Gomorrah

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Gomorrah - 6/10/2008 11:53:08 AM

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huh? - 6/10/2008 11:53:08 AM

boriordan

Posts: 74
Joined: 24/10/2005

I'm almost certain I saw the poster for this and it had a 5 star review from Empire on it. What's the deal?

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Post #: 2

Roberto Benigni's Oscar winning Life Is Sweet? - 6/10/2008 12:35:40 PM

Dohertylives

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Joined: 16/2/2006

Typo alert! C'mon guys! Bad form.

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RE: Roberto Benigni's Oscar winning Life Is Sweet? - 6/10/2008 1:22:25 PM

CORLEONE

Posts: 4594
Joined: 2/11/2005
From: Green and Pleasant Land

Hope I get to see this. Doubful though.....

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RE: Roberto Benigni's Oscar winning Life Is Sweet? - 6/10/2008 3:03:19 PM

richCie

Posts: 4028
Joined: 11/11/2006
From: Wells, England

going to see it sunday :D
Total Film gave it ***** and LWLies gave it a real good write up, so it looks like everyone reckons this is gunna b good, and i cant wait to confirm that.

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RE: Roberto Benigni's Oscar winning Life Is Sweet? - 7/10/2008 7:01:45 PM

impqueen

Posts: 6771
Joined: 24/7/2006

Seeing this Friday afternoon..it's actually showing in Cardiff!

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Post #: 6

RE: Gomorra - 8/10/2008 1:53:25 AM

Acho

Posts: 3903
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Dublin, Co. Ireland

I saw this last night. Very impressive stuff. It feels more like a documentary than dramatisation in many parts. It's almost overwhelming to think of how easily the various young people get caught up in the criminal activity. From the young kid Toto to the bravado-filled older teenagers, there are clearly little other viable options available to them. The film does a good job of showing the varied range of players involved in all levels of Naples criminal life, from the somewhat innocent, to the far-from-innocent. While all the story strands don't interweave neatly, there are fairly clear connections throughout the city's story. A pretty bleak picture is painted, although there are flashes of humour throughout.

There's a line from the film, which is also in the trailer, with one character saying how he helped get Italy into the EU. That part rung true for me, as I've always felt that if Italy hadn't been one of the founding members of the EU, it would have trouble getting in to it now based on the current entry criteria, particularly in regard to corruption and economy. Anyone who's watched The Wire will be familiar with the tales of widespread crime, drug-use and institutionalised poverty, but it somehow seems even more endemic and far-reaching in Gomorra - no aspect of city life escapes. It's a testament to the film that it's not quite as depressing a viewing experience as it might sound!

< Message edited by Acho -- 8/10/2008 1:54:34 AM >

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Post #: 7

Disappointing - 10/10/2008 5:00:55 PM

CHUFFSTER

Posts: 163
Joined: 28/11/2006

Too disjointed and dull to be worthy of 4 stars.

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Post #: 8

A mess - 10/10/2008 11:32:55 PM

moviemaniac2

Posts: 525
Joined: 17/9/2006

I was looking forward to this after reading all the 4 - 5 star reviews in film mags and press . But it is a very disjointed mess, dull and hard to follow.

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Post #: 9

RE: A success - 11/10/2008 10:26:38 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15045
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Well that was nice and depressing for a Friday night wasn't it?

Basically this is a movie I never want to see again and not for the reasons that statement automatically makes you think. Visually, it was stunning and the use of sound was amazing. There was zero build-up to any of the murder scenes yet you always knew they were coming and the use of the gun sounds was quite extraodinary, it almost seemed to leap out of the screen. The film itself was slightly dis-jointed although it could have been reading the subtitles that made it hard to follow but everything was wrapped up in the end. The only light entertainment was provided by the teenage wannabes but even that was momentary.

Four stars is certainly fair enough.

< Message edited by Goodfella -- 11/10/2008 10:59:34 AM >

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RE: A success - 11/10/2008 6:11:36 PM

KnightofZyryab

Posts: 5767
Joined: 26/12/2005

I saw this yesterday. A raw and unflinching film about the crime phenomenon of the Camorra, and the violence is as unsettling as the number of operations they have had their hands in.

