NADA'S FREE MONTHLY MOVIE SCREENINGS
Here is a little list for all you movie lovers - if you've missed the screening of the following movies, it's good to know that most of them can be rented from Blockbuster's or Netflix, but some of them are really hard to find, and you may just have to buy a copy from Amazon.com if you really want to see them in the comfort of your own home. If you'd like to attend group movie screenings at the Dilworth Playhouse Cafe', please click here for the schedule.
Il Mostro - (The Monster) 1994, Directed by Roberto Benigni.
This movie will have you cry from all the laughs! A sex-crazed serial killer is on the loose and has already killed a dozen women. When the goofy Loris (Benigni) is mistaken for the killer and the local police launch a 24-hour surveillance of his crazy life, the laughs begin and never end. Benigni's real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi, stars in this one as well as a police officer who goes undercover to catch him in the act. She sublets (il egally) his apartment and moves in with him to try to entice him into his sexual psychosis.
Pane e Tulipani - (Bread & Tulips).
If you've been to Venice, this film will make you nostalgic because it captures the charm of the back streets, narrow passageways, and low noise volume of Venice. It has, at times, good-natured, laugh-out-loud humor, but also a serious, dramatic side that will leave you thinking. It's the story of a woman who is tired of being a taken-for-granted housewife, and decides to go after her desires, which she didn't even know she had. And the story of a man whose suicidal feelings get turned around by this stranger woman who literally conquers his life... don't miss it!
La Finestra di Fronte - (Facing Windows) - 2004, Directed by Verzan Ozpetek.
Feeling overwhelmed and stuck in a dull marriage, Giovanna begins refocusing her attention (or repressing her emotions) by caring for the Jewish Holocaust survivor her husband brings home one day, who he has found wandering the city streets under total amnesia. As Giovanna reflects on her life, she turns to the man who lives across from her and whose window faces hers.
Divorzio all'italiana - (Divorce, Italian Style) - 1961, Directed by Pietro Germi
Marcello Mastroianni stars as Ferdinando, a self-centered Sicilian nobleman who's facing a midlife crisis and has lost all romantic interest in his wife. But there's no divorce in 1960s Italy, so Ferdinando devises an elaborate scheme for another man to seduce his wife -- which would, under Italian law, allow him to kill her with impunity in defense of his honor. Highlights include the fantasy murders Ferdinando imagines as he pursues his goal.
La Vita e' Bella - (Life Is Beautiful)- 1997, Directed by Roberto Benigni.
An Academy-Award winner. In this poignant tragicomedy, a clever Jewish-Italian waiter named Guido (Roberto Benigni, who won an Oscar for his role) is sent to a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, along with his wife (Nicoletta Braschi) and their young son (Giorgio Cantarini). Refusing to give up hope, Guido tries to protect his son's innocence by pretending that their imprisonment is an elaborate game, with the grand prize being a tank. A true masterpiece & absolute must-see!
Mediterraneo - (Mediterraneo) - 1991, Directed by Gabriele Salvatores.
Greek Sea, World War II. An Italian ship leaves a handful of soldiers in a little island; their mission is to spot enemy ships and to hold the island in case of attack. The village of the island seems abandoned and there isn't a single enemy in sight, so the soldiers begin to relax a little. Actually, the island isn't deserted and when the Greeks understand that those Italians are harmless, they came out of their hiding places and continue their peaceful lives. Soon the soldiers discover that being left behind in a God-forgotten Greek island isn't such a bad thing, after all...
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso - (Cinema Paradiso) - 1988, Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.
This Academy Award winner is a sentimental tribute to moviegoing of days past is a must-see for all who love classics.Spanning three stages of a man's life, Cinema Paradiso tracks the friendship between a boy, Salvatore, and the cinema projectionist, Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), who inspired him to become a film director. It is rated R for mild sexual scenes.
Manuale D'Amore - (Love Manual) - 2005, Directed by Giovanni Veronesi.
A funny, heart-warming movie that talks about the 4 stages of every love relationship: infatuation, conflict, betrayal, and abandonment. We live these stages through 4 different relationships taking place in Rome. A fun romantic-comedy that takes you through the ups and downs of experiences common to all of us at some point in life.
Io non ho Paura - (I'm not scared) - 2003, Directed by Gabriele Salvatores.
A drama with the main character Michele, a 10-year-old boy growing up in a southern Italian village, who discovers another youngster, Filippo, chained up inside a small hole dug in the yard of an abandoned house. Michele soon learns from watching the news that the boy has been kidnapped ... and things take an even darker turn when he realizes his own parents may be involved.
Polvere di Stelle - (Stardust) - 1973, Directed by Alberto Sordi.
Showgirl Dea Dani and comedian Mimmo Adami are leaders of a b-class theater company in 1943. Even though there is a war going on, they pursue a show tour in Southern Italy, which has just been liberated by allied forces. Eager to please and impress the American military, and hoping that this would lead to "making it" in Hollywood, the ambitious theater company sets up a broadway-style show during a time of general uncertainty. A tragicomedy showing hope during hard times.
