Adriana Asti Movies

In this comedic slice-of-life, a young man who has been away for a long time comes back home to visit his mother, an egocentric literary critic consumed by the world of books. His sister is pretty much wrapped up in herself, his father is a journalist and somewhat of a dreamer, in short, no one in his family is prepared to help him confront the major trauma of his childhood: the suicide of his brother. As the story unfolds, the young man faces these personalities in a series of humorous interludes (i.e., "shut up and eat your soup," as the title suggests in French, seems to summarize the family's attitude to his queries). Director Mathieu Amalric has a good sense of natural, human interactions that carry this film beyond the limitations of its low budget and limited, four-week shooting schedule. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Edith Stein was a German-Jewish intellectual who in the late-'30s created considerable controversy and broke her mother's heart when she converted to Catholicism and then joined one of the Church's most rigorous monastic orders, the Carmelite Nuns. This European biopic tells her story, a tale that ended tragically when Stein, who finally made it through the long, painful novitiate process and found true peace, was brutally yanked from the convent by Nazi soldiers and sent to Auschweitz where she died. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Sergio's great pal is Cena (Davide Torsello), a couple of years older, who is the leader of their gang of boys. They live in the small town of Vicenza in Northern Italy in the peaceful days of the 1930s. Though they know they are not wealthy, it is doubtful that they realize that they are poor, for their lives are full of so many adventures. When Don Gastone (Roberto Citran), a handsome, artistic new priest comes into town, he persuades Sergio (Massimo Santelia) to take part in a poetry recital. One benefit of this is that Immacolata (Adriana Asti), one of the parishioners (who is smitten with the priest), gives Sergio a new suit for the occasion. Up the street, the hooker Fedora (Jessica Forde) has just come into town from Venice, and has established her place of business not far from where Immacolata lives. So it doesn't escape Immacolata's attention that Don Gastone is passing through the neighborhood just a bit too often. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This lavish big-budget epic was the pinnacle of a uniquely Italian subgenre, the historical hardcore gore/porn extravaganza. The star-studded cast, perhaps lured by the high-profile involvement of producer Bob Guccione and screenwriter Gore Vidal, includes such luminaries as John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole, and Helen Mirren. Director Tinto Brass, whose similar treatment of Nazi Germany in Salon Kitty won him the job, did his best with the mammoth enterprise, but numerous production problems and re-edits took their toll on the finished product. When Caligula works best, it works because of Malcolm McDowell, whose crazed portrayal of the title Emperor is the embodiment of villainous corruption. McDowell raises his performance level to match the gaudy spectacle around him, which led to charges of overacting, but there are moments when he is absolutely riveting. Some of the cast doesn't fare as well, as O'Toole makes a particularly unsubtle Tiberius. The sex is graphic and steamy, particularly a feverish lesbian interlude between Penthouse Pets Lori Wagner and Marjorie Thorsen (using the pseudonym "Anneka di Lorenzo"), and the various carnival freaks used as atmosphere imbue the film with a grotesque, Fellini-like opulence. There are many memorable scenes and a magnificent score by Paul Clemente, but the heady brew of historical epic, hardcore sex, and gory violence proved overwhelming to many viewers. Still, Gore Vidal's script is surprisingly accurate, and manages to be entertainingly vulgar while bringing a rather loathsome slice of human history to vivid life, warts and all. The more explicit scenes were directed by Bob Guccione and Giancarlo Lui, causing both Vidal and Brass to remove their names from the credits. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Set in a rural area of France in the 19th century, this simple tale tells the story of a servant girl whose life seems marked by grand tragedy, but whose heart is simple and uncomplicated enough not only to endure, but even to attain serenity in the face of her manifold frustrations. Her only friend, to whom she pours out all her troubles, is an old parrot. When the parrot dies, she reverently has it stuffed and continues telling it her woes. This drama is based on a story by Gustave Flaubert. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This international collaboration has five unrelated titles in four languages, and includes filmmakers and stars from France, Germany, Italy and Greece. It is set in the modern period in Greece, during that time known as "the rule of the Colonels." The story concerns the cat-and-mouse police investigation of Georgis, a travel agent (Ugo Tognazzi), for his possible involvement in the death of a man under surveillance who was shot in the cafe at which Georgis was having lunch. For a while, it is impossible to tell who is the cat and who the mouse; ultimately, though, the heavy-handed tactics of the police win through. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This sex and science fiction comedy is based on the equation of sexual energy and energy in general. Electrical fixtures have run out of steam, but a love-making pair demonstrates that through the power of their orgasms alone they are able to generate electricity to operate first a light bulb, then a street lamp, then the entire hospital where they are being scientifically observed and ultimately all of society's gadgetry. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

One of Luis Buñuel's most episodic films, The Phantom of Liberty focuses on no one particular narrative. In the beginning, a man sells postcards of French tourist attractions, calling them "pornographic." A sniper in Montparnasse is hailed as a hero for killing passersby. A "missing" child helps the police fill out the report on her. A group of monks play poker, using religious medallions as chips, and in the most infamous sequence, a formally dressed social group gathers at toilets around a table, occasionally excusing themselves to go into little stalls in a private room to eat. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide

Luchino Visconti (Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone) was a film director, true, but he was also a nobleman and a grand patron of traditional European culture: opera, art, music, crafts and literature. These interests enliven many of his films, but few have been so inspired as the four-hour epic, Ludwig, about the castle-building "mad king" of Bavaria. This long film, made very near the end of Visconti's life, suffers greatly when shortened, as every moment is essential to the story. There are at least four different versions of the film (from just under three hours to over four hours in length); the uncut four-hour version is the most coherent, even though many might find it rather long. The disintegration of aristocratic individuals is a continuing theme of Visconti's, though Ludwig's is the most thorough decay he filmed. The last ruling king of Bavaria (1845-1886) is noted for many things besides his eccentricities: he sold Bavaria to Germany, ending the rule of the Bavarian monarchy; he built amazing castles all over his country (with the proceeds from the sale); and he was Richard Wagner's main sponsor. He was also a notorious recluse, conducting a lifelong platonic love affair with Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and finally succumbing to his adoration of handsome men in a series of outrageous affairs and orgies. His excesses eventually led to his being declared mentally incompetent and being held prisoner in his own castle. The film depicts this incredible life from his coronation at age 19 to his (unproved) assassination well over 20 years later. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This Italian feature caters to a self-congratulatory stereotype of male virility which many an Italian male might fantasize as being true for himself. Paolo is from the lower ranks of the Sicilian nobility, and he shares his grandfather's penchant for beautiful women. Indeed, he proved his readiness for bedroom sports at age 10, when he beat his grandfather to the bed of a lovely young new house servant. As a grownup, Paolo (Giancarlo Giannini) now lives in Rome and cuts a wide swath through the female population of that town. Though the depiction of his succession of conquests is repetitive, one of the film's highlights is the great beauty of the numerous women he has encounters with. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide