Cidade de Deus

Indeed, it's a great movie. It is based on a true story, yes? I'm also interested on just how fictionalized and stylized it is.

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro and have a nice day!!! :violent2:

Well, as I said on a previous thread, I don't like this movie at all. In my opinion, it deals with a subject that should be taken more seriously than with those pop-MTV stylish sequences. Fernando Meireles - the director - is a notorious asshole to every person that takes cinema seriously in Brazil.

It is based on a book by a guy named Paulo Lins, which lived a long at Cidade de Deus, and knows very much about the historical and political process, which is shown at the beggining of the film ("the yellow scenes" as I usually say). All caracthers are fictionous, even though some are based on real guys.

Rio de Janeiro is, indeed, a violent city, specially if you're not used to it. I remeber when I went to Amsterdam and people kept saying to me "watch out, its a dangerous city, specially downtown", when I got there it was like being in a light-weighted Copacabana.

There is a local rapper called MV Bill, this guy is one of the most serious dudes in brazilian showbusiness, and he is from Cidade de Deus. He does a lot of work in his community, tring to increase the social level of his "brothers", getting proper education and health for them, among other basic things that the Government just don't give them. MV Bill gave several interviews where he says he dislikes very much the movie because it only takes one aspect of the life at Cidade de Deus - the violence - and exaggerates it enormously. It just doesn't say anything about a people trying to improve their lives... a people that trusted Meireles by acting on his movie - only one guy is a professional actor - and he gave them nothing in return but his ridiculous Benigni-like smile at the Oscars night.

That's my opinion as well.

(what the hell... a popup telling me my time is up... what's this, Nic?!?!?! Am I talking too much?!?! )