Roberto Citran Movies
- 2009
This warm, earthy and witty comedy from Italian director Massimo Venier observes the events that befall Matteo (Alessandro Tiberi), a 30-year-old college graduate with a mathematics degree. Equipped with a position in the marketing department of a telecommunications firm, he suddenly learns that the outfit is getting ready to cut back on personnel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alessandro Tiberi, Valentina Lodovini, (more)
- 2009
- PG13
- Add Nine to Queue
From the creative team behind the Oscar-winning Broadway adaptation of Chicago comes a lavish feature take on the Tony award-winning musical inspired by Federico Fellini's whimsical classic 8 1/2. Directed by Rob Marshall, Nine details the effort made by world-class filmmaker Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) in realizing his latest cinematic vision while simultaneously balancing his relationships with the many passionate and influential women in his life, including his mistress, Carla (Penélope Cruz), and wife, Luisa (Marion Cotillard). Original lyricist and composer Maury Yeston serves as co-executive producer for the filmed version of his own 1982 Broadway hit. Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Fergie, and Judi Dench co-star in the Weinstein Co. production. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, (more)
- 2007
Not to be confused with Kiumars Poorahmad's 2007 Iranian feature of the same title, Davide Marengo's Italian-language crime comedy Night Bus (2007) concerns a microchip with potentially damning evidence against a Polish magnate. An ex-secret service agent, Carlo Matera (Ennio Fantastichini), receives an enormous sum of cash from the fellow to bring the chip home, but it falls into the mitts of a cutthroat nightclub owner, Andrea (Ivan Franek). He is hustled, in turn, by the femme fatale at the story's center, Leila (Giovanna Mezzogiorno). She walks off with the dough, and must subsequently evade a host of seedy goons and thugs all clamoring for the funds, meanwhile attempting to use a gullible, gambling-addicted bus driver, Franz (Valerio Mastandrea), for a convenient, cross-country getaway. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Valerio Mastandrea, (more)
- 2007
A pair of teenage classmates known as "Chicken" and "Curry" for the fact that they are virtually inseparable attempt to cover for the fact that they both failed their high school finals by claiming that "Curry" is in the midst of an identity crisis that can only be solved by returning to his homeland of India with his Jewish best friend. While the ruse works wonderfully on the parents of both students, the impromptu journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected detour when "Curry" locates his sister and becomes captivated by the country he first despised, and "Chicken" falls for an older medic working for Doctors Without Borders after entering a synagogue for the first time in his life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Andrea Miglio Risi, (more)
- 2002
Two disparate men become unlikely friends in the Italian comedy-drama Two Friends, directed by theater veterans and first-time feature film directors Spiro Scimone and Francesco Sframeli. Paint factory worker Nunzio (Francesco Sframeli) shares a house with the gruff and mysterious Pino (Spiro Scimone, whose play Nunzio provides the basis for the film), whose frequent traveling piques Nunzio's interest. As Nunzio assaults Pino with numerous questions after each trip, Pino provides brief answers without giving away too much information -- since revealing his occupation as a contract killer would put Nunzio into unnecessary and grave danger. But Pino is forced to do just that when Nunzio becomes ill, forcing the assassin to refuse jobs in order to care for his ailing friend -- and thus endangering both men. Two Friends was included in the International Critics' Week Program at the 2002 Venice Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesco Sframeli, Spiro Scimone, (more)
Enzo Monteleone's World War II drama El Alamein: The Line of Fire is concerned with the life of Italian soldiers. Lieutenant Fiore (Emilio Solfrizzi) leads a group of soldiers stationed in Egypt. The troops, including Sargent Rizzo (Pierfrancesco Favino) and newbie Serra (Paolo Briguglia), are constantly under attack from the British. Eventually the commands from the military hierarchy become indecipherable, and the madness and horror of war overtake the men. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paolo Briguglia, Pierfrancesco Favino, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Carlo Mazzacurati, A Cavallo Della Tigre (Riding the Tiger) is a remake of Luigi Comencini's 1961 film of the same name. It begins in a Milanese parking lot where protagonist Guido (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) falls for Antonella (Paola Cortellesi), who works for a television show. After forming a fast partnership, the two combine wits in order to steal 190,000 dollars in a holdup, but the plan goes horribly askew, and Guido is sent to prison. While in jail, Guido becomes the target of a mean-spirited Turkish convict known among prisoners only as "Tiger" (Tuncel Kurtiz) and his flunkie (Boubker Rafik). When Guido inadvertently finds out about their escape plan, Tiger finds it necessary to have him transferred to his cell, where he can monitor Guido closely enough to ensure that his plans aren't revealed. Due to unforeseen circumstances, however, Guido is forced to escape along with them. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Tuncel Kurtiz, (more)
- 2000
A young man finds that places as well as people can change with the years in this drama from Italy. Tobia (Federico Galante) is a young boy from a wealthy family who is fascinated with the Caffe Quattro Palme, a small, beautifully appointed cafe that caters to a small but loyal clientele of aging individualists. Tobia senses there's something special about the place, and he spends much of his time there, getting to know Giuseppe (Roberto Citran), the head waiter. A decade later, Tobia (now played by (Nicola Russo) still hangs out at the cafe, and he's made the acquaintance of another regular, a lovely young woman named Annetta (Candice Hugo). But with the passage of time, the cafe's old regulars have begun to drift away, and a crowd of young bohemians and vagrants begins to take over, changing the character of the place and leaving Tobia to wonder if he can still call it his own. Tobia Al Caffe was shown in competition at the 2000 Taormina Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Citran, Nicola Russo, (more)
