Five movies everyone should see

[jay santos]

A comment on City of God vs. American gangster epics. City of God has more humor, subtlety, and really true felt in the gut tragedy, more sadness, than any of those American films except maybe the original Godfather (more on that below). There is more verisimilitude in the imagery and atmosphere. The writing is better (it's the writing that brings all the foregoing about, in combination with the remarkable acting).

It's interesting that City of God does not resort to the shock value of buckets of blood, flying body parts, people getting hurled out of high buildings, etc. I have a high violence threshold, but think that especially Schorseze got really tiresome with all the slaughterhouse gore. City of God is terrifying and intense with little visible blood (there is also minimal sex despite he suggestion of the DVD cover). Though this is not necessarily an important factor, there is much more realism in City of God.

City of God is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made that happens to be a ganster movie of sorts. Viking, according to Wikipidia it's widely recognized as the greatest Brazilian movie ever made. I have no sentimentality about Brazil, am always happy to identify overrated aspects about it. I am a contrarian to the marrow and I get a belly full of Brazil love from my family. But City of God is a great movie in the true sense of the word.

In my opinion the best American Gangster film by a longshot is the original Godfather. Of course it's very different from City of God, and so I can say that neither should be elevated above the other.

What a contrarian. City of God's IMDB #18, second highest foreign film, and highest of any fim of last 10 years next to Batman, Inception, and LOTR. City of God's on almost everyone's list.

[SeattleUte]

What a contrarian. City of God's IMDB #18, second highest foreign film, and highest of any fim of last 10 years next to Batman, Inception, and LOTR. City of God's on almost everyone's list.

Thank you. I rest my case. Lebowski, are you chastened?

City of God also illustrates the Academy Awards nonsense. That Titanic should be garlanded by the Academy as it is, and not City of God, well, it's complete nonsense.

[pellegrino]

I don't know... I give up. True cine-files don't have to prove anything.

90% has seen Battle of Algiers? What, did they show it for a week at BYU's International Cinema? My guess is that you and I are probably the only two on the board to have seen it.

Robin, you have to get it right, it's cinephile, and to really sound snobby you have to pronounce it cineFEEL.

[wuapinmon]

Actually, I'm ok with Benigni's performance being awarded. He did a fine job given the parameters of the film. It's not his fault Hollywood likes to reward touchy feely films that have no basis in reality, but pretend to do so. Plus, as I recall, it was an off year for that category. I think Tom Hanks was nominated, but he'd already won it before and Benigni's film was the darling of the year. America had fallen in love with him, why not recognize the phenomenon?

I liked the film for its kitsch, and when he screams "un carro armado" at the end, I'll admit to getting a little weepy, but it winning Best Foreign Film over Central do Brasil is completamente e assolutamente incomprensibile! As they say in Brazil, "Isso é bobagem."

[MartyFunkhouser]

1. Weekend at Bernies
2. Weekend at Bernies 2
3. Weekend at Bernies 3 (we can dream can't we)
4. They Call Me Bruce
5. They Still Call Me Bruce

[RobinFinderson]

Robin, you have to get it right, it's cinephile, and to really sound snobby you have to pronounce it cineFEEL.

I would NEVER claim to be a cinephile, since that would require that I know something about movies. But I AM a cine-file, and as such, I don't have to prove anything.

BTW, is it cinnabon or cinna-bun?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thank you. I rest my case. Lebowski, are you chastened?

Not at all.

You said it was better than all of the American gangster movies. I count three (Godfather 1, Godfather 2, Goodfellas) above City of God in that list you are using as proof of your point:

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

QED

[pellegrino]

I would NEVER claim to be a cinephile, since that would require that I know something about movies. But I AM a cine-file, and as such, I don't have to prove anything.

BTW, is it cinnabon or cinna-bun?

I am ignorant on matters of cinnas, and bonnes buns, I was just trying to give you a leg up in the snooty world of cinema, having mistakenly thought you aspired to such. I respect your encyclopedic approach to the medium as a cine-file.

