City of God

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

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SHAFTR

Quote from: themodernage02
Quote from: SHAFTRI guess my main problem is I found it to be more pulp than heart.
whats wrong with pulp?  i think your main problem was visitng this thread for the last year and a half without having seen the movie.  hype kills all things.

I visited the thread last night after watching the movie.  Perhaps that is why my review comes off so negative.  Had I posted before reading everything I probably would have just said it was a good movie and not got into aspects I didn't like.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

Ravi

Stylistic devices like that can help the mood and feeling of the film and setting.  It wouldn't have been as impactful if it were shot with fine grain film, no filters, and handheld cameras all the time.  Can you not feel the sweat and the heat during the film?

MacGuffin

Quote from: SHAFTRI enjoyed it but I don't think my cinematic life would have been hindered had I not ever seen it.

How many "4/5 stars" movies are you seeing nowadays?
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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SHAFTR

Quote from: MacGuffin
Quote from: SHAFTRI enjoyed it but I don't think my cinematic life would have been hindered had I not ever seen it.

How many "4/5 stars" movies are you seeing nowadays?

I watched it in the midst of finishing up the Antoine Doinel collection, which I absolutley loved.  So of the last few movies I've seen..other 4 star films include:  Bed and Board, Spiderman 2, Antoine & Colette, Jackie Brown & Swingers.

Hmmm, with that said I'll bump down City of God to ***1/2.  My rankings normally change after a night, because I have time to think more about it.


EDIT:  i'll put it at ****, that's final.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

RegularKarate

You just bumped City of God a half star under Spiderman 2?

Uncle Joey, you need to put down the pipe...

(Swingers is over-rated)

SHAFTR

Quote from: RegularKarateYou just bumped City of God a half star under Spiderman 2?

Uncle Joey, you need to put down the pipe...

(Swingers is over-rated)

I'm not Uncle Joey.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

RegularKarate

yeah... but there's a picture of him in your avatar

(I forgot there was a member actually named "Uncle Joey")

UncleJoey

Quote from: RegularKarateyeah... but there's a picture of him in your avatar

(I forgot there was a member actually named "Uncle Joey")

And, strangely enough, this member was about to put City of God into his DVD player. I'll post my thoughts on it later tonight or tomorrow and we'll see if I'm smoking the same pipe as SHAFTR (insert fellatio joke here).
Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things: Jack and shit . . . and Jack just left town.

SHAFTR

Quote from: RegularKarateYou just bumped City of God a half star under Spiderman 2?

Uncle Joey, you need to put down the pipe...

(Swingers is over-rated)

I'm still debating the ***1/2 or **** designation to City of God.  I thought the cinematic elements of City of God were all top notch, the cinematography, the acting, the stylish editing.  My problem is that I don't think they all combine for the right effect that the story requires.  This is the same problem I had with The Passion of the Christ...the main difference is outside of those differences I still thought The Passion didn't succeed in any other element.  City of God does and for this I enjoy it...I will not give it the praise that the majority of this board is giving the film.  My initial review seems more negative since I was reacting to everyone else's reactions...rather than the film.  That is my bad.

I think that Spiderman 2 is a better film than City of God.  It uses it's stylistic flourishes to a better end in the film's story than City of God does, in my opinion.

And no, Swingers is not over-rated.  You are over-rated.

FACED!
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

UncleJoey

OK, I finally saw this and can chime in with a few of my thoughts. SHAFTR commented on the stylistic devices used in the film detracting from its realism. It's an interesting point and worth considering. On the one hand, I think the frantic movement of the handheld, etc. is a good way to emphasize confusion and panic, but not necessarily a good way to achieve a sense of overall realism. I'm no expert, but it always seems like the movies that grip me the most in terms of "realism" show restraint stylistically at the most intense moments. When the camera is flying around I just think it's easier for the viewer to escape and maintain the awareness that this really is just a film. When the focus is put on performances and narrative, rather than style the viewer is drawn in and "realism" is achieved. I might be wrong on this, but if I'm thinking about the most "real" moments in film that I've seen, the style was nothing like City of God. City of God just seemed much more "cool" than "real". If anyone has examples of movies that achieve realism with a style similar to that of City of God, I would like to hear them and give it some more thought.

However, let me add that I absolutely loved this film. I'm ashamed that it took me so long to see it because it is without a doubt an "A" film for me. The story is fantastic, the acting is wonderful - everything is just great. All I'm really saying is that SHAFTR has a point about the style taking away from the film's realism. Like I said, for me, it made the film more "cool" than "real" and that was ok with me, but I would imagine the opinion won't be a popular one.

One final thought: Was anyone else reminded of Omar from At the Drive-In/The Mars Volta when they saw Benny? They sort of look alike to me.
Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things: Jack and shit . . . and Jack just left town.

MacGuffin

City of God Sequel, City of Men, On With Miramax
Source: FirstShowing.net

Some great news from fans of the incredible movie City of God from 2003. The rights to the big-screen sequel, titled City of Men, have been picked up by Miramax for U.S. (and a few other markets) distribution. The deal was made at the Toronto International Film Festival that just finished up and was based on a five-minute promo reel they were shown.

City of God director Fernando Meirelles will not be directing, but will be producing. However, City of Men is being directed by Paulo Morelli and is currently being edited after having already been filmed. The film will continue the story of the two friends in Rio de Janeiro caught in the middle of a drug war.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

modage

Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Pubrick

yeah

Quote from: Pubrick on July 20, 2006, 08:32:54 AM


but what mac describes is different to this, i don't get it, are they remaking the series into a movie or what. this series is brilliant btw.
under the paving stones.

MacGuffin

Miramax Says OK to City of God Sequel

Considering his new three-year production deal over at Universal/Focus, Fernando Meirelles still hasn't been linked to any projects associated with that studio. His next film, Blindness, which will be adapted by Don McKellar from the novel by José Saramago, is so far not set up with any distributor (as far as I can tell), and now the sequel to his breakout hit City of God (co-directed by Kátia Lund), which he did not direct but produced, has just been picked up by Miramax. This latter deal is not that surprising since Miramax also distributed the original, but it would not have been impossible to get the follow-up going at Focus.

The sequel, titled City of Men, which is also the name of the television series spun-off from the first film, was directed by Paulo Morelli and is currently in post-production. From the synopsis that I've seen, it basically looks like either a continuation or remake of the show, as it follows its main characters, Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) and Acerola (Douglas Silva), both of whom were also the focus of Meirelles' and Lund's short film Golden Gate (Palace II).

So for those doing the math, it seems that City of Men is actually based on a show that was based on a feature film that was based on a short film. Except, maybe we should actually eliminate the feature film part of that equation. Since Cunha and Silva (and other actors from the show) didn't play the same characters in City of God, that film has nothing to do with the rest of these things, and is possibly only related for marketing purposes.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

polkablues

It almost sounds like they're just taking an unaired episode (or couple of episodes, or whatever) of the series and turning it into a movie.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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