nycetouch Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Just saw it last nite, very interesting. My girlfriend thought the ending was a bit too sad and confusing, but I thought it was very good, very real. The whole movie pretty much kept it real throughout. Really got a true feeling of Brighton from that. I guess the only down side of the movie is that it supports a recent trend for America to typecast russians as mobsters/criminals. Would be nice to see a movie that strayed away from that stereotype, there's plenty of interesting stories of russian immigrants having success and becoming a valuable part of nyc. What did you think?------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchid21 Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 i havent seen the movie.....but if you say it's good i will. moya znakomaya was in that movie. well i ll rent it out some day------------------ "Luna, thank you so much!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
translucent Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 I thought the movie was ok. The most impressive thing about it is just how accurately non-Russian actors captured the mannerisms and lifestyle of Brighton. While this might not have been as impressive to someone who hasn't been there or isn't Russian, the accuracy of the cast was uncanny to those of us in the know. As far as the negative portrayal of Brighton "culture," this is a relatively old movie and is one of the first to shed light on some of what goes on there for the rest of the country. I don't think that it did any more damage to our (Russian) collective reputation than our own brethren fronting the Gangsta lifestyle and subsiding to insurance scams rather than educating themselves and becoming honest, taxpaying citizens.------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycetouch Posted March 6 Author Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by translucent:I thought the movie was ok. The most impressive thing about it is just how accurately non-Russian actors captured the mannerisms and lifestyle of Brighton. While this might not have been as impressive to someone who hasn't been there or isn't Russian, the accuracy of the cast was uncanny to those of us in the know. As far as the negative portrayal of Brighton "culture," this is a relatively old movie and is one of the first to shed light on some of what goes on there for the rest of the country. I don't think that it did any more damage to our (Russian) collective reputation than our own brethren fronting the Gangsta lifestyle and subsiding to insurance scams rather than educating themselves and becoming honest, taxpaying citizens.Agrreeee 100% First off, Tim Roth is one the greatest actors of the nineties, hands down. And I hear you on the other thing too kid, shit I gotta a couple of friends who pulled that insurance scam BS. When will people realize that when they put the same thought and energy to making it legally, it would yield the same result only sweeter.------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmario Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 i saw that movie years ago... tim roth did an awesome job, the ending was sad, & his dad's character was a dick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysteriousss Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 I didn't see the movie but I'll go see it now And about Russians, it's ridiculous that soooo many American movies cannot stay away from including "bad" Russians in their movies. It's ridiculous but it seems like a lot of Americans still didn't get over that anti-Russian feeling.. God I don't even remember the last movie that did not include a Russian who wasn't a drunk, or a criminal, or a KGB agent, etc etc etc.. Oh well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risa06 Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by mysteriousss:I didn't see the movie but I'll go see it now And about Russians, it's ridiculous that soooo many American movies cannot stay away from including "bad" Russians in their movies. It's ridiculous but it seems like a lot of Americans still didn't get over that anti-Russian feeling.. God I don't even remember the last movie that did not include a Russian who wasn't a drunk, or a criminal, or a KGB agent, etc etc etc.. Oh well..I agree. I don't think I ever saw a movie where Americans were showing something positive about russians...whatever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
translucent Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by risa06: I agree. I don't think I ever saw a movie where Americans were showing something positive about russians...LOL! How about Reds or Dr.Zhivago?------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liya Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by translucent:I thought the movie was ok. The most impressive thing about it is just how accurately non-Russian actors captured the mannerisms and lifestyle of Brighton. While this might not have been as impressive to someone who hasn't been there or isn't Russian, the accuracy of the cast was uncanny to those of us in the know. As far as the negative portrayal of Brighton "culture," this is a relatively old movie and is one of the first to shed light on some of what goes on there for the rest of the country. I don't think that it did any more damage to our (Russian) collective reputation than our own brethren fronting the Gangsta lifestyle and subsiding to insurance scams rather than educating themselves and becoming honest, taxpaying citizens.couldn't agree with you more. i have heard many brighton stories, but as much as i hate to say it was very disconcerting to see "our bretheren" lead that kind of lifestyle...i had always thought those insurance scam stories were exaggerated...HA! welcome to reality. dochego dozhili...and i definitely agree about the movie.tim roth was amazing. -liya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysteriousss Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by translucent: LOL! How about Reds or Dr.Zhivago?Dr.Zhivago was written by Boris Pasternak.. Who IS Russian if you didn't know that already.. The movie is American not the actual story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liya Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by ichernomor:Moscow on Hudson was a pretty positive movie about Russian immigrants. As far as stereotyping, it is only natural and in many cases true. I don't think that Russian programmers, doctors, lawyers, traders and other professionals would look interesting in movie theaters or on the news. But as far as the "dark side" of Little Odessa, it does exist in much bigger proportions than shown in the movie. Russians were brought up to think that laws exist only to be broken. You can't imagine the magnitude of scams going on within the Russian community. It makes the Italian mafia look pale in comparison. But the majority of us are peaceful, hard-working citizens.hahaha, good point man....especially the programmers ( and i guess the other .01% ARE "bad" ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risa06 Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by translucent: LOL! How about Reds or Dr.Zhivago?Dr. Zhivago was written by russian writer B. Posternack and americans made a movie based on the original story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furnace Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Little Odessa was definitely "...two snaps up...in a circle!" (see if you can spot that one!)But seriously, it was a really really good movie. I don't know too much about the Russian experience here, but I imagine it includes the hardships of the immigrant experience, which I know well.I must agree with nycetouch that Tim Roth is an incredible actor. He really helped carry the movie and took me into that environment. I almost felt Russian while watching!Z- How ya doin'? I've seen you out more often now, but we never get a chance to chat for some reason...I guess clubs were made more for dancing...hehe...I got some long emails from Lucie...lemme know if ya need some updates...And yes, watch this movie. Really really good.-D------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycetouch Posted March 6 Author Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by ichernomor: Russians were brought up to think that laws exist only to be broken. You can't imagine the magnitude of scams going on within the Russian community. It makes the Italian mafia look pale in comparison. But the majority of us are peaceful, hard-working citizens.That's an interesting point, never really thought about that. After all most Russian immigrants spent their lives scamming, cheating the Russian gov't, most had to pull a lot of strings just to get out of the country to come here. Maybe that mentality still hasnt been completely replaced by "work hard, achieve success" mentality.------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysteriousss Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 nycetouch - I actually wrote a reply to that same exact quote but got an error sending it and never bothered to retype it..I think it's complete bullshit that Russians are brought up to break laws.. There are criminals of every nationality, and honest people of every nationality. Russians are no different even if their lives are a little bit tougher because of the political and economical situation there.. But to say that we are "brought up to break laws" is a bullshit IMO..And mafia exists in every country. In America, there are mafias of each and every nationality you can imagine. Which one is more powerful or worse? How can you know for sure??? From the people who are getting caught? Maybe the worst mafias are the ones who are never caught? To say that Russian mafia is the worst is BS too..Sorry, nothing personal to whoever posted this. I just think these statements are totally unfounded.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysteriousss Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by furnace:Z- How ya doin'? I've seen you out more often now, but we never get a chance to chat for some reason...I guess clubs were made more for dancing...hehe...I got some long emails from Lucie...lemme know if ya need some updates...Hey there! Good seeing ya on Sat night Did you have a good time? Yeah, chatting is tough at clubs LOL.. But we didn't even dance!!!! It was packed so most of the night I was hiding out where there was more oxygen and room I got a couple of long emails from Lucie too so no updates needed LOL.. When are you going to Amsterdam and Prague again? Lemme know ok, coz if you're going to Prague I wanna give you a lil smth to give to Lucie (nothing big and heavy I promise).. Hugz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichernomor Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by mysteriousss:nycetouch - I actually wrote a reply to that same exact quote but got an error sending it and never bothered to retype it..I think it's complete bullshit that Russians are brought up to break laws.. There are criminals of every nationality, and honest people of every nationality. Russians are no different even if their lives are a little bit tougher because of the political and economical situation there.. But to say that we are "brought up to break laws" is a bullshit IMO..And mafia exists in every country. In America, there are mafias of each and every nationality you can imagine. Which one is more powerful or worse? How can you know for sure??? From the people who are getting caught? Maybe the worst mafias are the ones who are never caught? To say that Russian mafia is the worst is BS too..Sorry, nothing personal to whoever posted this. I just think these statements are totally unfounded..It is nice to know that there are still idealistic and naive Russians among us. My comments are founded on very profound personal experiences here and in Moscow. Let me make a few points here. 1. Most Russian businesses are cash-based (restaurants, stores, shops, etc.). If you think that any of them show their real profits/earnings to the IRS, you are seriously mistaken. 2. Insurance scams: let's say you have been in an accident, a little fender-bender. If you know what to do, first you go to a mechanic that makes your car look much worse than it did during the accident. Then you go to ANY Russian medical office where they perform all kinds of tests on you using the most sophisticated/expensive equipment. But for the privilege of serving you, they pay you $2K up front. And then, even if there is nothing wrong with you, they still charge your insurance company for full treatment that sometimes lasts for over a year. How do you think all the mushrooming medical offices in the Brighton Beach neighborhood are making so much money? 3. My previous two examples are peanuts compared to what the so-called Russian mafia is involved in. I hate to disappoint you, but it does exist. But the common misconception is that some of it is based in New York. Mafia is defined as an organized crime/corruption group. Russia, according to the CIA and my own experiences, is one of the most corrupt/criminal countries in the world. Whoever grew up in that country knows that sometimes to get ahead it is necessary to bend certain rules, break some laws. Thus, you can point at any Russian with a lot of money (start at $50 mil.) and I will say with certainty that that person has broken laws more than on one occasion. Moreover, that millionaire earned/stole his/her money not here, but in Russia. There is only a hand-full of Russian-American millionaires that made their fortune in the United States. It could be money-laundry (Bank of New York's $10bn. case), import/export (Guiliany returned contributions made by one of the largest Russian-American exporters of national foods), or various insurance, oil, real-estate, etc. schemes involving Russian capital. That's where and how the real money is made. And to make so much money in Russia, you need to be protected, which entails a connection with either organized crime or with corrupt government officials (same as organized crime). The Russian mafia in New York is just a very small part of the worldwide Russian criminal organizations. Most Russians do not have a problem breaking laws. I don't know a single Russian that does not have an ILLEGAL cable de-scrambler. Breaking laws is in our blood, it is a part of our culture, just like Dostoevsky or pirogi. And I thank God that the new generation of Russian Americans (those who came here at an early age or were born here) does not have that poison in their blood. I hope I made my point.------------------Quitters never win and winners never quit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycetouch Posted March 6 Author Report Share Posted March 6 Mysteriouss, you liberal slut! j/k, heheheI understand what you are saying, and I'm definitely not in favor of stereotyping any group of people or a certain person based on where they are from.However any sociologist can tell you that being brought in different cultures can result in having drastically different norms, morals, and ideologies. I know for example in my family I was presented with the idea that there was nothing wrong with breaking a law while we lived in Moscow. My father dealt on the black market (he was an engineer who then later became a ticket checker on tramvays), and he dealt with "valuta" (foreign currency), etc. And thank god that he did, because otherwise we probably could never have been able to afford to bribe officials to get out of Russia. If you're brought up to believe that unjust laws deserve to be broken, and I still believe we didnt do anything wrong by not abiding to the communist regime, that mentality stays with you even after you move to the States. Some russians begin to look for loopholes, ways to scam, not