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Reviews
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Kill an Irishman- Based on a true story but even that is a half-truth
The author of the book in which the movie is based has a unique insight, he's a cop, his family was part of the old "mustache pete" mafia. the book and the movie, demonstrate in realistic detail just how far the Mafia has declined in the post golden era of the 50s and 60's. One Irishman, with the help of an old Mafia associate, showed the world just how incompetent the mob had become in Cleveland and elsewhere. The movie deftly shows that level of incompetence.
Ray Stevenson does a credible job as Irish Danny Green and Vincent D'Onforio is even better as the conflicted John Nardi. Christopher Walken is barely visible as Shonder Burns. Tony Lo Bianco does a great job of a weak, indecisive mob boss who just can't get it right.
The movie is burdened with low production value, but the story is true. And the life they highlight deserves low production value. Anyone who compares this to Goodfellows or the Soprano's is out of touch.
Pranzo di ferragosto (2008)
Pranzo di Ferrogosto
Simple and Beautiful. The story of a bachelor living in Rome with his aged mother. They struggle to make ends meet. Forced to take in three elder ladies to help pay the bills, the couple makes the best of the situation. The new "nuclear" family enjoys the dreaded August heat in Rome by sharing the simple joys of life.
A joy to watch.
True art when someone can make a story like this so memorable. If you tired of the big budget extravaganza films with too many special effects and big time actors and want to get back to the art of film, "Lunch in August" is a perfect alternative. In Italian.
Nuovomondo (2006)
Nuovamondo (Golden Door)
By Crialese is a fabulous look at the trauma encountered by a Sicilian immigrant family coming to the US in 1900. The film goes into more detail with stunning cinematography about the shipboard crossing and Ellis Island; it's like watching a documentary on Ellis Island. (like nothing even the History channel has done) the fixed instant marriages and the physical and psychological exams the immigrants endured. Crialese built an exact replica of the great hall for the film. One fabulous scene in which the Sicilian sheepherder Salvatore Mancuso takes the parts of a puzzle and instead of putting them into a puzzle builds a house with a barn is absolute beautiful. The film is in the Sicilian dialect with English subtitles. It's a must watch for anyone with immigrant roots. A must.