Italy’s Fandango Sales has taken international distribution rights to quirky comedy “Volare” about the fear of flying that marks the directorial debut of actor Margherita Buy.
Buy is known internationally for frequent roles in Nanni Moretti movies, most recently in “A Brighter Tomorrow” that launched from Cannes.
Her smart concept movie is being lead-produced by Simone Gattoni for Kavac Film, the company founded by veteran auteur Marco Bellocchio.
Buy – who in “Tomorrow” played Paola, partner and producer of Moretti’s self-centered alter ego Giovanni – also stars in “Volare” as a talented actress named AnnaBì who lands a role in a movie by a hot Korean helmer that would allow her to break out internationally. She is forced to turn it down owing to her aerophobia, as extreme fear of flying in an airplane is known.
AnnaBì subsequently has to face the same problem when her daughter gets into a U.
Buy is known internationally for frequent roles in Nanni Moretti movies, most recently in “A Brighter Tomorrow” that launched from Cannes.
Her smart concept movie is being lead-produced by Simone Gattoni for Kavac Film, the company founded by veteran auteur Marco Bellocchio.
Buy – who in “Tomorrow” played Paola, partner and producer of Moretti’s self-centered alter ego Giovanni – also stars in “Volare” as a talented actress named AnnaBì who lands a role in a movie by a hot Korean helmer that would allow her to break out internationally. She is forced to turn it down owing to her aerophobia, as extreme fear of flying in an airplane is known.
AnnaBì subsequently has to face the same problem when her daughter gets into a U.
- 9/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival has set filmmaker Liliana Cavani and actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai to receive this year’s Golden Lions for lifetime achievement. The 80th Venice fest runs from August 30-September 9 on the Lido.
Cavani, whose credits include 1974 classic The Night Porter, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling, and 1985’s The Berlin Affair, has had several films at the festival, beginning with 1965’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. It was followed by Francesco d’Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (1970), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) — for which Anna Bonaiuto won the Coppa Volpi for best actress — Ripley’s Game with John Malkovich (2002) and Clarisse (2012).
As for Leung, whose credits include Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Infernal Affairs and recent Marvel title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,...
Cavani, whose credits include 1974 classic The Night Porter, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling, and 1985’s The Berlin Affair, has had several films at the festival, beginning with 1965’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. It was followed by Francesco d’Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (1970), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) — for which Anna Bonaiuto won the Coppa Volpi for best actress — Ripley’s Game with John Malkovich (2002) and Clarisse (2012).
As for Leung, whose credits include Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Infernal Affairs and recent Marvel title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Following “Gomorrah” and “The Young Pope,” Sky continues to bring to the screen fresh edgy TV series with “The King,” which is Italy’s first prison drama but transcends genre tropes to recount the country’s complex way of contending with evil forces, including terrorism.
The dark skein, currently playing in Italy on Comcast-owned Sky’s pay-tv service –– and premiering internationally in competition at Series Mania –– is the brainchild of Italian A-list actor Luca Zingaretti, best known as the titular character in Italy’s widely exported “Inspector Montalbano” series.
After playing a a simpatico Mafia-fighting Sicilian sleuth in “Montalbano,” Zingaretti “wanted to do a show set in an Italian maximum security penitentiary and play a character who was the head of this jail,” says “The King” producer Lorenzo Mieli.
Zingaretti’s character, named Bruno Testori, is the “supreme ruler” of the San Michele penitentiary, which is packed with hard...
The dark skein, currently playing in Italy on Comcast-owned Sky’s pay-tv service –– and premiering internationally in competition at Series Mania –– is the brainchild of Italian A-list actor Luca Zingaretti, best known as the titular character in Italy’s widely exported “Inspector Montalbano” series.
After playing a a simpatico Mafia-fighting Sicilian sleuth in “Montalbano,” Zingaretti “wanted to do a show set in an Italian maximum security penitentiary and play a character who was the head of this jail,” says “The King” producer Lorenzo Mieli.
Zingaretti’s character, named Bruno Testori, is the “supreme ruler” of the San Michele penitentiary, which is packed with hard...
- 3/19/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle and pay-tv operator Sky are unveiling Sky original series “The King,” an innovative prison drama toplining Luca Zingaretti, who is best known as the titular character in Italy’s widely exported “Inspector Montalbano” series.
While in “Montalbano” Zingaretti played a simpatico Mafia-fighting Sicilian sleuth, in “The King” he undergoes a monumental character change, becoming the psychopathic Buno Testori (watch trailer above) director of the lawless San Michele penitentiary, which is located on an unspecified Italian border territory that is not subject to Italian law where he can apply his totally personal idea of justice.
Testori is ruthless with those who deserve it and unexpectedly compassionate with others, “always following the principles of his own distorted and obscure morals,” according to the provided synopsis. As the trailer puts it: “Every kingdom has its own rules.”
The dark show is penned by Stefano Bises, whose credits include “Gomorrah,” “ZeroZeroZero” and “The New Pope,...
While in “Montalbano” Zingaretti played a simpatico Mafia-fighting Sicilian sleuth, in “The King” he undergoes a monumental character change, becoming the psychopathic Buno Testori (watch trailer above) director of the lawless San Michele penitentiary, which is located on an unspecified Italian border territory that is not subject to Italian law where he can apply his totally personal idea of justice.
Testori is ruthless with those who deserve it and unexpectedly compassionate with others, “always following the principles of his own distorted and obscure morals,” according to the provided synopsis. As the trailer puts it: “Every kingdom has its own rules.”
The dark show is penned by Stefano Bises, whose credits include “Gomorrah,” “ZeroZeroZero” and “The New Pope,...
- 1/18/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been exactly 20 years since Nanni Moretti won the Palme d’Or at Cannes with “The Son’s Room,” a graceful, humane and often surprisingly witty drama about a family regathering itself in the wake of shattering tragedy. That’s a long time ago, and it feels longer by the minute as you watch the Italian writer-director’s latest, “Three Floors,” a film clearly conceived to hit the same bittersweet notes as his 2001 triumph, but scarcely recognizable as the work of the same filmmaker.
Dramatically stilted, cinematically drab and morally dubious at multiple turns, this soapy lather of assorted crises concerning the residents of a single Roman apartment block may come as a crashing disappointment to fans who have been waiting six years for a new Moretti feature. Pedigree alone has secured this misfire a Cannes competition slot and healthy international sales, though we certainly won’t be thinking about it in two decades’ time.
Dramatically stilted, cinematically drab and morally dubious at multiple turns, this soapy lather of assorted crises concerning the residents of a single Roman apartment block may come as a crashing disappointment to fans who have been waiting six years for a new Moretti feature. Pedigree alone has secured this misfire a Cannes competition slot and healthy international sales, though we certainly won’t be thinking about it in two decades’ time.
- 7/11/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: European arthouse sales force The Match Factory and ICM Partners are teaming up to jointly represent four films playing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The Match Factory and ICM Partners will co-rep North American rights on Nanni Moretti’s Competition film Tre Piani (Three Floors), and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Competition entry Drive My Car, based on Haruki Murakami’s short story.
Additionally, they will co-rep North American rights on two films in Un Certain Regard: Sebastian Meise’s film Great Freedom starring Franz Rogowski and Georg Friedrich, and Eran Kolirin’s film Let It Be Morning, which marks the director’s return to Cannes where his well-received film The Band’s Visit won an award in Un Certain Regard in 2007.
As previously announced, The Match Factory reps international sales on all four of the titles.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy won Best Director at this year’s Berlinale.
The Match Factory and ICM Partners will co-rep North American rights on Nanni Moretti’s Competition film Tre Piani (Three Floors), and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Competition entry Drive My Car, based on Haruki Murakami’s short story.
Additionally, they will co-rep North American rights on two films in Un Certain Regard: Sebastian Meise’s film Great Freedom starring Franz Rogowski and Georg Friedrich, and Eran Kolirin’s film Let It Be Morning, which marks the director’s return to Cannes where his well-received film The Band’s Visit won an award in Un Certain Regard in 2007.
As previously announced, The Match Factory reps international sales on all four of the titles.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy won Best Director at this year’s Berlinale.
- 7/7/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
After last year’s cancellation, the Cannes Film Festival is expected to be back with a bang in July. Even with a small supply of U.S. films, the 2021 edition should be in no shortage of major auteurs, female directors and glamorous stars.
In addition to the already announced fest opener “Annette,” Leos Carax’s musical romance with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, two other titles strongly tipped for Cannes are Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” and “Official Competition,” a comedy reuniting Spanish stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz. The Spanish-language film is directed by the Argentinian duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.
Among the several films that were in the running for last year’s festival and are either confirmed or nearly confirmed for the 2021 edition are Nanni Moretti’s “Three Floors,” a Rome-set adaptation of Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo’s novel with Anna Bonaiuto, Riccardo Scamarcio and...
In addition to the already announced fest opener “Annette,” Leos Carax’s musical romance with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, two other titles strongly tipped for Cannes are Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” and “Official Competition,” a comedy reuniting Spanish stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz. The Spanish-language film is directed by the Argentinian duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.
Among the several films that were in the running for last year’s festival and are either confirmed or nearly confirmed for the 2021 edition are Nanni Moretti’s “Three Floors,” a Rome-set adaptation of Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo’s novel with Anna Bonaiuto, Riccardo Scamarcio and...
- 4/23/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Tre Piani
Italian auteur Nanni Moretti should be set to unveil his thirteenth narrative feature in 2021, Tre Piani, co-written by Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella. As usual, Moretti is part of the cast, joined by a formidable ensemble including Riccardo Scamarcio, Margherita Buy, Alba Rohrwacher, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Denise Tantucci, Alessandro Sperduti, Anna Bonaiuto, Paolo Graziosi, Tommaso Ragno and Stefano Dionisi. The project is lensed by Dp Michele D’Attanasio.
Moretti won the Palme d’Or in 2001 for The Son’s Room. He competed in 1978 with Ecco Bombo, 1994 with Dear Diary (winning Best Director), 1998 with Aprile, 2006 with The Caiman, 2011 with We Have a Pope and in 2015 with Mia Madre (winning the Ecumenical Jury Prize).…...
Italian auteur Nanni Moretti should be set to unveil his thirteenth narrative feature in 2021, Tre Piani, co-written by Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella. As usual, Moretti is part of the cast, joined by a formidable ensemble including Riccardo Scamarcio, Margherita Buy, Alba Rohrwacher, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Denise Tantucci, Alessandro Sperduti, Anna Bonaiuto, Paolo Graziosi, Tommaso Ragno and Stefano Dionisi. The project is lensed by Dp Michele D’Attanasio.
Moretti won the Palme d’Or in 2001 for The Son’s Room. He competed in 1978 with Ecco Bombo, 1994 with Dear Diary (winning Best Director), 1998 with Aprile, 2006 with The Caiman, 2011 with We Have a Pope and in 2015 with Mia Madre (winning the Ecumenical Jury Prize).…...
