City of God (2002), City of Men {TV} (2002-2005), City of Men (2007)

This is a very interesting triad of stories. City of God came first. Using many of the actors and similar themes from that movie, the TV series City of Men watched two of the young men mature to 18, followed by the movie City of Men, which takes us to what lies ahead for these young men as they reach adulthood.

I would never call these pleasant viewing. Although they take place in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, the stories of boys without families left to survive on their own in a hazardous environment, is, unfortunately, becoming somewhat universal.  Perhaps most frightening is that all the stories and most of the characters depicted are based on true life. 

Each of these can been seen by themselves, although together, they create a tapestry of what dire poverty coupled with gangs, and adults, who out of fear or neglect, allow the violence of these gangs to rule the neighborhood. Brazil created some housing for their poor. City of God is a suburb of Rio, while the City of Men productions take place in the favelas, a slum inside the city of Rio.

City of God tells the true story of a gang war. With drugs and guns, the neighborhood is indeed a battle zone. No one is safe. What strikes you hardest is how very young the boys are, especially at the end of the first movie.

The producers had a lighter touch with the TV series. The actors play different characters and the show centers around two fatherless boys who are best friends: Acerola and Laranjinha and their adventures on their way to manhood. They walk that fine line of avoiding gang membership (hard to do, as Acerola's cousin is the leader of the gang)and still being a part of the neighborhood. They go through all the rites of passage, from first kiss to first job.

There are many lighthearted moments in the TV series. It is interesting to see the difference between Brazil and our culture. The police generally turn a blind eye to whatever happens in the favelas. Also, because they are built on hills, the actual geography plays a role. The streets, unmapped, as we learn in one episode, are laid out in a maze.

The final movie, City of Men, again explodes with a gang war. Acerola becomes a target for revenge. At the same time, the story of the boys' absent fathers starts to be told. As they turn 18, they face crucial decisions, most of them forced on them.

Ultimately the shows, especially City of Men, is about friendship and family. Whether it is belonging to a gang, or holding tightly to a friendship, survival must take place with help from others. Without love, we grow heartless and cold and maybe even evil.

On a final note, the young actors from City of Men have said that making these movies and TV shows saved their lives. Without them, their lives would have become exactly what they were portraying.

City of God: DIRECTOR: Fernando Meirelles. CAST: Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva.

AWARDS: Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 55 wins and 25 nominations.

City of Men {TV}: PRODUCERS: Fernando Meirelles, Bel Berlinck. CAST: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Phellipe Haagensen, Camila Monteiro, Jonathan Haagensen

AWARDS: 2 wins and 1 nomination.

City of Men: DIRECTOR: Paulo Morelli. CAST: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Johnathan Haagensen, Rodrigo Dos Santos, Camila Monteiro

AWARDS: 5 nominations.

Dark City (1998) [R]

A man wakes up in a hotel bathtub in city that is in perpetual night. He has no memory of who he is but discovers a horrible murder has taken place in the room. Is he the murderer? The phone rings and a voice tells him to run because "The Strangers" are after him. So begins this dense, thought-provoking film.

What is going on?  He sees the city torn down and rebuilt every night. Everyone sleeps and wake to new identities. As the man uncovers the mysteries, he also finds he has special powers. And he has memories...

The movie poses some good questions: are we our memories? What is the source of human resilience? How do we survive and adapt from all we experience? What is the soul and where is it?

Perhaps not a great movie, the film has developed a following. It has amazing special effects: watching the city collapse in on itself and rebuild is spectacular. There are many surprises along the way, although the ultimate answers to the mystery is not as original as the effects. Watch this with friends and you will have great fodder for some deep philosophical conversation.

Remember, the promise of this blog is to recommend interesting movies, if not great ones. This one is worth seeing!

DIRECTOR: Alex Proyas.  CAST: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, Colin Friels, Bruce Spence, Willliam Hurt.

AWARDS: 6 wins and 7 other nominations.

