Cultural 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.
 

---

MOVIES

Just-released or re-released American movies:

The Glass House (A Casa de Vidro), Gosford Park (Assassinato em Gosford Park), Training Day (Dia de Treinamento), In the Bedroom (Entre Quatro Paredes), Black Hawk Down (Falcão Negro em Perigo), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal), Monsters Inc (Monstros S.A.), Moulin Rouge (Moulin Rouge - Amor em Vermelho), Shallow Hal (O Amor É Cego), The Princess Diaries (O Diário da Princesa), The Man Who Wasn't There (O Homem Que Não Estava Lá), Cradle Will Rock (O Poder Vai Dançar), Lord of the Rings (O Senhor dos Anéis), Ocean's Eleven (Onze Homens e um Segredo), The Royal Tenenbaums (Os Excêntricos Tenenbaums), Small Time Crooks (Trapaceiros), A Beautiful Mind (Uma Mente Brilhante)

Latitude Zero (Latitude Zero)—Brazil/1999—Lena, who is pregnant and lives in a tavern by the road, gets involved with a former policeman after being dumped by her boyfriend. Directed by Toni Ventura, with Débora Duboc and Cláudio Jaborandy.

Bellini e a Esfinge (Bellini and the Sphinx)—Brazil/2001—Detective Remo Bellini gets involved with a prostitute, who helps him, while trying to find a mysterious woman. Directed by Roberto Santucci, with Fábio Assunção, Malu Mader, Maristane Dresch. Based on Tony Bellotto's novel.

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.
 

---

BEST-SELLER BOOKS

FICTION

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

2. Os Cem Melhores Contos de Humor da Literatura Universal, Flavio Moreira da Costa Ediouro

3. Contos Inacabados, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martins Fontes

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

5. O Diário da Princesa, Meg Caboto, Record

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

7. O Mundo de Sofia, Jostein Gaarder, Cia. das Letras

8. O Diário de Bridget Jones, Helen Fielding, Record

9. A Mesa Voadora, Luis Fernando Verissimo, Objetiva

10. Baudolino, Umberto Eco, Record

NONFICTION

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

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

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

4. Decifrar Pessoas, Jo-Ellen Dimitrius, Jo-Ellen Dimitrius

5. Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa, Antônio Houaiss, Objetiva

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

7. Limites sem Trauma, Tania Zagury, Record

8. Pai Rico Pai Pobre, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Campus

9. Friends _ Guia de Episódios v. 1, Cristhiana Ruiz, Frente

10. Como Dizer Tudo em Inglês, Ronald Martinez, Campus

ESOTERICISM/SELF-HELP

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

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

3. A Semente da Vitória, Nuno Cobra, Senac

4. Querida Mamãe _ Obrigado por Tudo, Bradley Trevor Greive, Sextante

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

CHILDREN

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

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

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

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

5. O Homem que Calculava, Malba Tahan, Record

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

Send your
comments to
Brazzil