palito-1

Rubem Fonseca is a genius of Brazilian literature. Author of books like "Agosto", he understands the soul of the carioca man. Mandrake is an underground lawyer expert in cases of blackmailing and extortion who acts mostly as a negotiator. But Marcos Palmeira's acting is weak, his speech is artificial and so is his facial expression. Mieli is fine as Wexler, the old Jewish lawyer, Mandrake's partner. Maria Luísa Mendonça is a great actress and plays her role very well. The episodes themselves are interesting and show a poorly known part of life in Rio de Janeiro. The underworld of prostitutes, transvestites, sex clubs and the upper world of luxury mansions and socialites merge into a plot of intrigue and lots of money.

3 out of 5

Africa is a continent to which the West turned its back, it's always been used as a waste basket and exposed to the most terrifying experiences. The Constant Gardener is a fine movie, sophisticated, but it turns a little bit confusing sometimes and a little bit obvious in others. Still the directing is great and so is the acting of Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. It's not just another fiction, although it's based upon a romance by John Le Carré. It's a warning about what is happening to the poorest continent and how we are accomplices of the atrocities that take place under the Sahara desert. It also shows the result of the mess made by colonisation that mixed enemy tribes into the same country. You can conclude by this move that Africa is dying and we don't really know if it's possible to save it.