7. Brazil

My guest for this month is Allen Pike, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1985 dystopian science fiction film Brazil. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.

Show notes:

My original review of Brazil
The film was directed by Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam
Who doesn’t love a good black comedy
Or 1940s fashion
Or 1980s technology
Some might argue that bureaucracy has already gone wrong
1985 is, in fact, before 1990
I love Michael Palin in basically everything he’s ever done
Another Terry Gilliam film was Time Bandits, I like this one a lot more
The studio that initially butchered the film was Universal, nice try Sid Sheinberg
The underground screening was for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who awarded the film Best Picture
Comparisons with George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four are just silly
The only thing they have in common is some sense of mass surveillance
2006’s Idiocracy by Mike Judge, on the other hand, does sound similar to this film
Seriously. Seriously! No one should get a Pizza Hut tattoo on their face. That’s a bad idea
Ian Holm does a wonderful job as a fairly inept boss
Consistentize isn’t a word, but standardize is
The whole essay by David Sterritt for Criterion is a great read
Robert De Niro’s character is named Archibald “Harry” Tuttle
Bob Hoskins' character is named Spoor, and his partner is named Dowser
Star Trek represents the most hopeful version of the future that I know of
Ok, but for real, don’t get a Pizza Hut tattoo on your face. Not cool
The app design studio Allen runs is called Steamclock, they’re great, you should hire them
The DMV definitely still loves paperwork
TSA Precheck, which is totally available for Canadians too
India has plenty of bureaucracy of its own
San Francisco is an ABC city, which makes opening a bar an insane pain
Vancouver, British Columbia is apparently also a tough place to open a bar
Disruption doesn’t justify all actions, some of these companies need to cut it out
The theme song, also called Brazil, was recorded by Geoff Muldaur
It was also used in the first trailer for WALL-E
There are really, seriously, almost no similarities between this film and Cannibal Holocaust
You should read all the interesting things Allen writes at his website

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