Posts under "Movies"

Last week, we took a look at a new Brazilian documentary, keeping in mind that one of the best things you can do to improve your Portuguese listening comprehension, as well as your knowledge of Brazilian culture, is to watch as many Brazilian movies that you can get your hands on. Let’s take a look at some recent and upcoming Brazilian movies.

Olhos Azuis (Blue Eyes)

A film about a Brazilian living in the US, as well as an American’s adventure in Brazil, starring Brazilian, American, and Latin American actors. I highly recommend it!

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Viajo Porque Preciso, Volto Porque Te Amo (I travel because I must, I return because I love you)

The story of a geologist’s journey in sertão of the Brazilian Northeast. It looks like some gorgeous cinematography.

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Utopia e Barbárie (Utopia and Savagery)

A documentary about globalization after World War II, in Portuguese as well as Spanish and other languages.

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Chico Xavier

This film is about a Brazilian medium who spread Spiritism in Brazil. It has been very successful in Brazilian cinemas and has already been seen by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians.

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One thing you can do to help learn Portuguese is to keep your eyes peeled for films and documentaries about Brazil in your area. So here’s a tip: Children of the Amazon recently premiered on American TV stations and in film festivals around the world. Be sure to look for reruns on your local station, and check out these video clips below.

The film is about Brazilian photographer Denise Zmekhol, who worked in the Amazon and then returned fifteen years later to find immense environmental destruction and indigenous tribes struggling against deforestation. Along with the now grown children of the village where Denise photographed over a decade before, she also interviews several tribal chiefs, including Chief Almir Surui, a well known indigenous leader who has used the Internet and teaming up with international organizations to curb rainforest destruction.The film focuses not only on the environment, but also the survival of the indigenous tribes and their culture.

To find out more, see the official site. For bonus points, visit the Portuguese version of the site!

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Though watching movies and TV shows with subtitles can be very useful when learning Portuguese, it is also fun and educational to watch movies you are very familiar with that are dubbed into Portuguese. Children’s movies are most often dubbed, and Disney cartoons are an excellent way to pick up new words and phrases. Watch these clips and see if it’s easier to understand, knowing the English and the plot beforehand. You have to love Ariel with a Carioca accent!

The three movies in Portuguese are O Rei Leão, A Bela e a Fera, and A Pequena Sereia. Do you know which is which? What are some other popular cartoons in Portuguese?

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Today, we’re going to do a listening comprehension exercise with a movie review from VEJA. You can watch more of them here, as well as other interesting online content from the magazine.

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Questions

1. What is the title of “500 Days of Summer” in Portuguese?

2. What are the reviewers two favorite movies of the month?

3. Based on what the reviewer says about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, what do you think bárbaro means, in context?

4. Why does the reviewer like Zooey Deschanel as an actress?

5. What is the reviewer’s overall opinion on the movie?

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Oliver Stone’s new documentary, South of the Border, is due to be released soon, and President Lula will appear, along with several other Latin American presidents, including the leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Cuba, and starring Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Check out the trailer below, and listen closely to the clip with Lula! (the rest is in Spanish)

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