Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts

3 July 2013

Tropicalia Review

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Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 5th July 2013 (Cinema), 8th July 2013 (DVD)
Director: Marcelo Machado
Cast: Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso
Buy: Tropicalia [Blu-ray] / [DVD]


Marcelo Machado shines his light on the revolutionary spirit of Brazil's late 1960's Tropicalism movement in his vibrant documentary, Tropicalia. Tropicalism used musical and visual arts, fusing traditional Brazilian influences with western fashions to create an avant-garde style which was used to confront the country's cultural and political status quo.

Machado has clearly been strongly influenced by the movement which would, by all accounts, go on the inspire such musicians as David Byrne and Beck. His film is a lovingly crafted patchwork of contemporary footage and talking-head interviews. It's a neat balance of styles which imparts a decent sense of history, while immersing the viewer in the visuals and the noises of what was clearly a tempestuous and creative period.

Giants of the movement: Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Tom Ze all share their recollections of what made the period so vital. A bouncing soundtrack from the likes of Os Mutantes provides an intoxicating accompaniment, imparting a discernible sense of time and place.

What's lacking, if anything, is a concise and informative grounding in Brazilian cultural and political history. To a certain degree Tropicalia assumes that you bring that working knowledge with you. All this flag waving and fist pumping is interesting, indeed rousing, but it's sometimes hard to know where this all fits in contextualy. We're repeatedly told that the Tropicalism movement is one of the utmost importance to Brazil; we're rarely told why.

But it's a pretty rum sort who doesn't feel exhilarated by the infectious spontaneity and creativity of Tropicalism. Plonk yourself down to watch this and you'all feel like you've wandered into a beach side cabana bar only to find a Beatles cover band is playing tonight. In which case I imagine you'd grab a caipirinha and thoroughly enjoy yourself.

★★★☆☆

Chris Banks


19 April 2013

Marcelo Marcheda's Topicalaa To Get An Limited UK Cine Release Watch Trailer

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Tropicalia, or Tropicalism, is one of Brazil's most significant cultural movements. Born in the late 1960s by a collective of like-minded souls, it used music and visual arts as a voice to confront the cultural and political establishment. And now the scene and its key players are explored in Marcelo Machado's fascinating new film Tropicalia.

This vibrant feature documentary explores this iconic and era-changing time in Brazil's history with material lovingly gleaned from the archives, stunning images, and the testimony of the group's protagonists including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Ze, Arnaldo and Sergio Dias, from the band Os Mutantes, whose controversial thoughts, music and behaviour resulted in prison and exile for its leaders.

Then of course there is the music, the 'Tropicalistas' created pop songs, mixing traditional Brazilian folk and the north hemisphere's rock which created a sound never heard before and which has since inspired and influenced many high profile musicians including David Byrne, Damon Albarn and Beck.

Director Marcelo Machado grew up listening to the music and was inspired to document this influential, important scene in Tropicalia which comes to UK cinemas on 5 July 2013 followed by a DVD release on 7 July 2013 from Mr Bongo Films.





10 October 2010

Final New Trailer Jose Padilha's ELITE SQUAD 2

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source Twitch
A new final trailer for Jose Padilha's ELITE SQUAD 2 (Tropa de Elite 2 ) went online the weekend the movie was released cinematically in Brazil.
The movie has had its fair share of critics who've tried to prevent the movie been released but those critics arent film ones but the police whom this film is about and the corruption within the force. To really piss off the police thousands of bootleg copies where made and sold on the streets and thats what i call a vote of confidence from the people!
Whatever the police where goint to do in attempt to stop the movie it wasnt going to suceed as people power won at the end of the day and Padilha has the critics backing with Berlin film fest awarding the movie an accolade!The actual movie does look good with a mixed bag of action as well as drama, trailer after the break...

