Access Atlanta > Movies > Blog > Archives > 2005 > May > 15 > Entry
Catch up…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So yesterday afternoon I decided to take a break from the Force. I headed down to the beach, grabbed a panini (sandwich) and then stopped by the American Pavilion to pick up my courtesy membership and sign up for yet another mailbox for my movie-spam.
Then it was time to check out a bit of Brazilian cinema, “Cidade Baixa� (a.k.a., “Lower City.�) The film was a good come down from all the “Star Wars� hoopla, but in the end played like a modern Brazilian take on the French classic “Jules and Jim.� Unfortunately this scenario has been played to death and we find out that “three� is not so magic a number when it comes to relationships (though it has made for interesting cinema.) But we all know what’s going to happen�someone’s always going to end up on the losing end and a happy ending is out of the question.
The club scenes in the film were really impressive though since usually party/rave/club scenes usually come off looking stupid or staged or both. (I’ll have to observe the real thing tomorrow night when I check out Carl Cox spinning some hard house at a beach party.)
“Lower City� was directed by Sergio Machado and produced by Walter Salles (director of “The Motorcycle Diaries�) who seems like he’s produced every Brazilian picture since he’s become famous. I interviewed Salles at Cannes last year�he’s good looking, fluent in French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and is at least trying to do things for the cinema in Brazil. But “Lower City� isn’t exactly breaking down any cinematic barriers.
I met a nice Spanish journalist at the screening named Miguel. “Encantada,� I said, remembering a touch of Spanish 101. “Igualmente,� he responded. We spoke to each other about languages, cinema, etc. There is nowhere like Cannes for a nice sampling of people and languages from all over the world. One can hear ten languages in the course of a short walk down a corridor, although French and English are the most prominent.
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