Currently browsing the "Italian" category.

La doppia ora (The Double Hour)

Certified Copy

There are some movies that are nearly impossible to review because to tell the story is to give away (ruin) the experience of watching it. Certified Copy is one of those films. Directed by Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry) and starring the luminous Juliette Binoche who won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her role in this film, it is about the most confusing 106 minutes I have spent in a long time. Not a bad confusion, but a well planned, edge of your seat waiting and wondering when it is all going to make sense confusion. The central question, which pops up about 20 minutes in, has you questioning what is true and what isn’t right up until the end. And in addition to the twisting plot, the film alternates between English, French and Italian.

The American

It’s no big secret that the Chickflix chicks all love George Clooney and not just for his, ahem, acting skills. But rather – perhaps even more so- for his genuine passion and compassion for global justice and humanity. For that reason alone, I urge everyone (over 18) to go see The American to support Clooney… even if this movie does feature a much darker George than we’ve generally come to expect.

I am Love (Io sono l’amore)

Unless you watch a lot of Italian television, you are unlikely to know anyone in this film except for Tilda Swinton. But I have often found that to be a wonderful situation since without stars, you cannot decide as a film goes along who is “important” and so you pay attention to everyone in case they become a key to the story. Clearly Tilda’s character Emma is the center, but all the members of her family and their circle have important parts to play in this involving melodrama.