Brazil (1985)

Oh my God, what a great movie. It is not for everyone, but if you like it, you will doubtless get more out of it with every viewing. Brazil is a (1920s/30s/40s/50s) retro noir satirical take on a '1984' future world vision -- basically what we'd end up with if George Bush had his way: Jingoistic propaganda ("Happiness: We're all in it together"), paranoia and suspicion, the Ministry of Information, storm troopers, torture, and above all a monumentally pervasive, inefficient, and impenetrable weight of bureaucracy. This film is vintage Gilliam: Watch for the plethora of fleeting (and often unexplained) details such as the dirty bath water, the dog that is whisked away on a covered silver platter, Robert De Niro's vigilante plumber, and much more. The retro technology in this movie is a hoot to see, and integral to the plot. I couldn't stop chuckling at all the institutions of inertia (governmental and behavioral) that Gilliam pokes fun at in every scene. Five stars.