Brazzil
February 2002
ultural Pulse

Plays, movies &
best-seller books

PLAYS

RIO

Se Correr o Bicho Pega, Se Ficar o Bicho Come (If You Run the Beast Will Get You, If You Stay the Beast Will Eat You)—A new mise-en-scène for Oduvaldo Vianna and Ferreira Gullar's play from 1966. Mocinha, a flirtatious daughter of a political boss fall in love with Roque, a scoundrel who unwillingly ends up becoming a hero. Directed by Antônio Pedro, with Leandra Leal and Murilo Rosa.

Fim do Jogo (Endgame)—Classical Samuel Beckett's text in which two men, a blind and a cripple take discuss the human condition in a tragic-comic manner. Directed by Francisco Medeiros. Actors Edson Celulari and Cacá Carvalho take turns—every week it changes—interpreting the two characters.

Um Porto para Elizabeth Bishop (A Haven for Elizabeth Bishop)—A monologue in which American poet Elizabeth Bishop, who lived in Brazil between 1952 and 1967, talks about the Brazilian people and her convoluted love affair with woman architect Lota Macedo Soares. Regina Braga is Bishop.

Cócegas (Tickling)—Several women provoke laughs and compassion while talking about their stressed life. Ingrid Guimarães and Heloísa Perissé wrote and interpret all the different characters.

SÃO PAULO

O Homem do Sobretudo Escuro (The Man with the Dark Overcoat)—Based on Agatha Christie's short stories. A young couple who owns a boarding house in England is visited unexpectedly by a police inspector. Directed by Silvio Tadeu and Iná Carvalho, with the troupe Cia. Target de Teatro.

Deus Ex-Machina e os Super Ex-Heróis na Terra do Impotente Viagra Falls (Deus Ex-Machina and the Super Ex-Heroes in the Land of the Impotent Viagra Fall)—Despite the title, this is a drama about an Indian who is expelled from his tribe after being seduced by deconstructionism and post-modernism. Written and directed by enfant terrible Gerald Thomas. With Fabiana Guglielmetti, Amadeo Lamounier, and Marcos Azevedo.

A Descoberta do Mundo (The Discovery of the World)—Based on Clarice Lispector's (1920-1977) book of same name. After firing the maid a lonely woman, GH, decides to clean the house and reflect about her own life and the world. All the actresses play simultaneously the same character. Directed by Marco Antonio Rodrigues, with Ciça Magalhães, Fernanda Castello, Júlia Ianina, Lilian Damasceno, Paula Weinfeld, Talita Ortiz and Thaís de Medeiros.

Novas Diretrizes em Tempos de Paz (New Directions in Times of Peace)—During the Second War, a Polish refugee tries to get his Visa to stay legally in Brazil. Written by Bosco Brasil, directed by Ariela Goldmann, with Jairo Mattos and Dan Stulbach.
 

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MOVIES

Just-released or re-released American movies:

Behind Enemy Lines (Atrás das Linhas Inimigas), Cats and Dogs (Como Cães e Gatos), D-Tox (D-Tox), From Hell (Do Inferno), Efeito Colateral (Collateral Damage), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal), Storytelling (Histórias Proibidas), The Straight Story (História Real), Hearts in Atlantis (Lembranças de um Verão), Monsters Inc. (Monstros S.A.), Shallow Hal (O Amor É Cego), The Princess Diaries (O Diário da Princesa), Felicia's Journey (O Fio da Inocência), Cradle Will Rock (O Poder Vai Dançar), Lord of the Rings (O Senhor dos Anéis), Scream (Pânico), Promises (Promessas de um Novo Mundo), Rat Race (Tá Todo Mundo Louco!), Small Time Crooks (Trapaceiros), A Beautiful Mind (Uma Mente Brilhante), Vanilla Sky (Vanilla Sky)

Avassaladoras (Dominatrix)—Brazil/2001—Comedy. The growing up of Laura who has to learn how to deal with her desires and impulses. Directed by Mara Mourão, with Giovanna Antonelli, Reynaldo Gianecchini, Caco Ciocler, and Rosi Campos.

Duas Vezes com Helena (Twice with Helena)—Brazil/2001—Love triangle involving a woman, her husband and another man. The trio gets together in two different occasions, 30 years apart. Directed by Mauro Frias, with Fábio Assunção, Christine Fernandes, Carlos Gregório, Cláudio Correa e Castro and Duda Mamberti.

