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Appunti di un venditore di donne (2021)
Disappointing acting
I have read the excellent book by Giorgio Faletti - a masterpiece - but only after 15 minutes of this movie I just wanted to stop there... main problem is that acting is mechanical, especially Mario Sgueglia has the same frowning and distressed expression and tone of voice all the time. Too many events have been squeezed in the film and one has no additional queues to understand who is who and what is going on... The main character Bravo in the book is a quite peaceful and philosophical person , in the movie he seems cold blooded and expressionless.
Do yourself a favor, read the book which is really well written.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
Most boring dog movie I have ever seen
You will wait in vain for something interesting to happen. Dog chasing away thieves, dog performing some hat tricks, dog running free and happy in the forests. NOTHING. Distilled boredom, endless scenes with a dog who is so inexpressive that could be made of wax. The sound track itself is plain sad and flat. The scene with the skunk in the garage is simply ridiculous, any decent actor would refuse to engage in something so nonsensical and sloppy.
I can only pity the people who have have seen this movie in a movie hall, at least I could carry on with my work while waiting in vain for something interesting to happen.
The Good Doctor: Hello (2018)
totally disappointing when compared to the first series
The first episode lacks the grace, the balance and the delicate drama of the first series. Also lacking is the in-depth technical medical analysis of other episodes.
When Murphy and Kalu visit the homeless camp, the tones are those of a cheap horror B movie, it was almost pathetic.
I have been watching 5 times all Season 1 episodes and eagerly waiting for Season 2, but after this disappointment I don't have much expectation for the rest.
Earth 2100 (2009)
americo-centric and naif
most of the speakers are highly qualified and very scholar, but the narrative around Lucy is very naif: they describe life in 2080 as technologically very similar to the present (gas-powered cars, internet, power grid...)... also, the director seems to believe that USA is sort of a "leading nation" with a duty to guide the rest of humanity out of this ecological predicament, while in reality USA is the nation who does the most to CREATE this predicament in the first place, with their absurd lifestyle and the aggressiveness of its corporation.... don't forget that the largest polluting entity on the planet is the USA army - but this is not even mentioned in the movie. The narrator also mentions people coming from "failed countries" as a big security threat (to Americans... the rest of the world doesn't really matter...), while forgetting to mention that USA itself is mostly responsible -with direct or indirect military, political or economical attacks - for the "failure" of these states. So on the whole this movie told me little I didn't already know (I have read all Jared Diamond books, they are excellent) and only annoyed me for its faith in Governments and americocentricity.
Barbagia (La società del malessere) (1969)
very enjoyable and dramatic move to understand the Barbagia bandits
two things I really enjoyed in this movie: one is the acting of Terence Hill, very energetic and dramatic. The other is the effort to give a historical and political background to the story of the "bandit" Graziano Mesina. The introdution to the movie says ""The Barbagia is the innermost area of Sardinia ... it's a corner of Europe but does not belong to Europe. Here the European culture has not penetrated. From the 4th century BC Sardinia has undergone many dominations. But the rulers, the oppressors, they were never able to conquer the Barbagia. In the rest of Sardinia the populations were affected by the costumes of the rulers, are the Sardi collaborators, before Africanized, Semiticized, Romanized, then later Spanish-ized, piedmont-ized, and now Americanized. The Barbagia instead is the land of the resistance. The Barbagia shepherds might perhaps be at the year zero of technology civilization, but sure they are the year 3000 of their civilization, and that a civilization with barbaric aspects.".
The movie explains also how these "bandits" were in reality maneuvered by much more sophisticated criminals, who finally dropped their help to a uncontrollable Graziano.
Pelle di bandito (1969)
Inspired to the life of Graziano Mesina, a bit weak
Graziano Mesina was a "bandit" who became a celebrity in Italy in the 60ies, when he joined forces with a Spanish adventurer Miguel Atienza, and kidnapped several people, escaping from prison a dozen times.
This movie is a bit weak in the analysis of the Sardegna world of bandits, it shows the events in a bit haphazard way without giving background information. I have enjoyed much more the similar movie "Barbiagia" with Terence Hill.
Ugo Cardea is a decent actor but he is clearly making an effort to speak with a Sardegna accent - not to mention Giuliano Esperanti who is clearly NOT Spanish and simulates a very dubious Spanish accent while impersonating Miguel Atienza.
Shoah (1985)
the director shows no compassion for the witnesses
despite my deep interest in the Shoah, I could watch only part of the movie. I was too disgusted by the morbidity by which the interviewer (the director himself) ask the most minute, excruciating, terrible details to the survivors, like "which members of your family died? how did you recognize their corpse when you dug out their bodies from the common graves?". And the interviewee eyes are filled with tears, and the camera steady on close up to show well his expression of pain. I found all this too filthy, this is voyeurism, it inflicts too much pain in those poor people, without bringing any benefit from an historical perspective. I bet that most interviewees had nightmares for weeks after these kind of interviews. And the movie is boring and technically very elementary.
