Atlanta's Italian film fest -- my pick: "La Scelta"

Every year I attend the Italian film festival in Atlanta (at the beloved Plaza Theater) and each year I mean to handicap the festival for Italophiles and folks who love Italian film....but half the time, I plan the post without ever writing it.

This year, I'm getting myself organized early, as you can see since it's still a month away.

I don't know how film festivals work but my guess is the answer is: not like Atlanta's Italian film festival. In other words, the movies at this "film festival" are not new (to wit, my recommendation, "La Scelta," came out in Italy in 2015), although they may be looking for foreign distributors.

In some ways, though, that critique is besides the point. The festival is most likely featuring films most of us have not seen. I mean, I love Italian film but don't really get a chance to see many movies, period, much less those from Il Bel Paese.

One other critique I have of the festival is that it now tends to favor comedies oriented around the lowest common denominator (in earlier iterations, it focused more on serious dramas).

Also, there's always a film missing from the lineup. This year, I would say it's "Perfetti Sconosciuti," ("Perfect Strangers") an interesting film about what secrets husbands and wives are hiding on their cell phones (texts from an old boyfriend, say).

OK, but this film appears to be worth seeing, "La Scelta" ("The Choice"), if for no other reason than Raoul Bova is in it. Longtime actor who happens also be bellissimo! Check it out!

More info at the link at the top of this post. See you next month al cinema!

The story of us -- with noodles

Last night, Leo says to Mike over a dinner of spaghetti (which falls under the amorphous category of ‘noodles’): 

“You were in Italy and you were looking for another noodle lover and then you found Mommy.”

He went on, with our encouragement and word suggestions, saying “And then you decided you needed another noodle lover and you had me and now we are three noodle lovers.”

Yup -- that's the story of us, in noodle form.

-30-

When Bell'Italia publishes your letter to the editor

I still can't believe my favorite travel magazine, Bell'Italia, published my little ol' letter to the editor!

The magazine celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and I wrote in to say I was celebrating my 20th anniversary of reading the magazine.

And lest the editors doubt my sincerity, look here and here to see all the times I've gushed over the magazine!

In addition to being a supremely beautiful magazine, Bell'Italia is also incredibly useful. The articles contain fairly detailed itineraries for city walks, hikes, visits to wineries, etc. To anyone wanting to get an idea of where to go in Italy -- even if you don't read Italian -- order yourself a copy online or pick one up when you travel abroad. It's like the ultimate insider's guide -- instructions on visiting places in Italy but... FOR ITALIANS.

Thanks to a fellow Italophile, John of Alpharetta (an Atlanta suburb), for alerting me to the letter!

"Look, Mommy, it's the Mona Lisa!"

Down here in Atlanta, there's a saying you'll hear sometimes.

"It ain't braggin' if you done it."

Well, okay, I didn't do anything but I'll brag a little that when Leo and I went to the Atlanta airport last week, he spotted the advertisement in this photo and yelled out, "Look, Mommy, it's the Mona Lisa!"

Unprompted, and while riding the airport train.

Of course, his name is Leonardo.

And while he, in fact, is Leonardo da Atlanta, he is aware of that other Leonardo.

Whose most famous painting, he'll tell you, is in Paris.

Film: "La Mafia Uccide Solo D'estate" - (starts 5/1)

With less than two weeks to go before I leave for my return trip to Florence, I'm still actively preparing for my reunion with Italy.

And that includes cinema.

Luckily, my trip prep happened smack in the middle of Atlanta's Italian Film Fest.

Not that the film I saw, "La Mafia Uccide Solo D'estate" ("The Mafia Only Kills During The Summer") was granche' (in other words, nothing to write home about, at least not subito). It was middling.

Except for one thing.

Through actual footage from news programs and a deft combination of history and fiction, the movie provides a chilling overview of the Mafia's reign of terror in Sicily, where the film takes place.