[Maximus]

Actually, I'm ok with Benigni's performance being awarded. He did a fine job given the parameters of the film. It's not his fault Hollywood likes to reward touchy feely films that have no basis in reality, but pretend to do so. Plus, as I recall, it was an off year for that category. I think Tom Hanks was nominated, but he'd already won it before and Benigni's film was the darling of the year. America had fallen in love with him, why not recognize the phenomenon?

How can you not like that movie? What was so "off basis in reality"?

[wuapinmon]

How can you not like that movie? What was so "off basis in reality"?

OMFH!

Ummm, try for one that a kid could go through years in a concentration camp believing that it was all an elaborate game, that his dad created so he could get a tank.

Actually, putting it that way, it sort of sounds like an allegory of the Plan of Salvation.

[Viking]

A comment on City of God vs. American gangster epics. City of God has more humor, subtlety, and really true felt in the gut tragedy, more sadness, than any of those American films except maybe the original Godfather (more on that below). There is more verisimilitude in the imagery and atmosphere. The writing is better (it's the writing that brings all the foregoing about, in combination with the remarkable acting).

It's interesting that City of God does not resort to the shock value of buckets of blood, flying body parts, people getting hurled out of high buildings, etc. I have a high violence threshold, but think that especially Schorseze got really tiresome with all the slaughterhouse gore. City of God is terrifying and intense with little visible blood (there is also minimal sex despite he suggestion of the DVD cover). Though this is not necessarily an important factor, there is much more realism in City of God.

City of God is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made that happens to be a ganster movie of sorts. Viking, according to Wikipidia it's widely recognized as the greatest Brazilian movie ever made. I have no sentimentality about Brazil, am always happy to identify overrated aspects about it. I am a contrarian to the marrow and I get a belly full of Brazil love from my family. But City of God is a great movie in the true sense of the word.

In my opinion the best American Gangster film by a longshot is the original Godfather. Of course it's very different from City of God, and so I can say that neither should be elevated above the other.

Cidade de Deus was a good movie, no doubt. I just think that Central Station was a much better film

[Mormon Red Death]

Cidade de Deus was a good movie, no doubt. I just think that Central Station was a much better film

Did you see 4 days in september? My favorite brazilian movie. Also imo alan arkin's best film.

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[pellegrino]

OMFH!

Ummm, try for one that a kid could go through years in a concentration camp believing that it was all an elaborate game, that his dad created so he could get a tank.

Actually, putting it that way, it sort of sounds like an allegory of the Plan of Salvation.

as you have noted, the premise is just faulty, but not because it's improbable that a kid could believe that the concentration camp was a game, rather, that a child could be hidden and survive in a concentration camp at all. Small children and the elderly were the first to use the "showers" so to speak.

As for the rest of the film, I'm not in the mood to critique it. There are some interesting aspects to it, but I have a tough time with the fabrication that is the plot, and the use of comedy (particularly Benigni's style) when dealing with the shoah. I don't know that it's possible to mix the two.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Okay, here's my list today. May change tomorrow.

Downfall
Crimes & Misdemeanors
Saving Private Ryan
Shoah
Ordinary People

There are lots of excellent movies listed in this thread, but I must confess that SU's list comes closest to my own sensibilities. I haven't seen all of Shoah (I think the unabridged film goes over nine hours, but the interviews I've seen have been extremely interesting), but the rest are all on my favorites list.

As SU suggests (and I presume this is true for most everyone), one's list can change given one's mood and memory at the time.

[Maximus]

as you have noted, the premise is just faulty, but not because it's improbable that a kid could believe that the concentration camp was a game, rather, that a child could be hidden and survive in a concentration camp at all. Small children and the elderly were the first to use the "showers" so to speak.

As for the rest of the film, I'm not in the mood to critique it. There are some interesting aspects to it, but I have a tough time with the fabrication that is the plot, and the use of comedy (particularly Benigni's style) when dealing with the shoah. I don't know that it's possible to mix the two.

Well sure if you look at any movie you will find plenty that is unrealistic or faulty etc. the point of the movie is not to downplay the holocaust but to show how a fathers love can mean so much even in the worst of times, among other things. The movie shows how horrible the holocaust is as well as showing how much the fathers love meant for the son.