City of God

Started by budgie, January 09, 2003, 01:43:15 PM

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budgie

I just saw this and wasn't quite convinced but it has to be a major Oscar contender. Extremely stylish, edgy at times, occasionally over-lush and melodramatic but very skillfully crafted and often brilliant. Subject matter and even the narrative are over-familiar, but it still looks fresh enough... although I'm wondering how much of that is because it's set in a new place cinematically.

See it if you get the chance, it's quite.. er... educational.

"Motherfucker! I told you to catch that chicken!"

Gold Trumpet

I'm mot excited to see this movie of any movie because of the possibilities it has because I do think the mean streets of Rio De Janiero in Brazil are likely the most dangerous in the world. When I was flying to Brazil before, I had to stop in Rio briefly and someone told me to not go to the north side of Rio ever. I asked if I should maybe just be extra careful or never steer off the tourist hang outs instead. He said if you go to any part of the north side, you likely will never come back alive. So with this, I have always had a fascination with what really goes on there because of it being so notorious.

~rougerum

budgie

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the movie, then, because it doesn't really portray the danger in the way you suggest you are expecting. It seems to reference American film in the way it glamourises the drugs and violence and makes the relationships melodramatic in the way that, say, Scorsese does (Goodfellas is most recognisable). In the first section, especially, the slum is portrayed as a kind of sunny, happy, if wild place, teeming with life etc. Even at the end the film evokes westerns and other Hollywood narratives, so it treads the line between what we like to think of as real and what we might call fantasy. It does that extremely skillfully.

xerxes

saw it the other day... was very impressed... great movie

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: budgieoccasionally over-lush

In an Appocalypse Now kind of way?

Duck Sauce

My mom wants to see this with me, so before I go I need to know something to avoid uncomfortable tension. Is there any/alot of nudity or sex? Thanks

xerxes

not too much nudity, but there will be uncomfortable-ness

Ravi

City of God is a very good movie.  I don't think I have seen any underworld films where all the characters are so young.  That definitely makes everything more tragic.  The script and direction do not make any mistakes or use any cliches that took me out of the film's world.  COG is pretty violent, so this is not a film for the faint of heart, but the violence is never exploitative or gratuitous.

jmj

Welcome Ravi...
COG is a damn fine movie and has a huge impact.  It is especially nice how the ending credits juxtapose photo's and video of the original people with the actors who played them.  Very cool and very scary because it really drives the point home that this CRAZY SHIT was really happening
Gorobei Katayama: You're Good.
Heihachi Hayashida: Yeah, yeah. But I'm better at killing enemies.
Gorobei Katayama: Killed many?
Heihachi Hayashida: Well - It's impossible to kill 'em all, so I ususally run away.
Gorobei Katayama: A splendid principle!
Heihachi Hayashida: Thank you.

Ernie

This is one of my really highly anticipated movies of the 2003, definitely. The reviews are really incredible...I like hearing it compared to Tarantino, that's intriguing as can be.

That poster is awesome. Jesus, some of those brazilian women are impossibly shaped...I'm not saying that in a bad way at all, I love it. It's amazing how skinny they are yet a lot of them are very very shapely...they are gorgeous.

jmj

Quote from: ebeaman69That poster is awesome. Jesus, brazilian women are impossibly shaped....

As a Brazilian women I'd like to thank you on behalf of the female population here.  We feel like we don't get enough recognition for our beauty.
Gorobei Katayama: You're Good.
Heihachi Hayashida: Yeah, yeah. But I'm better at killing enemies.
Gorobei Katayama: Killed many?
Heihachi Hayashida: Well - It's impossible to kill 'em all, so I ususally run away.
Gorobei Katayama: A splendid principle!
Heihachi Hayashida: Thank you.

Ernie

Quote from: jmj
Quote from: ebeaman69That poster is awesome. Jesus, brazilian women are impossibly shaped....

As a Brazilian women I'd like to thank you on behalf of the female population here.  We feel like we don't get enough recognition for our beauty.

Really? Well, that's just a shame...really it is. I'm glad to help though. My love for women is fucking through the roof...while their love for me is microscopic...oh well...c'est la vie.

Gold Trumpet

I stayed in Brazil for a while last summer and couldn't help but notice that with the women, the younger women, that they all dressed like they were in competition for a modeling contract or something. Brazil has an incredible natural beauty to it, but an urban decay along with it. The one image of Brazil that I still can not get out of my mind is seeing slums right next to major buildings in a large city and seeing large billboards in those slums when they were next to a large road.

~rougerum

Thecowgoooesmooo

I saw City of God a few days ago... Great movie, not one of my fav's. But definately a good movie. If I could change anything about the movie... I would change the director's style. Tooo Much handheld.. Way too much, in my opinion. But thats just my preference. Most of the movie to me, seemed like a sloppy, jerky, handheld style which wasent my thi.....




chris

dufresne

it's a goddamned shame that it's not up for the best foreign film oscar.  this was my top movie of the year...
There are shadows in life, baby.