This period drama is based on the real-life relationship of the great Irish novelist James Joyce and his longtime lover, Nora Barnacle. Aspiring writer James (Ewan McGregor) meets Nora (Susan Lynch) in Dublin in 1904. While she lacks James' interest in literature, she shares his frustrations about the limitations of life in Ireland, and she encourages him in both his work and in his desire to try his hand in Europe. Nora also shares James' potent sexual appetite, and James finds himself at once thrilled by her enthusiasm for lovemaking and troubled by suspicions that she may be unfaithful to him. When James decides to relocate to Trieste, Nora joins him, and they eventually have two children together, but their relationship is often stormy -- James angrily suspects that Nora is having affairs with his brother Stanislaus (Peter McDonald) and their close friend Roberto (Roberto Citran) as he struggles with his writing and battles censors over his masterwork, Ulysses. However, while they have troubles keeping their relationship together, they find that it's even harder for them to live apart from one another. Ewan McGregor served as both star and co-producer for Nora, which was backed in part by his production company, Natural Nylon Entertainment. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Citran, Susan Lynch, (more)
- 1997
Two very different Italian women from opposite ends of the country and the Italian economic stratum forge a friendship based on their amorphous longing for something meaningful in their lives. Elena works as a chemical analyst with a cosmetics company in Treviso. It's a good job, and what with a wonderful lover plus a caring ex-husband, Elena has the makings of a fulfilling, happy life. But despite her fortunate circumstances, she is miserable all the time. One day, she has a fender-bender with Anita, a feisty 80 year-old-woman. The two eventually become friends, but then Anita suddenly dies. Elena decides to fly to Anita's southern hometown of Taranto to notify her relatives. It is there that Elena meets grocery-store clerk Maria, a troubled young woman with a brutal husband and a daughter who is losing touch with reality. A strange but strong friendship grows between the women that culminates in their taking a journey to Mont Blanc with Maria's daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1997
In this Swiss-Italian-French co-production, architect Luca (Roberto Citran) goes to the Jewish section of Venice to restore a house where reclusive novelist Elio (Omero Antonutti) lives. When Elio lets Luca read the manuscript of his current novel about a famous composer, Luca begins to imagine himself in the role of the composer. Music by Pino Donaggio who also wrote the film's operatic sequences. Shown at the 1997 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omero Antonutti, Roberto Citran, (more)
Italian chemist turned author Primo Levi was interred at Auschwitz during WW II until 1945. Following his release, he returned to his native Turin and penned the wrenching autobiographical account of life in the concentration camp If This Is a Man. In 1962, he wrote a companion book, The Truce, a chronicle of his hellish nine-month journey from the camp to Turin. Both books are crucial entries in the history of the Holocaust. This careful adaptation of the second book took filmmaker Francesco Rosi 10 years to make. Levi's trek begins when shortly after the Germans leave, four Russian horsemen ride up and tear down the gates of Auschwitz. Levi is quickly aboard one of the first outbound trucks. Over the next few months, he goes to many different countries, and along the way he meets and is befriended by assorted fellow travelers. Through them, his appreciation of life and freedom slowly returns, but with it also comes a deep rage and an abiding guilt at having survived, a guilt that may have led Levi to suicide in 1987. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Turturro, Massimo Ghini, (more)
- 1996
The English title of this complex Italian film is apt. Featuring 65 main characters and 130 speaking parts (famous faces abound and many of the actors appeared gratis), and ranging in tone from tartly humorous to darkly tragic, it presents 30 interwoven slices from the lives of modern day Romans during a single day. The lone, silent figure of a lone jogger provides a sort of continuity between the vignettes. Beginning at sunset of the previous day, the jogger is seen warming up on his apartment terrace, looking for all the world as if he would like to jump. The rest of the stories seem to be randomly presented. Stories include the robbery of a Chinese restaurant that causes a birthday celebrant to die of fright, two different newlyweds who find themselves attracted to each other, an opportunistic mechanic's plan to capitalize on the death of a rival, a sneaky, sadistic meter maid and others. One uniting feature of the stories is their underlying bitter assessment of modern humanity. People are seen as selfish and basically cruel, still the stories move quickly and the balance between humor and drama, affection and cynicism, and shallowness and complexity is carefully maintained. