Giorgio Tirabassi Movies
- 1999
Italian director Marco Risi directs this ensemble farce about a series of separate mishaps around a luxurious apartment complex. On New Year's Eve, at the edge of Rome, there is a traffic accident, followed by a soccer team crashing a high-brow ball. Three Mafioso rob a trussed up masochist, and a pair of druggies whacked out on low-grade paint throw dynamite in the heating system. All of these events culminate in one gigantic finale. Kaputt Mundi was screened at the 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Bellucci, Alessandro Haber, (more)
- 1999
This film was inspired by a news item from the 1970s and a novel on the same subject called Le notte di Arancia meccanica. The heroes are a bunch of criminals from the suburbs of Rome who earn their living robbing the richer neighborhoods. They attack their victims on the street and force them to go to their homes. This proves to be a very effective technique. Remo Guerra, a tough and angry young man, has a regular job as a policeman alongside his criminal activities, which causes a personal crisis. He also has difficulties getting along with the other members of the gang. As he can't stand his own face anymore, he begins to contemplate plastic surgery until he comes to the realization that he can change his face but not his conscience. The film mixes hard-core realism with symbolism, trying to reflect the psychology of the criminals. L'odore della notte was screened at the 1999 International Film Festival in Rotterdam. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerio Mastandrea, Marco Giallini, (more)
- 1998
Paralyzed after an auto accident, wheelchair-bound Pablo (Stefano Dionisi) teaches at a Rome residential community center for the disabled. Initially, he resents conscientious objector Daniele (Massimo Bellinzoni), but they soon become friends. However, a romantic triangle develops after blonde Chiara (Stefania Rocca) comes between the two. With a blowup to 35mm, this film played at several 1997-98 fests (Sundance, San Jose). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefano Dionisi, Massimo Bellinzoni, (more)
- 1998
This $5 million Italian comedy is based on a novella by Nicolo Ammaniti (from his 1996 collection Mud). With a structure reminiscent of Robert Altman, interweaving events transpire in 12 hours on New Year's Eve as the film explores the lives of dwellers in a suburban Rome apartment complex: Just before her dinner guests are due, a hostess learns her lover has been sleeping with her best friend; a gigolo hired for the night is surprised by soccer players from his hometown; thieves interrupt the S&M session of a dominatrix and a lawyer; a family prepares for a fireworks display; the building's doorkeeper entertains the maintenance staff while her son sniffs glue; and a woman attempting suicide wanders the halls. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Bellucci, Alessandro Haber, (more)
- 1997
Much like Alcatraz, Santo Stefano is a fortress-like Mediterranean penitentiary closed by the Italian government in the mid-'60s. The prison, named for the small island where it's located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, provides the setting for the directorial debut of screenwriter Angelo Pasquini. Antonio (Andrea De Rosa), the pre-teen son of prison director Bruno D'Assisi (Claudio Bigagli), attends the prison school although his mother (Laura Morante) is back on the mainland. Antonio becomes friends with Nicola (Claudio Amendola), an inmate who has the trust of director D'Assisi. Campaigning in the Church and press for prison reform, D'Assisi attempts to upgrade the atmosphere in the prison by creating a sense of community and trust. However, escalating right-wing reactions build into a backlash against his methods. After a mainland visit, D'Assisi finds the evil Ardito (Antonio Petrocelli) and a brutal bunch of guards have replaced his more trusted guards. The character of D'Assisi is loosely based on the humane activities of the chief who headed the prison between 1952 and 1960. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudio Amendola, Claudio Bigagli, (more)
- 1994
While it might be said that every bad man has some good in him, the reverse would also seem to be true. In this drama, drawn from several real-life events and based the novel by Andrea Carraro about them, a group of aimless boys take advantage of an unusual situation and wind up committing a heinous crime. While lounging with his new friend Pallesecche (Ricky Memphis), Raniero (Giampiero Lisarelli) and his friends hear that some of the guys are holding two female German tourists captive in the woods. They are invited to "join the fun," and in this movie, the boys do just that - arriving on the scene in plenty of time to participate in the rape of the two girls. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giampiero LIsarelli, Ricky Memphis, (more)
