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Reviews
Pane e tulipani (2000)
ZZZZZ....
Contrary to what positive viewers have to say this is not a delightful film. It is a snoozefest. Nothing really happens. The Venice locations are poorly used and filmed. This film has NO visual flair. The US equivalent to this film would be a TV movie. This is a fine example of the dribble that is marketed at film-goers around the world.
Lustful Revenge (1996)
rainy day movie
I rented this film based on the one on-line review I could find about it. To my surprise it wasn't horrible. The plot involves a desperate attempt to find a serial killer that is slashing up pretty women in Tokyo. There are some scenes of extreme sexual violence that will easily offend those not used to it. However if you like this sort of thing, you can't go wrong with this. It is basically the combination a soft porn and "Silence of the Lambs" with a little bit of "New York Ripper" thrown into the mix. Precisely the type of film that would never have been made in the US. Worth a rental.
Malèna (2000)
This aint no Cinema Paradiso
Giuseppe Tornatore has made one incredible film--Cinema Paradiso. This doesn't even look like it was directed by the same person. It appears the director was trying to make a film similar to Breaking the Waves or Dancer in the Dark. What we get is a film that is nicely shot and emotionally uninvolving. In Lars von Trier's two masterpieces we feel emotion for the central character's plight because they are innocent and real. In this film we are never allowed to understand Malena as a real person. She is just an object of the men's desire and the women's hatred. We are also treated to seeing her in many acts of humiliation. These scene would have been effective had they not been treated so lightly. For example, in the scene where she is raped by the lawyer, immediately there is comic relief. It is scenes like this that making the climax all that unimportant and fake. I couldn't wait for this mean film to be over.
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
A very fascinating and original movie...
This movie is a definite thriller for all spectators. In the very beginning the plot and how it will develop is unclear, but as the story unfolds, so does the viewer's understanding. I believe that this is what holds the interest. You can never solve the problem before the movie is over, and when you finally do see the solution, you realize that you could not have done any better!