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Rome, Open City, a review by Rich

flit through beautiful italy



Title: Rome, Open City

Runtime:103
Certificate:12
Year:1945
Genres:War, Drama

Plot:One of the greatest foreign language films ever made, Roberto Rossellini's 'Rome, Open City' was filmed in the direct aftermath of World War II on the war-ravaged streets of Italy. Shunning Hollywood gloss and glamour, this frank tale is set against the backdrop of extreme conditions, and characterises neorealism's principal traits - natural lighting, handheld camerawork and a cast composed largely of non-actors.
Due to the scarcities of war, scraps of film acquired from photographers had to be used, giving the film a uniquely gritty style. Now digitally restored, Rossellini's masterpiece appears as never before.
Based on real events that took place in Nazi-occupied Italy in 1944, it examines the choices that people are forced to make in wartime. Centring on the Resistance and its members, this is a tragic and emotional exploration of human spirit and the effects of war.
My Review:
Cinematic history, slightly depressing content but with an underlying hopeful message. Probably to scholarly for my own tastes


(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on January 11th, 2008)

Bad Lieutenant, a review by Achim

Title: Bad Lieutenant
Year: 1992
Director: Abel Ferrara
Rating: NC-17
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Harvey Keitel
Brian McElroy
Frankie Acciarito
Peggy Gormley
Stella Keitel
Victor Argo

Plot:
He has survived on the streets for twenty years. He's a gambler... a thief... a junkie... a killer and a cop. Now he's investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth his self-destructive past is closing in. Harvey Keitel gives a searing performance as an out-of-control police detective on a collision course with disaster in director Abel Ferrara's brilliant and deeply disturbing melodrama.

Extras:
Scene Access
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

The cover pretty much says it all already! It's a film about a cop who lost his path (assuming he used to have it) and is going down the wrong lane way too fast. Only once do we see him try to do actual police work, but at that point it seems already too late and the results he gets confuse him more than they help the case (not sure why the cover doesn't say it, I think it's no secret that a nun gets raped).

Keitel is a great fit for the role of the Bad Lieutenant, who curses like a dock worker (even in front of his young kids; pre-teens...?), takes drugs as soon as his kids leave the car to go to school and is more concerned about his gambling than catching a thug who does hos stealing right in front of him. The films theme seems to be faith, with Keitel's character's faith in his baseball team failing him bitterly and the nun's faith helping her to forgive the guys who attacked her. This is a Ferrara film, so the violence incl. the rape are quite in your face, which helps to give the film its tone.

This is not a popcorn film, but a great watch when you are in the mood for something with a doomed main character (some may call this a spoiler, but I found this to be inevitable right from the start).

I specifically added Victor Argo to the above cast list because he is just great anytime I see him. But besides him, this film is riddled with great faces which give the piece a nice authenticity.



(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 9th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Season One (1990/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Shout! Factory (United States) Length: 598 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
For most teenagers, high school is filled with obstacles nearly impossible to traverse. But then there's Parker Lewis (Corin Nemec, Stargate SG-1), the one teenager able to overcome any barrier with the use of his wits and the help of his best buds, rock 'n' roller Mikey (William Jayne) and their quintessential nerd assistant Jerry (Troy Slaten). Of course, that doesn't mean Principal Grace Musso (Melanie Chartoff) will give up her attempts to foil the Buds' plans to maintain total coolness!

With smart writing, a unique style, an amazing supporting cast including Abraham Benrubi (ERParker Lewis Can't Lose
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Lon Diamond (Writer), Clyde Phillips (Created By), Clyde Phillips (Writer)
Director: Thom Eberhardt
Cast

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 24th, 2012)