as selling the sci-fi theme of the movie even more. The supporting cast didn't really have anything to do other than guard the ship and die horrible deaths. Also, when they were fighting the id monster, they were shooting their guns and standing completely still, with almost no emotion.

The special effects were probably outstanding for their time, which is why it was nominated for an Oscar. And to be honest, they didn't really seem all that outdated. Obviously the id monster was hand drawn animation. But the sets looked futuristic and it was not hard to feel like I was on Altair with the crew.

This was a pretty good film. There was really no campy-ness to the film whatsoever, which I think is rare in older films of this genre. The acting was all around good and the special effects and set design hold up.

I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

-John Murphy

Forbidden Planet

Origin: U.S (MGM) 1956
Length: 98 minutes
Format: Eastmancolor
Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Producer: Nicholas Nayfack
Screenplay: Irving Block, Allen Adler, Cyril Hume
Photography: George J. Folsey
Music: Bebe Barron, Louis Barron
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielson, Robby the Robot, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, Richard Anderson, Earl Holliman, George Wallace, Robert Dix, Jimmy Thompson, James Drury, Harry Harvey Jr., Roger McGee, Peter Miller
Oscar nomination: A. Arnold Gillespie, Irving G. Reis, Wesley C. Miller(special effects)
Links: Forbidden Planet Trailer, Forbidden Planet Wiki

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This superior 1950s sci-fi gem by director Fred M. Wilcox, ambitiously shot in widescreen CinemaScope, owes nothing to the period's paranoid McCarthyite preoccupation with hostile invaders from outer space but a great deal to the plot of William Shakespeare's The Tempest and the sophisticated psychological premise that the most dangerous monsters are those lurking in the primitive impulses of the subconscious mind.

Hiatus

To all of our blog followers, we apologize for the lack of movie reviews lately(vacations, buying houses, etc...) but we promise we'll be back to form in a couple of weeks. We will actually be viewing a public showing of Forbidden Planet at a convention in Atlanta,GA called DragonCon, so that will be up soon.

I thought this would be a good time to summarize the movies that we've watched from the list and give a rundown of the scores we gave. The scores are out of 10.

Le Voyage Dans La Lune(A Trip To The Moon)
Matt: 7.0
John: 6.5

Papillon
Matt: 8
John: 8

Freaks
Matt: 7.0
John: 6.5

The Wolf Man
Matt: 3.0
John: 4.0

Atonement
Matt: 8.0
John: 8.0

The Outlaw Josey Wales
Matt: 9.0
John: 9.5

Taxi Driver
Matt: 4.0
John: 8.5

Raging Bull
Matt: 7.0
John: 8.7

Jacob's Ladder
Matt: 8.5
John: 9.0

Schindler's List
Matt: 10.0
John: 10.0

Ghostbusters
Matt: 10.0
John: 10.0

The Maltese Falcon
Matt: 4.0
John: 7.0

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Matt: 8.0
John: 7.0

Mad Max
Matt: 8.0
John: 7.5

So far, we've reviewed 14 of the 1,001 movies on the list....only 987 more to go!

Mad Max (Matt)

"I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine. I am the rocker, I am the roller, I am the out-of-controller!"

I LOVE that quote. It's spoken by the Nightrider as he evades the police force in post-apocalyptic Australia, and it's delivered perfectly. It's one of the first scenes in the film, and does it ever suck you in. The Nightrider rides in a psychotic joy that is mesmerizing. I was into this movie from that moment right until the end.

I think that the reason I liked this movie was the story. There wasn't anything about the acting, directing, or music that caught my eye. I'm not saying they were bad, and the fact that I did not notice them is a good indication that they were pretty good. After all isn't that the ultimate purpose of a movie, to tell you a story?

I was sucked into this world quite easily, and I could not help but be reminded of the video game Fallout. I'm sure Mad Max had a bit of influence on that.

Talking about influences actually, this movie had a similar feel to The Outlaw Josey Wales.

I don't have a lot to say really. I liked it a lot. I haven't seen the other movies in the trilogy(The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome), I think I'll go give them a watch.

8 fiery car deaths out of 10

Mad Max(John)

This is a movie I hate saying i've never seen. I've seen Road Warrior quite a few times as well as Beyond Thunderdome. But I have never sat down and watched Mad Max. I'm glad I did.

The big draw for me about this film was the different take on the revenge movie. Almost all of the revenge films I've seen are structured the same way: something happens in the beginning that warrant revenge, then for the next hour to hour-and-a-half is the resolution. Personally, I get tired during these films. Normally, they peak early on and fail to deliver throughout the rest of the movie. Mad Max was not this way. Most of the movie is setup and the last little bit is the resolution which I think worked awesomely.

Mel Gibson did a good job in the lead role. He played very well the role of bad ass with a heart. The other notable character was Toe Cutter. He played a crazy man very well and I had no problem believing he was insane.

I didn't really believe that the story took place in a post apocalyptic Australia. Some set pieces were done very well and the characters were believable but overall, the setting really looked faux. I know the budget was low on this one, so it didn't bother me too much.

