City of God

Starkey

Avenging Rooster
On Jan. 17 the Brazilian movie "City of God" will be released in the U.S. Having seen it and liked it a lot, I am recommending it to all the U.S. CZers, for it is being considered a masterpiece by many critics around the world and has set a new attendance record for national films in Brazil. A must-see for anyone who likes Tarantino and Scorsese´s movies, and gangster movies in general, not to mention the social message of the film. As one critic said: "it´s a foreign movie for those who don´t like foreign movies". It is also an opportunity to learn about the dark side of Brazil and understand a bit about poverty in a 3rd world country.

Plot Outline: Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer. The story begins in the 60´s and follows the lives of those kids until the early 80´s.

Reviews:
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian:
"Run, don't walk, to the cinema is all I can say... It's a movie with all the dials cranked up to 11, an overwhelming, intoxicating assault on the senses, and a thriller so tense that you might have the red seat plush in front of you - or even some unfortunate's hair - gripped in both fists."

Nev Pierce, BBC (5 stars out of 5):
"Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny... Cinema doesn't get more exhilarating than this."

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:
"Sometimes a movie comes along that just floors you, its images burn so deeply. City of God is such a film..., it has the scent of a classic."

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%, which 17 of 18 critics giving it a positive review.

So, anyone who watches it, come tell me if you enjoyed this film as much as I did.
 
If it will be released now in US,it will come in Greece months later.....if it comes......... !
 
If you think that's bad Indonesia won't get LotR:TTT until end of this year! 12months behind! I pity my relatives who live there.
 
I saw a review for it on Ebert & Roeper this weekend. My interest is definitely high.
 
You won´t regret it, LeHah. It is definitely a good movie. They nominated it for a Golden Globe and it´ll probably be nominated for the foreign movie Oscar too.

The story is based on a book which, by its turn, relates true stories of the City of God slum. Stay for the final credits to see pictures and video of the real thieves whose story is told in the movie.

It will be released today (limited release, though :( )
 
According to movies.com, stupid Miramax did a VERY limited release of City of God. Only 5 theaters in the whole U.S.!!! That doesn´t make any sense, since they paid a couple million dollars for the distribution rights of the movie.
 
Ok, I just got to know that that´s the way "limited releases" work. They start with few screens and, if the public likes the movie, they go on to show it on more screens. So, since City of God was the top movie on "viewers per session" in the USA last weekend, it might pick up from now on.
 
What I know is that a drug lord went to this movie´s premiere and was immediately identified and arrested.

About your information, I don´t think that any judge in Brazil would accept an indemnization lawsuit from any drug dealer. If you are correct, what probably happened is that, since the movie is based on true stories, some of the people whose story is told might have felt offended. Maybe an ex-drug dealer who already paid for his crimes didn´t like seeing a movie where a character with his name sells drugs and shoots other people.
 
Originally posted by Starkey
According to movies.com, stupid Miramax did a VERY limited release of City of God. Only 5 theaters in the whole U.S.!!! That doesn´t make any sense, since they paid a couple million dollars for the distribution rights of the movie.

Wow, I had the same complaint about how Miramax treated Pokemon 4Ever ;) They're big on limited releases and then following up anything that gets recieved well with a more wide-spread campaign...
 
I've watched City of God and it is really good. Directing, editing, acting, everything is VERY well done. The production values are on par with any hollywood blockbuster.

It may be important to note that it's not 100% real, they made several adaptations in order to streamline the plot, mixing various charaters and situations into one... But it is an amazing movie! You would all do well in catching it.
 
Originally posted by Edfilho
It may be important to note that it's not 100% real, they made several adaptations in order to streamline the plot, mixing various charaters and situations into one...

Some people were not happy at all. For ex, a woman complained because she is is protrayed, with her real name, as a prostitue.
 
Originally posted by Starkey
What I know is that a drug lord went to this movie´s premiere and was immediately identified and arrested.

About your information, I don´t think that any judge in Brazil would accept an indemnization lawsuit from any drug dealer. If you are correct, what probably happened is that, since the movie is based on true stories, some of the people whose story is told might have felt offended. Maybe an ex-drug dealer who already paid for his crimes didn´t like seeing a movie where a character with his name sells drugs and shoots other people.
OK, correction, they are trying to sue the guys who made the movie. Yes, it was about them not liking how thier character was portrayed.
 
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