- 1/1/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Tre piani
Italy’s Nanni Moretti breaks a five-year hiatus (from feature films) with his thirteenth narrative, Tre piani, which is also the director’s first adaptation. Moretti assembles a high profile cast including Riccardo Scamarcio, Margherita Buy, Alba Rohrwacher, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Denise Tantucci, Alessandro Sperduti, Anna Bonaiuto, Paolo Graziosi, Tommaso Ragno, Stefano Dionisi and himself. Cinematographer Michele D’Attanasio lensed the feature, produced through Sacher Film, Fandando, Rai Cinema and Le Pacte. Moretti has competed seven times in Cannes, with 1978’s Ecco Bombo, 1994’s Dear Diary (winning Best Director), 1998’s Aprile, 2001’s The Son’s Room (which won the Palme d’Or), 2006’s The Caiman, 2011’s We Have a Pope and 2015’s Mia Madre (winning the Ecumenical Jury Prize).…...
Italy’s Nanni Moretti breaks a five-year hiatus (from feature films) with his thirteenth narrative, Tre piani, which is also the director’s first adaptation. Moretti assembles a high profile cast including Riccardo Scamarcio, Margherita Buy, Alba Rohrwacher, Adriano Giannini, Elena Lietti, Denise Tantucci, Alessandro Sperduti, Anna Bonaiuto, Paolo Graziosi, Tommaso Ragno, Stefano Dionisi and himself. Cinematographer Michele D’Attanasio lensed the feature, produced through Sacher Film, Fandando, Rai Cinema and Le Pacte. Moretti has competed seven times in Cannes, with 1978’s Ecco Bombo, 1994’s Dear Diary (winning Best Director), 1998’s Aprile, 2001’s The Son’s Room (which won the Palme d’Or), 2006’s The Caiman, 2011’s We Have a Pope and 2015’s Mia Madre (winning the Ecumenical Jury Prize).…...
- 12/30/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
"Sell them your dream of the future." IFC Films has unveiled an official trailer for the latest spectacle from Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, an epic political satire titled Loro. The film profiles the life of Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi, played by Toni Servillo, an "egomaniac billionaire Prime Minister who presides over an empire of scandal and corruption." Sounds scary, but it's described as a "ferocious feast of satire" with plenty of Sorrentino's spunk and extravagance. "Exploding with eye-popping, extravagantly surreal set-pieces, the dazzling, daring new film from Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino is both a wickedly subversive satire and a furious elegy for a country crumbling while its leaders enrich themselves." Also starring Riccardo Scamarcio as the young hustler trying to move closer to Berlusconi, plus Elena Sofia Ricci, Kasia Smutniak, Euridice Axen, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Roberto De Francesco, Dario Cantarelli, and Anna Bonaiuto. Worth a look. Here's the official Us...
- 7/1/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Both films based on novels by cult Italian author to receive limited theatrical releases later this year.
Film Movement Classics has acquired all rights in multiple territories to adaptations of Italian publishing phenomenon Elena Ferrante’s first two novels as HBO prepares to launch its mini-series My Brilliant Friend.
The New York-based distributor has picked up North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand on Troubling Love (L’amore Molesto) from True Colors, and The Days Of Abandonment (I Giorni Dell’Abbandono) from Medusa Films.
Both films will receive limited theatrical releases later this year and will launch across digital and platforms including iTunes,...
Film Movement Classics has acquired all rights in multiple territories to adaptations of Italian publishing phenomenon Elena Ferrante’s first two novels as HBO prepares to launch its mini-series My Brilliant Friend.
The New York-based distributor has picked up North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand on Troubling Love (L’amore Molesto) from True Colors, and The Days Of Abandonment (I Giorni Dell’Abbandono) from Medusa Films.
Both films will receive limited theatrical releases later this year and will launch across digital and platforms including iTunes,...
- 8/14/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
After Paolo Sorrentino’s virtuoso evisceration of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti in “Il Divo,” expectations were sky high that the distinctive director would bring a similar caustic bravura to his treatment of Silvio Berlusconi. Yet “Loro 1,” the first of a two-part kaleidoscopic consideration of the four-time prime minister and the Italy he fostered, is not so much an invigorating acid bath as a subtly written, stylistically more classical look at one of the most divisive European leaders in recent memory. It aims to peer not just into Berlusconi’s monomaniacal soul, but to expose, as with “The Great Beauty,” the apotheosis of vulgarity and craving for attention that’s been the canny politician and media magnate’s lasting imprint on Italian society.
Whether it’s successful depends very much on “Loro 2,” to be released in Italy on May 10, roughly two weeks after this installment. Rumor has it the...
Whether it’s successful depends very much on “Loro 2,” to be released in Italy on May 10, roughly two weeks after this installment. Rumor has it the...
- 5/8/2018
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
- 1/8/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...
- 1/8/2015
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Viva La LIBERTÀ Distrib Films U.S. Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: C+ Director: Roberto Andò Screenwriter: Roberto Andò Cast: Toni Servillo, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Anna Bonaiuto, Valerio Mastandrea, Michela Cescon, Eric Nguyen Screened at: Dolby88, NYC, 10/28/14 Opens: November 7, 2014 When Barack Obama gave that rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic convention, the public believed that progressives would finally come to power. When he accepted the nomination for president in 2008, he again got large segments of the American public to its respective feet, making us think that we would be graced with charismatic leaders into the foreseeable future. Now, however—not to [ Read More ]
The post Viva la liberta Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Viva la liberta Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 11/8/2014
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Name and focus changes for every section, which are now all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.