It zeroes in on the late 1980s and early 1990s, when some giants who bravely fought the Mafia fell victim to them, chiefly Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. But not only. Generale Dalla Chiesa, the people of Palermo and others also get their this-day-in-history moments.

There's so much we in America don't know about Italian history (while the Italians seem to know everything about us). Someone like Giovanni Falcone, whom I'm come to revere along with most people in Italy, is almost totally unknown here in the US!

It was nice to sit in the theater and see up on the screen some of the events that have shaped modern Italy, for everyone to absorb and consider (even when the topic is so brutal).

It's a truly complex country that's often depicted in American popular culture as simply the birthplace of gondolas and pasta.

And it's not too late to see the movie! The film will be playing for a week, starting tomorrow (May 1) at the Midtown Art Theater.

Spotted at Blue Ridge and Cleburne (ATL)

Buongiorno, right back at you!

Fuggire o sfuggire?

Non so perché ma stamattina sono dovuta controllare il significato di queste due parole (fuggire e sfuggire), le quali uso da sempre.

E mi è sorpresa quando ho scoperto che secondo il vocabolario, hanno lo stesso significato senza la minima sfumatura.

Ma è possibile?

Io avrei detto che si può dire, "La parola mi sfugge," ma non si può dire: "La parola mi fugge."

L'amante di chi?

Ma possibile che il Berlusca venga anche qui ad Atlanta a trovare le showgirl?!

Gelsomina -- finalmente!

Come ho detto altre volte, il profumo di gelsomina è il profumo d'Italia per me!

Basta sentirlo, e comincio a ricordare i bei giorni trascorsi in Italia.

Io non so perché. Cioe', non ricordo dove cresceva quando abitavo in Italia (in pieno centro di Firenze, no, o perlomeno non vicino al mio appartamento.)

Forse cresceva nel paese al mare vicino a Roma dove ho passato l'estate dopo aver preso la laurea.

O magari nel giardino della casa di mia amica, Alex, quando studiavamo a Siena. Abbiamo passato tanti pomeriggi nel giardino a bere il vino e chiacchierare.

Non so! Ma mi fa impazzire, forse perché ricordare mi fa impazzire. Provare la nostalgia è per me un piacere, anche se a volte diventa un'ossessione.

-30-

Delusione (Disappointment)

I went to see "Lezioni Di Cioccolato" last night as part of the Italian Film Festival in Atlanta, and as I should have expected, it was a profound disappointment.

Unfortunately Friday night was the only night I could attend -- likely a common scenario for many busy Atlanta residents the annual film fest might want to otherwise attract.

But I don't even know why you would bother projecting the film outside of Italy.

It was your typical stupid romantic comedy. Note, Italians know how to make good romantic comedies. Why not show those? Why not find the latest version of something like Pieraccioni's "I Laureati"?

I think people expect more from a foreign film festival than an Adam Sandler-level comedy (and I don't mean "The Wedding Singer"; he's stopped making movies as good as that). This one didn't even feature Italian film stars of that magnitude!

Regrettably, I worry it's a trend. Last year, I wound up going to see "Gli Immaturi," another film in this vein of forgettable, poorly-executed romantic comedies. I believe they showed it twice!

In past years, they've shown serious films such as "Il papà di Giovanna" with the accomplished Italian actor, Silvio Orlandi.

Why hasn't the film festival shown a movie like "La Doppia Ora"? I had to go see it on my own when it came to Atlanta, but I'm sure even many Italophiles missed it and it could have made a nice addition to the film festival any of the past years (since the festival doesn't seem to showcase the latest releases, something that also seems surprising).

I so want to patronize Italian culture here in Atlanta, and I've been a big supporter of the film festival. But I'm really disappointed with the trend of uninspiring films that seem to take center stage at this festival.

And I think from a marketing standpoint, it makes no sense. You'll get the serious cinema-goer if you show important films. You'll get the casual movie consumer if you show broad blockbuster comedies.

But you won't get anyone if instead you show lackluster films like "Lezioni Di Cioccolato."

