P-Cow, the three movies that really re-set visual style in the 80s were (as you figured) Blade Runner, Road Warrior and (I think) Diva.

JZ and I saw Jacques Tati's Playtime last night at the Castro. It had a gorgeous, newly struck 70mm print.

crickets

70mm! It had many genuinely inspired bits, but at times it just felt too consciously structured with all its recurring visual jokes and allusions. Still, charming, and aside from Jackie Chan, Tati is one of the few directors who can really work with silent film vocabulary in contemporary movie.

crickets

The question of which version can also be asked of Brazil. Did P-C watch the "happy ending" version, or the director's version?

Another Soldier fan here. Kurt gives a great performance--especially considering he made most of the movie with a broken foot.

The question of which version can also be asked of Brazil. Did P-C watch the "happy ending" version, or the director's version?

jimi, AFAIK, there is no "happy ending" version. There was a lot of fuss because the studio (Universal, I think) wanted to release a happy ending version (leading to Gilliam's Variety ad - "Dear Sid Scheinberg, when are you going to release my film "Brazil"?), but Gilliam's vision prevailed and the director's cut was released at the time. The edited version may have been shown on US TV though.

Hah! Just got the following off IMDb:

Gilliam had trouble with studio producers over the black ending he wanted on the film. The producers wanted a "happy Hollywood" film which eliminated (among other things) the final transition and a critical line of dialogue which reveals the fate of Jill. These changes were made, and this "butchered" version was shown on US television at least once. Gilliam threatened to disown the film, and consequently the cinematic release and all videotape versions show the film essentially as he intended it to be seen (although the US cinematic release still omitted the line about Jill).

In case the line was missing in your version, P-C, the Jill line is something like: Jack or Helpmann says Jill is dead, and Sam thinks it's because he changed her records to make her appear dead, and then Helpmann says yes, but it's funny because according to our records she seems to have died twice .

I saw the happy ending version on TV once.

shudder

"Brazil: The Love Conquers All Version", with audio annotation by David Morgan, this 94 minute version of "Brazil", rearranged in the hope of making the film commercial, stands as a fascinating document of the power of editing to change a movie

This is what I was referring too and it can be found on the Brazil: Criterion Edition DVD.

Brazil: Criterion Edition DVD.

I've been meaning to get this. I'm not sure whether the inclusion of "Love Conquers All" is an incentive or a disincentive, though....

NYT article on the re-release of Donnie Darko and the films unusual history (Box-office bomb to cult favorite to theatrical release of director's cut).

I'm hoping it will come to Chicago. (If it does well in NY and LA, it will.) I haven't seen it, and I'm sure I'll like it, since I am all pretentious and stuff.

Thanks for the info, Beej. Doesn't sound like what Sci-Fi was doing with M Night at all, though.

Sci-Fi's thing with The Village was totally a "gotcha!" PJ never dreamed in a million years that anyone would take Forgotten Silver seriously -- there was no disclaimer because he didn't think he needed one. It wasn't a hoax, it was a misunderstood mockumentary. (I mean, part of the "set" that they find in the middle of the "forest" is the steps of a bank (city hall?) in the middle of Wellington that they'd thrown some leaves and branches on top of. They assumed everyone in their audience would recognize it right away.)

Why am I watching St. Elmo's Fire? How long before I can't take it anymore and turn it off?

(I saw it when it came it out and I don't remember much of any of it.)

eta: I forgot what a stalker Emilio Estevez's character is....