The ninth Rome Film Festival (Oct 16-25) has revealed a diverse line-up including the Italian premieres for potential awards contenders including David Fincher’s Gone Girl. the world premiere of Takashi Miike’s As the Gods Will and Burhan Qurbani’s We are Young, We are Strong and European premiere of Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind, Toronto hit Still Alice and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.
This year for the first time the award-winners in each section of the programme will be decided by the audience on the basis of votes cast after the screenings.
Each section has changed name and focus for 2014 and are all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.
Italian comedies Soap Opera and Andiamo a Quel Paese bookend the line-up.
Full line-up
Cinema D’Oggi
World premiere
• Angely...
The ninth Rome Film Festival (Oct 16-25) has revealed a diverse line-up including the Italian premieres for potential awards contenders including David Fincher’s Gone Girl. the world premiere of Takashi Miike’s As the Gods Will and Burhan Qurbani’s We are Young, We are Strong and European premiere of Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind, Toronto hit Still Alice and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.
This year for the first time the award-winners in each section of the programme will be decided by the audience on the basis of votes cast after the screenings.
Each section has changed name and focus for 2014 and are all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.
Italian comedies Soap Opera and Andiamo a Quel Paese bookend the line-up.
Full line-up
Cinema D’Oggi
World premiere
• Angely...
- 9/29/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Which should be exciting news for those unaware we even had an annual Italian Film Festival here in St. Louis. We do, and it’s been going on for ten years now. It’s not well-promoted in general but it must be in the local Italian community because I’ve attended on the past and they always draw huge crowds (the free admission probably doesn’t hurt).
St. Louisans can enjoy the local premiere of eleven recent Italian films at this year’s Italian Film Festival USA of St. Louis. The films are shown in their original language with English subtitles at 3 venues on the campus of Washington University: Lab Sciences 300, Brown Hall and Steinberg Auditorium.
For more details such as directions, times, sponsors, and a complete schedule go to the Italian Film Festival USA site Here
http://www.italianfilmfestivalstlouis.com/index.html
Highlights of this year’s fest include The Best Offer,...
St. Louisans can enjoy the local premiere of eleven recent Italian films at this year’s Italian Film Festival USA of St. Louis. The films are shown in their original language with English subtitles at 3 venues on the campus of Washington University: Lab Sciences 300, Brown Hall and Steinberg Auditorium.
For more details such as directions, times, sponsors, and a complete schedule go to the Italian Film Festival USA site Here
http://www.italianfilmfestivalstlouis.com/index.html
Highlights of this year’s fest include The Best Offer,...
- 4/2/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Are you guys ready for the oldest film festival in the world? Yeah, sure you are! Who’s crazy enough to miss all that glamour, great movies, and well-known faces? Guess nobody!
This year’s Venice Film Festival runs from September 1- 11th and some great titles will compete for Leone d’Oro, or if you prefer Golden Lion, indeed!
Just in case you don’t trust us, check out a list of all the films playing in competition:
In Competition
Black Swan, Opening Night Film (dir. Darren Aronofsky – U.S.) Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
La Pecora Nera, (dir. Ascanio Celestini – Italy) Ascanio Celestini, Giorgio Tirabassi, Maya Sansa
Somewhere, (dir. Sofia Coppola – U.S.) Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio Del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Laura Chiatti, Simona Ventura
Happy Few, (dir. Antony Cordier – France) Marina Fois, Elodie Bouchez, Roschdy Zem, Nicolas Duvauchelle
The Solitude of Prime Numbers,...
This year’s Venice Film Festival runs from September 1- 11th and some great titles will compete for Leone d’Oro, or if you prefer Golden Lion, indeed!
Just in case you don’t trust us, check out a list of all the films playing in competition:
In Competition
Black Swan, Opening Night Film (dir. Darren Aronofsky – U.S.) Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
La Pecora Nera, (dir. Ascanio Celestini – Italy) Ascanio Celestini, Giorgio Tirabassi, Maya Sansa
Somewhere, (dir. Sofia Coppola – U.S.) Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio Del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Laura Chiatti, Simona Ventura
Happy Few, (dir. Antony Cordier – France) Marina Fois, Elodie Bouchez, Roschdy Zem, Nicolas Duvauchelle
The Solitude of Prime Numbers,...
- 7/30/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Authenticity is a rare and beautiful thing in the world of film. It’s not often that a police procedural movie gives such an accurate look at the process of criminal investigations, which are slow and consist mostly of wasted conversations that will lead nowhere. Magical computers don’t conveniently supply every bit of pertinent information about a suspect in a matter of seconds. An investigator trusts nothing and verifies everything. Director Andrea Molaioli, in her feature film debut, captures the tedium of a police officer’s world but still somehow makes it fascinating cinema.
The plot of the film is reminiscent of Twin Peaks. A pretty young girl is murdered in a small town and a talented investigator is called in from the big city to sort through the eccentric local suspects to deduce the killer’s identity. In this case, the locale is a picturesque small town in Northern Italy,...
The plot of the film is reminiscent of Twin Peaks. A pretty young girl is murdered in a small town and a talented investigator is called in from the big city to sort through the eccentric local suspects to deduce the killer’s identity. In this case, the locale is a picturesque small town in Northern Italy,...
- 7/22/2010
- by Rob Young
- JustPressPlay.net
In the Italian language, the word Il Divo means bluntly ‘the male star’ or ‘male diva’. Within the seven terms that Prime Minister and Christian Democrat leader Giulio Andreotti reigned upon Italy, he took the spotlight politically from the late seventies to the early nineties. Forming during his career a wide range cabinet of people ranging from legislators, cardinals, businessmen and enforcers, Andreotti became a force to be reckoned with.