I should probably add a personal note: I so look forward to the film festival each year! I want to see Italian cinema, I want to practice my Italian, I want to exercise the 'Italian part' of my brain! I want to catch up on where the Italian film industry is headed, etc.

And now that I'm a mom, I was thrilled to see the festival fell during a week when my daycare offers a Parents Night Out babysitting option. I felt like it was fate! But I essentially wasted a night of babysitting, a night out with my partner, a night of freedom on something so disappointing.

Thank God for the Standard in Grant Park, which gave me a glass of wine to enjoy on the patio with the brilliant late afternoon sun, and Miso, which as always provided a wonderful meal of sushi and izakaya specialties for dinner!

Atlanta Italian Film Fest -- "Lezioni Di Cioccolato"

I'm headed tonight to see "Lezioni Di Cioccolato" at the Plaza Theater as part of the 7th annual Italian Film Festival in Atlanta.

Vieni anche tu!

Vino per le mamme

Ho comprato questa bottiglia di primitivo ad un alimentari nel mio quartiere. Bere un bicchiere di vino puo' essere una piccola pausa ["time-out"] per la mamma!

Un'altra etichetta da considerare, per quanto riguarda i vini primitimo, (ed infatti e' migliore) e' Layer Cake. Ne ho bevuto un bicchiere ieri sera con la cena ed era buona anche se ha un nome insolito per i vini italiani.

Regali insoliti dall'Italia

Il Nostro Inviato è appena tornato dall'Italia e come al solito ha riportato dei bei regali e ricordini per me. Potete vedere nella foto: una confezione di caffe, una bottiglia di vino, una scatola di riso. Insomma, le solite cose. E poi ha comprato questi due libri.....

Eh ragazzi, è vero: sono incinta di quasi 8 mesi! Fra poco un'altro americano comincierà ad imparare quant'è bella la cultura italiana e quant'è sana mangiare all'italiano e quant'è appagante conoscere la lingua italiana (e la gente italiana).

Profumo d'Italia?

I've been begging Il Nostro Inviato to plant the flower you see in the photo since we returned to Atlanta nearly four years ago. In fact just about this time four years ago, I came to visit Atlanta to look at houses and begin figuring out my second tour of duty in the City In A Forest. And this flower -- jasmine -- was blooming and the scent was overwhelming and everywhere and it made me think of one thing and one thing only: Italy! For me, it has a similar power to the Italian liqueur, Montenegro: one whiff of that and I'm transported back to Siena, Italy, circa 1993. But I cannot actually recall where I would have seen this flower growing in Italy, in order to internalize its distinct perfume and forever associate it with Il Belpaese.

 

I mean, Siena's historic center has little vegetation, and that goes the same for Florence. Anyway if someone can tell me if this is in fact 'il profumo d'Italia,' I would be grateful. Although, in any event I'm over the moon smelling this lovely jasmine plant, growing on -- and I hope soon taking over -- my front porch.

ATL Italian Film Fest -- my picks

The 6th Annual Atlanta Italian Film Festival starts next week. I published the schedule (see below) and now I'm listing my choices for the top picks. I know it may be hard to get to all of the films so I think these two are your best bets.

1. "20 Sigarette"

(Info courtesy of the Atlanta Italian Film Festival)

20 Sigarette
20 Cigarettes
Director: Aureliano Amadei
April 5th at 6:00 PM

Aureliano is a 28 year old youth with a passion for film. Awaiting his golden opportunity he spends his time as an amateur filmmaker in small Social Centers. His one chance comes from director Stefano Rolla who offers to send him to Iraq as assistant director on a film about the Italian military "peace mission”.




2. "La Bellezza del Somaro"

La Bellezza del Somaro
Love and Slaps
Director: Sergio Castellitto
April 5th at 9:00 PM

A house, a modern family, a group of family friends, a grandmother, a foreign maid, a cross section of our society, a micro world. Parents and children are discovered and rediscovered in the unexpected provocation of a daughter, still a minor for a few weeks.

