Ray Charles - Live In Brazil DVD

Advantages: An amazing and romantic flight of fancy
Disadvantages: Not for those who prefer reality

...was that Robert De Niro's character was so enjoyable, but saw so little use. Other than that, however, I thought it was a film which presents some compelling things which deserve serious thought, even though most people probably won't be able to get past the trademark Gilliam visual quirkiness to see what he is saying. Brazil is definitively one of the top ten movies of all times. It's a sort of anti-Utopian spectacle, in the same fashion of George Orwell's 1984. The movie has a very complex sequence of events, which require more than one viewing for full understanding. In fact, the first time I saw Brazil, I didn't enjoy it much and this is probably a very good reason in itself to buy the DVD. But when I gave it a second chance some time later, the pleasure of watching it increased exponentially. The more I watch it, the more I discover hidden... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great sound, brilliant documentary included.
Disadvantages: Packaging is not a hard plastic case.

...I've followed Rush for years since I met Geddy Lee at the Manchester Apollo in the 70's when they toured the UK. This is a brilliant live dvd - far better than the Rush at the NEC recording (I went to that concert too) but I think that is largely because the music has improved a lot from the days of Geddy taking the synth front stage instead of Alex Lifeson's guitar playing. If you remember Chrnicles, this is pretty much the defniitive live history of Rush's volume of work, kicking off with Tom Sawyer which for some reason became hugely popular in Brazil as a the opening track on a TV series there. I liked particularly the documentary "The Boys in Brazil" which gives you a personal glimpse into an otherwise very camera shy trio when it comes to their private life - watch out for Alex joking with his wife in the hotel room about... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Intelligent, dark, satirical, funny, angry, moving, and sad
Disadvantages: Not a one

...A note: This review refers to Gilliam's director's cut of the film, and not the terrible, truncated, moronic television version. A bit about the Criterion special edition DVD will follow the body of this review. Dystopian stories are often used to satirize society. The examples of this abound in literature, and in film. 1984, A Clockwork Orange, Brave New World, Erewhon, and Gattaca are just a few of the countless examples of this sort of tale. Using a future society gone mad has become a standard method of writing about the problems of today. Terry Gilliam's marvelous film Brazil is yet another example of this tradition. Gilliam is best known as a member of Monty Python, the surrealist comedy troupe from Britain. Python was famous for skewering everything they saw. Gilliam served as their cartoonist, occasional actor... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful