Brazil

I think this was the film ever film to make me feel overly depressed. Primarily because, of the ending that is most well-known out of like three different endings.It made be fear the future and how one day this might be me in that world. It just reflected on me at such a young age (maybe 9) the feeling of what I now know is totalitarianism thrown in with just whacked out science-fiction tale. To me Brazil along with others that came out in the 80s like, Scanners, Toys, Akira, Blade Runner, etc.was one of the greatest times for science-fiction to be released. It was so dark, and morbid, and depressing all roled into one because the story was so far out and full turmoil and the endings were not usually you're usual fairy happy endings. Never. This was a whole new era of science-fiction of it's own and I sort of feel that Terry Gilliam isn't recognized enough for this masterpiece. I dare even challenge whether or not I prefer this over Blade Runner.

In a highly structured and bureaucratic state, the government has installed extreme and highly counter-productive measures for which to track down terrorists. A "bug" in the system mixes up the last name of a terrorist (Tuttle) and an innocent man (ironically enough Buttle). Thus, the wrong man (Buttle) is arrested and killed while Tuttle continues to roam free. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Price), an average man with a mother who "knows people" and is always trying to set her son in a higher ranking position in the government to which he always declines, is assigned to investigate the error. At the same time, Jill Layton (Kim Greist), Buttle's neighbor, is trying to report the mistake to authorities. Due to the extremely inefficient bureaucracy, she finds the process to be very tedious. Meanwhile, Sam, who has been dreaming about Jill, gets sidetracked by his fantasies and ends up also being a victim of the counter productivity of the government. The government soon sees Jill as befriending the terrorist, Buttle, and suspects her of aiding him and makes it the mission to apprehend and kill her. One day, Sam returns home to find that his air-conditioning is broken and he calls for Central Service to come and fix it. The terrorist, Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle (Robert De Niro), intercepts his call and comes and installs a type of device that messes with the governments bug devices and befriends Sam.

The worlds technology is by far a spectacle of retro 70s technology just a way more grimier. It's almost as if the entire film was set up to be a sort of slap stick cartoon. The comedy in the film is very open despite the depressing atmosphere in which it is surrounded by. I suppose that this film wouldn't be as depressing as, Dark City, per say but, it has it's moments. The the idea of the government surrounding you and your own family is far past caring about your own personal concern or feelings is awful. It's such a beautiful balance though between the harsh truth of reality, and the limitless extent of imagination that lies within the head of Sam. It's like Terry Gilliam was trying to tell us no matter what happens with the world in the future the one place they can never control us at is in our minds. That, that is what holds us so unique to everyone else in the world.

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Taxi Driver

This film kicked me in my teeth. It's one of the only films I've seen where a on the edge psychopath is the hero and is actually awarded for it. First of all, the whole film is simply psychotic. Even with the cameo of director Martin Scorsese following his wife to her lovers home and talking to Robert De Niro about putting a gun in her pussy and pulling the trigger. It was a gritty film with a lot of recognition. The whole story, all the characters seem as if they came from rust on the bottom of a toilet. I first saw this film back in high school and again it's one of those that you have to get around seeing before you get out of high school and afterwards it becomes the one that you want to get around seeing again but, never can find the time. I'm glad that this film was made and in a way saddened that this film didn't get an Oscar just more proud that it was recognized at all. This film has the a extraordinary story and it's seems like something you'd see in an old grindhouse type of feature show. And a lot of those types of films a gems in the film world but, go unrecognised, so it's good to see something so brutal and dark get a thumbs up from a lot of people.

Robert De Niro plays a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran named, Travis Bickle, who was discharged from the service honorably. Travis drives a taxi cab during the night, due to insomnia, in the mean streets of New York City's five boroughs and is a frequent regular at porn theatres in his off time. One day, Travis notices a campaign volunteer named Betsy (Cybill Shepard) and asks her out on a date even though he has never really been on one before. Not knowing what to do he takes her to a Swedish porn in one of his regular theatre picks and Betsy becomes disgusted and walks out. Betsy avoids contact with Travis at all costs and due to all his attempts at redemption he starts to become angry and frustrated. He starts to becomes sickened by all the decaying crime that constantly swarms around him and decides to try and take matter into his own hands. He buys a few guns from an illegal arms dealer and practices threatening gestures in front of his mirror at home and later starts sporting a new Mohawk hair-do. One day a 12 year old prostitute named, Iris (Jodie Foster), jumps into Travis' cab in order to escape her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel). Travis fails to drive away and Sport reaches into the cab and grabs Iris out and gives Travis a 20 dollar bill for his troubles. Travis is shocked at his failure to drive away and feels obligated to help her at any costs once he sees her again.

The preparation that De Niro went through to do this role was simply God-like. Studying mental-illness and above all driving a cab in 12 hour shifts around New York so he could get more of that cab driver feel. De Niro has always taken a large preperation in his roles, most notably Raging Bull another Scorsese film. The film in short was a monster to me it was powerful in the form of being set in such a jungle that New York City was portrayed as in the 70s. We learned that the .44 magnum could strike fear into the deepest, darkest, depths of men as the cannon stared it's victim in the face being wielded by a crazed man who has nothing to live for other than to blow the streets filth to smithereens. It was controversial and offensive as many of the films by Scorsese are. Scorsese is not one of my favortie directors but, he has always had the balls do such films as these and that to me is being a renegade when he's able to take a story filled with so much turmoil and turn it into film and send it all the way up to Academy recognition. He isn't afraid to raise the bar at all. To you Scorsese if I wore a hat, I'd tip it to you.

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