Carlo Monni Movies
- 2007
To the public, Marco Baldini (Elio Germano) has virtually everything that one could want - including tremendous fame and a lucrative job as one of Italy's most sought-after radio hosts, in early 1980s Florence. In reality, his status and career convey little to him; he reels in his greatest charge after hours, from barside bets on horse races with punters. That hobby bears an unsurprising side effect: a massive tidal wave of gradually-accumulating debt that puts him in scalding water. For a time, the risk subsides when Baldini is summoned to a Milan-based job as a national DJ - with a much higher salary - that takes care of his debts and temporarily relieves the urge to put more on the line. But in time, Baldini heads straight back into the gambling cesspool. Director Francesco Patierno approaches the material not as a thriller (as one might expect) but as a biting, acerbic comedy. Laura Chiatti, Corrado Fortuna and Carlo Monni co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elio Germano, Laura Chiatti, (more)
- 2006
A young firebrand learns the hard way about the practical problems behind political assassination in this lavish period comedy. In 1814, with his reputation in tatters and his rule of France come to an inglorious end, Napoleon Bonaparte (Daniel Auteuil) flees to the Island of Elba, where his arrival causes no small stir among the citizens. However, not everyone is pleased with his presence; Martino (Elio Germano) is a young and idealistic schoolteacher who believes Napoleon turned his back on the ideals he fought for in the French Revolution, and doesn't hesitate to criticize the former Emperor in front of his students. When Martino isn't busy with his students, he attends to the romantic needs of the beautiful Baroness Emilia (Monica Bellucci), but she's powerless to help him when his controversial opinions about Elba's new arrival cause him to be fired. When Martino learns that Napoleon is in need of a personal secretary and librarian, he has a brainstorm -- if he can get the job, he'll be close enough to the former emperor to win his trust and then kill the despot when no one suspects. Martino is awarded the prestigious position, but once he gets to know Napoleon, the great man's charm and wit make it difficult for Martino to put his deadly plans into motion. N (Napoleon and Me) (aka N (Io E Napoleone) received its North American premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Elio Germano, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Comic actor Massimo Ceccherini makes his directorial debut in this broad comedy with fantasy elements. Ceccherini plays Lucio, a free-spirited bohemian who is forced into a job at a retirement home, where he soon falls in love with the beautiful head nurse, Fatima (Claudia Gerini). When Fatima proves resistant to Lucio's charm, he hatches a bizarre scheme to seduce her with the help of his best friend Pini (Alessandro Paci). Meanwhile, Lucio keeps having a strange dream where he's put on trial for the crime of self-abuse. Hailed by some critics as a satiric affront to close-minded values and derided by others as simple vulgarity, Lucignolo was a box-office hit in its native Italy, and features a cameo by director Tinto Brass, no stranger himself to extreme reactions from critics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Massimo Ceccherini, Claudia Gerini, (more)
- 1997
Like many other Italian slackers, 22-year-old Walter would be an angry young man if it didn't take so much effort; he feels the same about his prolonged virginity. Instead of diving into life, he prefers to keep his distance and drift aimlessly along the edges while living at home in Turin with his volatile but hard-working father and his flighty mother. In some ways, he has given up before even trying. Based on a best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Giuseppe Culicchia, this fast-paced, slightly cynical comedy chronicles the dubious adventures of Walter as he tries to cope with his own growing sense of alienation and hopelessness while dealing with mandatory induction into the military, corrupt government bureaucracy, and his various friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1996
Italy's favorite dysfunctional family returns to their small-town home in Tuscany to mourn the passing of Adele, who watches over the mournful festivities as the family pays their respects and prepares for her funeral. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1996
The discovery of an aborted fetus in a WW II-era Tuscan town nearly overloads the gossip mill in this black Italian comedy that is based on a play by director/screenwriter Ugo Chiti. The tale begins in 1939 just before Mussolini-controlled Italy entered the war. The fetus is unfortunately discovered on the eve of a visit by the great dictator. Wanting no trouble, the town's fascist secretary attempts a cover-up that is promptly blown with the unexpected late-night arrival of a party leader. He convinces the secretary to quickly find a scapegoat for the alleged crime. To find one, the secretary enlists the aid of his mistress. They choose the daughter of the town tart, but before they can convict her, she is examined by the town doctor whose findings set the stage for tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1996
