Excellent Films

****My Mother’s Smile. (2005) Original Title:  L’ora di religione: Il sorriso di mia madre. Haunting film about an atheist’s problems when friends and family members conspire to make his murdered mother a saint. Sergio Castellitto, Jacqueline Lustig. Dir. Marco Bellocchio. (07)

**** Don’t Move (2004) Original title: Non ti muovere. This haunting drama follows a lover’s confusion when his mistress lies dying in a hospital. Sergio Castellitto and Penelope Cruz depict passion in its rawest, truest form. Dir. Sergio Castellitto. (Note: I watched this film in Italian, but it was either shot or dubbed into Spanish as well.) (07)

**** His Secret Life (2003) Original title: Le fate ignoranti.  Beautiful and touching film about the way a man’s wife and gay lover cope with losing him. The strong supporting cast adds layers of understanding as well as comic relief. Marilena Paci, Stefano Accorsi. Dir. Ferzan Ozpetek (07)

**** Uno Bianca. (2001) Police procedural based on the non-fiction account of the notorious Uno bianca squad. For weeks, bank robbers escaping their crime scenes in a white “Uno” eluded every police force that tried to uncover them. This solid, six-hour mini-drama is riveting as we follow Kim Rossi Stuart and Dino Abbrescia on their difficult journey towards justice. Dir. Michele Soavi.  (07)

**** Bread and Tulips (2000) Original title: Pane e tulipane. This lovely romantic comedy sets the underappreciated Rosalba on a tour of self-discovery that takes her to Venice. While she experiences a new city on her own for the first time, she discovers inner strengths she didn’t dream she had, especially when she has to defend herself from the bumbling (and hilarious) detective hired by her husband. Licia Maglietta, Bruno Ganz, Giuseppe Battiston, Marina Massironi. Dir. Silvio Soldini. (00)

**** Harem (1999).Original title: Harem Suare. Strange, beautiful, haunting film directed by Ferzan Ozpetek. Safiye rises to the level of Sultan favorite, but the evil exploits of rivals keep her in constant turmoil despite the help of her faithful companions. Told as a story in a story, the flashbacks enhance the film’s mystic quality. Chiara Colizzi, Massimo Zannola, Serena Michelotti. (08)

**** Steam: The Turkish Bath (1997). Original title: Hamam: Il bagno turco. Frantic with his overly scheduled life, Francisco hardly looks forward to a trip to Istanbul to sell a piece of property left by an eccentric aunt, but the alluring and confusion world he discovers allows him to reflect on his existence and rethink key concepts. This haunting, lyrical film is a sensitive study in the effects of embracing a foreign culture and embracing the possibilities it offers. Alessandro Gassman, Francesca d’Aloja, Halil Ergun, Serif Sezer, Mehmet Gunsur, Basak Koklukaya. Dir. Ferzan Ozpetek. (08)

Quite Good Films

***½  Il mio amico babbo natale (2005) Made for TV. To keep his job as a Santa Claus in this charming children’s fable, Ezechiele has to convince mean Achille Malerba to be a better person. Achille has to hit rock bottom before he can mend his ways, but he gets vital help from an ex-employee and her patient son. Gerry Scotti, Linio Banfi, Vittoria Belvedere, Gianluca Grecchi. Dir. Franco Amurri. (07)

***½ Remember Me, My Love (2003). Original title: Accordati di me. Strong, realistic drama about a writer’s attempts to balance his own emotional happiness with that of his family. Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Laura Morante, Monica Bellucci. Dir. Gabreiele Muccino. (07)

*** ½  Lo migliore della gioventù. Sprawling, realistic six-hour TV series depicting the lives of two brothers during the 60s and 70s.  Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni. Dir. Marco Tullio Giordano. (2 CDs) (07)

***½ Iris Blond (1999). Original title: Sono pazzo di Iris Blond. Charming romantic comedy sets cuckolded musician Romeo on a quest for a better life, but a misinterpretation of a tarot card reading derails him until he finds the love of his life at a fast-food restaurant. When Iris and Romeo start a duo act together, they can’t help getting a little too close. Carlo Verdone (also director), Claudia Gerini. (09)

Good Films

*** L’uomo perfetto (2005). This sweet romantic comedy has a faimilar romantic triangle, but the charming protagonists had me rooting for all of them. When Lucia tries to create a perfect man for her best friend, she falls in love with him herself. Francesca Inaudi, Riccardo Scamarcio, Gabriella Pession, Giampaolo Morelli. Dir. Luca Lucini (08)

*** Caterina in the Big City (2005). Original title:Caterina va in cittá. In this sweet coming of age story, the ideology of Caterina’s father drives the family to Rome. Caterina finds her new classmates bewildering, but she slowly starts to make her way through the social quagmire even as her father gets bogged down in his own. Alice Teghil is charming as the young teen. Sergio Castellitto, Marilena Paci. Dir. Paolo Virzi.

*** Don’t Tell (2005) Original title: La bestia nel cuore. An expectant mother finds that the only way to prepare for her child’s birth is by exercising demons from her childhood. The surrealistic touches are overboard, but the strong supporting cast adds texture. Dir. Cristina Comencini (who wrote the novel on which it’s based). Giovanna Mezzogiorno. Alessio Boni, Stefania Rocca, Angela Finocchiaro, Luigi Lo Cascio. (08)

*** Keys to the House(2004) Original title: Le chiavi di casa. Touching story about an absent father’s struggle to find a way to be a father to his autistic fourteen-year-old. Kim Rossi Stuart, Andrea Rossi. Dir. Gianni Amelio. (07)

*** Milan (2004) Sweet if somewhat predictable story chronicling the Filipino immigrant experience in Italy. When Lino’s wife takes off for Milan after a month of marriage, he follows her trail, vowing to find her. Instead, with the help of fellow immigrant Jenny, he finds a completely different life. Most of the film is in Tagalog, with some Italian. Piolo Pascual, Claudine Barretto. Dir. Olivia M. Lamasan. (07)

*** Ginger and Cinammon. (2003) Original title: Dillo con parole mie. Fun romantic comedy with a luscious Greek setting. It might not be credible, but if you like Mamma Mia, be sure to rent this one. Stefania Montorsi, Giampaolo Morelli. Dir. Daniele Lucchetti. (07)

*** Family Flaw. (2002) Original title: Un difetto di famiglia. When the terms of her will mandate that two estranged brothers accompany their mother to her final resting place, they start by bickering and fighting, but on the long journey from Piemonte to Puglia they begin to compromise. Dir. Alberto Simone. Nino Manfredi and Lino Banfi. (10)

*** Malena.(2000) Sweet story of a prostitute whose jealous rivals try to make her life miserable. Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro. Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore. (07)

*** Starmaker (1995). L’uomo delle stelle. Shyster Joe Morelli convinces poor Sicilians to pay for screen tests with the promise of making them rich Hollywood stars, but Morelli’s lies finally catch up with him. Illuminating, often sad portrait of rural peasants and their desperate longing to escape poverty and the island that entraps them.  Sergio Castellitto, Tiziana Lodato. Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore. (08)