civex Blog

Under discussion:

Brazil  (1985)

This is, in my very humble opinion, Terry Gilliam's best film, but still it falls short of the mark. I really liked the film as it exists in Gilliam's cut (there are two other edits released, and his is 142 minutes long).

The story is compelling, but Gilliam, as is so often the case, gets bogged down in special effects that add nothing to the story. The fantasy scenes of our hero (Sam Lowry played by Jonathon Pryce) are very effective, giving us insight into Lowry's character. But the loss of Harry Tuttle in the paper creates confusion, and the samurai doesn't tell us anything we don't already know.

In spite of its shortcomings, I really liked the film. When it's intentionally bogged down in bureaucracy, it's both telling and funny. There are great comments on the superficiality of society and the dangers of trusting the bureaucracy. Although I don't call it a success, it does not fail (as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen does).

Under discussion:

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse  (1933)

This is another fascinating Fritz Lang film with Inspector Lohmann as the police presence. The correct way to view the film is as a part of the German Expressionism genre. I won't give the plot in detail, but Professor Baum becomes obsessed with a patient who is a master criminal: Dr. Mabuse. The issue is whether Mabuse is reaching out from his cell to control the mind of Baum. You can take that literally, or you can see Baum's obsession as leading him to think he is Mabuse or is being controlled by Mabuse. It leads me into the realm of magical realism, where the author or director leaves wiggle room in both directions: either there is magic and it works or there is a rational explanation for things that happen or seem to happen. (Testament, in case you didn't know, means will. Dr. Mabuse's will is being done by Professor Baum.)

In any even, Fritz Lang does a great job directing the film, with exciting car chases and great moody scenes of raving lunacy or brilliant sleuthing. The amount of smoking that goes on is remarkable here and in Lang's M.

Under discussion:

The Big Lebowski  (1997)

This is a well-deserved cult classic. I won't call it Chandleresque even if it is based loosely (really loosely, dood) on The Long Goodbye. It's a stand-alone comedy in its own right, and the characters are totally off the wall and completely credible. It's filled with laugh-out-loud funny scenes (the spreading of the ashes on the ocean is a stand out), John Goodman is huge, and John Turturro is totally over the top.

The movie bears repeated watching over the years, and you'll appreciate the small things more as you stop following the plot and start following the bits that are going on during the scenes.