Sobibór, 14 octobre 1943, 16 heures (2001)
So sad that such a passionating story was rendered in such a dull way
I am afraid it take a lot more to make a movie, than passing an hour interview with a fixed close up, plus two excruciatingly boring introduction and conclusion. Also the account contains details which are difficult to believe, mainly that the protagonist managed to escape 7 times and was caught 7 times and never killed.
With all my respect to the protagonist and admiration for him, the documentary could hardly be technically poorer. I would rather suggest the movie "Escape from Sobibor", which is really accurate in details, or the excellent and breathtaking book "From The Ashes of Sobibor" by Thomas Blatt, another participant to the Sobibor insurrection.
Bitva za nashu Sovetskuyu Ukrainu (1943)
touching and patriotic documentary
plenty of scenes are sincerely inspired by love for the country life; you will see Ukrainian women singing and smiling while working, men plowing the fields, scenarios of rivers and forests of incomparable beauty.
At the same time the horrors of war are exposed; mostly women talk about the death of their husbands and children, about the cruelty of the Nazi troops. Some footage shot by Germans and captured by the Russians show Goering and Nazi officers strutting around in pillaged villages - a powerful propaganda against the Nazi invaders.
the entire movie is available on youtube , just search for: Ukraine 1943 Битва за нашу Советскую Украину
La rabbia (1963)
Dredfully dreary documentary on the post WWII years
Pasolini stages such a dismal representation of the world and its sufferings, that even the liberation of Cuba from the dictatorship of Batista is represented in sadness and mourning. I would have expected a bit more dept from this brilliant director. His representation of Marxism is religious to say the least. Guareschi too is disappointing, he is way too biased - he defends the atrocities of France in Vietnam and Algeria! - and his traditional sense of humor is almost absent. Some footage is quite interesting from historical point of view, but I would suggest to watch without audio, the commentator is simply too dull and rhetorical.
La tregua (1997)
how to turn a masterpiece of literature into a lame movie
I have read "Se questo è un uomo" 15 times, and I also consider "La Tregua" as one of the most extraordinary Odysseys of our times. I can hardly find any of Levi's masterpieces in this hodgepodge of episodes, hardly connected to each other and with barely any historical explanation of the events. Several comments about god and religion reported in the movie were not even present in the book, giving the impression that the director wanted to twist Levi's thought to serve his own philosophical agenda. The movie relies too much on images and too little on Levi's own considerations. Some effort has been put in trying to represent the chaotic world of those times, but I would have appreciated less scenic representation and more intimate comments.
The Great Global Warming Swindle (2007)
some partial truths and a lot of political propaganda
I have read tons of "climate crisis" material, and some facts mentioned in this movie are thought-provoking, such as: - how much percentage of CO2 are humans actually emitting, versus volcanic activity and other forms of life (plants, plancton etc)? - what is the correlation between temperature and solar activity?
and I will investigate on that. Yet the documentary is in denial about irrefutable facts: the average world temperature IS rising rapidly, humans are altering in a dramatic way the planet, ice caps are rapidly melting, more humidity in the atmosphere creates even more global warming, deforestation adds more to the disaster etc and most of these factors show a positive loop effect! It's a fact that some ecologist groups are a lobby, that Africa would surely benefit from industrialization, but that should not stop us from a scientific investigation of facts. CO2 contributes from 10 to 25% of greenhouse effect, and CO2 has increased 30% in the last century. The major contributor to greenhouse if water vapor, which is also increasing because of higher temperatures. This spells hard times for humanity. Denial won't help. Saying "we should not do anything until we have a mathematic evidence" is like saying "we should wait until the patient dies before we do a serious investigation about his problem".
A blatant lie is told about polar bears adapting to climate change: population of polar bears has already diminished by 30% in the last few years; 25% of Arctic ice has already melted, how can they adapt to a rapidly dwindling territory.
Totò d'Arabia (1965)
A very weak story with few worthy puns
besides absolute masterpieces, such as "I due Marescialli", unfortunately Toto was involved in a conspicuous series of B movies with a very weak and absurd plot. Toto' d'Arabia is not the worse of them, but honestly I have managed to watch it to the end only because I am a big fan of Toto. Toto perform at his best only in a Neapolitan context, where his mimics puns and gestures belong to his cultural background; his best partners are themselves Neapolitan or Roman, such as Peppino De Filippo and Aldo Fabrizi. In the middle of British Secret Services, or dubious Turks and Arabs, he is simply a freak, an oddity, unable to recite from his heart. Too bad that his wonderful talent has been too often squandered this way.
Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
one of the most touching movies I have ever seen
the essence of human life transpires through Johnny's soliloquy. The Sun, the touch of a woman's hand, memories of a past love, this is all what matters for Johnny. This movie is not only a scream of horror against war, a slap in the face of the military cynicism and obsession for rules, discipline and rhetoric.... it's a representation of what really matters in a man's life. The other male characters in the movie, representative of the pro-war establishment, fail to enter in contact with Johnny and consider him not as a person but as a clinical case; only a woman has the sensitivity to pierce the barriers of appearance and communicate with him.
