Well fellow geeks, here's a Review/story from deep in the heart of South America and the exotic land of Brazil, Coffin Joe's our reporter who's been rooting around the scene down there for some time now, and here's who and what he's dug up for you this time...
Hey, AICN readers , it´s your creepy pal Coffin Joe , I´m back , not much luck with the whole finding a bride thing , but got to keep on trying , right ?
Anyway , I´ve just seen the new Bruno Barreto flick called BOSSA NOVA starring Amy Irving and a whole bunch of Brazilian actors . I checked out over at Yahoo Movies and it opens next week in LA and NY , I´m not sure wether or not it goes wide in the States after that , but the movie is already playing over here in Brazil so I thought I´d send a review to ya . No spoilers , just my two cents .
When the movie begins you see that Barreto dedicates it to Antônio Carlos Jobim (Tom Jobim) and François Truffaut , and it isn´t too difficult to figure out why . It´s a neat little romantic movie , with some great shots of Rio de Janeiro , truly beautiful photography ; The performances are all tight , in particular Amy Irving , who plays an English teacher who is a widow and hasn´t been in a relation ship in a while , Antônio Fagundes is also pretty good , as the guy who falls for her , and Alexandre Borges and Sérgio Loroza , two guys who play respectively a soccer player who is on his way to play in England and his manager . These two steal the movie , I mean their scenes with Amy Irving are worth the price of admission . American actor Stephen Tobolowski is also really funny in this picture , I can´t spoil who he plays , ´cause it would ruin a great part of one of the sub-plots . There are many characters we follow during the movie , Barreto deals with each one of their stories in splendid fashion , even though some of the characters don´t get a happy ending . The soundtrack is just plain sweet , there´s no other way to describe it , the music is moving , in a quiet , seductive manner .
Don´t go to the theater expecting something like Central Station , this is much more relaxed , it deals with totally different issues , it shows a nicer Brazil , the ideal Rio de Janeiro , the one you see in postcards . This is one of those movies that when you leave the theater you want to get a girlfriend , if you´re a single guy like me , ´cause it just gives you that feeling that maybe there´s someone out there for you . It´s corny and dorky , I know , but this isn´t a Julia Roberts movie , these themes are represented in the movie in a more laid-back way , just telling you : " Hey , there´s someone out there waiting for you , so go after her " .
As a film geek , who digs mostly sci-fi and horror , I felt like a moron going to watch this romantic comedy , I mean it wasn´t my choice , I´m a film student , and one of our teachers told us to watch it ´cause he would ask us for a term paper about the flick . So I went cursing and bitching , and you know what , I liked it . So if I enjoyed it , me a guy whose favorite director is John Carpenter , I think you people who read this , probably fanboys too , will dig it as well .
I´m done.
All the way from São Paulo , Brazil , Coffin Joe says bye .
21/4/2000