Guilio Andreotti begins his seventh term as prime Minister, he and his hardliner faction take control of a country reeling from the brazen murders of several high-level bankers, judges and journalists, as well as the kidnapping and assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Once suspicion begins to wash over Andreotti and his group are speculated with conspiracy that connects the Mafia, the Vatican and neo-Fascist Masonic Lodge P2 all took part in the murders, he becomes entangled in what...
Guilio Andreotti begins his seventh term as prime Minister, he and his hardliner faction take control of a country reeling from the brazen murders of several high-level bankers, judges and journalists, as well as the kidnapping and assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Once suspicion begins to wash over Andreotti and his group are speculated with conspiracy that connects the Mafia, the Vatican and neo-Fascist Masonic Lodge P2 all took part in the murders, he becomes entangled in what...
- 6/18/2009
- by Melissa Molina
- Atomic Popcorn
See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. See the trailer here. What's "Il divo" about? In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. Approaching seventy, Andreotti is a gerontocrat who, with all the attributes of God, is afraid...
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. ..
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. ..
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Chicago – The final week of the 12th Annual EU Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center perfectly illustrates the main strength of this festival - amazing diversity. From what we had time to see of the final stretch of films, the four highlights couldn’t be more diverse, featuring movies from four different countries with four completely different tones and styles.
The highlights of the first three weeks of EU included a coming-of-age drama from Ireland (“Kisses”), a sexy romantic comedy from France (“The Girl From Monaco”), an amazing Danish drama (“Worlds Apart”), and a very interesting horror film from Belgium (“Left Bank”). Read more here, here, and here)
The final week takes us back to two of those countries - Belgium and France - and also features a fascinating Finnish shocker before closing with a gentle and sweet film from Sweden. Overall, it’s been a fantastic festival for...
The highlights of the first three weeks of EU included a coming-of-age drama from Ireland (“Kisses”), a sexy romantic comedy from France (“The Girl From Monaco”), an amazing Danish drama (“Worlds Apart”), and a very interesting horror film from Belgium (“Left Bank”). Read more here, here, and here)
The final week takes us back to two of those countries - Belgium and France - and also features a fascinating Finnish shocker before closing with a gentle and sweet film from Sweden. Overall, it’s been a fantastic festival for...
- 3/25/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previous credits include "L'Amico di famiglia," a 2006 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Award nominee. See all the images in the gallery for "Il Divo." What's it about? In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades.
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previ...
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previ...
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Cannes, In Competition
CANNES -- At long last in this year's Cannes Competition, a film on a serious subject that nevertheless consistently entertains and often makes you laugh out loud. Subtitled "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti," the frequently outrageous "Il Divo" follows the career of one of the best-known and most tenacious figures in Italian political history in a lively, sensory-overload, cartoonlike fashion reminiscent of "Amelie" and "Moulin Rouge". The fact that it's often over-the-top goes with saying, and is part of the fun.
The big question is how well the film will play to audiences outside of Italy, since even in its home territory many viewers will be baffled by the overwhelming cast of characters and the sheer complexity of Andreotti's many entanglements. It's a shame that this wildly exuberant, brilliantly crafted film will probably never get the worldwide exposure, in any format, that it clearly deserves.
Andreotti, part of the Christian Democrat government since immediately after World War II and -- despite being beset by multiple scandals and criminal trials -- still going strong, was Italy's prime minister a record seven times. Director Sorrentino wisely concentrates on his seventh and final government (1991-92), as well as his more recent barrage of legal problems, in an undoubtedly vain attempt to keep his material under control.
The Divo is relentlessly caricatured and made fun of from the film's opening titles, presumably on the theory that invincible power can only be challenged by laughter. (It's also clear that Andreotti's larger-than-life personality is intended to make audiences think of the equally egregious Silvio Berlusconi, the recently elected third-time prime minister and a despised figure in Italian cultural and artistic circles.)
However, one of the best things about the film is that on the questions that really matter -- was Andreotti involved with the Mafia and with the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli? -- it always allows Andreotti equal time to make his case and takes pains to point out that he has been acquitted every time he's been on trial.
The closest Sorrentino comes to revealing the heart of the man is in his exploration of the death of party colleague Aldo Moro at the hands of the Red Brigades in 1978, 50 days after he was kidnapped, a miscalculation by Andreotti and his Christian Democrat colleagues that has haunted them ever since.
Toni Servillo does a magnificent job of interpreting, or rather channeling, Andreotti -- down to his trademark stiff slouch, dour, unrevealing face and devastating one-liners. Andreotti's many sidekicks and hangers-on are played with equal serio-comic intensity by a talented cast that will be largely unknown to audiences outside Italy.
The music is another memorable part of the film, ranging from Faure's haunting "Pavane" to Vivaldi, Saint-Saens and Sibelius, and features original, often stunning music by Teho Teardo. Production companies: Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Parco Film
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino; Producers: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti, Maurizio Coppolecchia
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi; Production designer: Lino Fiorito; Costume designer: Daniela Ciancio; Editor: Cristiano Travaglioli.
Sales: Beta Film
No MPAA rating, 117 minutes.
