italian http://www.cinemaroll.com/tags/italian New posts about italian Gomorra: Raw and Gritty And...confusing! http://www.cinemaroll.com/Drama/Gomorra-Raw-and-Gritty-Andconfusing.329497 If, like me, you are going to see Gomorra without having read Roberto Saviano's real-life account of the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra, you will no doubt spend a great deal of your 2+ hours wondering what the hell is going on! As a gritty crime drama, the film is fantastic, as it interweaves stories of those living in and around a dilapidated block of flats and their attempts to simply survive the violent way of life which they are confronted with on a daily basis. The use of hand-held cameras lends an air of intense realism to the piece, to the point where at time you wonder if it is in fact a documentary and not a fiction film. This sense of realism is also aided by what, on the whole, is an exceptionally talented cast, who really make you care for these characters as they struggle with difficult choices in a world where they don't have a lot of options. As an exposé of the Camorra itself, however, Gomorra does little to inform the viewer of the reasons behind the 'warring' which the characters engage in, or why, for instance, Don Chiro delivers money to various families in the neighbourhood. The corruption and violence of the lifestyle in this region is clear, but we are not helped to understand the reasons for this. The film is wrapped up with a series of inter titles which do help to fill in the gaps a little, but I couldn't help but feel that these would have been far more useful had they come at the beginning of the film. If I can say one good thing about Gomorra, it is that it definitely made me think, but perhaps a little too much!

]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:14:44 PST Just When I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back in http://www.cinemaroll.com/Cinemarolling/Just-When-I-Thought-I-Was-Out-They-Pull-Me-Back-in.206173 "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in". This was one of Al Pacino's most memorable quotes from the film Godfather III, where he continued to play the role of Michael Corleone -- just like in the two previous Godfather films. He (Corleone, or Pacino or whatever) was a Mafia boss. No, erase that. Michael Corleone was the head of all Mafia bosses, and ruled the world of organized crime. But like majority of major characters surrounded by an evil world, the third Godfather film portrayed a Michael Corleone trying to withdraw from the dark lifestyle of the Mafia underworld and attempts to legitimize all his illegally acquired enterprises. But guess what? Just when he thought he was out, his peers and colleagues prevented "the bad guy from turning good" and plunged him back to old time Italian gangster treachery and violence.

Here's the famous scene from the Godfather III:

The Godfather trilogy became a classic and the "Michael Jordan" of films related to organized crime, the Mafia, and Italian gangsters. Somehow, Mafia flicks begun to multiply and become commonplace during the next three decades following the first Godfather film (which was first released in 1972). Some examples are The Untouchables, Donnie Brasco, and Goodfellas. There are so many films like these, and many film critics say: "We've had enough of these Mafia films!!"

Well, just when we thought Mafia stories are out, they pull it back in. This time Mafia stories hit the TV industry. In the early 2000's, the TV series "The Sopranos" revived the savour of the Italian gangster underworld. This time it was not a Michael Corleone who made it all come to life, but a Tony Soprano and a family more adjusted to modern American lifetlye. Times have changed: No more elaborate Sicilian parties, or Nino Rota's waltzes. Instead, we see characters dealing with more serious challenges in the modern world, enjoying the benefits of mass media, and the ownership of a gangster bar called Bada Bing, where moral standards are more wicked than that of their forefathers. Strangely though, the Golden Ages of the Mafia underworld are long gone, but the Italian ganglords in The Sopranos are counting a whole lot of money more than ever.

And this time, it's no longer Al Pacino a.k.a Michael Corleone who recites the famous line (just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in), but an interesting character named Sylvio Dante who looks surprisingly similar to Pacino during younger years. You decide if this scene from "The Sopranos" give justice to the classic "Godfather" movie:

]]> Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:39:51 PST Romanzo Criminale http://www.cinemaroll.com/Action/Romanzo-Criminale-.50882 Amidst their progress, which, takes place over twenty-five years, is the intertwined criminal history of Modern Italy. Kidnappings, terrorist attacks and government corruption are just some of the central events surrounding the ruthless and highly organized gang, as they become Rome's most inexorable, cut-throat family.

During these twenty-five years, Police Lieutenant Scialoia follows the mob in an attempt to bring them to justice, despite their numerous evasions with prison, thanks to ties with the Italian Intelligence Services.

The cast boasts terrific performances, particularly Pierfranesco Favino as Ringleader "The Lebanese," and Anne Mouglalis as a modern day femme fatale, expediently balancing the right amount of danger and desirability.

An Italian GoodFellas meets gangster Pulp Fiction in this first rate mobster movie.

  • Director: Michele Placido
  • Starring: Pierfranesco Favino, Anne Mouglalis
  • 4/5 Faye Lewis

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