Diego Ribon Movies
- 1989
- R
This choice chunk of Italian horror junk arrived on video courtesy of the cinematic garbage collectors at Troma, Inc. Basically a dull, pointless rip-off of the Evil Dead series, this film gets off to a wonderfully tasteless start, depicting a bizarre castration-murder performed by a female demon (Elena Cantarone) with a clawed appendage that emerges from an unmentionable location. From there, the story slides quickly downhill into the familiar campers-versus-monsters scenario (albeit padded with footage from another film and endless woodland traveling shots), in which unsuspecting vacationers stumble upon both the she-demon and her geeky adversary (Luciano Crovato). Naturally, several of the campers become possessed by the demonic forces lurking within the woods, pitting the survivors against their former companions in an audaciously gory climax. Fans of blood-drenched Italian zombie-fests may find some moments worthwhile, but endless tedious stretches may invite heavy lashings of the fast-forward button. Originally titled Notte nel Bosco, or Night in the Woods. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG13
The always innovative Taviani Brothers pay homage to another unique filmmaker, D. W. Griffith, in Good Morning, Babylon. Vincent Spano and Joaquim de Almeida star as Nicola and Andrea Bonnano, the latest in a long line of Tuscany-born cathedral builders. Emigrating to America, the brothers settle in Los Angeles in 1915, even as director Griffith (Charles Dance) is preparing his epic production Intolerance. The boys are hired to help construct the massive sets for the film's Babylonian sequence (hence the title), for no other reason than the fact that Griffith is impressed by Italian craftsmanship. As the film progresses, Nicola and Andrea assimilate to their new surroundings, even launching a romance with a pair of pretty movie extras. On the verge of continuing the family tradition, the boys' ambitions are cut short by events well beyond their control. Still, their past artistic accomplishments, like those of their forebears, survive the ages -- but only on the ethereal silver screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Joaquim de Almeida, (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
Casual voyeurism grows into an obsession in this low-key thriller from Italy. Valeria (Barbora Bobulova) works as an interpreter in Turin and shares an apartment with a friend, though she seems wary of close relationships with others. One of Valeria's windows looks into the flat of Massimo (Andrea Renzi), and she finds herself watching him as he goes about his daily business. Her curiosity begins to evolve into something deeper when Massimo knocks on her door, hoping she can help him with his dog, who is ill. Not long afterward, Massimo moves to Rome, and Valeria follows him, where she discovers he has a girlfriend, Flavia (Brigitte Catillon). As Valeria pursues Massimo from a distance, she also strikes up a friendship with Flavia, and as Massimo begins to develop a deeper interest in Valeria, it leads to a strange emotional triangle between the three. La Spettatrice received its North American premiere at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbora Bobulova, Brigitte Catillon, (more)
- 2004
A man, whose life is going nowhere, learns he had an attractive younger woman admirer in this drama from Italy. Titta Di Girolamo (Toni Servillo) is a middle-aged former stockbroker who now makes his living as a minor functionary with the Mafia. A few times a week, Di Girolamo handles bank deposits of large sums of money brought to Italy from the United States. When he's not occupied with that, Di Girolamo's life is barren, with only his occasional heroin use adding drama to his days. Divorced and cut off from his former wife and children, Di Girolamo lives in a hotel, and spends much of his day killing time in their cocktail lounge as he watches barmaid Sofia (Olivia Magnani) at work. When Di Girolamo's more outgoing brother Valerio (Adriano Giannini) stops by for a visit, he goads Di Girolamo into making small talk with Sofia, and soon he makes the unexpected discovery that Sophia has long had an infatuation with him. Le Conseguenze Dell'Amore was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toni Servillo, Olivia Magnani, (more)
Sandra Nettelbeck spins this gentle drama about how a child's presence can change the lives of the most shy and career-minded of adults. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is the chef of a popular Hamburg eatery who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from breaking out of her routine to meet new people. When her sister suddenly dies in a car accident, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha's life soon completely changes -- not only must she adjust herself to new parental role, but she must help Lina deal with her grief over the loss of her mother. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, however, the possibility of Lina returning to the custody of her father arises. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, (more)
- 2002
Italian director Michele Placido explores the legendary -- yet brief -- affair that occurred between writers Dino Campana and Sibilla Aleramo in the early part of the 20th century in his 2002 romantic drama, A Journey of Love. Early Italian feminist Sibilla Aleramo (played by Laura Morante) endured a forced marriage to an abusive husband due to an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 16. Eventually, she left her husband -- only to also lose all contact with her son due to her husband's spitefulness. These formative years enabled Sibilla to develop a literary voice, as she moved from city to city and began building a reputation not only as a fine writer, but also as a prodigious lover. At the age of 40, Sibilla met the somewhat younger and certainly more unconventional Dino Campana (Stefano Accorsi) and the duo embarked on a notoriously self-destructive and intense two year affair. A Journey of Love was an official competing selection in the 2002 Venice Film Festival and won Accorsi the Volpi Cup from the Festival Jury for Best Male Actor. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Morante, Stefano Accorsi, (more)
