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Movies

This is where you can discuss your homework, family, just about anything, make strange sounds and otherwise discuss things which are really not related to the Lancer-series. Yes that means you can discuss other games.

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:03 pm

@Doom

Brazil....man that is a weird one......I didn't think anyone else would have seen it before.......What exactly is Terry Gilliam on again? Lithium?

I can't find any video stores around me that have it in stock.....I saw it on late night something or other......it only played once....but once was really all it took.....definately the weirdest movie I've ever seen.


Even if you do find it, there are at least 5 different versions of the film. I own 2 and have seen at least 3. My two came in a Criterion Set where Gilliam presented his version and alternately the "Love Conquers All (Studio)" version. The difference between the two is absolutely profound! Completely different films.

Then I saw a third, which I think is the same as the theatrical release and the one on the regular DVD that was out some time ago, if not still. It had a similar plot progression to the director's version except missing a lot more and making things a bit more obvious and clear. It did have one great advantage though, it made a fantastic cut from the bag being put over Sam Lowry's head to the torture room then the fast camera pull back. The director's cuts had several scenes in between these two scenes and didn't allow for such a nifty surprise. Though I do prefer having the scenes in the film.

Then apparently, which I have not seen, there is a European version of the director's cut, but from what few changes are in it, I think I would prefer the American version.

Then there's a fifth version which I don't know what form it takes and can't say how it is different from the rest. I think it might have been a discarded version from Gilliam. Alternate takes, different scenes and other such things.

Sir S

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:57 pm

@SS,

I've only heard of City of Lost Children before. The other excape me.

When I bought the DVD, I found out there was two versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. A US and UK version. The UK version is the orignal, then somethings were cut to make it the US version. But it's basicaly the same movie.

Life: No one gets out alive.

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 9:42 pm

@Rilms, the director of City of Lost Children also directed Delicatessen (his first film) & Amelie. The director of Brazil also directed 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King & Time Bandits. The director of Dark City also directed The Crow (the first one).

Sir S

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 9:59 pm

I've seen the Crow. That was a good movie. Tis a shame Bruce Lee's son died....

Life: No one gets out alive.

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 10:59 pm

Alex Proyas? Dark City was indeed very, very good.

Post Wed Jan 07, 2004 11:05 pm

I'm not so keen on dark city....I mean it was an interesting idea and all but it seemed a little campy to me......

I also wanted to supliment your list of Terry Giliam movies.....there was also the adventures of baron munchausen
also all of the Monty Python movies were co-directed by Terry Gilliam.


Good?....Bad?......I'm the guy with the gun.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:59 am

what a good choice of films!

Brazil, great film, much under-rated, I was never too sure of Jonathan Pryce as Sam, he just struck me as a little too old. Great choice in Baron Munchausen though, which is my fav. Gilliam film along with 12 Monkeys.

Anyone seen Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas? i read the book some years ago, not seen't film.

Cité des Enfants Perdus & Delicatessen, again great choices. What a shame jeunet & Caro agreed to do Alien Resurrection also known as P.o.S

Dark City? enjoyable 90 minutes and a good ending but it didn't really convince, the sets just looked like cardboard movie sets and i didn't engage with any of the characters and it just kept reminding me of the all of the above films and everything else it ripped off. stylish but thats about all it was. Plus I don't really like William Hurt, he's always so earnest and decent. if you like Dark City then i recommend Vana Espuma (Idle Mist) which deals with much the same territory in a similar way but is genuinely scary.

I've never seen the Crow. I don't think i'd like it. Seems all style and no substance.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:38 am

I agree with you about Dark City - all my friends raved about it to the point of explosion - when I finally got around to seeing it, I did enjoy it, but I felt the acting was a bit wooden and the sets looked like you could blow them over...all of which was a little too distracting from what actually was a very good idea for a movie.

I disagree about the crow though, its got a great deal of substance, and the style is really only appealling to fans of the cure, the sisters of mercy and my bloody valentine. But it does has an unmistakeable level of cool.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - well I watched the first half of it after a "very good night out" with some friends, and then promptly hurled my guts up for 2 hours. Not a film I'm gonna watch again in a hurry

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:08 am

Now, the question is, did you throw up because of your night out or the movie?

Life: No one gets out alive.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:39 am

its a very good question...but I would definitely say that it was a combination of the two

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:55 am

it's really quite a repulsive story isn't it? Funny, bizarre, but not very nice really.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:11 am

Brazil was on the BBC over chrimbo - but I didn't watch it, Red Dwarf was on BBC2. Twelve Monkeys is an awesome film, Terry Gilliam is great, although I don't recall seeing him in any of the Python films. This thread seems to be focussing on the more obscure films, and I am not really an obscurist - the most obscure film I've ever seen is Withnail and I (which is set in London and my hometown, Penrith).

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:29 am

Terry does have the odd cameo in some Python films, aside from being director/animator, usually as a thing or an oik, invariably covered in dirt. Patsy in the Holy Grail, a jailer and a Prophet in LoB, various cr*ppy joes in Brazil such as the Smoking Man in Shangri-la Towers, and the Man with the Rock in Jabberwocky.

as for obscurism, it's not a case of seeking out fims that are obscure per se, it's simply that mainstream cinema isn't always very satisfying, it often fails to explore complex themes because it's mass entertainment produced usually only to make money. While there are many big-budget fims that i admire and think are superb, there are just as many worthy independent films made on shoestring budgets that appeal to me just as much if not more. sometimes i want more than a just a couple of hours of escapism.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:34 am

Have any of you guys seen "28 days later" yet? I watched it sky box office the other night and was really impressed. Not bad at all for a british horror flick. Not bad at all.

Post Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:03 am

I found it very disappointing. Not without its moments though, I was genuinely scared in the church, and the grainy video of deserted London was exceedingly well done (also cramped the camera angles which helped) and the Infected were convincingly single-minded. Oh yeh the taxi in the tunnel was good too. Then thats pretty much it, goes in to cliche-ville after that, the acting is wooden especially the kid Hannah, her dad's "death" is totally predictable and complete rubbish sorry and Christopher Eccleston is just pointlessly affected as the nutty Major. The entire plot is lifted from Day of the Triffids/Night of the Comet/Survivors/The Quiet Earth and lacks either's redeeming features. Rubbish ending* too, possibly Danny Boyle's worst film to date. But it wasn't uniformly bad and there's a good film in there somewhere!

the best part of the film for me was Mark (Noah Huntley) describing how he'd tried to get out of London with his family and the Infection had spread like awave through the crowd at the railway station. Now that would have been worth seeing, it was terrifying just from the description. But unf. Danny can't do big scenes well

Selena was a waste of film, she was totally predictable. stock ballsy female character that's in everything now <yawn>

in fact i was so p*ssed off with Hannah (Megan Burns) that i quite wanted her to be killed/infected/used as a sex-slave by the soldiers/eaten for dinner, she was absolutley rubbish. i hope she didn't get paid for that dreadful performance and she'd best not put it on her CV either! pretty girl though..

to be fair he did write another ending but the theatrical release was with the "happy" ending. The "sad" endings a lot better!



Edited by - Tawakalna on 1/8/2004 7:47:40 AM

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