CANNES -- At long last in this year's Cannes Competition, a film on a serious subject that nevertheless consistently entertains and often makes you laugh out loud. Subtitled "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti," the frequently outrageous "Il Divo" follows the career of one of the best-known and most tenacious figures in Italian political history in a lively, sensory-overload, cartoonlike fashion reminiscent of "Amelie" and "Moulin Rouge". The fact that it's often over-the-top goes with saying, and is part of the fun.
The big question is how well the film will play to audiences outside of Italy, since even in its home territory many viewers will be baffled by the overwhelming cast of characters and the sheer complexity of Andreotti's many entanglements. It's a shame that this wildly exuberant, brilliantly crafted film will probably never get the worldwide exposure, in any format, that it clearly deserves.
Andreotti, part of the Christian Democrat government since immediately after World War II and -- despite being beset by multiple scandals and criminal trials -- still going strong, was Italy's prime minister a record seven times. Director Sorrentino wisely concentrates on his seventh and final government (1991-92), as well as his more recent barrage of legal problems, in an undoubtedly vain attempt to keep his material under control.
The Divo is relentlessly caricatured and made fun of from the film's opening titles, presumably on the theory that invincible power can only be challenged by laughter. (It's also clear that Andreotti's larger-than-life personality is intended to make audiences think of the equally egregious Silvio Berlusconi, the recently elected third-time prime minister and a despised figure in Italian cultural and artistic circles.)
However, one of the best things about the film is that on the questions that really matter -- was Andreotti involved with the Mafia and with the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli? -- it always allows Andreotti equal time to make his case and takes pains to point out that he has been acquitted every time he's been on trial.
The closest Sorrentino comes to revealing the heart of the man is in his exploration of the death of party colleague Aldo Moro at the hands of the Red Brigades in 1978, 50 days after he was kidnapped, a miscalculation by Andreotti and his Christian Democrat colleagues that has haunted them ever since.
Toni Servillo does a magnificent job of interpreting, or rather channeling, Andreotti -- down to his trademark stiff slouch, dour, unrevealing face and devastating one-liners. Andreotti's many sidekicks and hangers-on are played with equal serio-comic intensity by a talented cast that will be largely unknown to audiences outside Italy.
The music is another memorable part of the film, ranging from Faure's haunting "Pavane" to Vivaldi, Saint-Saens and Sibelius, and features original, often stunning music by Teho Teardo. Production companies: Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Parco Film
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino; Producers: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti, Maurizio Coppolecchia
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi; Production designer: Lino Fiorito; Costume designer: Daniela Ciancio; Editor: Cristiano Travaglioli.
Sales: Beta Film
No MPAA rating, 117 minutes.
- 5/23/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- Murder mystery "La Ragazza del Lago" (The Girl by the Lake), the debut film from Andrea Malaioli, and Antonio Grimaldi's "Caos Calmo" (Quiet Chaos), a story about a man's behavior after his wife dies, dominated the nominee list for the David di Donatello awards, to be awarded April 18.
Each film was nominated in at least six major categories, with Malaioli in the unusual position of being nominated as both best director and best new director.
Malaioli's film, which premiered last year in Venice, tells the tale of a detective from northern Italy brought in to solve a murder in a tranquil town. The film was also nominated for best film, with Sandro Petgraglia nominated for best screenplay, Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima earning best producer nominations for their work on the film, and protagonists Anna Bonaiuto and Donatello regular Toni Servillo were nominated for the top two acting prizes.
"Caos Calmo", which starred and was co-written by noted Italian auteur Nanni Moretti, was also nominated as best film.
Each film was nominated in at least six major categories, with Malaioli in the unusual position of being nominated as both best director and best new director.
Malaioli's film, which premiered last year in Venice, tells the tale of a detective from northern Italy brought in to solve a murder in a tranquil town. The film was also nominated for best film, with Sandro Petgraglia nominated for best screenplay, Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima earning best producer nominations for their work on the film, and protagonists Anna Bonaiuto and Donatello regular Toni Servillo were nominated for the top two acting prizes.
"Caos Calmo", which starred and was co-written by noted Italian auteur Nanni Moretti, was also nominated as best film.
- 3/21/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- Two years after her Oscar nomination for "Don't Tell," Cristina Comencini has opted for humor rather than melodrama in examining modern problems in her native Italy. Black and White, her ninth film (and first since the death of her father, Luigi, a beacon of Italian cinema), is a social comedy being referred to as a kind of contemporary, Italian "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Italy is only now dealing with racial issues that have been present for decades in many other European countries (most notably, France and Great Britain) and beyond.
The film should strike a chord with self-declared progressives and liberals of all cultures, who should recognize that we have far to go in dismantling deeply rooted bigotry.
All married couple Elena (Ambra Angiolini) and Carlo (actor/writer/television personality Fabio Volo) have in common is the color of their skin (white) and their 6-year-old daughter. Elena comes from a wealthy family and is dedicated to her job at an African aid organization. Carlo comes from a more modest background and is a computer engineer sick and tired of campaigns against world hunger.
Then Carlo meets Nadine (Aissa Maiga of Bamako), the dissatisfied wife of one of Elena's colleagues (Eriq Ebouaney of Hitman). Their love at first sight wreaks havoc upon their marriages and, more importantly, brings to light a series of prejudices and cliches from the betrayed spouses. (Maiga and Ebouaney are originally from Senegal and Cameroon, respectively, and are respected actors in their adopted country, France.)
Defying political correctness, the film written by Comencini, Giulia Calenda and Maddalena Ravagli chooses not to focus on Italy's poorest (and most numerous) immigrants but on the underlying racism in wealthier, more progressive circles. Here the deepest cut comes not so much from betrayal but the color of one's rival -- in other words, not adultery but sexuality shared with the "other."
