• Most Popular

    Best-seller books, plays & movies

     

     

    PLAYS

    Rio

    O Burguês Ridículo (Ridiculous Bourgeois)
    —     Adapted from a Molière’s comedy. Directed by Guel
    Arraes and João Falcão with Marco Nanini and Betty Gofman.

    Começaria Tudo Outra Vez (I Would Start All Over
    Again) — The life story of singer and composer Gonzaguinha. Written and
    directed by Dacio Malta. With Gaspar Filho and musicians.

    As Criadas (The Maids) — Jean Genet’s classic play directed
    by Ricardo Torres. The power struggle between a homemaker and her two maids.
    With Leonardo Vieira, Déo Garcez and Marco Rocha.

    Francisco de Assis (Francis of Assisi) — Created
    and directed by Ciro Barcelos, who also stars with Camila Amado. Based
    on the life and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi.

    Futuro do Pretérito (Future Perfect) —
    Romantic comedy about the 20-year evolution in a group of friends. With
    Lilia Cabral and Dalton Vigh. Written by Regiana Antonini and directed
    by Marcelo Saback.

    São Paulo

    Drácula e Outros Vampiros (Dracula and Other Vampires)
    — A collection of comic and thrilling characters. Created and directed
    by Antunes Filho with the ensemble Grupo de Teatro Macunaíma

    Cenas de um Casamento (Scenes of a Marriage) — This is
    the classic text by Ingmar Bergman about a seemingly happy marriage. Vivian
    Buckup directs. Maria Adelaide Amaral translated. Tony Ramos and Regina
    Braga star.

    A Comédia (The Comedy) — Complicated and funny
    love-triangle. Maurício Lencasttre wrote and directs. Viviane Dias,
    Ludh Raposo and Gabriela Neri star.

    Intensa Magia (Intense Magic) — Contemporary
    drama written by Maria Adelaide Amaral. Silnei Siqueira directs Mauro Mendonça,
    Rosamaria Murtinho and Nina de Pádua.

    MOVIES

    American films just released: Emma (Emma), The Craft (Jovens
    Bruxas), The Island of Doctor Moreau (A Ilha do Dr. Moreau), Welcome to
    the Dollhouse (Bem-Vindo à Casa de Bonecas), Carried Away (Atos
    de Amor), Fear (Medo), Angel Baby (Angel Baby), Escape from Los Angeles
    (Fuga de Los Angeles), A Time to Kill (Tempo de Matar), If Lucy Fell (Lado
    a Lado com o Amor), Chain Reaction (Reação em Cadeia), If
    Unforgettable (Inesquecível), Phenomenon (Fenômeno), Striptease
    (Striptease)

    Doces Poderes (Sweet Powers) — Brazil — 1995 — A TV
    drama during an electoral campaign. Directed by Lúcia Murat. With
    Marisa Orth, Antônio Fagundes and Otávio Augusto.

    Fica Comigo (Stay With Me) — Brazil — 1996 — The difficult
    relationship between parents and teenagers. Directed by Tizuka Yamasaki.
    Starring Antônio Fagundes, Luciana Rigueira, Vitor Hugo and Lúcia
    Alves.

    Guantanamera (Guantanamera) — Spain/Cuba — 1995 — How
    to transport the dead during a fuel crisis in Cuba. Directed by Tomás
    Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabia with Carlos Cruz, Mirtha Ibbara
    and Salvador Wood.

    Mina Tannenbaum (Duas Amigas) — France/Belgium/Holland
    — 1993 — Two female friends come of age in the ’70s in Paris. By Martine
    Dogowson with Romane Bohringer and Elsa Zylberstein.

    O Monge e a Filha do Carrasco (The Monk and the Hangman’s
    Daughter)     — Brazil/EUA — 1994 — Directed by Walter Lima Jr., starring
    Murilo Benício, Karina Barun, Patrícia Pillar and Paul Dillon.
    A young Franciscan monk deals with faith and desires in 18th century Germany.

    Stealing Beauty (Beleza Roubada) — Italy/England/France
    — 1996 — Teenager awakes middle-age passion. By Bernardo Bertolucci with
    Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Stefania Sandrelli.

    Suite 16 (Aconteceu na Suíte 16) — Holland/England/France
    — 1995 — Two men in a hotel room disputing for power. Directed by Dominique
    Deruddere. Starring Pete Postlehwaite.

    Tieta do Agreste (Tieta from the Northeast Backlands) —
    Brazil — 1996 — Almost 30 years after being expelled from home by the
    father, Antonieta (Tieta) goes back to her hometown. Carlos Diegues directs.
    Sônia Braga, Marília Pera and Chico Anísio star.

