What a stunning surprise! In the midst of a lackluster Los Angeles/Italia Film Fest, a genuine gem of a film. The story of Karlo the Venetian bandit is told in broad chronological strokes but with a passionate eye for the intimate, human details. The film is dominated by a strong visual landscape, a powerful score and extraordinary faces. Pierluigi Coppola a new name in the film world that I'm sure is here to stay plays the "K" of the title with an overwhelming sense of self. Coppola was present at the showing and I could never have guesses he was the same person I saw on the screen. He was dressed in punkish fashion with heavy dark eyeshadow. On the screen he is mesmerizing as is the rest of the cast. Lina Sastri, as the tragic mother is, quite simply, superb. She captures every moment she's in with an unsentimental earth shattering emotion and Martina Stella as the long suffering wife is a tragic waifish portrait of a woman in love with a man who's bound to drag her down with him. The film, announced for a 9:45 pm showing started at 11 pm but the theater was packed. The film received a richly deserved long heartfelt applause. Bravo!
Reviews
3 Reviews
Scusa ma ti chiamo amore
(2008)
Dull Fluff
19 February 2008
The Italians have a great reputation in the comedy department. I spend great part of the year in Italy and I've seen the work of Dino Risi, Pietro Germi and some other geniuses. This film doesn't belong to the same universe. Not for a long, long, long shot. Filmed indifferently, based on a popular teen age volume that one has to make an effort to imagine what the book was like. The film was directed by the author so I'm sure he was religiously faithful to the source. The dullness of this "romantic comedy" makes one wonder. The film is a top grossing box office champ in Italy. I keep wondering, why? There is nothing in it that would allure audiences anywhere. A 37 year old in a love relationship with a 17 year old. He looks over 37 and behaves like a teen ager. She looks older than 17 and behaves like a brat. What an unwholesome combination. He, Raoul Bova is in big star in his own country but his appeal eludes me completely. He is the most boring presence in the screen. So, the Los Angeles/Italia Festival at the Chinese Theater of Hollywood Boulevard started, as far as I'm concerned, with a dud of major proportions. Let's hope it improves.
There Will Be Blood
(2007)
Unapologetic Tour de Force
18 February 2008
PT Anderson's name already means something, or I should say something else. His self assuredness alone gives me shivers. A modern artist with such clear and severe vision of the world. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, even Punch Drunk Love have an Wellesian disregard for what's in or out. His films are landmarks that may infuriate some, confuse others and mesmerize the rest of us. Here, with the rigorous tale of an impervious oil man, PT Anderson outdoes himself. He has Daniel Day Lewis as his accomplice in a performance that would be as difficult to match as it is difficult to describe. There is a monstrous beauty here that not even a broken nose can disguise. The saga is filled with long silent moments of tension that take place in a cinematic canvas and an actor's head. PT Anderson must have known that this was going to be, not only not a mainstream opus but a hard pill to swallow. I for one stand up to applaud his daringness.
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