Brazil

Dir: Terry Gilliam, 1985 (9.0*)

This outrageous and scary SF-fantasy will forever be debated: critics loved it, some moviegoers did not. Personally, I think it's Terry Gilliam's (Time Bandits, The Fisher King) best: daring, inventive, ambitious, and unique. It's a dystopean future society, controlled by a fascist intelligence system, one in which lead character Jonathan Pryce escapes his dreary reality into fantasies where he sees his "angel of love" (Kim Griest), and constantly hears the song "Brazil". Katherine Helmond ("Soap") is perfect as his ditzy mother, contantly getting facelifts and boyfriends.

Robert De Niro has a rare comedic part as a rogue repairman, who fixes appliances without proper paperwork and authority, which makes him a "seditious terrorist" wanted by authorities. Bob Hoskins is also a repairman, the antithesis of De Niro, who is a stickler for bureaucracy. Ian Holm is a paranoid, spineless manager, who depends on employee Pryce to solve his mistakes; and fellow Monty Pythoner (along with Gilliam) Michael Palin is a friend of the family's who happens to be a government torturer. Not for all tastes, but very rewarding if you give it a chance. Won numerious critics awards as film of the year.

Quote: I 'members 'im every day at work: "ere I am, J.H."