Darklogic

Terry Gilliam stands out as a true auteur. His wit and injection of satire into his work has made him one of my favorite writer/directors. In his films he often portrays a highly structured society that is cold and pedantic, stifling freedom and imagination. In Baron Munchausen, he uses an enormous budget from Columbia Pictures to create a vivid adventure in the "late 18th century" during the "Age of Reason". Seemingly disdainful about this designation, he once again satirizes government and society, its cruelness, pettiness, and vanity, and the apparent loss of imagination to "logic and reason".

The story is highly fantastical and absurd, with an adventurer, Baron Munchausen, traveling the world in search of his old crew to end a war that he started long ago. Along the way he will go to the Moon and talk to the moon king, whose unique dichotomy of animalistic instinct and intellectual aspiration satirize the powerful. He will fall inside a volcano, meet the God Vulcan and the Goddess Venus, and later get swallowed up by a giant fish. This may sound great, and it certainly is. The reason this movie is not a 10/10, however, is due to some unfortunate weaknesses throughout. Though the scenery and special effects can be quite dazzling, and the sardonic humor amusing, this film lacks any real clarity or purpose, and the sheer madness can be tedious. At two and a half hours, it is also long. I found myself watching amused, but not engaged, all the way to the end; an ending which left me even more uncertain as to exactly what I had just seen. Great for the inner child, though you might want to keep away from real children as sexual content, poignant images (such as a man with his eyes sewn shut), and numerous beheadings might be disturbing to young ones.

Soylent Green is a sort of sci-fi noir that takes place in an overpopulated New York in 2022. Building on fears that were prevalent at the time concerning the environment and greenhouse effects, Soylent Green depicts a world devoid of natural life, but overflowing with humans and urban decay.

Charlton Heston plays a hardened detective much in line with the type pioneered by Raymond Chandler in his crime novels: rough, tough, and grounded in an undesirable reality. His investigation into a murder case is going to reveal a hidden conspiracy that will put his life in jeopardy.

The premise the film seems to be a clever synthesis of crime drama and old-school science fiction. But where the ideas are exciting and full of potential, none of them are fully developed, explained, or utilized. There is very little character development from anybody, and the acting itself seems mediocre at best. The ending culminates from very little evolution or explanation, and then concludes abruptly leaving this particular viewer dissatisfied.

The movie Wall-E is a touching work of science fiction that manages to bridge the gap between child and adult. Wall-E is left abandoned on a decrepit planet Earth, with the directive of compacting and organizing the leftover trash. Having been alone for a great amount of time, his entire reality and purpose going to change.

Bringing into perspective moral conflicts of consumerism and big business, the film displays an ominous conclusion for the Earth we live in today. All this stands in stark contrast to the robot himself, who demonstrates a loving personality and emotions such as curiosity, empathy, and loneliness. It is hard not to be drawn in to Wall-E's charm.

Viewers will undoubtedly be taken by the stunning graphics, amazingly detailed scenery, and creative characters. But for those looking for more, you will find a thought-provoking story that brings into question our behavior and responsibility on this planet. Definitely recommended for young and old alike...