Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

9/10 In the modern world mobile phones are the keepers of our most private thoughts. What would happ en if the contents of our mind were exposed for the world to see? During a dinner party seven friends decide to play a game: for the duration of one evening they would give up their mobile phones. Every message and every phone call is no longer private.  They could read each other’s texts and listen to each other’s conversation. Do they have anything to hide? And if they do, how bad would the damage be? We are all used to light hearted Italian farce, but PERFECT STRANGERS delves into dangerous territory  when the humorous brushes with the sad and even the tragic. Set during an eclipse of the moon, this is a night of revelations, that points out exactly what each character is capable of. The snappy, quick-witted dialogue carries the movie forward. It is a w ell-acted, addictive film, that delivers plenty of surprises along the way. PERFECT STRANGER...

8/10 In 17 th century Italian convent a nun is accused of interacting with Satan when her priest lover commits suicide. Priest’s brother Federico comes to the convent to plead for his brother not to be ostracized and not to be buried on a donkey cemetery, where the suicide victims end up. His only chance is for the accused nun, Benedetta, to confess she had a pact with Satan to mislead his brother. As Benedetta goes through medieval   trials Federico struggles with his own passion towards the fallen nun. Is there a way for him to escape the seduction of flesh? Flash forward to modern times, the same town, the same church is now a derelict building where a mysterious old man called Count Basta is hiding. He had disappeared from sight eight years ago, and now thought to be a vampire, only coming out at night. When his home is under threat of being sold to a wealthy Russian businessman, he is forced to come out to sort out this problem. What he sees is the world he s...

5/5 The conflict between two brothers, one - an idealistic surgeon and the other - a ruthless lawyer, escalates to a point of no return when when their children commit a heinous crime. Based on a bestselling novel "OUR BOYS" the film's premise is even more shocking, as the script re-writes the original premise and turns one of the teenagers into a girl. THE DINNER seems deceptively lighthearted for approximately the half time of its run, and starts gradually growing darker giving us a sudden and shocking conclusion. The script is precise and concise and gives away just enough information about the characters to make your you mind and then turns it all upside down. Cinematography is simple enough, with all focus on the performances and the story. The film raises interesting argument about what it really means to be true to one's values and how everything changes when the dilemma has a personal touch. Don't expect an easy viewing. You ...

3/5 After having a successful career overseas, beautiful and talented architect Selena feels nostalgic and decides to return to her home country, Italy. But the only job she can find is in a restaurant. There she meets Francesco, who she instantly falls for, but to her dismay it does not share her feelings. Things get complicated when Selena poses as a man to get a job at a company that has prejudices against women. To help her to get away with the deceit she asks help from Francesco. In exchange she offers  to help him to reconcile with his son. A hilarious comedy of errors awaits. DO YOU SEE ME takes some time to get going, but once it introduces the main plot points it will take you on a wild ride. It has all the elements of a great comedy. It is funny enough, it's original, it has its dramatic moments and gives just enough clever commentary on the social issues to be considered clever. On the downside it has an uneven tone and the parts of it feel disjoi...

5/5 It's a testing time in Margherita's life. She had just broken up with her boyfriend, there are endless problems on the set of her new movie, her daughter doesn't want to study, and on top of all her mother is dying in the hospital. What lessons, if any, are in store for Margherita, as she battles her way through this life crisis. MIA MADRE is a slice of life movie, that echoes Fellini's "8 1/2". While it draws a lot of inspiration from that film, the movie tells its own, very personal story.    Director Nanni Moretti mixes dreamlike sequences with a daily routine, which  creates a unique style, it sucks you in from the very beginning. John Torturro is a welcome presence with his larger than life character Barry Huggins - an unfortunate Hollywood star that wrecks havoc on Margherita's shoot. But any comedy is quickly absorbed by sadness of Margherita's brother Giovanni, played by the director Nanni Moretti himself. His well ...

4 1/2 /5 Dimitrio Perez is a low ranking lawyer who had lost his way in life. His job is a dead end, his wife had left him and his daughter is dating a gangster. A chance encounter with the band of thugs on the street, when his life is threatened, makes him re-think his existence and accept a deal from a mob man he is defending. This deal is supposed to be the solution to all his problems, but he needs to be one step ahead of of his adversaries. And for a man who had never made a single risky decision in his life it may be just too much to bear. PEREZ is a modern slow burning noir, unpredictable both in character and plot department. Italian mega star Luca Zingaretti is brilliant as a reserved and broken man who has nothing left to lose. The plot puts his character into an impossible situation, and makes him crawl out of it by sheer planning, plotting, improvisation and keeping his head cool. Saying that, PEREZ is not full of action. The story develops slowly but gradu...