3 is indeed the title of this Italian film about a menage a trois, set among the nobility in the Tuscany of the 1780s. It is interesting to note that the film's director and star, Christian De Sica, is a son of notable Italian director Vittorio De Sica (Umberto D, The Garden of the Fitzi-Continis, etc.). Christian's influential family contributed heavily to the making of this film. Baron Jacopo Del Serchio (Christian De Sica) and his wife Chiara (Anna Galiena) are constantly looking for ways to spice up their sexual lives. One of their favored sports is to watch the servants coupling. However, their tranquility is interrupted when a beautiful young man, Leonardo (Paolo Conticini), sets out to bed them both, and succeeds. Their threefold joining is not a problem, but Leonardo's greater affection for Chiara is, as it leads to the bisexual Baron being jealous of them both. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1993
- R
Marco (Claudio Bigagli) is an insurance adjuster who must travel all over Tuscany in order to investigate and settle claims put through by his firm's various branches. This brings in a tidy sum of money, and he has every reason to expect that he will continue to prosper in his work. He manages quite successfully to organize every event in his own life, but he can't manage the lives of others. His tidy and reasonably satisfying world comes unglued when his mother's extramarital affair causes dissension between her and his father. The tidiness of his life is also undone when his former girlfriend actually gets married, and his current girlfriend dumps him. Soon he is irritated even by his work, and then the real hysteria sets in. The only thing he can think to do is to opt out of having such a tidy, predictable, yuppiefied life, and this is what he does. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Claudio Bigagli, Gigio Alberti, (more)
- 1989
Psychiatrist Caruso (Francesco Nuti) is arguably as nutty as his patients. He can remember at two years old being completely besotted by the charms of a naked girl. Even today, he can think of little else besides sex, sex, sex. The person he thinks about most is his wife Giulia (Clarissa Burt), who was the girl he saw when he was two. Fortunately for him, she is equally obsessed, and by the same thing. Unluckily, she has taken a fancy to one of Caruso's patients (Ricky Tognazzi). Luckily, he has been diagnosed as a latent homosexual. Unluckily, Giulia's persuasive powers are equal to the challenge. Good luck and bad alternate in this way for the rest of the film, a box-office success in its native Italy. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francesco Nuti, Clarissa Burt, (more)
- 1989
Three unlikely companions spend the day together traversing a city which has been declared an emergency area. They are a little girl with an active fantasy life, a Zen-spouting mechanic, and an elderly professor. Together, they traverse the city and overcome the obstacles of roadblocks, etc., as they seek to get the professor to the hospital. Perhaps in homage to the Ingmar Berman film Smultronstallet, or Wild Strawberries, at the end of the film we see that these events are the professor's memories as he lies in his hospital bed. It is not clear which memories were based on real events, and which were hallucinatory. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dario Fo
- 1988
- R
This Italian production is the story of a young model who fears for her life after a series of prank phone calls. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlotte Lewis, William Berger, (more)
- 1987
Young scientist Tommaso (Fabio Sartor) hitchhikes from Rome to the coast of Liguria to marry his girlfriend in this Italian road movie and romantic drama. He has no immediate luck hitching a ride, but is joined by the beautiful Giuditta (Maddalena Crippa) as a traveling companion. The two spend the night together, and the romantic attraction is immediate. In the morning, Tommaso has second thoughts about his wedding, but Giuditta convinces him to keep his word to his fiancee and take life as it comes. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maddalena Crippa, Fabio Sartor, (more)
- 1986
- PG
