I'm stumbling in the dark, groping for the light switch. I drank some terrible port, and my balance is questionable. I fall to the ground with a noisy crash.
Maria Sole Tognazzi's latest drama awakened the interest of many dormant film enthusiasts, looking forward to a rich, heavy atmosphere, led by the stellar cast of Monica Bellucci, Ksenia Rappoport and Pierfrancesco Favino.
"The Man Who Loves (L'uomo che ama)" gives us a dark story, encased in shadows and pain; Roberto is a pharmacist who is unable to sleep despite his luscious silk sheets and neatly trimmed apartment; his life a pale reflection of misery, despite the fact that everything looks right on paper.
His sole hope is his relationship with Sara (Rappoport), a receptionist at a slick hotel, and he pushes the relationship, trying to get Sara to jump to the next level of excitation, free to conduct love and intimacy. Whoa, says Sara, who is reluctant to commit all her horses to this basket, and, it turns out, isn't even that enamoured of Roberto.
Of course, that's not all in store for the hapless audience, who are forced to watch endless repetitions of Roberto walking around, looking forlorn, driving desperately, working without joy. The audience knows there's more, and that's because we're waiting for the arrival of Monica Bellucci, who is the star that drove us to this Sunday night screening.
It's shallow, and a dangerous excuse, but there it is. It's 2009, and I'm still enamoured of Bellucci, whose dark, sultry looks have been enhanced by her age.
In fact, it is this star-billing that ruins "The Man Who Loves". We know Bellucci is due to appear, and we guess at the outcome - when the moment arrives, it's a disappointment.
Truly, both Rappoport and Bellucci are minimally used; these are two actresses that are more than capable of holding up a movie on their own. When used in the backdrop, though, the film is sorely male-centered, with Roberto looking enviously at his gay brother's successful relationship.
Tognazzi's film is one of elegant images, carved perfectly from storyboard images, calculated to convey the sense of loneliness and rejection, augmented by the slick, trendy soundtrack. Why is it so unsatisfying to watch? There's only a scattering of story to witness here, and the rest of the time, we sit impatiently.
Without having read the novel written by Melania Mazzucco, I felt hesitant watching "A Perfect Day (Un giorno perfetto)", as if I was surrounded by one hundred laughing jackals, sneering at my confusion. Who were these characters, and why did they watch glumly from the shadows?
Director Ferzan Özpetek creates a labyrinth of storylines here, some connected, others only tangentially so, and it feels as if the film is striving to create perplexing shadows by telling us very little. We're thrown into the middle of a very hectic day, with a endless stream of characters moping around - Ozpetek gives us no hints, no threads to pull on.
There's a powerful politician, his son, the politician's bodyguard, the ex-wife of the politician's bodyguard, the teacher of the daughter of the ex-wife of the politician's bodyguard - and on it goes. Until it ends, leaving the viewer sitting there thinking, does it all mean something?
Ozpetek clearly knows his technical trade; filming the movie in Rome, he uses the shadows of the cobblestone streets to paint his images. Every interior shot is warm and wonderfully composed, showing a deftness that seems remarkable. The cast is genuinely talented, from Isabella Ferrari playing the battered single mom, to the radiant beauty of Nicole Grimaudo, each attacking their role with relentless temerity.
Where, then, does "A Perfect Day" fail to impress? In his struggle to paint a mysterious, cryptic picture, full of intricacy and depth, Ozpetek left out the details that make his characters endearing. A scene that should carry great weight - the politician sobbing openly in front of his daughter - is dismissed by the lack of detail paid to this character. Why should we care if we've only seen him in brief moments?
Such pretty images, laid to waste by a script that seems formless and indistinct. Here, the shadows obscure the pictures, instead of adding weight and gravity. "A Perfect Day" is an unsatisfying film, forgettable and shapeless.
At night, a crumbling museum guarded by well-meaning, but hapless security guards, stands alone on a deserted street in Chongqing, China. It's the perfect target for thieves, as the flimsy defenses stand to protect an unbelievably rare jade stone on display at the museum.
The irreverent lunacy of "Crazy Stone" is apparent at this moment: the thieves prepare their plans of attack and director Ning Hao lets the soundtrack take over. It's "Dance des cygnes" from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, done by slithering electric guitars with an angry dissonance. As shown in Woody Allen's "Scoop", the playful melody puts the audience at ease, indicating that there's sneakery and trickery afoot - done with disgusting electric instruments, it's irregular and shaky, a moment of pure snort and contempt.