Overall, I'm glad I watched this one. I can now say i've seen the entire trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. The structure is different enough that it doesn't feel like your typical revenge movie and you get to see Mel Gibson in one of his first films.

I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.

- John Murphy

Mad Max

Origin: Australia (Crossroads, Kennedy Miller) 1979
Length: 93 minutes
Format: Eastmancolor
Director: George Miller
Producer: Byron Kennedy
Screenplay: James McCausland, George Miller
Photography: David Eggby
Music: Brian May
Cast: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Lisa Aldenhoven, David Bracks, Bertrand Cadart, David Cameron, Robina Chaffey, Stephen Clark, Mathew Constantine, Jerry Day, Reg Evans
Links: Mad Max Trailer, Mad Max Wiki

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Although the 1981 film The Road Warrior - the second installment of writer/director George Miller's postapocalyptic "trilogy" (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome followed, and a fourth film is also in the works)- tends to receive most of the critical acclaim, the jaw-dropping Mad Max, released two years earlie, is where it all started. For it was here that Miller first brought to the screen his hellish vision of a barren, gang ridden Australia, with the aid of a new young actor by the name of Mel Gibson.

Gibson was just 23 years old when he won the role of Max Rockatansky(as legend has it, Gibson auditioned the day after being in a bar fight and his distinctively black-and-blue face stuck in the mind of the casting director), and was such an unknown that when Mad Max was released in America, the preview trailer didn't even feature him but instead focused on the movie's explosions and car crashes. In retrospect, of course, Gibson's portrayal of a leather-jacketed antihero is an essential element of the picture.

Review coming soon...

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Matt)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is truly one of the classics of the horror genre. Most people alive today are familiar with the name of this movie. You can't even go into a haunted house anymore without hearing that infamous chainsaw revving up to come saw you into pieces. It's become a part of our very culture in that regard.

I had never seen the original movie before this viewing. I saw the re-make some months ago, but that's hardly the same movie and it was just ok. I have heard from a multitude of sources that the new one is a piece of crap compared to the original. I went in with high hopes and I have to say that this movie did not disappoint me much.

Let me start with my favorite part of the movie, its direction. In terms of actual story and characters this movie wasn't all that scary. The acting was actually terrible. It was so bad, in fact, that I found myself laughing a lot at some parts that I believe were intended to be scary. That said however, I found several parts of this film to be pretty intense, and this tension was the direct responsibility of the director's work. One scene that comes to mind as an example is when a character finds herself in a room littered with feathers and bones. The camera takes several minutes and just films closeups of these objects. That's it, just a few minutes of footage of stationary objects with creepy music/sound effects. However the way the camera is positioned, the timing of the music, the gentle swaying of the feathers or the bones hanging from strings. It freaked the heck out of me. Had I been in the right mood it would have been downright terrifying. It had the same effect on me that The Shining did years ago, and it's freaking creepy.

The music, if you can call it that, is another aspect of this movie that I thought was well done. It very dissonant (is that the right word?) and it causes you to be uncomfortable in a lot of situations that would not normally be scary at all. The music is awful, but it fits perfectly into the context of this movie. It's a little insane, just like the characters that are out here to scare you.

I also really like the idea that this family of cannibals regarded human life in the same way that the average human regards livestock. They don't hate people, but they don't mind killing them either. They need to eat, and to do that they have to kill people. It was interesting to me to see this philosophy applied to human life.

The movie isn't all happy times. There is basically no plot at all. We never find out why these teenagers are driving around. There is a lack of motive that makes it harder to feel sorry for these people getting killed. The acting is horrible. As I mentioned above it's so bad that it would pull me out of the movie and actually turn horror into comedy. There is also the general disposition of the characters towards making bad decisions that seems to be so prevalent in horror movies. Going to the creepy house looking for gasoline, running up stairs to get away, staying in the creepy feather and bone room for 5 minutes, etc.

I give this movie 8 chainsaw dances out of 10.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(John)

This was a pretty freaky movie. I say this even after the movie was basically ruined by a friend of mine who thought it was the funniest thing since Bill Cosby. I can definitely see where basically every horror film since then has borrowed at least one thing from this film. Heck, House of 1000 Corpses could almost be considered a remake of this film.

The acting was subpar. Of course, there was no real need for Oscar winning performances anyway. However, I have to say, the leader of the cannibals definitely made me think he was insane. And Leatherface was pretty terrifying. The teenagers were the stereotypical travelers who you know are going to die before the film is over except maybe one.

The visuals were creepy. Skeletons laying all over the place, Leatherface's human skin mask, grandpa. And the fact that this film was made with only $60,000 makes the visuals and camera work even more impressive.

I wasn't scared watching the film. But, as I said, that portion was ruined for me. However, I don't think I would've been scared anyway. I think the scaryness has faded since the release. If i'd watched this in the 70s, I probably would've crapped my pants and left the theater. Today, however, we as movie watchers have been subjected to much more frightening things. Even so, I would definitely recommend watching this film just to see where some of the greats got their ideas.

I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

- John Murphy