Giuppi's Movie Reviews

Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady is not a conventional period drama. This is evidenced by the opening scene, set in the present and shot in black and white, in which a group of girls tell each other what they think love is all about. Campion, a sensitive, intelligent director, is not interested in merely adapting Henry James' masterpiece: she is interested in the hearts and the minds of the characters, in the motives behind their actions and in the emotions that trascend the time period and make them akin to us. Though not a huge success when it was released, The Portrait of a Lady is a film that deserves to be revalued and that should be acknowledged for its stunning aesthetic, its impressively accurate depiction of the time period, its rich characterizations and its sharp observation of human desire. The film follows the story of Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman), an American girl who lives at her uncle's estate in England. Men are attracted to her delicate beau...

An elderly woman (Cheng Pei Pei), living in a retirement home, is visited by her son (Andrew Leung). They argue a little, both because he forgot to bring her a CD that she had asked him and because she hates living in that place. Then she tells him about a man she has met and with whom she has been sort of dating, and they tenderly joke about it. Only her son isn't actually there. She's just remembering their last conversation together. Her son is dead. That's the opening scene of Lilting , the debute-feature of British-Cambodian director Hong Khaou who proves himself to be someone to keep an eye on. Lilting is far from perfect, but it's a strong first work that shows the director's sensitive, empathetic touch.  The woman is called Junn and she's played by Cheng in an outstanding performance of remarkable subtlety and grace. And she is matched by Ben Whishaw, who gives an aching, soulful portrayal of Richard, the companion of Junn's late son for fou...

" I am Shiva the destroyer, your harbinger of doom this evening " says Kym Buchman, a recovering drug addict at the rehearsal dinner of her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. And, as played by Anne Hathaway in a volcanic, unhinged performance, she most certainly is. Don't expect anything light-hearted from Rachel Getting Married , Jonathan Demme's slow-burning, quietly bruising and then finally explosive observation on family dynamics, pain and old wounds. Even the comedic moments leave a bitter aftertaste. But it's not a cruel film that enjoys dwelling into despair: it's a film that talks about that despair and  how to grow from there.  The film opens with Kym's release from rehab so that she can attend her sister's wedding. Right from the beginning it's quite clear that the family relationships are strained: her father Paul (Bill Irwin) is warm and caring towards her, but she sees his concern as mistrust; her mother Abby (De...

The raunchy sex scene between Nanni Moretti and Isabella Ferrari has been both a blessing and a curse for Quiet Chaos : a blessing because it sparkled the audience's interest and made the film quite successful at the box office, a curse because most of the discussion around the film ended up focusing on that single scene. But Antonello Grimaldi's film is much more than that - it's an original, delicate and subtle reflection on grief and healing, buoyed by an almost uniformly great ensemble.  Pietro Paladini (Nanni Moretti), the manager of an important network, is at the beach with his brother Carlo (Alessandro Gassmann), a fashion designer. They see two drowning women screaming for help and they come to their rescue. Upon returning home, Pietro realizes that his wife has died unexpectedly. Instead of falling into despair, he finds himself in a sort of "quiet chaos": unsure of what to do with his life, he stops showing up at work and decides to wait all da...

Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster) is an aging former gangster who lives in Atlantic City. He runs numbers in poor areas of the city and he is financially supported by Grace (Kate Reid), the widow of his former boss and a faded beauty queen for whom he acts as a caretaker. Lou is obsessed with Sally (Susan Sarandon), a young waitress who lives in the same building: every morning, he watches her from his window as she rubs herself with lemon juice to get rid of the smell of fish. Sally dreams of becoming a croupier and living in Monte Carlo, but first she has to deal with the unexpected return of her estranged husband Dave (Robert Joy) and her pregnant sister Chrissie (Hollis McLaren), with whom he had ran away. Dave crosses paths with Lou and convinces him to help him sell a large amount of cocaine he had stolen in Philadelphia. But the mobsters are looking for him and they are not far behind. The story of Atlantic City is well-constructed, compelling and captivating - but the plot i...