Episode 252: Brazil

Forrest, Conan Neutron, Kristina Oakes, and Kt Baldassaro start off dystopian december with Terry Gilliam’s 1985 Brazil Starring a truly impressive cast, Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Michael Palin, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm.

Terry Gilliam paints a bleak picture of a society where every day citizens are completely complacent and distracted by Hyper-Consumerist spectacle and an endless multi-layered bureaucracy holds totalitarian control.

Inspired by the idea of George Orwell’s 1984, Former Monty Python artist turned auteur Terry Gilliam shows a state apparatus both absurdist and terrifying… and the story of one man who hasn’t completely lost his humanity.

When Conan Neutron, picks a movie for his birthday, you know it’s going to be special. This week’s episode of Movie Night Extravaganza has hosts Forrest Miller, Conan Neutron, Kristina Oakes and Kt Baldassaro taking a look at the cult classic Brazil—Terry Gilliam’s darkly comic dystopian masterpiece. 

For Conan, it’s not just a favorite Gilliam film; it’s one of his favorite films of all time. “This movie changed my world when I saw it in high school,” he says. “I was expecting some lighthearted Python laughs but instead got a droll Kafka nightmare that doomed me to dig deeper into cinema forever.” Spoiler alert: It’s not just Conan who’s a fan. The entire panel was brimming with love for Gilliam’s ambitious vision. Kt describes Brazil as “a triumph of imagination and despair” and a personal top-ten favorite. “Every frame is brimming with meticulous detail, from the stifling ducts to the grotesque bureaucracy. It’s chaotic, oppressive, and astonishingly beautiful.” Forrest calls it “1984 for a hyper-consumerist society,” a comparison that resonates with many—including, reportedly, the estate of George Orwell!

The film’s performances are equally celebrated. Forrest highlights Michael Palin’s unnervingly dark turn, while Conan notes that casting anyone other than Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry wouldn’t have captured the “everyman” quality that makes the role work. Fun fact: Tom Cruise was once considered for the part, but as the panel agrees, Pryce nailed it. Meanwhile, Kt shares her love for Robert De Niro’s Archibald Tuttle—so much so that she even dressed up as him for this episode, pink mustache and all!

Beyond the performances, the episode explores Brazil’s rich themes—bureaucracy, consumerism, rebellion—and celebrates Gilliam’s visionary production design, sharp satire, and dark humor. Conan sums it up best, calling it “one of the best depictions of banal and thoughtless evil ever,” where absurdity softens the gut-punch cynicism.

What makes this episode extra special is how each host connects their personal lens to Brazil. Whether it’s Kt’s poetic admiration for the dream sequences, Conan’s lifelong love for the film, Kristina’s nostalgic memories of watching it with her “Pop-Pop,” or Forrest’s sharp parallels to modern society, the discussion is as layered and vibrant as the movie itself.
Join the Movie Night Extravaganza crew as they explore Sam Lowry’s haunting journey through a dystopian nightmare—and don’t forget to wish Conan a happy birthday! 🎂

Watch KT Baldassaro & Jared Skolnick’s Girl in the Basement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcn2Q..

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