However, the writers don't seem to know where their characters' destinies are ultimately headed: Will tradition and cultural pressure win over desire? Thus, they have created a double ending that apparently was rewritten and re-shot several times. Although somewhat confused, the second ending drives home the point that disrupted lives can't be remade as easily as a hotel bed after a night of passion (a scene that serves as a spot-on metaphor in a film that otherwise relies too heavily on dialogue).
Rising screen star Angiolini (the singer-turned-actress of Saturno Contro) is given the most complex role in Elena, who, according to Nadine, feels a burden of guilt. Nadine presumes correctly: Elena grew up in a household with a black maid forced to wear a white apron. Yet Elena's legacy is that of an upper-class family to whom, as in the case of her womanizing father (Franco Branciaroli), loving Africa means collecting trophies, such as objects from endless safaris and in one instance a black lover.
The entire cast is strong and tight and the Italian spoken by French actors Maiga and Ebouaney is impressive indeed, yet it is Anna Bonaiuto who stands out for her temperament and comic timing. The veteran screen and stage star plays Elena's mother, Adua, herself a betrayed wife and a woman full of stereotypes. "They really do have rhythm in their blood," she says while watching Nadine's daughter dance.
And it would be nice to think that her name was no coincidence: the Battle of Adua in the 19th century was the harshest colonial defeat in Italian history.
BLACK AND WHITE
Cattleya, RAI Cinema
Credits:
Director: Cristina Comencini
Screenwriters: Cristina Comencini, Giulia Calenda, Maddalena Ravagli
Producers: Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz
Director of photography: Fabio Cianchetti
Production designer: Paola Comencini
Costume designer: Antonella Berardi
Editor: Cecilia Zanuso
Cast:
Carlo: Fabio Volo
Elena: Ambra Angiolini
Nadine: Aissa Maiga
Bertrand: Eriq Ebouaney
Adua: Anna Bonaiuto
Alfonso: Franco Branciaroli
Olga: Katia Ricciarelli
Esmeralda: Teresa Saponangelo
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The film should strike a chord with self-declared progressives and liberals of all cultures, who should recognize that we have far to go in dismantling deeply rooted bigotry.
All married couple Elena (Ambra Angiolini) and Carlo (actor/writer/television personality Fabio Volo) have in common is the color of their skin (white) and their 6-year-old daughter. Elena comes from a wealthy family and is dedicated to her job at an African aid organization. Carlo comes from a more modest background and is a computer engineer sick and tired of campaigns against world hunger.
Then Carlo meets Nadine (Aissa Maiga of Bamako), the dissatisfied wife of one of Elena's colleagues (Eriq Ebouaney of Hitman). Their love at first sight wreaks havoc upon their marriages and, more importantly, brings to light a series of prejudices and cliches from the betrayed spouses. (Maiga and Ebouaney are originally from Senegal and Cameroon, respectively, and are respected actors in their adopted country, France.)
Defying political correctness, the film written by Comencini, Giulia Calenda and Maddalena Ravagli chooses not to focus on Italy's poorest (and most numerous) immigrants but on the underlying racism in wealthier, more progressive circles. Here the deepest cut comes not so much from betrayal but the color of one's rival -- in other words, not adultery but sexuality shared with the "other."
However, the writers don't seem to know where their characters' destinies are ultimately headed: Will tradition and cultural pressure win over desire? Thus, they have created a double ending that apparently was rewritten and re-shot several times. Although somewhat confused, the second ending drives home the point that disrupted lives can't be remade as easily as a hotel bed after a night of passion (a scene that serves as a spot-on metaphor in a film that otherwise relies too heavily on dialogue).
Rising screen star Angiolini (the singer-turned-actress of Saturno Contro) is given the most complex role in Elena, who, according to Nadine, feels a burden of guilt. Nadine presumes correctly: Elena grew up in a household with a black maid forced to wear a white apron. Yet Elena's legacy is that of an upper-class family to whom, as in the case of her womanizing father (Franco Branciaroli), loving Africa means collecting trophies, such as objects from endless safaris and in one instance a black lover.
The entire cast is strong and tight and the Italian spoken by French actors Maiga and Ebouaney is impressive indeed, yet it is Anna Bonaiuto who stands out for her temperament and comic timing. The veteran screen and stage star plays Elena's mother, Adua, herself a betrayed wife and a woman full of stereotypes. "They really do have rhythm in their blood," she says while watching Nadine's daughter dance.
And it would be nice to think that her name was no coincidence: the Battle of Adua in the 19th century was the harshest colonial defeat in Italian history.
BLACK AND WHITE
Cattleya, RAI Cinema
Credits:
Director: Cristina Comencini
Screenwriters: Cristina Comencini, Giulia Calenda, Maddalena Ravagli
Producers: Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz
Director of photography: Fabio Cianchetti
Production designer: Paola Comencini
Costume designer: Antonella Berardi
Editor: Cecilia Zanuso
Cast:
Carlo: Fabio Volo
Elena: Ambra Angiolini
Nadine: Aissa Maiga
Bertrand: Eriq Ebouaney
Adua: Anna Bonaiuto
Alfonso: Franco Branciaroli
Olga: Katia Ricciarelli
Esmeralda: Teresa Saponangelo
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/16/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Tokyo Eyes'
Slick and stylish, intriguing at first but ultimately unsatisfying, French director Jean-Pierre Limosin's "Tokyo Eyes" (Un Certain Regard) is an end-of-the-century love story between a bespectacled young rebel who calls himself K (Shinji Takeda) and the younger sister, Hinano (Hinano Yoshikawa), of a police inspector on the trail of a mysterious shooter who randomly confronts people on the streets of Tokyo but misses his targets even at close range.