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RE: Gomorrah - 21/10/2008 9:43:19 AM

demoncleaner

Posts: 2166
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Belfast

A decent film that�s more like an anthology of newspaper clippings run together in a real-time setting. Its relative lack of emphasis on connectivity between story lines is at once to its credit adding a greater sense of verite. But in its fractiousness Gomorra also sacrifices a palpable sense of cause and effect. The description of a crime syndicate with eclectic interests in drugs, industrial waste and haute couteur makes for a multi-faceted organisation though not quite the homogenous one the title card at the end wants to warn of. Director Matteo Garone keeps the plot machinations oblique so that you�re never quite sure who�s beefing with who. The intention is to relegate the notion of vendetta so that neither power struggles or the survival of the organisation is given much shrift at all. Garone usurps the over-arching clich� of the Mafioso movie to bring something far more social, far more humanist.

Gomorra is an affecting film. I just found myself asking whether I was supposed to be watching a �way-of-life� depiction a la City Of God or a Traffic-like global lesson on how a corrupt system functions. In truth, it�s both of those but at different times, something that keeps it short of a masterpiece.

4/5

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RE: Gomorrah - 25/10/2008 9:02:43 AM

rupert303

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Joined: 31/7/2008
From: A Big Geek Pie

Technically impressive but thematically dry. Weak characterisation (or too many characters to really flesh out the best) and a complex plot that skims over key scenes and motivations means this film left me flat. Yes, it is a 'good' film...but did I enjoy it? Resoundingly no. The cinematography (which was beautiful) probably bumps it up to 3 stars.

< Message edited by rupert303 -- 25/10/2008 9:03:50 AM >

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Post #: 13

RE: Gomorrah - 25/10/2008 10:49:22 AM

shawshank prisoner

Posts: 1650
Joined: 20/4/2006
From: Norwich

Not as fun or cool as, say, City of God. But very impressive none the less. 3 stars.

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Post #: 14

- 12/2/2009 6:08:16 PM

shawshank prisoner

Posts: 1650
Joined: 20/4/2006
From: Norwich

This aint no 'City of God'

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Post #: 15

- 2/3/2009 1:30:24 AM

Ace Rothstein

Posts: 177
Joined: 8/4/2007

A thoroughly impressive and riveting crime drama, Gomorrah effectively crosses between multiple storylines and is often disturbing, humourous and tragic. Energetic handheld camerawork and editing as well as brilliantly atmospheric music give it great energy. It's Oscar snub was a great injustice. It doesn't quite reach the masterpiece category, but it is an involving and thrilling piece of work.

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Post #: 16

- 2/3/2009 1:30:25 AM

Ace Rothstein

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Post #: 17

A riveting, stylish, smart and sexy spectacle. Stunning! - 15/3/2009 9:32:18 PM

nc_jj

Posts: 662
Joined: 20/2/2008
From: Manchester.

Gomorrah is a cold, and brutally violent and honest film about italian mob that, like one reviewer said, exposes the hidden soul of the gangster movie. The film is about the modern gangster families. And, well, it's so unbelievably hard to watch that results difficult to make a full-on review. This is the Goodfellas for Italian filmmaking. And it's worth the 5 stars. Verdict: A stong movie that will disturb more than one person; is a brutal analysis of death, greed and violence on the italian mob. This is the best gangster movie since Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas". A Great Movie.

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Post #: 18

- 25/1/2010 4:10:12 PM

Blue Ryan

Posts: 185
Joined: 31/7/2008

Dull, slow, confusing and at times absolutly brilliant. Gomorrah is all of these things unfortunatly the incredibly slow pace makes the film thematically dry.

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Post #: 19

RE: - 3/5/2010 12:51:41 AM

UTB

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Joined: 30/9/2005

Watched this on Blu Ray this evening (excellent transfer btw) - I disagree with the review, not that isn't a good film, it's a fantastic film. I disagree that it leaves a grim taste in your mouth. It's realism/grittiness is spot on, but the 'vile' characters that the reviewer refers to are simply naive and oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

It's a sprawling, leisurely paced film that you have to be in the mood to watch but your patience will be rewarded with a tense, superbly acted and directed gangster film.

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Post #: 20