Darts & Flowers

Spanning from the dawning to the publication of "Sex", it's in my opinion a very interesting documentary depicting the early years of the one and only queen of pop. Useless to say, a must see for every Madonna fan (like myself). Mark: 8 / 10

More than three decades after the first chapter, this second instalment of the Beetlejuice franchise is undoubtedly watchable, but it deeply lacks sense of rhythm and that sort of sparkle and originality that were the trademarks of the first movie. Good cast, though, with a mention for the fantastic Catherine O'Hara. Mark: 6 / 10

Nice biopic about a very young Bob Dylan, but it lacks depth and doesn't give a clear idea of too many topics related to the great songwriter and musician. Good cast. Mark: 7 / 10

An explosion of titans, monsters, new breeds of gorillas and much more in this chaotic latest rendition of the Godzilla and Kong franchise: a perfect choice if you want to switch off your synapses. Mark: 5 / 10

A pretty unconventional and enjoyable third chapter, with, as usual, a lighter approach and a somewhat moving end to the trilogy dedicated to this anti-hero. Mark: 6.5 / 10

"Sanders may pay tribute to the palette of Miyazaki and to classic Disney animation, but his nihilist reflex gives way to commercial sentimentality, reducing morality to manipulation." - Armond White (National Review). Nothing to add. A disappointment. Period. Mark: 5.5 / 10

Based on the incredible splashdown (with no casualties at all) of a US Airways airliner back in January 2009, it follows the publicity and investigation of the aftermath. Strongly directed by Clint Eastwood, this movie boasts an awesome performance by Tom Hanks. Mark: 7.5 / 10

Based on the real Littlehampton libels, occurred around one hundred years ago in England, it's a very enjoyable black comedy, wisely adapted and with a tremendous cast (Colman and Buckley are simply great). Mark: 7 / 10

Carrying on with Sean Baker's filmography, I decided to recover this products, dating eight years back. The premises are pretty good, but I must say that the development of the story is frankly extreme, especially in the characters building. A good picture, though, with a great performance by Willem Dafoe. Mark: 7 / 10

Being a huge fan of Sean Baker's more than acclaimed "Anora", I decided to look through his filmography and watch everything's available. This movie dates four years back and contains a lot of subjects developed successively. Though a bit slow in the first part, it's a very interesting portrait of borderline human beings, well written and very well acted. Mark: 7.5 / 10

Probably the worst animated feature made by Walt Disney Studios I've seen in my entire life. Period. Mark: 3 / 10

A sequel to the more than decent first instalment, made almost exclusively for box office purposes, since the story is ridiculous and the rhythm is definitely boring. A wasted opportunity. Mark: 5.5 / 10

An extraordinary and heartfelt portrait of Mexico at the beginning of the seventies, shot in black and white, depicting lives and occurrences of an upper middle class family in Mexico City's Colonia Roma, where the director grew up as a child. A great cinematic experience. Mark: 8 / 10

Astoundingly dazzling. A true cinematic masterpiece. A lifetime performance for Michael Keaton, and the rest of the cast is simply awesome. Inarritu's direction is out of this world. More than ten years I've waited to see it, and frankly I don't know why. Mark: 9 / 10

After twelve years from its release, I filled a significant gap watching this super praised film (Academy Award Best Picture winner): undoubtedly a great movie, but with the constant feeling that, even in the most extreme scenes, everything is shot with a sort of visual purity in mind. Stellar cast, with a mention for Fassbender and Nyong'o. Mark: 8 / 10

After more than ten years from its release, I succeeded in watching this movie, strafed by critics and half world audiences. It's not a masterpiece, but leaves its traces here and there. Awesome soundtrack by Rachel Portman, as always. Mark: 6.5 / 10

An experimental storytelling, all centered on the POV technique, is, in my opinion, pretty distracting and tiring, particularly in this heartfelt and terrible vicissitude. An interesting movie to watch, though. Mark: 7 / 10

Written, produced, directed and played by the talented Jesse Eisenberg, it's a subtle movie that eventually carves deep into your heart, with extreme grace and wit. Kieran Culkin is pretty good, but I frankly couldn't understand how he could have deserved an Academy Award for this role. Mark: 8 / 10

If the story is definitely interesting and the cast struggles to make it authentic, the outcome is poor, unnatural and shallow. A wasted opportunity. Mark: 5 / 10

Sometimes hearing without seeing what's around you is way more chilling: that's the case of this very interesting movie and its original and excruciating approach to the meaning of everyday life during the war, next to Auschwitz. In my opinion, a must see. Mark: 8 / 10

Pretentious. Overly theatrical. Unfocused. I'm not a fan of this (inexplicably praised) extremely long story about this (invented) Hungarian architect seeking for inner and professional recognition. And, frankly, both Brody and Jones have delivered better performances. Mark: 5.5 / 10 

"Exercise of style" is often a pretty abused expression to indicate a movie (or else) that is a sort of showoff of the director: in this case, unfortunately, it's totally appropriate. It's not a failure (Silvio Orlando's performance is monumental and the visual aspect is awesome), but Sorrentino's approach, in my opinion, has undertaken an insubstantial direction. Mark: 6.5 / 10

Almost at the same (very high) level of the first chapter, this spectacular sequel has just one (tiny or not, you decide) flaw: despite its running time is around two and a half hour, it lacks something more detailed in the fnal part, when Paul Atreides becomes who is destined to be. Mark: 7.5 / 10

The last scene is worth the whole movie. I guess that's the only thing to say about this sensational film. Mark: 8.5 / 10

From the director of the magnificent "Im Westen nichts Neues", the election of a new pope becomes a sort of thriller where almost nobody could be considered free from blame. Awesome cast and incredible technical presentation. Mark: 8.5 / 10

One of the most awaited Halloween releases of all time, it's a pretty long and somewhat boring adaptation of the Broadway musical. The mise-en-scène is impeccable and the cast is great. It's not enough, though. Mark: 6.5 / 10

Body horror is the genre of this unconventional movie, but in my opinion the depth and intensity of subject and performances goes way beyond that definition. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are phenomenal, and the technical aspect is top notch. Mark: 8 / 10

It's a very enjoyable musical crime (with hints of comedy) film, with an overall "package" without significant flaws, an impressive cast and a pleasant soundtrack. But 13 Academy Award nominees are definitely too many. Mark: 7.5 / 10

An imperfect product, a bit self-referential and sometimes naive, but with and inner strength that, in the end, deeply touches your heart. Incredible cast, with a well deserved mention for Mara Venier and Jasmine Trinca. Mark: 7.5 / 10