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"Chop Shop" video still

“Crash” was the last film to show the so-called dark side of America. It came as no surprise to many that racism is still very real in America. “Crash” is convoluted and preachy: perfect for colleges looking to show a film about racism. For all “Crash” accomplishes in showing, however, the film never escapes the clutches of Hollywood sensationalism. “Chop Shop” manages to avoid the sensationalism of Hollywood but can not avoid the shock value of poverty.

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I watch movies, lots and lots of ‘em. City of Men is the most recent work of director Fernando Mierelles (Brazillian) Oscar nominated for City of God which is a must see movie. Anyway, I like keeping these reviews short and sweet: City of Men is a highly stylized film, with nice hot male bodies running around the favellas of Rio totting guns like children playing cowboys. It is fun to watch the amateur gun slinging. Unfortunately, despite the nice cinematography the story just seems to drag and ends predictably (no spoilers here). This movie is worth watching but only because City of God was so good and there is so little else out there.

This movie is available on DVD. For more details about the movie take a look at these links.

IMDB to CITY OF MEN
CITY OF MEN OFFICIAL WEBSITE