Rating: 
Summary: Hell is Bureaucracy
Review: Anybody who wants to vote for more govenment should watch this movie. Imagine the whole country--or maybe the whole world in this film--run by a combination of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Post Office, and the IRS. This is a wickedly savage satire and as brutal, surreal black comedy. It is also sad, wistful and poignant. Pryce, trapped in his own Kafkaesque hell as a minor clerk in a ghastly, faceless, gigaintic bureaucracy, has only his imagination to live in, which gives him access to a purer, more innocent world that allows him to escape from the state-run mayhem he is trapped in. I won't give the ending away, but under the circumstances it might even be considered a happy one.
Rating:
Summary: A personal favorite, the ultimate DVD
Review: My friends have sometimes referred to Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" as "Monty Python's 1984." Yes, perhaps not the most apt title, but it has stuck. "Brazil" remains as bitingly funny as it is unpleasantly haunting. Sam Lowry's world is a nightmare. He is an anonymous cog in the bureaucratic system that runs everyone's lives. His life remains totally mundane. The only means of escape for Sam are his dreams. There he flies about freely while an elegant woman swoons over him. Yet by morning he must return, a broken man, to his horrid reality. Sam is sent to correct a mistake concerning a computer error that resulted in the incarceration and death of an innocent man. Soon after, Sam catches a glimpse of a woman who bears an uncanny resemblence to the woman of his dreams. As both their lives become endangered by the system, the walls separating fantasy and reality in Sam's head begin to crumble. Stylish, dark, satirical, "Brazil" has it all. Sam is an easy character for us to relate to: I'm sure at times we've all felt crushed under the weight of the system (which could mean your job, your social roles or obligations, whatever) and long to escape somehow. The dream sequences are remarkable in terms of imagery and how the images are related to the goings on in Sam's waking life. The grim bureaucratic world of "Brazil" is a dry, hyperbolic version of our own which makes the movie all that more unsettling. One of the funny touches about this film's design is that it takes place in a futuristic society yet all of the machines and computers seem to have halted in advancement circa 1978. The most interestng parts of this 3 DVD package are Gilliam's audio commentary, the "Battle of Brazil" feature that shows how "Brazil" was almost never released in its current form, and the sadistically bad "Love Conquers All" version of "Brazil" which is nearly 50 minutes shorter. A definite must have for Gilliam fans or fans of good, intelligent cinema.
Rating:
Summary: freewheeling intensity
Review: I found 'Brazil' upsetting and nightmarish when I first saw it, but it haunted me into subsequent viewings, because it remains exhilerating and brilliant... not to mention hilarious. The fact that the plot keeps turning inward upon itself: getting more and more complicated, absurd, and hard to keep track of, formally echoes the movie's theme that the evil in society is caused by bureaucratic red tape, and the resultant buck-passing in the realm of personal responsibility. The movie's downbeat tone is nearly always relieved by the hilarity and inventiveness of its exaggerations, and its sheer breathless style and momentum. Plus, we come to really care about Jonathan Pryce's character, which raises the emotional stakes as our interest in his fate heightens --- proving comedy still has the power to shock us dramatically, much as in 'Dr. Strangelove,' whose spiraling mania closely parallels 'Brazil's '. And the use of the 'Brazil' theme music creates much ironic eeriness at the end. A must-see.
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD set that I own...
Review: If you are a fan of Brazil, and have never seen this DVD set . . . then you are completely missing out. These 3 DVDs have everything you'd ever want and want to know about the film. The full Gilliam cut and Gilliam's commentary, a complete supplemental DVD with documentaries, analysis, art, production stills, music/scoring analysis and tons more . . . and a DVD presenting the ridiculous television cut with commentary that breaks down just how Brazil was torn apart by editing for television.Once again, Criterion has assembled one of the most definitive DVDs of a great film and has given it to its fans. I've always loved Brazil, and I can't think of a better way to watch, enjoy and learn about it's creation than this comprehensive 3 disc set. It's the best in my collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Ever own a British sports car?
Review: Anyone who owned a British sports car (or sedan) during the 50's and 60's, as I did, will appreciate the gruesome combination of innovative design and horrible application of technology in this film. The bureaucratic attitude of indifference to product failure and real consumer desires is an accurate reflection of the manufacturers of these charming, but flawed machines and the people who made them. Watching Brazil was like reliving a nightmare, as well as intensely thrilling as a satire and romance.
Rating:
Summary: Why isn't it anamorphic.
Review: While this is an excellent overall production by Criterion, I don't understand why the feature (at least) was not anamorphic. I know next to nothing about the DVD industry or the technical considerations involved, so perhaps I'm just being cynical -- but it makes me wonder if Criterion (and others) don't release some truly great (classic!!) movies as anamorphic DVD because they KNOW that they can rerelease it in a few years as anamorphic -- selling it to the SAME people who purchased the earlier version. I that's so, then it lousy on their part. My doubt causes me to rate this as four stars, rather than the five it would otherwise deserve.
Rating:
Summary: Visual Stunner!
Review: The visuals in this movie are outstanding. The plot is dark and so are many of the scenes. It is a wild ride through an absolutely fantastic land of make-believe and reality and sometimes the two are intermingled in a confounding but stunning way. The actors are up to the visual effects and Jonathan Pryce is outstanding as the beleaguered protagonist.The DVD version is clarity personified and the sound is fabulous. Buy it and enjoy a rollercoaster ride in the land of outrageousness and wry political comment.
Rating:
Summary: 2084
Review: I hadn't watched BRAZIL since its theatrical release in 1985 and, for weeks, wasn't so sure that I really wanted to see it again. So many movies leave a deep mark in your memory but, unfortunately, don't stand the test of time and make you feel so sad inside after a second screening that you swear to yourself you won't renew the experiment again. But yesterday night, Criterion's blue box was strangely glowing in my library so I suddenly knew that I was ready for it. And it was great. BRAZIL stands masterfully the comparison with the sci-fi movies released since 1985. In fact, Terry Gilliam's film, along with Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS, is the best sci-fi movie ever made. And that's final. BRAZIL doesn't play in the same league than STAR WARS or most of the sci-fi products released each year. You don't compare Edgar Allan Poe with Stephen King, do you ? STAR WARS is a commercial product that I like a lot nevertheless knowing that it has no artistic value at all. You watch this kind of movie for the fun, and forget it in a few hours. BRAZIL, on the contrary, is a movie that shall haunt you during days. Because it's smart, relevant, original and because, behind the images, lie deep thoughts and a personal vision. And it's pretty rare these days. Criterion's box must absolutely be part of your library if you profess a true love for cinema. Three DVD's to cherish.
Rating:
Summary: this is for that weener Baxter.
Review: Justin P. Baxter, your obviously not the type to look past the usual theme/plot of a movie are ya? I can let you say what you want about Brazil, but as far as 12 Monkeys goes, are you insane? I mean the movie is great, Brad Pitt turns out an excellent performance, quite possibly his best ever, and Willis also does a fine job. Mr. Baxter, please take a course in how to understand and ENJOY films. Especially ones of this stature.
Rating: 
Summary: Most boring movie of all time
Review: This is the most boring movie of all time, bar none. It even beats twelve monkeys.
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