Italy – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Porco Rosso (1992)

November 30, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, FantasyTagged 1930s, Action, adventure, animation, Anime, Drama, family, Fantasy, Hayao Miyazaki, Italy, Japanese, Michael Keaton, war, WWILeave a comment

In classic Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke) style, this Japanese anime perfectly captures the spirit of adventure and freedom that permeates throughout it.

Set in the skies above a 1930s Italian coast, a WWI veteran pilot makes a living in his sea plane as a bounty hunter, taking down air pirates. His name is Marco Rosso and he was cursed to look like a pig.

Definitely family friendly, but with hidden depths that might have made me cry. There’s humour, there’s romance, there’s a sense of history and the dubbed version even has the voice of Michael Keaton.

100 Word Review – Life Is Beautiful (1997)

May 14, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Comedy, Drama, holocaust, Italy, Oscar, Roberto Benigni, war, WWIILeave a comment

Well aware that I sound like a sports commentator, this really is a film of two halves.

Set in Italy in the build-up to WWII, a Jewish man falls in love, starts a family and uses his imagination in an attempt to shield them from the harsh realities.

Roberto Benigni co-wrote, directed and starred in this moving and emotionally draining portrayal of world events on a personal scale. It is at moments hilarious, the first half is full of Chaplin-esque humour. The second half is…

Just watch it. You will laugh, and you will cry.

Here’s Benigni receiving his Oscar: