Hey, Sump'n Claus, don't forget me!

It's Christmas time...

Everybody is so excited, but I'm not. How am I supposed to be?

I have no money, folks. Broke, completely broke. Besides, I've got my flaws (like everybody else, by the way).

Hey, Sump'n Claus, how about to drop by my place and bring some fifties with you?

Alternative (and bizarre) titles

Probably you've already watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off, haven't you? (It's one of my favorite 1980's comedies). But do you know what is the title of the movie here in Brazil? Curtindo a vida adoidado - something like Enjoying life insanely. What the hell? And how about the unforgettable 1970's series Charlie's Angels? As Panteras, i.e. The (Female) Panthers...

The "creativity" has no limits, as you can see. I think the mainly reason behind that weird, inaccurate renaming in Portuguese is an alleged commercial appeal. Local entertainment distributors have made up those titles because they take for granted that the ones fabricated by them would be able to attract bigger audiences than a bare translation would do. Recently, I've got puzzled by two of those... er... "inventive" names.

Truth - a James Vanderbilt's film, starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, released in 2015 - has become Conspiração e Poder (or Conspiracy and Power) here in Brazil. Wouldn't it be easier and simpler just using the word Verdade (truth, in Portuguese)? Maybe I'm wrong but the acts of a team of journalists (and their consequences), as well as the media responsability, are the central theme of this movie. Verdade would be a proper title in Portuguese, since the storyline discusses, in a sense, the concept of truth in journalism.

The most bizarre renaming, however, is found in the series Black-ish.

The awesome ABC show has come to be Família Desajustada (i.e. Troubled Family or Dysfunctional Family). You gotta be kidding me...

We've had enough of Adam Sandler's movies, OK?

In Brazil, free-to-air television channels are despicable. So, if you don't want to kill yourself while you're watching TV, you'll have to pay.

However, brazilian pay-TV leaves a lot to be desired. It's inflexible and kinda expensive (mainly if you consider the average wage of brazilian workers). Even being a badly paid civil servant, I'm a subscriber. Then you may ask me: And what about the shows, programs, movies? Are they satisfactory at least?

Well...  Let's only talk about movies, right? (Doing so, I guess I'm gonna be able to stay calm...).

Last week, for instance, Paranormal activity: The marked ones and Kick-Ass were scheduled in three channels! Both flicks are fine, but they - like lots of others - have been repeated excessively! Of course, it's just a nasty way to force us to purchase another TV package (with HBO included, for instance, that will cost us more), or to buy on-demand contents (like NOW). That's why pay-TV companies hate Netflix!

In other hand - and speaking of overly repeated movies -, why, why, WHY those channels adore Adam Sandler so much???

Whenever you turn on the TV you see a Sandler's stuff on the air. And some of his films - pardon my French - are a gigantic amount of crap. Do you disagree? Fine. But, please, answer me: Who can put up with things like Jack and Jill, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Little Nick or (for Zeus' sake!) You don't mess with the Zohan?

Hey, pay-TV companies, since you're not gonna stop repeating movies, could you choose comedies truly funny at least?