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Silicon Cowboys (2016)
An awesome documentary about a corporation I really like. A blast from the past!
As a Compaq fanboy, I might be a little biased, but I'll try to contain myself.
Fearless, Canion, Murto and Harris simply left their steady good jobs to seek something they'd really like to do with their lives, no matter what. Suddenly, they started on something that would change the whole PC market, paving its way to everything we got today.
They founded a corporation that was pioneer on a whole new business model: an open management, keeping a healthy, happy and stable work environment, with soft drinks for employees and caring for their opinions on researches and helping to decide Compaq's future releases, just like any modern Silicon Valley corporation, offering games, beer and comfy couches to nap. No wonder why Compaq flew so high on a short period of time, making IBM - the big blue - green of envy.
In the 1990s and a unsustainable growth, Compaq was losing market for Dell, so they needed to figure out how to keep quality and invest on low cost PCs.
I would add more 30 minutes to this documentary to introduce the Presario line (I still got one - 5000 series), which helped Compaq to climb again to the top, and the late 90s flaws with the controversial DEC acquisition, and Compaq losing market again to Dell. I would add more information about the merging with Hewlett-Packard, interview Michael Capellas (Compaq's last CEO), Carly Fiorina, maybe Michael Dell...
I'd also talk about HPs intention to "wipe out" Compaq brand by keeping it more and more absent from its product lines. Nowadays, Compaq it's just a licensable brand, making it just a shadow of what it was in its full past glory. Today you can still buy Compaq laptops here, in Brazil, but they're really low quality rebranded hardware. It's really sad to compare to what Compaq was.
This documentary is really important to show what you can do when you're determined, focused and open minded, willing to do what you really like to do in life with no fear of failure.
This production is awesome, I didn't give a 10/10 just because I'd like to see their thoughts on the late 1990s and its merging with HP. The soundtrack is also great, but too loud sometimes, making harder to listen to the voices. In despite of that, it's still a high-paced solid approach on this great corporation that I really miss nowadays. I really appreciate they haven't founded a mexican restaurant.
What Is a Woman? (2022)
Oh boy... Here we go.
As a non-US viewer and from a Third World country, by watching this documentary "as is", it seems like in the US and northern countries, you can't live a single day without people rubbing their gender or sexuality preferences in your face. And conservatives want you to condemn it. Progressives want you to comply to this new status quo without questioning anything, otherwise you're "anything-phobe".
Who to follow? Can I choose none of them and live my life away from those trivialities? Is there too much idle time to discuss such things?
I know this is a biased documentary towards a conservative point of view, and they have their huge flaws, but progressives are dealing with something really new and uncertain, with results based only on forecasts for the next generation. How to trust?
At the end of this, it made me think again that gender and sex is something too overrated. It's like some of the kids are transitioning just because they're sad or some TikTok video told them it's cool. It's like a fad... I don't know!
Gender dysphoria is real and it's a nightmare for people suffering from that and their peers. My true respect for those.
The Professor part almost made me sick: "Telling to believe on what people say they are", but how to draw a line between lie and truth? How to be genuine about gender affirmation? If today I see myself as a non-binary, and as a man for the weekend, is that OK? Who will judge me? And how/based on what premises?
And this progressive view is really funny, because they think there's a really broad spectrum on gender, but they're binary on political views: either you think with Democrats or Republicans, there's nothing in between? Go figure!
I really don't know who to follow on this, but I really hope we find a common ground because looking at the past, this question had an answer. Where did it go?
Bless the Harts (2019)
Good show, but I'll try harder to get it. (Edit: It didn't work. Sorry)
I'm really, REALLY tried hard to watch it and enjoy, but I just realized it's not my cup of tea. I'm a fan of "King Of The Hill" and rewatched it for the 5th time. Suddenly I was looking around for similar shows and this one popped out. It was said that it was loosely inspired on KOTH, perhaps because they've used "Mega-Lo Mart" brand and that's it. And Mega-Lo Mart without Chuck Mangione is like going on a shop and buying for a single shoe.. It's not "natural". May have some music and composer rights around this, but... What the hey?