Naturally, the music indicates what we can already guess: the thieves are as incompetent as the guards, and "Crazy Stone" delights us with 90 minutes of floundering around, launching half-baked plans and generally mucking things up.
Western audiences should find "Crazy Stone" amusing enough, although it feels like we've seen this before. Yes! Yes, we have - Guy Ritchie's "Snatch" already tickled us with the idea of useless thieves and things gone wrong, and "Crazy Stone" borrows more tricks from Ritchie's celebrated Mockney feast.
Without any strong female roles in the film, it's completely devoid of any sustained gender commentary; "Crazy Stone" decides, then, to paint a world where men are completely useless. Even the 'Master Thief', hired from Hong Kong, gets amusingly trapped by unfortunate events, allowing the coarse Northern Chinese thieves to play at theft.
The film was an unmitigated success in China, where it made millions, despite only costing $400 000, and had a pleasant reception overseas. This suggests that there might be a flourish of Chinese films to replicate successful Western movies for the domestic market, ensuring the big, big money.
Hopefully, this will progress to the point where there'll be a Chinese remake of "The Departed", and it will do exceedingly well, prompting Chinese studios to make "The Departed 2", which will, ideally, get remade with Will Smith and a talking CGI dog.
"Crazy Stone" is amusing enough, however, and no amount of cynicism on my part should dissuade viewers from seeing the latest Chinese comedy. To his credit, Ning Hao has trimmed away all the excess, leaving the film fast and, some might suggest, even remarkably furious.
I say: A fun movie to watch on DVD, as it's an interesting hybrid of Chinese humour and Western robbery-gone-wrong.
See it for: Guo Tao plays the lead guard, a former police detective, and he sells the entire movie on his performance, allowing the rest of the cast to act like deranged, drunken baboons, which they accomplish with glee. Fun fact: Director Ning Hao also made "Mongolian Ping Pong", similar in sense of comedy, but much less frantic.
While most media about the perils of love focus on the trials of being young, I've come to realize that the most dangerous time in your life is this time, when you're 30.
Sure, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Dazed and Confused" correctly identified the uncertainty and insecurity of high school as being a major defining moment in life, but those are problems quickly left behind. My social issues in high school dissolved the moment I left for University, where the new environment meant that I could shape myself anyway I'd like
An interesting comment thread on Reddit asks the question: what is the worst casting that you've seen in a movie?
One user immediately identifies Halle Berry as Storm in the X-Men movies, and I think we can all agree on that. While Berry may be one of the most attractive actresses plying her perfect skin in Hollywood, the original character of Storm had this heavy edge, with a personality that could turn from understanding to commanding
I've been so used to using my underpowered, simple mobile phone that I've never realized how much power can be contained in these little devices. It's easy enough to fill your pockets with gadgets - music players, pocket computers and mobiles - but that's just weighing me down. And I'm only holding up my pants with a length of electrical tape
Things are getting too busy, and I'm unable to post regularly on 20/20 Filmsight, which has grown quite large. Luckily, Matt Shea and David O'Connell have helped out with reviews and articles, but now, I'm looking for someone to take over the website
Roger Avary's adaptation of the Bret Eston Ellis novel was an audacious move, rejecting parts of the book and daring to film a story about rich, vapid, soulless yuppie kids, with too much money and time on their hands
I started shaving my head back in my old Uni days, giving myself more aerodynamicism when running faster than the speed of light. I look so fast that people get whiplash when I'm sitting down with a bag of Cheetos.
An unexpected side-benefit of having a shaved head is that, ever since Jason Statham started glowering on cinema screens in the UK, people give me a wider berth. They don't know what kind of mental freak I might be, if I'm cranked or transported to the extreme
Matt, no voice over, thankfully... dubbing into English is the most heinous crime of all... was Red Cliff dubbed? Ah... go out of your way to see the original two-part movie!
Rusty - Infernal Affairs is definitely worth buying, and even "The Departed" is fun watching...
David, I quite enjoyed this. I'm glad that Hollywood is exploring the idea of comedy that actually has some contemplation in it - both Sidney and Peter are flawed characters, needing each other to fill a small void in their lives.
The film also succeeds, I thought, by making Zooey to be an interesting character, ignoring the tendency of most 'bromances' to make the women into awful characters.
Comments (2)
Add Comments
Read More
Comment by Cibbuano
on A Perfect Day @ the Sydney Italian Film Festival
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Wilson - the Italian Film Festival is a highlight of the year for me - definitely go check it out!