Movies
Chacun Son Cinéma
Two decades ago this was a major release, but I never bothered with it. I finally caved, but watching it now it's pretty baffling that this made such big waves. Sure enough, it's a pretty dramatic film that deals with a rather tough subject without getting too sentimental, but other than that it's pretty dreary. Giovanni is a psychoanalyst who listens to other people's problems all day. At home, he finds peace with his family. When he has to cancel a run with his son to deal with a patient, his son goes scuba diving instead. When Giovanni returns, terrible news is awaiting him and his family. The film deals with the grief of the family and does so in a rather subdued manner. The performances aren't that great though, the cinematography is dull and the soundtrack is very plain. It almost feels like a TV film, only the subject matter is handled with a bit more class. Not impressed.Read all
Nanni Moretti doing Nanni Moretti. Three shorter vignettes presented as a diary, though you could just as well consider it a regular anthology, as the three parts don't actually overlap. Moretti hinges his entire film on a light, slightly peculiar sense of humor, which didn't do anything for me, I'm afraid. In the first short, Moretti drives around Rome on a Vespa, commenting on what he sees, while also indulging in random thoughts. In the second short he travels to the Aeolian Islands, hoping to find some peace and quiet (but not finding it at all), in the final short he has to deal with a nasty itch that won't leave him alone. The direction is extremely bland, the comedy is an acquired taste and Moretti's performance wasn't very appealing. I can see how some people would find this film amusing, but it left me cold all the way through. At least it was split up in three different parts, which saved it from complete and utter dullness.Read all