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[Flop]

Ah, 1984, I love that book, although I prefer Animal Farm (when comparing Orwell's works).

Did anyone see the movie Brazil, which was heavily inspired by 1984? I love Robert De niro's small part in that movie, it's simply hilarious.

[Evad]

Yeah I saw
Brazil but I was baked out of my mind and had trouble making sence of it. I'll have to rent it again sometime.
For anyone interested I have an avi copy of a noam chomsky lecture at Harvard, it is very good.

[Chuck the plant]

Originally posted by PrejudiceSucks@Jun 24 2005, 08:57 PM
Hmm - about the Matrix

Most people are like 'OMG TEH COMB4T!' but actually it's like 'OMG TEH R3L1G10U5 0V3RT0|\|35!'

I like the film, but it's a little over-popular now.

Not so much religion (besides some VERY obvious remarks to J.H. Christ...), but more philosophy... but then again, that's not new, either, read Daniel F. Galouye's novel "Simulacron 3" from 1964. Everything that was so "original" about "the Matrix" has been there some 35 years before... let beside "Neo Jesus" flying through the air and eeeevil robots enslaving mankind...

BTW, most of the philosophical stuff in BOTH reaches back some 2000 years to Plato...

[Microprose Veteran]

Regarding the movie Brazil: think of it as 1984 but then in today's reality. Even with an all-seeing, all-powerful totalitarian dictatorship in place, there's still the bureaucracy to deal with. And they are rather lazy officials who spend most of their time at work watching classic movies...

I think Terry Gilliam is rather overrated, but Brazil is okay, good. Robert DeNiro is almost unrecognizable with his English accent: he plays a guerilla plumber! Something tells me that Gilliam doesn't know how to deal with women, as his main character's first dealings with a mystery woman are extremely awkward. Perhaps it was intended that way but I felt awkward watching it. Anyway, most of the movie is very good.

Regarding other Gilliam movies I've seen:

Time Bandits: some fantastic scenes but the movie is ultimately too long

First part of Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life: looks to me like the Python team said to Gilliam, "look we need a filler of half an hour at the start, could you help us out?"

Twelve Monkeys: vastly overrated. Brad Pitt acting as a moron, mimicking a monkey ("brilliant" acting...). Wasted opportunity this movie.

[BeefontheBone]

I liked 12 Monkeys, though Brad Pitt is definitely overrated in it. I found Jabberwocky hard work though. On Meaning of Life did you mean the bit with the Corporate Pirates (can't remember the name off the top of my head)? I thought that was the best bit of the film, apart from Every Sperm, naturally.

[Microprose Veteran]

How dare you disagree with me! :Titan:

Gilliam is overrated I tell you! Overrated!! Waaah!!! :ranting:

[Flop]

That's what you say, but according to your list you haven't seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is one his best (if not the best) of his movies. I recommend that you watch it, since it's definitely an experience whether you like the movie or not.

But I gotta say that I think that The Meaning of Life IMO is Monty Pythons wealest movie (except for that corporate pirates bit, which was hilarious).

[TheVoid]

I have read it, and I think it could be a good base for an adventure, tho i don't see how it could end.......the last sentence of 1984 is so very sad. Hard to give the same feelings as the book.

[Indignus IV]

Holy Cow! I've never read the book, but its been in my library for years, and I am familiar with the plot. I'm holding it in my hands right now and reading the last sentence and Holy Cow! So thats the end! I hate endings like that. They suck. But its really the harsh reality of it all.

Arg! I could kill Orwell!

[Microprose Veteran]

Don't forget to read the political section/addendum at the end of the book. It's the documents Winston recovered. Rather tedious to read, but fascinating at the same time because it explains objectives of IngSoc and the Perpetual War.

Regarding the ending: it's not meant to be a happy end novel. The novel is just a warning against police state regimes.