The Conversation (1974) [PG]

A surveillance expert, Harry Caul, (Gene Hackman) is hired to track a young couple as they stroll through San Francisco's Union Square. He believes that they will be the murder victims of his employer, and he tries in his covert way to prevent the murder. The problem is that there is so much interference in the tape recordings that he can't really hear their whole conversation.

As a person who spies on others, Caul himself is very paranoid. He understands how easily privacy can be invaded. He keeps to himself, and of course, his personal relationships suffer. He usually keeps his conscience out of his work, but this case has made that almost impossible.

This is a very interesting thriller. The real conversation between the couple slowly unfolds. The purpose of Caul's employment becomes more solid. Caul's crisis grows.

One can say that in some ways, due to modern technology, the movie is dated. Although we are all aware of how much better today's equipment can do Caul's job, the underlying themes and moral issues still loom large today. As technology continues to improve, we all have to face the fact that there is less and less privacy. If you have ever googled yourself, you have seen just how much information about yourself is available to everyone. Imagine if someone was deliberately spying on you!

Hailed by many to be Coppola's greatest work, you will be drawn into this movie. The last scene will stick with you for a long time. Many people watch it a second time to really see how all the pieces fit together.

BTW: After you watch this movie, check out Enemy of the State. You will see how Enemy is almost a sort of sequel to The Conversation in many ways. That certainly influenced the casting of Hackman in the later movie instead of Sean Connery as originally planned.

DIRECTOR: Francis Ford Coppola. CAST: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Robert Shields.

AWARDS: Nominated for 3 Academy Awards. 11 other wins and 11 other nominations.

The Advocate (1994) [R]

Colin Firth, in one of his first non-television movies, plays a French lawyer who leaves 15th century Paris in search of a simpler lifestyle as a public defender in a rural province . However, country life is not as simple and innocent as he thought it would be. He finds himself dragged into political and amorous intrigues, including having to defend a pig!

In those days, animals that caused trouble, especially deaths, were tried in court, just as people were. Because, after all, as the public prosecutor says, "Anyone who knows animals knows there are good ones and bad ones." Early in the movie we see a man and his she-ass being prepared for hanging for having carnal knowledge of each other. However, the donkey is pardoned "without stain to her character." The man is then hanged!

This is a dark comedy. Originally titled The Hour of the Pig, the name was changed for American distribution and cut by 15 minutes. It is still an enjoyable movie, with laughter, romance, mystery, intrigue, gypsies, animals, and politics.
 
Colin Firth is charming, as usual, though it is interesting to see him as he is just starting to carry a movie as the star and romantic lead. You'll also enjoy his many hats!

DIRECTOR: Leslie Megahey.  CAST: Colin Firth, Amina Annabi, Jim Carter, Donald Pleasence, Ian Holm, Nicol Williamson, Lysette Anthony.

Roman Holiday (1953) [unrated]

This movie made Audrey Hepburn a star. It is my favorite of her movies. (Breakfast at Tiffany's is forever tainted by Mickey Rooney's insulting and overtly racist portrayal of a Japanese man.) This was Audrey's first movie, and she earned an Oscar! Supported by the handsome Gregory Peck, this is a bittersweet romance.

She plays a princess who has become overwhelmed with her responsibilities and duties. Presented with an opportunity to escape, she takes it. Her heart is full of wanting to be just a normal person living a regular life. She falls asleep on a bench and is discovered by Gregory Peck, a newspaper man, who doesn't recognize her. He tries to offer her money for a taxi but she refuses to cooperate, leaving him no choice but to take her with him to his apartment. (This is the 50's, so this is actually an innocent offer!)

Free for the first time in her life, the princess turns down his offer to spend the day with her. By now, he does know who she is, and has taken an assignment for an exclusive interview with her for the whopping sum of $5000. Not letting on that her cover is blown, he contrives to bump into her and then she does spend her time with him.

This is a sweet romance. Everyone operates with integrity, and although we may admire them all, the ending is very sad, yet right.

This is one of those movies that originally was supposed to be cast with other actors: Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant! It surely would have played differently with them.

