Just a small warning...
I had Gomorra and Cidade de Deús on my list. And regretably I first watched Cidade de Deús, and the next day Gomorra.
Cidade blew me away. With Gomorra I litteraly fell asleep, although the film has some great pictures. So, maybe you'd better not watch this movie right after seeing
Cidade de Deus
Blood Diamond
Hotel Rwanda
Hunger
et cetera
Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda.. Are you serious, those movies weren't any special.
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I've read a few of B Pilgrim's replies on these boards and they are simply pathetic, get a life. If you didn't like a movie why troll around on the board making yourself look like a douche? City of God is not awful and I just dont see how anyone with just two brain cells would say that.
To the OP, Blood Diamonds? Really?
Gommorah may not have had Leo in it, or fancy explosions, or Hollywood pacing, but it was a great movie for the observant and cultured film lover in my opinion.
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This is the first time I've ever resorted to insults on a message board, but...
...Gemisto is an idiot. I think he's probably deaf, and blind...and he probably reads Twilight...in brail of course...because he's blind.
City of God "awful?" Idiot.
Cidade de deus = 10/10
Flawless, a beautiful movie
Gomorra = 7/10
Interesting, feels like a documentary, a bit boring at times
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Omae wa mo shinderu
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although i find it funny you kept replying to this guys arguments, city of god is not a movie "idiots" appreciate. it is a bit flashy at certain points but the film contains incredible performances and for the most part beautiful direction. it's hard not to appreciate it.
shareAnd also, Blood Diamond is not a particularly great film, but DiCaprio's performance is great, at least.
shareI've never heard someone use so many words to say absolutely nothing like Gemisto did in his third post. We call those glittering generalities (bulls*** for short). Needless to say, the man, or woman, or whatever he is, is not yet sufficiently evolved.
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I'm hoping that Gemisto takes quotes from this post. I so hope that he/she/it does that. But perhaps not.
Quote this *beep* - City of God is quite simply brilliant. I will try to forget all the crap you spout just to show how knowledgable you are. Lighting, pacing blah blah blah....................
It's a great film. Simple.
Gemisto...you should try Butter Pecan ice cream; it's almost as good as City of God.
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I think is quite the opposite. Cidade de Deus is a movie based around violence and social distress presented in a raw realistic manner, and Gomorrah is the same, only even more realistic and shocking. CdD would lose some of it's relevance if watched after.
shareGomorra is way superior to Cidade de Deus. Gomorra is utterly realistic and encompassing, Cidade is totally unconvincing and for people who think like "wow, those kids are shooting at each other on the street all the time, ah yes, those forsaken favelas are so cruel"
sharei thought gomorra was a fine movie, but it definetely gets its a$$ handed to it on all levels by CITY OF GOD...
edvin, i am absolutely one of those people that said "wow, those kids are shooting at each other on the street all the time', and yes, i agree that the favelas are so cruel....what that has to do with anything though, is beyond me..
i found City of God to be the quintessential movie as far as realism and all encompassing...the movie didn't have need to preserve the truth as it was transferred to film, b/c what was transferred WAS the truth..many of the actors were kids that actually lived in the slums...no sound stages here? the favellas were the favellas, and in my opinion, as much a character in the film as any other....
it is better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it
Gomorra addresses the "kid issue" perfectly. In Gomorra, two cocky youths are attempting some petty crime on their own, trying to outwit local Camorra bosses. They are finally enticed into a trap, coldly assassinated and the last scene shows the bulldozer carrying their bodies away. That's *realism*, contrary to the City of God where we are supposed to believe that a seven year old kid can kill everybody in an average sized motel and then just walk away, totally unharmed. Any person who finds that convincing is just plain gullible and the director who is responsible for such a ridiculous plot obviously doesn't give one penny for realism.
shareReality doesn't necessarily make a good story. Have you ever thought of that?
I didn't care for Blood Diamond or Hotel Rwanda, but City of God was really awesome on just about every front. Extremely well shot, clever storytelling, great editing and the pace of it is just brilliant. I didn't know anything about the slums of Rio prior to seeing it, and found it fascinating anyway.
This movie in contrast was a chore to watch. I don't get the hoopla. Perhaps there is some cultural aspect to it that I'm missing, because it seemed like a really amateur attempt at filmmaking to me in terms of pacing and editing and the movie in general is a mess. Movies are about storytelling, and this fails that basic test.
I didn't care about a single one of the characters, OR their circumstances, which aren't really well explained at all. If the filmmaker doesn't care enough to put his film in context, why should anyone else? It couldn't have less emotional impact if every scene was with completely different unknown characters.
I'm going to let it slide in terms of all the improper exposures and poor camera technique, just because some could make the argument they are choices.
The punctuations of the nothingness of the plot by the sometimes random violence is the only reason to watch this. The violence is very well done, though, as it comes out of nowhere and is over as quickly as it arrives. It's very jarring and very realistic. However, instead of watching this, I would recommend handing your nephew a loaded gun and sending him out in the yard to fire randomly over the next two hours while you read a book. You'll get the same effect and won't have to watch this mess.
I would suggest watching EVERY other movie on the planet before Gomorra.
Amateurs built The Ark, professionals built The Titanic.
Cidade de Deus
A Prophet.
but the rest, no.
City of God is one of the greatest movies ever made. Most credible critics would agree with that. Having said that I do think it's a bit over the top and unrealistic at parts. I think Gomorrah was an incredible movie, one of my favorites, and was far more raw and realistic than City of God, which isn't to say City of God was not raw and realistic, just a bit over the top at parts. I can't decide which I like more.
sharerane
bal can can
City of Men is another movie. It has a similar premise to City of God. Also Jerusalema is a lot better than this.
I didn't like this movie at all. A movie about a gang war should not be slow and boring like this one was.
"A movie about a gang war"
Wrong.
What struck me more with Gomorra was its subtleties, it didn't feel like it was catering to anyone, it simply is, and what happens in the movie makes everything more shocking, and tense. I felt at times like I was watching a real murder happen right in front of me, and Felt somewhat guilty just for watching. It's uncompromising and not at all comforting.
City of God is a good movie, with a lot of plot tricks, and visual treats, which sometimes works against the movie, because instead immersing yourself into the world that is created you are constantly reminded you're watching a movie. But it does have good character's, some real tension at times, and overall a kind of exuberance about it all, in the end your comforted by it.
ryan I agree. City of God is a great film. But the visual effects and chronological tricks really take you out of the events. It's more of a Tarantino film than a sincere indictment of crime.
Gomorrah is a no-holds barred, almost documentary real look at the mob, the way it really operates, not the glamorized Tony Soprano existence. That's the reason a lot of the people on this board seem to be lost when it comes to this film. All these Americans were expecting The Godfather. What they got was reality, and it went over their heads.
I agree, City of God is a fine film, but Gomorra just felt very realistic.
shareBahahaha
I saw Hunger and then Gomorra, what are the odds. I'm sort of split on both films. Find a ton of redeeming qualities with them both but felt there could have been something more out of both of them. Interestingly enough, they are both deliberately done the way they are but I don't think it's unfair to criticize the structure.
Both were worth the watch, and I view both more favorably than unfavorably. Probably prefer Gomorra if I had to make a decision but I need more time to reflect on that judgement.
Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go.
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