Reviews

Definitely over hyped. Very confusing plot, everybody screaming and some very bad acting (Sandler was a B+). They try to shove so many things in each scene that takes out any depth of the characters, making all of them unlikable. On top of everything the score and the soundtrack are horrible, it's in the wrong places, very loud and distasteful. I would sit this one out and wait for it on a streaming service. Not worth the ticket.

Soccer is probably the most loved sport in the planet (except in the U.S.), and people are always discussing who is, or was, the greatest soccer player of all time. Well, if you watch this movie your doubts will go away. Pelé is the definition of a sports genius, and his feats didn't get all the publicity they deserved because there were no global media as today. This documentary tries to fix this glitch. Anibal Massaini Neto, the film's director, did extensive research for more than 3 years to gather as much information as possible about Pelé's career and his goals. All the material gathered went through a process of restoration and the result, though not technically great, preserves well the memory of Pelé's achievements. If you like soccer and had the chance of seeing Pelé play, this movie will be pure nostalgia, but if you've never met "King" Pelé, this movie will function as a soccer encyclopaedia. A must see!

Brazil lived through a dictatorship that began in 1964 and span for two decades. It's recent history and nobody yet had the courage to sting it. The people from the Brazilian TV comedy "Casseta & Planeta" were courageous enough to turn a sad period into a nice comedy. Besides making fun of the dictatorship, they put a lot of period references into the film: such as props, ads, facts and songs. It was brilliant to see them expose how the Military used Brazil's triumph in soccer to manipulate public opinion. This is a nice movie even if you only read about the period. It probably won't appeal to international audiences, but if you are a Brazilian, it's definitely a must see. Laughter is a great medicine to heal spiritual wounds.

I really don't get why people are excited about this elementary melodrama. The acting stinks, the direction is almost nonexistent and the plot... (Can this movie be considered to have a plot?). The intentions probably were the best, but the result simply doesn't deliver. Save your money and stay away from this turkey.

This movie is important because it's helping the rebirth o Brazilian cinema. It's not a masterpiece, but it's driving interesting crowds to the theaters. The story follows pretty much the style of "Auto da Compadecida", but it hasn't the same brilliance. Antonio Fagundes does a boring portrayal of God, coming to "spend vacations" in poor northeastern Brazil. The screenplay is sometimes confusing and the storyline is all broken up. Paloma Duarte deserves credit for doing well her part as "Madá", but Wagner Moura is irritating as "Taoca". If you have nothing better to do on a rainy weekend, see it. It's amusing and lighthearted, but it's not going to be the "movie of your life".

It's common knowledge throughout the world that Brazil has a very serious problem of violence. The most outstanding example are the slums in Rio de Janeiro.

Most of the people are not in direct contact with this violence and have a hard time to understand its causes. This movie tries to shed some light on the issue, by creating almost a documentary about a famous slum in Rio. The main character of the movie is not a person, but rather the place itself: Cidade de Deus (City of God).

Beginning in the midst of the 60's, the story shows how a "popular" neighborhood, erected with the help of government financing, grows from a quiet spot to a Vietnamese War Scenario. The movie shows that the government was only interested in taking the poor people away from Rio's most beautiful postcards. The lack of social support, education and police transforms the place. And when there's no government present, there is no citizenship. When a society has no leaders, it creates its own. Gangs battle over this place to gain control and endup creating a country within a country.

Fabulous editing, in the best style of Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, this movie represents the best of Brazilian cinema today. If you have a chance to watch a copy of it, don't loose it.

Don't be fooled by the famous cast. This movie starts quite nicely, but at some point the director (or the studio or whoever) decided that it would be difficult to sell this movie without some kind of "extra", so they decided to fill it up with special effects. The result is disappointing. The plot is thin and you notice immediately that nobody had control of the movie, so they decided to accept everybody's ideas. Makes you wonder what it took Liam and Catherine to accept their roles (torture?). This one is definetely out of my shelf.

What if you found out that your neighbour is a terrorist? What would you do? I changed a lot of my beliefs after this film experience. If you watch this movie, don't jump into conclusions right away, it should be analized as a whole, it's the kind of movie that gets you thinking after it ends. Very clever plot.

Movies are said to be great when they change some concepts or establish new levels in a particular area. Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" probably reinvented the way stories are told or the way we see movies. Intriguing angles, non-linear narration and an incredible array of innovations. One of the most important movies of all time.