Then, I realized that I was kinda biased because I was looking forward to see some similar characters and jokes. Once I've noticed that, I've tried to be the most neutral and forced myself to give it a go. But, I've failed. It's good, but every new episode I start to watch, I am still waiting for something that clearly won't happen. And this "missing something" sensation is really awkward because you wait for every minute for something just to realize you've watched the whole two seasons.
When I see Wayne I still try to see Hank. But they're completely different. Violet is like Luanne with that unstable counterculture behaviour: on an episode she's against meat. Some episodes ahead, she's eating turkey. Go figure.
The "doodlely-doo" woman seems to only talk this. It's great to have a catchphrase, but I've listened for about three episodes and got really annoyed.
In some episodes, the attention span was really small. I had to move back some minutes to rewatch and understand things... But the illustration techniques, the soundtrack, the voices are all awesome! Just some stories are a bit off for me yet.
I've tried. This is kinda good, but I'll stick with KOTH.
Bonga, O Vagabundo (1971)
Loneliness is tough
A loner bum with a good heart meets a depressed woman and a rich guy. By some twists and turns she must decide between the bum's and the playboy's love. And you must know who gets it. Right? But what about see the whole story and see what lays in between?
I remember the first time I've watched this film (around 2002 on TV) and just fell in love with it. Mainly about music score and story (without that already known jokes from Didi - the main character). Behind the funny scenes (this film intents to be a comedy, but there's a good background history going on it), there's a flirt with the loneliness and a bum on his everyday fight to survive. Watching this movie I felt a little depressed because I've had through life some situations faced by the main guy: falling in love with someone but losing her on the next scenes for a friend, to have a "kind" behaviour but being misunderstood and neglected, the flirt with loneliness... but the live must go on. At the same time he carries a photo of his beloved (presumed dead) wife, keeping the secret for a long time away from his new friends through the movie. I could try a remake of this film, but taking more seriously the relationship story without so many distractions. It could be nice. But this one worths the effort.
O Azarento (1973)
Curious flick about an unlucky guy
Wacky things happening, bad luck waves around the whole city, people being suddenly injured... And everything caused by just one single person: The "Unlucky Guy" (O Azarento, in Brazilian Portuguese) is the bad influence with a reasonable story. Challenging who don't believe in bad luck, his presence is enough to drive everybody crazy and leave things upside down everywhere he passes. This movie is just a light Brazilian old comedy, with a small cast, low box office and low budget. But despite of every "low", in it, of course it has some "hi" on a well-told story, with simple characters, plot and soundtrack. I liked the most of film length and it made me giggle sometimes, but the story was good enough to glue me on the sofa. Of course it gets the recipe of a plenty Worldwide known comedies but this one, particularly, worth the watch. 9 out 10.
Wilsinho Galiléia (1978)
The common story of a Brazilian bandit
**Might have some SPOILERS around here.**
Despite all those social problems, faced by society around 70's Brazil dictatorship, the movie shows one of the most infamous stories of our criminal society, here in Sao Paulo. It tells the tragedy life of a boy around 18y/o who joined the crime life around 9 years old. His mom (free, but tired) and brothers (all convicts) do their testimonials about Lucio's life, full of robberies, murders and thefts.
His mom protects him, telling he's obedient and kind. Otherwise some of the interviewers replied he was dangerous and shy, but good only with known people. Some of them seems to point at his childhood creation by his mom, without suitable care, the lack of welfare may led him to face the streets to find the best way to his success. He's just one of that poor guys who wanted to be a rich one, enjoying fancy clothes and good cars by stealing or killing to get this new lifestyle.
Talking about poverty in the mid 70's Sao Paulo, this is a common story (well told, I think this way) about a fearless guy who didn't have anything to lose, except his life. And I can surely tell you. Here we had the same with some other famous thieves, like Lucio Flávio and "O Bandido da Luz Vermelha"
Looks like a small documentary. Worth watching as a documentary if you're interested in social matters involving Brazil or Sao Paulo around 70's.