A happy teenybopper just beginning to pay serious attention to boys, Hinano recognizes K as the unpredictable "virtual killer" in the news and at first wants to help her brother catch him. But once she gets to know the spacy video-game maker, she comes to sympathize with his instant rages at prejudiced, intolerant and callous people who cross his path. While Limosin's technique draws one into the convoluted mystery-thriller-romance and the performances are solid, the film's appeal is limited to younger audiences and U.S. distribution is a long shot.
'Teatro Di Guerra'
A small theater company in Naples struggles to mount a production of Aeschylus' "Seven Against Thebes" in 1994, intending to present the grim drama of war and fratricide in disintegrating Sarajevo. Unfortunately, this frustrating Italian Un Certain Regard offering from acclaimed avant-garde writer-director Mario Martone is too choppy and uninvolving except for the most patient cineastes, with most of the characters remaining sketchy and distant despite a nearly two-hour running time.
Rehearsing in a ramshackle theater in a rough neighborhood, the group of pro and tyro thesps led by Leo (Andrea Renzi) manages to stay afloat despite lack of funding and the disinterest of more successful comrades. Last-minute support comes when Leo agrees to hire a drug-taking star (Anna Bonaiuto), while the situation outside the stage door becomes more ominous with the gunning down of the local Mafia boss. The film builds to an ironic conclusion that underscores the war everywhere between artistic conscience and indifference.
'Divine'
With the unholy ghost of Luis Bunuel hovering over this Un Certain Regard entrant -- iconoclastic Mexican auteur Arturro Ripstein was mentored by the great Spanish surrealist -- "Divine" (El Evangelio De Las Maravillas) is a millennial allegory about a bizarre religious cult with a movie-loving priest, self-proclaimed prophetess and dozens of sheepish followers. Unfolding as more than a dozen "mysteries," the non-linear structure is the most interesting aspect of the storytelling that is driven by the arrival of a reformed prostitute (Carolina Papaleo) and sinful teenager Tomasa (Edwarda Gurrola) in the shut-off community.
Veterans Francisco Rabal (Bunuel's "Nazarin") and Katy Jurado (an Oscar nominee in 1954 for "Broken Lance") are the leaders preparing the flock for the coming of a new messiah, and the latter before dying proclaims Tomasa the new prophet. But the youngster rewrites the rules and commands every male to have joyless sex with her. It sounds racy and relevant, but it's ponderous and far from a divine viewing experience.
David Hunter...
Slick and stylish, intriguing at first but ultimately unsatisfying, French director Jean-Pierre Limosin's "Tokyo Eyes" (Un Certain Regard) is an end-of-the-century love story between a bespectacled young rebel who calls himself K (Shinji Takeda) and the younger sister, Hinano (Hinano Yoshikawa), of a police inspector on the trail of a mysterious shooter who randomly confronts people on the streets of Tokyo but misses his targets even at close range.
A happy teenybopper just beginning to pay serious attention to boys, Hinano recognizes K as the unpredictable "virtual killer" in the news and at first wants to help her brother catch him. But once she gets to know the spacy video-game maker, she comes to sympathize with his instant rages at prejudiced, intolerant and callous people who cross his path. While Limosin's technique draws one into the convoluted mystery-thriller-romance and the performances are solid, the film's appeal is limited to younger audiences and U.S. distribution is a long shot.
'Teatro Di Guerra'
A small theater company in Naples struggles to mount a production of Aeschylus' "Seven Against Thebes" in 1994, intending to present the grim drama of war and fratricide in disintegrating Sarajevo. Unfortunately, this frustrating Italian Un Certain Regard offering from acclaimed avant-garde writer-director Mario Martone is too choppy and uninvolving except for the most patient cineastes, with most of the characters remaining sketchy and distant despite a nearly two-hour running time.
Rehearsing in a ramshackle theater in a rough neighborhood, the group of pro and tyro thesps led by Leo (Andrea Renzi) manages to stay afloat despite lack of funding and the disinterest of more successful comrades. Last-minute support comes when Leo agrees to hire a drug-taking star (Anna Bonaiuto), while the situation outside the stage door becomes more ominous with the gunning down of the local Mafia boss. The film builds to an ironic conclusion that underscores the war everywhere between artistic conscience and indifference.
'Divine'
With the unholy ghost of Luis Bunuel hovering over this Un Certain Regard entrant -- iconoclastic Mexican auteur Arturro Ripstein was mentored by the great Spanish surrealist -- "Divine" (El Evangelio De Las Maravillas) is a millennial allegory about a bizarre religious cult with a movie-loving priest, self-proclaimed prophetess and dozens of sheepish followers. Unfolding as more than a dozen "mysteries," the non-linear structure is the most interesting aspect of the storytelling that is driven by the arrival of a reformed prostitute (Carolina Papaleo) and sinful teenager Tomasa (Edwarda Gurrola) in the shut-off community.
Veterans Francisco Rabal (Bunuel's "Nazarin") and Katy Jurado (an Oscar nominee in 1954 for "Broken Lance") are the leaders preparing the flock for the coming of a new messiah, and the latter before dying proclaims Tomasa the new prophet. But the youngster rewrites the rules and commands every male to have joyless sex with her. It sounds racy and relevant, but it's ponderous and far from a divine viewing experience.
David Hunter...
- 5/21/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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