2 1/5 /5 Ermanno and Giacomo are two friends and partners in a small furniture business. As their finances are running dry threatening the closure of the factory an incredible thing occurs - they discover the the oil on their backyard. To put the oil on a production rails requires a significant investment of money and effort, and the two old friends go head to head when their opinions on what to do with the grand discovery differ. What will win, the honest stubbornness or practicality? There are films that are not intended for an international market and PARTLY CLOUDY is one of those films. Oriented mainly for the family viewing it includes animation sequences that are too unoriginal to attract younger viewers while the two middle aged men arguing over the oil does not make an intensive enough experience for an older audience either. Even the charisma of the ever popular  Luca Zingsretti in the role of Giacomo is somehow inefficient in this well written, but weakly...

4/5 In a kingdom far far away a mad queen is ready to sacrifice everything to get pregnant. A lustful prince is loosing his mind hearing the song of a woman and falls madly in love with her. And a young princess becomes a victim of her father's obsession with a gigantic flea. It is not easy to describe the plot of TALE OF TALES. Based on the fairy tales by Neapolitan poet Giambattista Basile, who earlier than Brothers Grimm introduced the wider reader to such stories as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, the movie switches effortlessly from one narrative to the other, plunging us into the world of violence and sacrifice in the name of love.  The three stories that the director Matteo Garrone had chosen for his film is not for the faint hearted. Boasting some grand visuals, creepy practical effects and impressive international cast, this film is as original as a modern fantasy could be. The plots has a dream-like logic and does not shy away from a straightforward h...

2/5 Vitoria is a beautiful and strong willed magistrate who is determined to singlehandedly take on Calabrian mafia. Trying to appeal to the wives of the mafioso bosses she is looking for an accomplice to stop the senseless killing of the young apprentices - the mafia sons. In fact, this seems to be the main focus of her quest - to protect the children whatever the cost, even if it means to take them away from their mothers. LAND OF SAINTS is  well photographed and  has a few good performances, but the weak screenplay undermines the efforts of delivering a sensitive drama. The credibility of many scenes and dialogues is in question, and the central protagonist Victoria is the least real person in the story. We know very little about her, and the reason for her determination, or rather - borderline craziness, is never explained. So she hardly seems like a real person - just a catalyst inserted into the story to carry it forward. Valeria Solarino, as Victoria, i...

4/5 Guido takes it very hard when his wife leaves him for another man, but things quickly turn around when a young and extremely beautiful Silvia is moving in next door. Guido falls head over heels, but is Silvia just too good to be real? Meanwhile, unbeknown to him, another woman is seeking Guido's affection. Things get complicated when Guido’s friend finds out about Silvia something that can threaten the relationship. And to top it all, Guido’s parents arrive to Napoli to see his son’s bride. A comedy of errors insures. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE is a twist of the classical tale DONNA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS, and deals with the dramas of middle aged loves and broken ideals we all have to face. The lead Claudio Bisio as Guido is as charismatic as he is entertaining. He has the perfect timing with his jokes and gradually turns what could be seen as grotesque and ridiculous into something endearing. But the real gems of the film are Guido’s parents. The...

3 1/2 /5 Once upon a time there were three brothers, two were evil one was good. The evil brothers were in the mafia, smuggling drugs and living as riches. The good brother was a shepherd and lived peacefully in their family home. The good brother had a son, who wanted to be a gangster too. Will his decision lead to the family's undoing? BLACK SOULS has a set up of a dark fairy tale, but the film produced has authentic and raw feel about it.  While the story plays out as classic tragedy, the value of the film is in the details. We get a clear idea how close this mafioso family is to their roots and of their values and lifestyle. The settings stripped of glamour, with most of the film taking place in a remote village - a family home of the characters. There's nothing new in the basic ideas of the film: Violence gives birth to violence, the sins of the fathers are carried on by their sons. There's also some dwellings about fate and that only the most radical w...

* * * * * A wealthy woman in search for fulfilment. A greedy man in search for easy profit. A young girl who had fallen in love for the first time. And a lone bicyclist is pushed off the road and left for dead. The story features three chapters, each retelling the same events from the point of view of one character. A clever reflection on Italian society, with its top notch performances, HUMAN CAPITAL never falters. It's is both story and character driven and is full of details that keep the key to the ending. The revelations are never over the top, unlike many films of thriller genre these days everything is kept real. We get a glimpse of different worlds of modern Italy: a Middle class, an art community, those who are at the bottom and at the very top, but keeping the balance all the way. HUMAN CAPITAL is thought provoking, dramatic and unpredictable. A near perfect movie experience.   In the society where a kiss, a lie and an expression of love can...