Peck did not want the part, thinking the age difference between himself and Hepburn was too great, but his contract did not give me a choice. Peck was originally given star and solo billing, but ever the gentleman, half-way through the filming, suggested to the director that the billing be shared. This type of behavior was almost unheard of in Hollywood and only added to Peck's appeal.

Hepburn was cast after a terrible screen test. The cameraman deliberately let the camera keep filming when the test was over, letting the director see just how animated Hepburn could be.

The screenplay was co-written by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time and did not receive a credit. Instead, he was fronted by Ian McLellan Hunter. His credit was reinstated when the DVD was released in 2003!

When you watch this movie, you are overtaken with nostalgia for that much more innocent time. Although the characters fall in love, there are no steamy scenes. Instead, we are treated to pure romance. Even the ending is romantic.

DIRECTOR:  William Wyler.  CAST:  Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati.

AWARDS: 3 Academy Awards, 5 other wins and 11 nominations.

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) [PG]

Do not confuse this film with the children's movie Flight of the Navigator. This movie is definitely for grownups!

The year is 1348. A mining village in Cumbria, north of England, has just welcomed back one of its residents, Connor. Connor comes bearing tales of the spread of the Black Death. Although this village is isolated, it is inevitable that the plague will come to them. Connor's younger brother, Griffin, is a nine-year-old with second sight. He has a vision that all will be well if the villagers put a cross on the spire of an unknown church that is far away. He also believes that the quickest way to reach this church is by digging down in the mine.

Griffin, Connor, and three of the bravest men undertake this journey. They dig down and somehow reach Auckland, New Zealand in 1988! Up until this point, the movie has been in black and white. But similar to Dorothy reaching Oz, the modern age is in color. Usually this type of fish-out-of-water movie is played for laughs, but instead, this movie is from the point of view of the villagers. The villagers continue on their mission, filled with wonder at what they see.



Although the men do not question how they arrived here, they deal with each obstacle within the scope of their experience. Their first challenge is crossing a four-lane highway. They are in awe of the beasts that approach them so very swiftly and continue going rather than fighting them, as they beasts they normally would encounter would do.

Because of their sincere belief in Griffin's vision and their mission, they continue on. Not only must they find the church, but they must also find a foundry that will make the spike they need to mount the cross. They sincerely believe that this is the only way to save their village from the plague. But Griffin's vision also has some troubling aspects. Will all of his vision come true?

What a fascinating concept! It is said that the director first got the idea when he attempted to cross the Autobahn and ended up stuck in the middle. 

The subtitle for non-American release was An Odyssey Through Time.

The film does have the feel and look of a real Medieval tale. Although low budget, the movie is beautifully produced. The movie was chosen for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Although won no awards, it received a five-minute standing ovation.

If you are looking for something really different to watch, this is it!

DIRECTOR: Vincent Ward. CAST: Hamish McFarlane, Bruce Lyons, Chris Haywood, Marshall Napier, Noel Appleby, Paul Livingston, Sarah Pierse.

AWARDS: 21 wins and 4 nominations.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) [R]

The scariest horror movie ever made! I first saw it in a movie theater in New York City with my best friend. We spent the last 30 minutes of the movie on our feet, holding hands, and screaming. And no one told us to shut up and sit down!! Although many of the production values are now primitive given today's technology, it is still a very scary movie.

Horrible, but not really as gory as reputed to be, this was a first in horror movies. It is well-made, well-acted, and very effective. Every horror movie made since pays homage to this one.

In an effort to get it seen, Tobe Hooper, the director and co-writer, promoted it as a true story. It is not, although there was a Texas family that indulged in cannibalism, and there had been some disturbances in a cemetery.

Pretty simply, a group of five friends, among them Sally Hardesty, and her invalid brother Franklin,   stumble on a house and disturb the murderous family there.

There was nothing like this before. Shot on a skimpy budget of $300,000, this movie is guaranteed to give you nightmares and make all other horror movies pale in comparison! Don't waste your time on any of the other movies in this franchise. Take the R-rating to heart and don't let the little ones near this one.

DIRECTOR: Tobe Hooper. CAST: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, Allen Danzinger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail.

AWARDS: One win