salome-3 Reviews

Read My Lips (2001)

wonderful, eerie, original Film Noir

[16 May 2002]

wonderful French film noir, whose perhaps greatest idea is to set a Noir-ish tale in a world of dreary offices and daily misdemeanours.

Add to the mix: a wonderful female lead (a deaf, underappreciated secretary) whose life takes an unexpected turn after hiring an assistant; a good male lead (a former thief freshly released from prison who becomes her office assistant - and then something more dangerous); two good actors (Emmanuelle Devos and Vincent Cassel in absolute "no glamour" mode); a well-crafted screenplay; fresh, edgy dialogue; simple and effective direction...

French people are so lucky to still have good genre movies that manage to make strong statements about society.

Santa Maradona (2001)

ninety minutes wasted & i have only one life to live

[1/10 · 23 November 2001]

oh what a terrible movie... It looks like the screenwriter/directed was locked in a room with a copy of Clerks and a copy of Chasing Amy and left there to rot for five years. Derivative, manipulative, full of wannabe "witty" dialogue that's absolutely stupid and pointless (with more of a hint of homophobia)... it was clearly made just because the male lead Stefano Accorsi (already a display of acting mannerism) helped pitching the script. A perfect example of why italian film industry is getting shoddier and shoddier.

Facciamo fiesta (1997)

fiesta ? what fiesta ?

[3/10 · 1 April 2000]

as many recent italian comedies, "Facciamo fiesta" is yet another major bad movie. So much for the plot: two italian single guys (played by screen duo Alessandro Gassman and Gianmarco Tognazzi) take off to Cuba in order to shoot a documentary about Havana. They meet a few local people, including two girls (one of them played by spanish actress/showgirl Lorena Forteza, who had a short-lived fame following her role in another bad comedy named "Il ciclone"), they are cheated by smart ass Cubans, they listen to music, along the lines of "Cubans are poor but they know how to enjoy life, not as us stupid Euro workaholics, blah, blah, blah". This makes a poor excuse for a movie, but tries to follow the wave of italian tourists who in the past few years have been choosing Havana as a holiday resort. This also makes a dull, flat comedy which leads nowhere, except for another occasion for Gassman and Tognazzi to play their usual clichè roles (please notice that these two guys in the same couple of years did the SAME routine in two previous movies... believe me when I say being italian sucks). If you are looking for a good portrait of Havana, do yourself a favor: leave this stupid flick on the videostore shelves and rent Buena Vista Social Club.

The Players Club (1998)

cause we're tra-a-ash ...

[12 March 2000]

In an ideal guided tour about freakishly bad movies from 1977 onwards, The Players' Club should deserve a stop. It's got a terrible storyline that, along with the not-so-subtle clinging onto (or blatantly ripping off) the tradition of blaxploitation, makes up for a trite, short-living revival of that genre. But also it's one of those bad movies that are so bad you can't take your eyes off of it. Watch out for the (so fake it hurts) catfight scene between the "good" stripper Lisa Raye and the "bad", lesbian, vicious, bleached blonde, whatshername stripper. The small part of Ice Cube himself as the stereotype bad guy and the obvious "you can make all the money you want, but don't let money make a slave out of you" message (you're gonna hear it so many times throughout the movie it's gonna ring in your head like a f***ing bell for hours afterwards !) top it all. Rent it, but only if you know how much it's gonna suck.

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Totally brilliant

[9/10 · 22 October 1999]

Incredibly brilliant, touching, never conventional picture about suicide and coming-of-age. I strongly recommend it to anybody, especially young women. Great performances by all the cast, with a few impressive cameos (Scott Glenn as a priest). Good screenplay, very good direction work. Ultra-cool 70's-like soundtrack by Air. A must see for this season.

SLC Punk! (1998)

a must-see movie

[10/10 · 28 March 1999]

"S.L.C. Punk!" is definitely a must-see movie. I never belonged to the hardcore scene so I just can imagine what kind of slamming effect it may have on someone who lived during the punk-influenced 80s. But it still is a witty, colorful attempt to unravel those years seen through the eyes of a middle class young man (Lillard) who drops his range life in order to follow the "live fast" way and witnesses the end of the authentic punk scene, infected by posers. The fact that the story is set in the conservative Salt Lake City milieu makes it easier to sympathize with Lillard and his pals and to share their disappointment when their era fades. Flashbacks add a unique movement and style to the picture. Great performances by all (especially a blasting with energy Lillard, and a never-seen-like-that Goorjian from "Party of five") make for a perfect, spicy dish. Go see it.