This is an Italian comedy about a runaway, incognito Pope who makes his way to a village for a temporary stay and tries to bring a few good works to fruition while there. After Pope Leo XIV gets locked out of the Vatican garden one day, he opts for taking off on a small escape from official and bureaucratic burdens. Since he is not in his robes, who's to know? He heads for a remote village in the south of Italy that has no priest. He finds shelter with a former hooker and her mute daughter and then sets to work overcoming the local thugs and repairing a broken aqueduct. Meanwhile, back at the Vatican, the Cardinals are wringing their hands, trying to hide the fact that His Holiness has taken a powder. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Conti, Fernando Rey, (more)
- 1985
In a straightforward yet unexceptional rendering of the life and loves of Alberto (Ben Gazzara), a writer/director approaching the hill though not yet over it, director Alberto Bevilacqua has used his own experiences to fashion a conventional tale about a search for the "perfect woman." His mettlesome neighbor Luisa (Lina Sastri) just will not leave him alone; she was the reason why he ended his marriage to Maura (Claudia Cardinale), but Alberto considers their affair dead and buried. Recently, an anonymous "dream woman" has been calling him for some seductive phone exchanges. As he searches out the identity of the mystery caller he is also distracted by Luisa who starts to insinuate herself back into his affections. Sooner or later, Alberto will just have to decide how to handle his love life, which in the end may only be mesmerizing to himself alone. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Lina Sastri, (more)
- 1984
Set during World War II, The Assisi Underground deals with the efforts made by a handful of hardy European souls to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. Ben Cross plays a dynamic young Catholic priest who puts his own life on the line to save thousands of refugees from Nazi-occupied Italy. While the role of the Vatican in the war is still a matter of hot debate, there can be no denying that individuals like Cross existed: in fact, virtually every event depicted in this film is based on an actual event. Featured in the all-star cast are James Mason, Irene Papas, and Maximillian Schell. When originally released, Assissi Underground clocked in at 178 minutes, resulting in a well-intentioned but frankly boring wartime epic. The producers whittled the running time down to 118 minutes for its general release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Cross, James Mason, (more)
- 1984
Two of Italy's top comics, Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni teamed up to write (with Giuseppe Bertolucci), direct, and star in this comedy about two men accidentally thrown back to the year 1492. In a series of comic sketches, two friends, Saverio (Benigni) and Mario (Troisi) suddenly find themselves in 1492 while on a drive in the Italian countryside. Saverio is enthusiastic, but Mario just wants a ticket home, until he meets the nubile Pia (Amanda Sandrelli). Then Saverio suggests that if they can prevent Christopher Columbus from sailing to the New World, America would never be discovered and the Native Americans would not suffer. Along with this scheme come skits like Saverio explaining a few modern machines to Leonardo Da Vinci. In-between these highlights are lower ebbs in the comic flow, making the end result slightly under the capabilities of both comedians. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Massimo Troisi, Roberto Benigni, (more)
- 1982
Someone is killing off the performers in a tent theater and it is up to an unlikely obituary writer (Lello Arena) to solve the mystery -- at least, that is how his lover Lisa (Maddalena Crippa) sees it. Along with brief comedy skits by Massimo Troisi there are saxophone performances by James Senese to lighten up the proceedings. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lello Arena, Maddalena Crippa, (more)
Following the surprising success of his cheapjack Star Wars knockoff, Star Crash, Italian director Luigi Cozzi was given the helm of this cheapjack Alien knockoff. An alien cyclops causes a man to cover the Earth with nasty eggs (sometimes made of silicone, sometimes close-ups of common olives). The eggs release gelatinous gunk which makes people explode, and it's all part of the alien's plan to take over the world. Cozzi, a less-talented protégé of Dario Argento, at least gets a good soundtrack by using his mentor's house band, Goblin, but delivers a bad film nonetheless. The director admits that the ludicrous monster was made of badly painted papier-mache, requiring 96 separate cuts to look convincing in its big scene. It didn't work. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian McCullough, Louise Monroe, (more)
- 1978
Local Italian rock 'n roll dancing stars Rosario Biccica and Rodolfo Banchelli are featured in this movie which follows them throughout Italy as they compete in dance championships. In an homage to Saturday Night Fever, the lead performers play themselves: blue-collar kids whose tedious lives are spiced by the excitement they get on the dance floor. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Macha Meril
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