Secondo Ponzio Pilato (1987)
terrible movie but good acting from Nino Manfredi
I have watched this movie because I love Nino Manfredi, but I felt deeply offended by the lack of historical honesty in this movie, which reports the most fabulous inventions about the life of Jesus. Winged angels speaking to humans, Jesus ascending to the sky surrounded by a halo of light, callous roman centurions converting in a wink to the Christian faith...the most outrageous offense to history is the alleged orders of Tiberius ordering the Roman troops to slaughter the Jews because they persuaded Pilate to kill the God-Jesus. Later trial of Pilate by the Romans is never mentioned in any historical account. Miracles performed by Pilate on behalf of Jesus are a simple offense to intelligence.
Fico d'India (1980)
fun is guaranteed with Pozzetto
I am a big fan of Pozzetto and I enjoy his comedies, even when the plot is a bit weak like in "Fico d'India". The movie is about a province Latin Lover, Arrigo, who, among many others, chases Pozzetto's wife. For a series of unlikely events, Arrigo ends up completely paralyzed in Pozzetto's bed. Pozzetto has to take care of him and his tortured by the jealousy. Pozzetto must keep secret the presence of Arrigo in his house. The funny part is when in the village people start to realize that something strange is going on, and gossip about the strange "menage a trois". The movie is enjoyable, although not comparable with "La patata bollente", a true masterpiece.
Babettes gæstebud (1987)
a clash of cultures
Having lived in Denmark, and being of Italian blood, I can understand all too well the clash of cultures between the passionate, enthusiastic, warm-hearted French artists and the stern, depressed, controlled, rigid Danes. "Achille Papin fell in a sort of melancholy, all of a sudden he felt like an old man, at the end of his career".... this is exactly how I felt in this country, without joy, friendship, enthusiasm, communication. I believe that the author of the book, Karen Blixen, having traveled a lot and seen cultures so different from the Danish, finally wanted also to criticize the excessive control, indifference and lack of passion of her own culture.
Un militare e mezzo (1960)
it's difficult to arrive at the end of this movie
despite a decent performance of the great Aldo Fabrizi, and an average performance of the average Renato Rascel, this is a movie that one will hardly remember. Renato Rascel comes back to Italy from USA after 30 years, only to discover that he has to serve the military service. He joins the army under Marshal Aldo Fabrizi, and tries all sort of tricks to escape the service and keep running his commercial business of imported good from USA, while Fabrizi chases him to bring him back to duty. A love story between Rascel's daughter and Fabrizi's son bring the two in a closer friendship. The only relevant fact in this movie is the presence of Mario Girotti who will later become very famous as Terence Hill.
Tototarzan (1950)
possibly the worst Toto' movie I have ever seen
I am a big fan of Toto' and I have seen almost all of his movies.
I accept the fact that most of his movies have a weak plot, because the sheer presence of Toto' with his brilliant acting makes them worth to be viewed.
Well, Toto Tarzan is probably the only movie where not only the plot is inconsistent and silly, but also Toto acting is really pathetic.
The first half of the movie is about Toto-Tarzan landing in the middle of the "civilized" world from the forest. A few ridiculous gags in the company of a poorly disguised monkey.
The second half sees Toto in the army, in a series of highly unrealistic adventures.
I can't remember a single episode worth to be watched.
Lion of the Desert (1980)
Still banned in Italy
The movie, although not a masterpiece, is quite realistic and historically accurate, actually it shows only a very small part of the ruthless brutality used by General Graziani against the civilian population. Some 120.000 civilians were killed in concentration camps in the attempt to quench the resistance. Graziani served only 2 years imprisonment for his crimes after the fall of Fascism, and later became honorary president of the (legal) neo-fascist party. This movie is still banned in Italy, and still recently the Italian Secret Services have prevented its official projection. The majority of Italians, even the anti-fascists, are still persuaded that our troops went to Lybia to build roads hospitals and bridges. It should not surprise that recently the former Prime Minister Berlusconi said that Mussolini never did any harm to anybody - probably not considering some hundred thousands Lybians casualties. Italians love to imagine their soldiers fraternizing with the locals and helping farmers in the fields - sadly the reality of war is quite different.
Mussolini ultimo atto (1974)
excellent portrait of the real Mussolini
This is a great movie showing what a histrionic character and opportunist Mussolini was, double crossing until the end between the Italians, the Germans and the British, worried only about himself and not caring about the devastation he brought in his country and trying to escape to Switzerland where to live a comfortable life. Well depicted also his emotional life with her lover Petacci - which probably he exploited to the end for her devotion and total love. I was sorry that the story of the documents he was carrying with him, with all the letters exchanged with Churchill - and that would compromise Churchill if brought to the public - was totally ignored - probably too delicate a topic to be dealt with in this kind of commercial movies.