Rating: 
Summary: Dammit, it even has a happy ending
Review: If you enjoy thought provoking, emotion provoking, dark comedy, it doesn't get any better than Brazil. If you aren't already a huge fan of the film, buy the regular version, if you are the Criterion disk has huge amounts of background info that is price- less. And despite all of the "it's too depressing" reviews you will hear, the ending is actually happy if you think about it hard enough.If you really want a lighter version, they've even included the much shorter, and more upbeat cut that the American distributor wanted to release.
Rating:
Summary: Soup, Miami Vice, and Peter Gabriel.
Review: First things first: If you hate this movie, you're an insane-o. Okie dope. When I fist saw "Brazil" I was extremely enthralled and entertained by it. My attention didn't drift for a single moment. The style, story (which incorporates [very loosely] elements of Orwell's "1984"), characters, and everything else are just so wonderful. I luckily saw the director's cut on my first voyage into "Brazil" and I must say that I was pretty much speechless when the credits began to roll. It has such a wonderfully depressing ending. Much of what I could say has already been mentioned in reviews prior to mine, so I'll just keep this nice and short. Something that I love about this film is how it's just as enjoyable on repeated viewings as it is on the first. A second go at "Brazil" will be a little less confusing, and you'll pick up little things that you didn't before. Here's an example: Archibald "Henry" Tuttle's (Robert DeNiro) character tells Sam ( Jonathan Pryce) about how he couldn't stand the paperwork whilst working at Central Services. Later on in the film, Tuttle is swarmed by sheets of paper and then vanishes within the mass, so he was basically consumed by paperwork. I just thought it was a weird scene at first, but later realized it was a bit of a pun relating to what he had said earlier. I also found that "Brazil" was incredibly funny. That's something else that's great about this film. One minute it's amazingly hilarious, and the next it's tense and disturbing. It draws out so many emotional responses and this makes viewing it worthwhile. By the way, I went into the kitchen to make some soup a wee while ago and Miami Vice was on. It was playing Peter Gabriel's "The Ryhthm and the Heat" and it made me happy...'cause I like Peter Gabriel...and I like soup.
Rating:
Summary: Duality: How you will be either bored or thrilled by Brazil.
Review: I first saw this movie when it first appeared in 1985 at a small cinema on the campus of Griffith Uni in Brisbane. It seemed nearly everyone on campus must have gone to see this one. It ran for ages. Although I'm neither british nor australian, I was much conditioned and influenced by both cultures. Then again, we all are conditioned by the all-too-dominant culture of Hollywood film-making that to the casual cinema goer this is a meaningless film. If you expect stunning visual effects, a Titanic-like love story, or a happy ending romantic comedy, go see Mission Impossible and Sleepless in Seattle a few more times. This movie has stayed with me over the years and I have seen it 7 times now and still find new elements in it. Why ? As society changes around us, I find more and more similarities of absurd human behaviour. In 1985, the cold-war prime time era, one would mentally associate the movie with other totalitarian regimes and dismiss the orwellian theme as science fiction. Well awake sleepers! This is 2001, and it's not your Arthur C. Clarke's kind of 2001 . We, in the western "free" societies are increasingly embracing the notion of relinquishing responsibilities to our governments, because it's convenient and we don't care anyway. We think it's cool to have a homepage on the web, we endorse surveillance in "public" places. We dare not speak out for fear of being politically incorrect and of living at the edge. This movie is an excellent reminder, and entertaining at the same time, of what we all hope not to become! It does it in a delightfully subtle way. No, it's not the in-your-face humour, american slapstick and soaps have conditioned the TV junkies to, but it appeals to your intellect. Yes, you need to keep your brain switched ON and your cell phone OFF at all times during this showing. Don't go see this one with your hot new date, it's definitely NOT "What women want". See it by yourself, or see it with someone that appreciates all kinds of movies and wouldn't mind an evening of intense discussion afterwards. Believe me, you won't wanna jump into bed, alone or otherwise, after this one. It's too stirring! As an encore, enjoy "12 Monkeys" after this one.
Rating: 
Summary: dark
Review: My rating reflects how much I would like to see this film again, not the quality of the writing or production. This is the gloomiest of the Terry Gilliam films. The production values are high, but the story is poignantly cynical. If you can put aside the weight of the dismal, hopeless shadow cast on humanity by this film (which I can't), you'll find the story tightly written and the details meticulous.