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Ulisse is a conductor on board a train running from Sicily to Milan and back during the 1960s. Every day, as the engines clatter over the rails he observes a wide variety of human dramas unfold. This sentimental and ultimately bitter Italian drama chronicles several such mini-dramas using them to comment upon the sad state of modern Italy. In one episode, a Sicilian woman who is moving northward with her family must choose between two disparate suitors. In another, a businessman attempts to conceal the presence of his mistress from his son. In another, a heart-broken nurse finds brief, passionate solace in the arms of a novelist. Meanwhile Ulisse looks out the window and in one scene sees a train heading back for Sicily. On board are many of the passengers he now attends, but they have all aged 20 years. None have fared well, including Ulisse, and this is meant to mirror Italy's own decline. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Two policemen, one experienced with scores to settle, the other new and vulnerable, provide the impetus for this arresting action movie set in Italy. The story begins with a shoot out in a raunchy disco. There undercover cop, Lazarus, kills three crooks. His reward is a transfer to a desk job in Turin. There he becomes friends with earnest rookie Andrea who comes from a long line of police officers. Andrea is given the job of guarding crime boss Sante who was hospitalized after attempting suicide. Lazarus makes a terrible error and leaves Andrea alone with Sante as he goes to take care of business. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A young soldier is brutally raped and attempts to bring the culprit to justice in this Italian drama. The victim is 20-year-old Saro, a naïve young man who has left his tiny mountain village to join the Airborne Assault force. His first real friend is sergeant Tricarico who shows Saro around the local dance clubs. At first Saro doesn't realize that his sergeant is a homosexual, but when he figures it out he takes off and gets a ride back to the base with Scarpa, the owner of the town car dealership. Poor Saro doesn't realize that he is no safer with Scarpa who is in cahoots with the sadistic, bisexual Capt. Roatta who is concealed in the back of Scarpa's car. Sure enough it is during the ride that Saro is attacked and raped. He doesn't see the attacker's face, but he does recognize the man's watch. Roatta is slated to marry the town mayor's daughter so when Saro attempts to get him convicted of rape, he orders Tricarico to do all he can to break the young man's spirit. Saro's life becomes a living hell, but this does not stop him from pursuing the justice he deserves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This anthology is comprised of three steamy vignettes from three different filmmakers. The first, Cinzia Torrini's "Sweeties," follows the desperation of a rotund, neglected housewife who goes to a psychic for help. The mystical woman gives the housewife a few special sweets with the warning that she should not eat too many. The candies are delicious though, and the greedy housewife gobbles them all and finds herself paying a terrible price. In the second, "Hotel Paradise," from Nicolas Roeg, a woman awakens on her wedding day chained to a bed with a stranger. He informs her that they just spent the wildest night of her life together. Unfortunately, she remembers nothing and arguments ensue as she dons her gown and prepares for her nuptials. The third story comes from Polish director Janusz Majewski. "Devilish Education" centers on the deflowering of a luscious Polish farm girl at the turn-of the-century by a handsome artist who hires her as his model and begins tutoring her in the art of lovemaking. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- R
This feel-good movie, which offers American audiences spectacular views of Central European landscapes, uses gentle humor to tell the story of two common men who place themselves in an uncommon situation. Franco, a recently laid-off co-op stud farmer whose company jilted him out of his settlement money, returns to break into the main offices to look for proof that he was wronged. Instead he ends up stealing their prize bull Corinto with the thought of selling Corinto for a great profit in Hungary. Franco enlists the aid of his quiet friend Loris. Together the three set off on their obstacle-filled journey. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diego Abatantuono, Roberto Citran, (more)
- 1992
Mariella has two teen-aged children, but that doesn't seem to have much impact on her life. She continues to be a reporter obsessed with digging for the next story, no matter what the personal difficulties involved. Her ex-husband is similarly involved in his career, and their son Paolo has had enough of this sort of parental indifference. He has split, flown the coop, disappeared, run away, and abandoned the nest. However, if his absence was intended to electrify his inattentive parents into paying attention to him (even in his absence), it almost looks as though the attempt will fail. Days go by before his unspeakable mother even notices he hasn't been around for a while. However, she's not an investigative reporter for nothing, and eventually, with the help of her current boyfriend, she tracks down her indignant offspring -- but not before she's given the essential clue to his whereabouts by his industrious eleven-year old sister, who has wired their entire apartment for sound, and who has hooked her computer up to all sorts of unlikely extensions. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariella Valentini, Roberto Citran, (more)
- 1992
Anna-Ambrogio grew up loving the sea and sailing, and nothing would please her more than being able to become a merchant seaman. However, it is the early 1960s, and women are not welcome either at sea or at the various marine academies that train youngsters for oceangoing careers. She has one supporter in her quest, a broad-minded and well-experienced sailor named Leo. With his encouragement, she batters down the men-only barriers at the merchant-marine academy, and through the force of her determination and persistence she manages to overcome the ingrained prejudices of her instructors and classmates to graduate. Afterwards, in Lisbon, she finds that even with her new credentials, overcoming the prejudices of potential employers is not simply a matter of determination and persistence, but then her old mentor comes to her assistance here, as well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Citran