realizing that in America you really can make it through hard work and dedication. Just to mention, my father is now a highly paid consultant, and we own a laundromat, and we're not associated with the russian mob. But hey, the norms you learn as you are growing up can stay with you for a long time.And then comes the problem with americans stereotyping russians as criminals, which is unfounded. There is a difference between discrimination and sociological facts. Remember the CUNY superintendent incident a couple of years ago when a man got fired for saying that hispanic students arent able to compete in college because of lack of prior education. He was stating a fact, but to over-liberal leaders he was being racist (funny thing is he was hispanic himself).Another example: one of the problems with Americans having a negative of hispanics in USA has to do with that a number of cuban, puerto rican, and dominican immigrants came here to escape legal problems back home. NOT ALL OF THEM, but a disproportinate number.------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
translucent Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Originally posted by mysteriousss:..I think it's complete bullshit that Russians are brought up to break laws.. There are criminals of every nationality, and honest people of every nationality. Russians are no different even if their lives are a little bit tougher because of the political and economical situation there.. But to say that we are "brought up to break laws" is a bullshit IMO..To say that Russian mafia is the worst is BS too..While I wouldn't quite say that Russians are brought up to break laws, I'd rather say that their environment is reponsible for "encouraging" them to break laws. Let's forget about the Communist system that rewarded hard work with the same piece of bread as laziness. Let's just focus on the last decade or so. After Perestroika, most of the wealth and power shifted to young criminals. Scientists, doctors, athletes and generals were suddenly left without pay. When faced with staying honest and starving or breaking the law and flourishing, you can guess what decision many made. Considering the emphasis that Russia put on education, many of these people made some very smart criminals. Those with KGB or military training (especially snipers from the special forces units) became sought after as expert assasins for the mob. I'd never say that the Russian mafia is the worst...it's probably the BEST in terms of training, education, resources, (they control Russia's economy, government and natural resources...even Plutonium) and sheer ingenuity. That, unfortunately, is what makes them so dangerous and perhaps the sole reason why Russia is headed to Hell in a handbasket.------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molli Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 I love big russian men!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycetouch Posted March 7 Author Report Share Posted March 7 Originally posted by translucent: While I wouldn't quite say that Russians are brought up to break laws, I'd rather say that their environment is reponsible for "encouraging" them to break laws. Let's forget about the Communist system that rewarded hard work with the same piece of bread as laziness. Let's just focus on the last decade or so. After Perestroika, most of the wealth and power shifted to young criminals. Scientists, doctors, athletes and generals were suddenly left without pay. When faced with staying honest and starving or breaking the law and flourishing, you can guess what decision many made. Considering the emphasis that Russia put on education, many of these people made some very smart criminals. Those with KGB or military training (especially snipers from the special forces units) became sought after as expert assasins for the mob. I'd never say that the Russian mafia is the worst...it's probably the BEST in terms of training, education, resources, (they control Russia's economy, government and natural resources...even Plutonium) and sheer ingenuity. That, unfortunately, is what makes them so dangerous and perhaps the sole reason why Russia is headed to Hell in a handbasket.pretty accurate, that's why you rarely hear about the russian mob, they're too smart to show up in the news.------------------ Accountz Reeceevin' Ain't For No Candy-Ass Temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichernomor Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 Moscow on Hudson was a pretty positive movie about Russian immigrants. As far as stereotyping, it is only natural and in many cases true. I don't think that Russian programmers, doctors, lawyers, traders and other professionals would look interesting in movie theaters or on the news. But as far as the "dark side" of Little Odessa, it does exist in much bigger proportions than shown in the movie. Russians were brought up to think that laws exist only to be broken. You can't imagine the magnitude of scams going on within the Russian community. It makes the Italian mafia look pale in comparison. But the majority of us are peaceful, hard-working citizens.------------------Quitters never win and winners never quit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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