DAS BOOT

4 out of 5. Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT should also be called a psychological thriller as it messes with your aural senses the entire time. This WWII film has a unique perspective of taking place for the most part in a German submarine. The claustrophobia and grime of living and making choices in close quarters grips you the entire time. Relief doesn't come until near the end where things open up and without warning the real Hell breaks loose. The cinematography choices were excellent all around especially in the sub. The detail could have easily overwhelmed the frame but choosing to use atmospheric fog and variations in saturated and desaturated lights to evoke mood was smart.

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TIME BANDITS

4 out of 5. It's hard to be objective about Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS as it was the first of his films I'd ever seen. The production design alone is what makes this film so rich. I'm also a huge fan of time-travel and history so as a kid and an adult this really entertains. Part of Gilliam's trilogy of man, this film has the same imaginative and dangerous underpinnings as Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The characters are splendid and the acting with various cameos is a lot of fun. Easily the second-most quotable movie for me next to Spinal Tap.

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