Lavoura Arcaica (Archaic Tillage) Released in English as To the Left of the Father—Brazil/2001—The story of a Lebanese family in Brazil. One of the sons feeling oppressed by father, smothered by mother and sexually attracted by sister leaves home. Based on Raduan Nassar's novel Lavoura Arcaica. Directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho, with Selton Mello, Raul Cortez, Simone Spolidore, and Juliana Carneiro.

Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Seven-Head Beast or Enigma)—Brazil/2000—Power struggle between son and father ends with the young man being sent to a mental institution when the father finds out that he is smoking pot. Based on Austregésilo Carrano Bueno's autobiographical book Canto dos Malditos (Corner of the Damned). Directed by Laís Bodansky, with Rodrigo Santoro, Othon Bastos, and Cássia Kiss.

Xuxa e os Duendes (Xuxa and the Elves)—Brazil/2001—TV host Xuxa is an herbalist imbued with magic powers who needs to save an elf entrapped inside a wall. Directed by Paulo Sérgio de Almeida and Rogério Gomes. With Xuxa, Gugu Liberato, Angélica, Guilherme Karan, and Emiliano Queiroz.

O Xangô de Baker Street (Baker Street's Xangô)—Brazil/1999—Sherlock Homes and his sidekick Watson travel to Rio during the Brazilian Empire to help solve a crime that occurred in Rio de Janeiro. Based on Jô Soares's book of same name. Directed by Miguel Faria Jr., Joaquim de Almeida, Anthony O'Donnell, Maria de Medeiros and Marco Nanini.

La Lengua de las Mariposas (A Língua das Mariposas)—Spain/1999—The start of Spain's civil war profoundly alters the relationship between a teacher and a boy student. Directed by José Luís Cuerda, with Fernando Fernán-Gomes, Manuel Lozano, and Uxía Blanco.
 

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BEST-SELLER BOOKS

FICTION

1. O Senhor dos Anéis - Edição Completa, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martins Fontes

2. As Mentiras que os Homens Contam, Luis Fernando Verissimo, Objetiva

3. O Diário da Princesa, Meg Cabot, Record

4. O Diário de Bridget Jones Helen Fielding, Record

5. Baudolino, Umberto Eco, Record

6. A Mesa Voadora, Luis Fernando Verissimo, Objetiva

7. Comédias para Se Ler na Escola Luis Fernando Verissimo, Objetiva

8. A Casa Vazia, Rosamunde Pilcher, Bertrand

9. A Casa Pintada, John Grisham, Rocco

10. Bridget Jones - No Limite da Razão Helen Fielding, Record

NONFICTION

1. O Universo numa Casca de Noz, Stephen Hawking, Mandarim

2. Estação Carandiru, Drauzio Varella, Cia. das Letras

3. O Programa das 10 Semanas, Turibio Barros, Manole

4. A Semente da Vitória, Nuno Cobra, Senac

5. O Mundo Mágico de Harry Potter, David Colbert, Sextante

6. Investimentos - Como Administrar Bem seu Dinheiro, Mauro Halfeld, Fundamento

7. A Vida Sexual de Catherine M., Catherine Millet, Ediouro

8. Jack Definitivo, Jack Welch, Campus

9. Boa Forma em 90 Dias, Matt Roberts, Sextante

10. Limites Sem Trauma, Tania Zugary, Record

ESOTERICISM/SELF-HELP

1. Quem Mexeu no Meu Queijo?, Johnson Spencer, Record

2. Um Dia "Daqueles", Bradley Trevor Greive, Sextante

3. Quando É Preciso Voltar, Zibia Gasparetto, Espaço, Vida e Consciência

4. A Arte da Felicidade, Dalai Lama, Martins Fontes

5. Querida Mamãe - Obrigado por Tudo, Bradley Trevor Greive, Sextante

CHILDREN

1. Harry Potter e a Câmara Secreta, J.K. Rowling, Rocco

2. Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban, J.K. Rowling, Rocco

3. Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo, J.K. Rowling, Rocco

4. Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal, J.K. Rowling, Rocco

5. Animais Fantásticos e Onde Habitam, Newt Scamander, Rocco

According to Época, http://www.epoca.com.br