★★★★☆ Justin Mitchell's documentary Rio Breaks (2009) follows the bitter-sweet story of Naama and Fabio, two residents of Rio de Janeiro's notorious Favela de Pavao. Both dream of escaping the traumas and deadly temptations of their environment through surfing the waves off the stunning Arpoador Beach. As they look out from their homes to assess the surf for the day, the sea seems to offer limitless freedom from the strains of living in one of the world's most dangerous cities.
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- 10/3/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? You Said What? Trailer Peter Stormare is perhaps the greatest living thespian working today. Ok, that's exaggeration...but not by a lot. Directors/writers Patrik Syversen...
- 6/11/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
X-Men: First Class (12A)
(Matthew Vaughn, 2011, Us) James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones. 132 mins
Considering the odds were stacked against this – preceding as it does four X-Men movies (including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine), entering a superhero-stuffed summer schedule, juggling scores of characters, and telling a story fans know already – this does a remarkably good job. The cold war setting offers a new take on closeted mutanthood, and a parallel version of the Cuban missile crisis, not to mention Bond-like stylings, and McAvoy and Fassbender add dramatic ballast to some overbearing special effects.
Senna (12A)
(Asif Kapadia, 2010, UK) 106 mins
A Formula One doc that doesn't follow the formula, this assembles a compelling, even moving, biography of the superstar Brazilian driver using only archive material and audio interviews; no talking heads or modern-day footage. The racetrack excitement is contagious.
Last Night (12A)
(Massy Tadjedin, 2010, Us/Fra) Sam Worthington,...
(Matthew Vaughn, 2011, Us) James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones. 132 mins
Considering the odds were stacked against this – preceding as it does four X-Men movies (including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine), entering a superhero-stuffed summer schedule, juggling scores of characters, and telling a story fans know already – this does a remarkably good job. The cold war setting offers a new take on closeted mutanthood, and a parallel version of the Cuban missile crisis, not to mention Bond-like stylings, and McAvoy and Fassbender add dramatic ballast to some overbearing special effects.
Senna (12A)
(Asif Kapadia, 2010, UK) 106 mins
A Formula One doc that doesn't follow the formula, this assembles a compelling, even moving, biography of the superstar Brazilian driver using only archive material and audio interviews; no talking heads or modern-day footage. The racetrack excitement is contagious.
Last Night (12A)
(Massy Tadjedin, 2010, Us/Fra) Sam Worthington,...
- 6/3/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This week we present a Brazilian documentary special. We speak to British director Asif Kapadia about his film Senna, the tragic tale of the Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna.
Rio Breaks explores the lives of the young surfers of the favelas. Its writer and producer Vince Medeiros joins Jason and Asif to discuss the Brazilian love of sport and daring and how surfing is keeping young people away from the violent gang culture.
Xan Brooks pops up to review some of this week's other releases, including X-Men: First Class, Gérard Depardieu in Mammuth, Keira Knightley in Last Night and sperm donation documentary Donor Unknown.
Jason SolomonsXan BrooksJason Phipps...
Rio Breaks explores the lives of the young surfers of the favelas. Its writer and producer Vince Medeiros joins Jason and Asif to discuss the Brazilian love of sport and daring and how surfing is keeping young people away from the violent gang culture.
Xan Brooks pops up to review some of this week's other releases, including X-Men: First Class, Gérard Depardieu in Mammuth, Keira Knightley in Last Night and sperm donation documentary Donor Unknown.
Jason SolomonsXan BrooksJason Phipps...
- 6/3/2011
- by Jason Solomons, Xan Brooks, Jason Phipps
- The Guardian - Film News
Rio Breaks is the moving feature documentary that follows the story of two best friends as they try to escape the pitfalls of life in Rio de Janeiro's slums by riding the waves on their favourite beach
Life in the notorious favelas in Rio de Janeiro is tough, with its immense poverty, drug crime and violence on every corner, but if you look out over the horizon you are met with views of some of the world's most beautiful beaches, replete with the stunning ocean perfect for surfing.
13-year-old Fabio and 12-year-old Naama live at Favela do Pavao, an enormous slum near Arpoador Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pavao is home to Commando Vermelho, or Red Command, one of Rio's most heavily armed drug gangs, who rule the community. Their presence is ubiquitous, with gun-toting "soldiers", mostly teenagers, patrolling the hills and shooting a warning every time a police car comes into sight.
Life in the notorious favelas in Rio de Janeiro is tough, with its immense poverty, drug crime and violence on every corner, but if you look out over the horizon you are met with views of some of the world's most beautiful beaches, replete with the stunning ocean perfect for surfing.
13-year-old Fabio and 12-year-old Naama live at Favela do Pavao, an enormous slum near Arpoador Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pavao is home to Commando Vermelho, or Red Command, one of Rio's most heavily armed drug gangs, who rule the community. Their presence is ubiquitous, with gun-toting "soldiers", mostly teenagers, patrolling the hills and shooting a warning every time a police car comes into sight.
- 5/19/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
There's no shortage of gorgeous surfing documentaries out there. "Rio Breaks," directed by Justin Mitchell and newly available on DVD from Factory 25, aims for something beyond just stunning surf footage, following two boys growing up in one of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous, drug gang-infested favelas. For Fabio and Naama, surfing provides a temporary escape -- and possibly a permanent one, if they can manage to navigate their way onto the pro circuit.
This week only, you can watch "Rio Breaks" in its entirety below -- if you enjoy the film, consider picking up the DVD.
Here's a statement from director Justin Mitchell:
When I first decided to make a surf film, I knew that I needed to find a story to tell where surfing was the thread rather than the focus. That, and the story couldn't be yet another tale of following pro surfers around the world to...
This week only, you can watch "Rio Breaks" in its entirety below -- if you enjoy the film, consider picking up the DVD.
Here's a statement from director Justin Mitchell:
When I first decided to make a surf film, I knew that I needed to find a story to tell where surfing was the thread rather than the focus. That, and the story couldn't be yet another tale of following pro surfers around the world to...
- 8/31/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
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