I actually went back to the beginning and watched the whole thing straight through with Wakanomori last night, and it was just so beautiful, funny, and sharp (and slightly depressing that every piece of social commentary that's being made today was being made then, in 1984).

A few random notes: The presence of the twin towers in the beginning felt .... I don't know, something-something timelines. Also when the pursuers say in the bar, "We'll be back" with that deadpan implacability, of course it made me think of the Terminator, and it turns out *that* film came out in 1984 as well.

The kissing between the brother and the singer was maybe the most tender, genuine on-screen kiss and prelude to lovemaking I've ever seen. His expression of delight and--well, I just come back to the word "tender": tenderness. And her warm response.

I liked the loose way all the incidents fell together; I liked how the brother's silence let others open up; I liked how it had a happy ending.

(Oh and I loved the bureaucrat who drives off the pursuers with the Power of Paperwork; that was *awesome*)

Thanks, as always, for enriching my life with these great films.