    BOOKS

    Fiction

    1. O Monte Cinco

    Paulo Coelho

    2. Operação Cavalo de Tróia 5

    J. J. Benítez

    3. A Profecia Celestina

    James Redfield

    4. Novas Comédias da Vida Privada

    Luís Fernando Veríssimo

    5. Mas Será o Benedito?

    Mário Prata

    6. A Décima Profecia

    James Redfield

    7. O Xangô de Baker Street

    Jô Soares

    8. O Mundo de Sofia

    Jostein Gaarder

    9. Uma Pulga na Camisola

    Max Nunes

    10. O Homem que Calculava

    Malba Tahan

    Nonfiction

    1. Inteligência Emocional

    Daniel Goleman

    2. Almas Gêmeas

    Mônica Buonfiglio

    3. Só o Amor É Real

    Brian L. Weiss

    4. As Sete Leis Espirituais do Sucesso

    Deepak Chopra

    5. Zico Conta Sua História

    Zico

    6. A Renúncia de Jânio

    Carlos Castello Branco

    7. Guia New York — Compras

    Katia Zero

    8. Minutos de Sabedoria

    Torres Pastorino

    9. Anaw6kx Cabalísticos

    Mônica Buonfiglio

    10. Frases

    Paulo Coelho

    According to weekly
    newsmagazine Veja

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    It seems the future never arrives in Brazil What Lies Ahead in Brazil? Brazil Has No Exemplary Past or Present. But What Lies Ahead for the Country? Europeans, US, developed country, developing country. Bolsonaro, future B. Michael Rubin For years, experts have debated what separates a developing country from a developed one. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of a country is one simple way to measure its economic development. Another way to measure a country's progress is the extent of public education, e.g. how many citizens complete high school. A country's health may be measured by the effectiveness of its healthcare system, for example, life expectancy and infant mortality. With these measurement tools, it's easier to gauge the difference between a country like Brazil and one like the U.S. What's not easy to gauge is how these two countries developed so differently when they were both "discovered" at the same time. In 1492 and 1500 respectively, the U.S. and Brazil fell under the spell of white Europeans for the first time. While the British and Portuguese had the same modus operandi, namely, to exploit their discoveries for whatever they had to offer, not to mention extinguishing the native Americans already living there if they got in the way, the end result turned out significantly different in the U.S. than in Brazil. There are several theories on how/why the U.S. developed at a faster pace than Brazil. The theories originate via contrasting perspectives – from psychology to economics to geography. One of the most popular theories suggests the divergence between the two countries is linked to politics, i.e. the U.S. established a democratic government in 1776, while Brazil's democracy it could be said began only in earnest in the 1980s. This theory states that the Portuguese monarchy, as well as the 19th and 20th century oligarchies that followed it, had no motivation to invest in industrial development or education of the masses. Rather, Brazil was prized for its cheap and plentiful labor to mine the rich soil of its vast land. There is another theory based on collective psychology that says the first U.S. colonizers from England were workaholic Puritans, who avoided dancing and music in place of work and religious devotion. They labored six days a week then spent all of Sunday in church. Meanwhile, the white settlers in Brazil were unambitious criminals who had been freed from prison in Portugal in exchange for settling in Brazil. The Marxist interpretation of why Brazil lags behind the U.S. was best summarized by Eduardo Galeano, the Uruguayan writer, in 1970. Galeano said five hundred years ago the U.S. had the good fortune of bad fortune. What he meant was the natural riches of Brazil – gold, silver, and diamonds – made it ripe for exploitation by western Europe. Whereas in the U.S., lacking such riches, the thirteen colonies were economically insignificant to the British. Instead, U.S. industrialization had official encouragement from England, resulting in early diversification of its exports and rapid development of manufacturing. II Leaving this debate to the historians, let us turn our focus to the future. According to global projections by several economic strategists, what lies ahead for Brazil, the U.S., and the rest of the world is startling. Projections forecast that based on GDP growth, in 2050 the world's largest economy will be China, not the U.S. In third place will be India, and in fourth – Brazil. With the ascendency of three-fourths of the BRIC countries over the next decades, it will be important to reevaluate the terms developed and developing. In thirty years, it may no longer be necessary to accept the label characterized by Nelson Rodrigues's famous phrase "complexo de vira-lata," for Brazil's national inferiority complex. For Brazilians, this future scenario presents glistening hope. A country with stronger economic power would mean the government has greater wealth to expend on infrastructure, crime control, education, healthcare, etc. What many Brazilians are not cognizant of are the pitfalls of economic prosperity. While Brazilians today may be envious of their wealthier northern neighbors, there are some aspects of a developed country's profile that are not worth envying. For example, the U.S. today far exceeds Brazil in the number of suicides, prescription drug overdoses, and mass shootings. GDP growth and economic projections depend on multiple variables, chief among them the global economic situation and worldwide political stability. A war in the Middle East, for example, can affect oil production and have global ramifications. Political stability within a country is also essential to its economic health. Elected presidents play a crucial role in a country's progress, especially as presidents may differ radically in their worldview. The political paths of the U.S. and Brazil are parallel today. In both countries, we've seen a left-wing regime (Obama/PT) followed by a far-right populist one (Trump/Bolsonaro), surprising many outside observers, and in the U.S. contradicting every political pollster, all of whom predicted a Trump loss to Hillary Clinton in 2016. In Brazil, although Bolsonaro was elected by a clear majority, his triumph has created a powerful emotional polarization in the country similar to what is happening in the U.S. Families, friends, and colleagues have split in a love/hate relationship toward the current presidents in the U.S. and Brazil, leaving broken friendships and family ties. 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In efforts to boost the economy, Bolsonaro and Paulo Guedes have taken the short-term approach advocated by the Chicago school of economics championed by Milton Friedman, who claimed the key to boosting a slugging economy was to cut government spending. Unfortunately many economists, such as Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, disagree with this approach. They believe the most effective way to revive a slow economy is exactly the opposite, to spend more money not less. They say the government should be investing money in education and infrastructure projects, which can help put people back to work. Bolsonaro/Guedes have also talked about reducing business bureaucracy and revising the absurdly complex Brazilian tax system, which inhibits foreign and domestic business investment. It remains to be seen whether Bolsonaro has the political acumen to tackle this Godzilla-sized issue. 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