Rating: 
Summary: Prescient
Review: Just watched it last night; Gilliam's portrayal of urban SWAT ops *precisely* matches how the Federales prefer to operate today (compare & contrast the Elian retrieval). The use of retro-technology is brilliant, as it removes the 'time-stamp', enabling the story to seem current at any time in the future. Not a perfect movie (some of Gilliam's story devices could be cut with no harm), but still essential viewing to inculcate: 1) understanding that our public security apparatchiks can and do make mistakes (just see the Secret Service's raid of Steve Jackson Games in 1995, and the 2001 arrest of Skylarov in Las Vegas). 2) appreciation of the art of the hack... DeNiro is the archtypical hacker, and his last act is brilliant... A very worthwhile experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Something like Doctor Who meets Franz Kafka??
Review: Hearing that Brazil is a dystopian film, I decided to watch it. Well. . . .it's, um, different. . .and confusing. . .and exceedingly stupid. . .and British, very British. Brazil is definitely of more interest to Monty Python enthusiasts than to dystopiaphiles. Fellow devotees of this genre, you are better off to stay with the novels, but if you must watch a movie, The Truman Show, while not technically a dystopia, might be of interest. As for Brazil, it has is risible moments--indeed, the entire movie is laughable, but this is exclusively due to its almost unimaginable crappiness. Mom agrees. Another reviewer, play4bux, has remarked that "this film shows sparks of creativity here and there, but will ultimately just deprive you of 2 1/2 hours you could have put to better use." Amen! pythia
Rating:
Summary: Mistakes? We don't make mistakes!
Review: Ah... what a great movie. Most of the reviewers say that the movie was confusing but it was not. As long as you follow the story and don't get lost, you will not be confused at all. If you watch the movie a couple times more you will find alot more sutff though. One of the things that suprised the most about this great film was that it was very funny. There are so many hilarous moments in this movie like Harry Tuttle putting the illegal heating system in and Sams mothers friend who always has bandeges and stitches on her face because her plastic surgery has gone wrong. To me this is Terry Gilliams masterpeice, the world he creates is mind blowing. I am an active movie maker and Gilliam has left an impression on me. BUY THE MOVIE AND WATCH IT.
Rating:
Summary: Trust me, this is no 'Blade Runner'...
Review: Highly dissapointing Orwellian, Quasi-futuristic film. The story revolves around a homosexual romance between Sam & 'Jill'. A witness to an arrest due to false identity, 'Jill' is forced to run from law enforcement officials and is aided by his homosexual lover, Sam. This film shows sparks of creativity here and there, but will ultimately just deprive you of 2 1/2 hours you could have put to better use.
Rating:
Summary: Originality...A lost Art
Review: This movie is so crazy. I loved it. The story and is very interesting and the landscape was perfectly created. The only problem with the movie that I had that kept it from getting 5 stars is the ending. Most of the ending is pretty good, but as it winds down you kind of lose your grasp on the film. The DVD is loaded and if you've seen the movie and you're really into it, then buy the Criterion Set because it's got more things on it than an DVD I've seen. It's insane, I tell you! Brilliant I say!
Rating:
Summary: umm... huh??
Review: I watched this movie, all set to get some great symbolism & dark humor thrown in my face. I love obscure humor & dark comedies, and I figured this would be a real thrill. I found the movie after watching a terrific flick called "Four Rooms". Sure Brazil would be different, I thought, but if it was recommended to people who loved "Four Rooms", it will be great! Oh, no. Let me start describing my movie-watching experience by saying that the other two people *trying* to watch this movie with me could not stay awake through the whole thing. I, on the other hand, kept thinking "It's got to get better!", and valiantly kept my eyes & attention on the movie through the whole thing. Well, I can honestly say I was envious of my slumbering companions when the movie FINALLY ended. It's not that I didn't get it... it's just that this 2 1/2 hr (or so... seemed like it was 6+ hours when I watched it!) movie could have been done in about 30 minutes. WHERE were the editors?? Usually I'm cursing them for cutting so much out of movies... they must have seen this stinker before hand, and threw up their arms & gave up before they started. The bottom line? If, when you look up a word in the dictionary, you are not satisfied with a simple definition, but read on to read all possible definitions, then look up the definition of the greek root word origins, you may enjoy this movie. If you look for a movie that actually moves slower than a snails pace, skip this one... or, at least, don't try to stay awake through it by convincing yourself it will get better. It doesn't.
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