18 August 2010

LOST PAGE (Página Perdida)- Trailer for trip inspired Brazillan flick

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Got this trailer sent to me a few days ago from Sanglant Films, its for a movie from Brazil called Página Perdida or in English LOST PAGE which is surrounded by an intriguing scenario and inhabited by strange characters,  is an abstract film, the result of a powerfull visual dimension created by Lucas Moreira added to the experimental electro-acoustic music of Marcelo Armani.
I do love abstract music even made up several comps on cds of songs i was sent used to help me chill out and I know this will bring on a few WTF moments with some of you, but its something I used to see been made whilst I was studing graphic design in manchester, visually graphical originally unique.

12 August 2010

Killer Blenders From Brazil in trailer for Reflections of a Blender (Reflexões de um Liquidificador)

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 source QuietEarth
Killers come in all shapes an sizes but would you ever think of a blender been a killer?!  Well in this Brazilian comedy  Reflections of a Blender (Reflexões de um Liquidificador) it talks to its owner Elvira (Ana Lúcia Torre) who has just killed her husband and disposed of him using the blender!!!
This sounds absolutely crazy but the insane you just have to check out what this is all about and a good part of the movie I understand is all about Elvira's relationship with her husband and the fact the Blender (voiced by Selton Mello) has been observing them plus he knows her darkest deep secrets too!. After efforts to look like her hubby has just vanished I think we can say they'll be a comedy of errors on show as things just go downhill, check out the trailer after the break...

31 March 2010

The trailer for Director:Wagner de Assis NOSSO LAR

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Source QuietEarth
I'll openly admit I dont follow a religion and when I was young I was brought up as a cathloic. To me after oil religion is the biggest culprit for the problem in todays society worldwide, I hate when people try and force religion down your throat and get told by rightwing nobodies that my religion is wrong we are better than you. I appreciate religion has its positives but people who want religion should find it own there own terms.
Nosso Lar is one person's vision of an area in the afterlife that spiritually you can go to after death. The story does follow one man doctor André Luiz on his journey from death to afterlife and his discovery of Nosso Lar which is an city. Been from Brazil it may have a catholic inspiration to it (Brazil is an predominately catholic country) so it may upset some of those right wing conservatives outthere. This does look fascinating  but religion is an  sensatitive issue and people will say "the afterlife isn't like this" how do you know, have you died? And its this issue that upset me when people critised Peter Jackson's vision in The Lovely Bones, with religious nuts coming out saying afterlife isnt like this. Whatever you think 20th Century fox like this so I'll expect a remake a few years down the line.
Just respect religion and embrace the knowledge that there is so many religions out there and every one has their own visions & views which will not be the same as yours and never criticise anything you dont like and not to expect criticism back.
The movie is directed by Wagner de Assis  and the film is based on the works of Xico Xavier with the movie coming out September 3rd in Brazil

27 March 2010

Trailer for Brazillian sci-fi Short ANALOG

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ANALOG trailer from Ebbëto on Vimeo.


source QuietEarth
Above is the trailer for sci-fi short ANALOG created by Brazilian director Ebbeto.

The short movie is the second movie from this director and the short is currently doing the rounds at the film festivals and is getting some fantastic feedback. The movie can only be described visually as a minimalistic metropolis meets 1984 with a bit of Tron thrown in for good measure.

Analog is a film that  tells the tale of a machine travelling in deep-space which has as a primary function the preservation of a living organism: a man. Strange events with biblical analogies begin, disturbing the machine and making it rethink it's priorities.

I have a funny feeling it played Glasgow Film Festival last month and if it did ill go crazy, this just looks stunning. I tried to see if the full short was online but my search was unsucessfull.

10 March 2010

Here's the Brillant animated short VOLTAGE

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source TwitchFilm

Found this fantastic looking animated short called VOLTAGE from Brazil's Bam Studios created by Filippe Lyra and William Paiva. 


Not much information on this animationapart from first impressions a stunning visual, wonderful looking character designs and just all round brilliant story & animation by 2 talented animations. Looking at the aboive still it just looks stunning, hopefully we'll see more animation from BAM hopefully in near future, enjoy...


Voltage from Bam Studio on Vimeo.