Italian Film Fest in Atlanta April 5-7

Here's the press release about Georgia State University's Italian Film Fest:

The 6th Annual Atlanta Italian Film Festival in collaboration with the Italian Film Festival of Miami announces all seven films! Please join us as we celebrate the best of contemporary Italian film as well as the beloved classic The Bicycle Thief to be shown on April 7th at 9:00pm.

All films are shown at the Rialto Center for the Arts on the campus of Georgia State University.

The festival is sponsored by The Center for Collaborative and International Arts.

The entire festival is FREE and open to the public.


20 Sigarette
20 Cigarettes
Director: Aureliano Amadei
April 5th at 6:00 PM

Aureliano is a 28 year old youth with a passion for film. Awaiting his golden opportunity he spends his time as an amateur filmmaker in small Social Centers. His one chance comes from director Stefano Rolla who offers to send him to Iraq as assistant director on a film about the Italian military "peace mission”.

La Bellezza del Somaro
Love and Slaps
Director: Sergio Castellitto
April 5th at 9:00 PM

A house, a modern family, a group of family friends, a grandmother, a foreign maid, a cross section of our society, a micro world. Parents and children are discovered and rediscovered in the unexpected provocation of a daughter, still a minor for a few weeks.

Basilicata Coast to Coast
Basilicata Coast to Coast
Director: Rocco Papaleo
April 6th at 6:00 PM

Nicola, Salvatore, Rocco, and Franco were members of a band when they were young but now each one of them has different jobs such as teacher, actor, etc. Sharing their common passion for music, they decide to attend together a music festival held in Southern Italy that will reunite them for the first time in the last ten years.

Matrimoni e Altri Disastri
Weddings and Other
Disasters
Director: Nina Di Majo
April 6th at 9:00 PM

Forty year old Nana runs a small bookstore in Florence. Despite the constant nagging of her well-to-do family, she has no intention of making anything more of her life. As for her sentimental interests, though secretly in love with Bauer a self centered novelist who takes advantage of her feelings to obtain small professional favors, she has pretty much given up on finding her Prince Charming and living happily ever after.

Il Padre e lo Straniero
The Father & the Foreigner
Director: Ricky Tognazzi
April 7th at 4:00 PM

In a Rome with echoes of the Middle East, a friendship develops between two very different men, the Italian Diego and the Arab Walid. The two men bond through the shared love for their disabled sons who both attend the same rehabilitation centre.

Immaturi
The Immature
Director: Paolo Genovese
April 7th at 6:00 PM
Six ex-best friends find each other again on the verge of turning 40 when a notification from the Ministry of Education informs them that their SATs have been voided and they will have to take them again.

Ital film @ GSU Thu - Feb 2

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Toto in the Moon".

If you don't know Toto, get yourself over to the theater. He was an old-school Italian comedic actor who had a touch of Jerry Lewis, Jonathan Winters, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, et al, in him. Very funny!

The film starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The showing is free. Hope to see you there.

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Ital film @ GSU Thu night

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Era Notte A Roma".

That's a 1960 film from the renowned director Roberto Rossellini. The film starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The showing is free. Hope to see you there.

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Ital. film at GSU Thursday night (Nov. 3)

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Come Te Nessuno Mai."

That's a 2000 film from the director Gabriele Muccino. The film starts at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there. The small theater was full last month so get there early. Plus, dear Italophiles, it's free!

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Italian Film Series at GSU (Atlanta)

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, has started an Italian film series.

Yay!

It will show an Italian film on the first Thursday of every month. The series began last week with "Travolti Da Un Insolito Destino Nell'Azzurro Mare D'Agosto" with Giancarlo Giannini.

Next month, the cinema will show "Come Te Nessuno Mai," di Gabriele Muccino.

(There's also a separate series focused on Italian horror directors such as Dario Argento).

It's a great little movie theater. And they even have popcorn! Plus the movies in this series are free. So really, there's no reason NOT to come!

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur)
Atlanta, GA 30303