Enea (2023) Open Roads 2024

Love it or hate it film follows thirty-ish Enea, the son of a rich TV presenter who wanders through an empty and dull life that only the idle rich can afford.

This is possibly the weakest film I’ve run across in the decade plus that I’ve been covering Lincoln Center’s Open Roads. While not bad, the film is kind of just sort of there and just interesting enough to make us want to see where it goes, even though the film really doesn’t have a point. Sure it’s trying to do something that Fellini did in the 60’s and 70’s, that Paolo Sorrentino did with GREAT BEAUTY a decade ago and numerous others did  in between, unfortunately it really doesn’t have anything to say that we haven’t heard before. Sure this film is better than some past Open Roads films, but at the same time I don’t think I’ve run across a film that has had so much nothing to say. It is as empty as all of the conversations of all of the characters on screen.

I was disappointed.

At the same time the film is well made and well acted enough that you might find something to connect to.

As for me, I had better things to do.

Mi fanno male i capelli (2023) Open Roads 2024

Alba Rohrwacher stars as Monica, an amnesiac woman who imagines her own identity through Monica Vitti’s various performances.

Less a narrative then a cinematic tone poem much like some of the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, the film is an excuse for Rohrwacher to chew scenery and do a riff on the great Vitti. It’s a one of  a kind performance that stands less as an attempt to copy the earlier films and instead it’s a fantastic fashioning of something new.  It’s a stunning performance that will delight fans of both actresses.

Beyond being a showcase for a great performance the film doesn’t seem to add up to much. Yes it’s a character study, but I’m not certain to what end.

However don’t let that stop you from seeing this film, Rohrwacher’s performance is enough to have me recommend the film.

ADGIO (2023) Open Roads 2024

Teenage boy is used by a crooked cop in an ugly blackmail scheme that spins off into black places.

Neon infused neo-noir is set largely in a night time Rome that seems to be on fire (there is always an orange glow in the sky) and darker than usual thanks to frequent blackouts. It a film that for all its grittiness has been polished to a high sheen with so much of the film, carnage include looking like something you’d want to hang on your wall.  It’s so good that I’m trying to line up a second pass through the film just so I can see it on the big screen.

While this film isn’t weighty enough to fully stick to my brain as a perfect noir, the film is tense enough that I have been recommending the film to friends and family who are crime film friends that they need to go see this at Open Roads. Good bad or indifferent this is one hell of an entertaining ride and highly recommended.

A BRIGHTER TOMORROW (2023) Open Roads 2024

Nanni Moretti makes a love letter to the movies.  Telling the story of a director trying to tell the epic story of a town over a two decade long period he is confronted by forces in the studio who are trying to complicate his efforts.

This is a good but not great film  from the always reliable Moretti. Containing some charming sequences and some smile producing moments the film speaks volumes about the love of cinema and of life as well. I smiled my way through the film.

As much as I like most of the film there is an artificialness to how the film was shot that didn’t really work for me. The film feels like it was shot so that it feels like tableaux at times. We can feel the camera and the crew just out of the frame. Since this not something that I’ve ever felt in a Moretti film I found myself very aware of it.

Does that make it a bad film? Heck no. Honestly any film from Moretti is going to be a delight and as such it better than most films that come out each year. My problem is I liked the film, I didn’t love it.

Even so it will put a smile on your face so go buy a ticket and go.

Beautiful Summer (2023)Open Roads

THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER is a gorgeous and dense coming of age/romance set a year before the world exploded into the Second World War. It’s a film that feels more like watching a novel then seeing a movie. It’s a film of the sort that we don’t get much anymore.

In 1938 Ginia has just moved to the city. She is working at a dress shop and making friends. Along the way she makes the acquaintance of a woman named Amelia. Amelia is a free spirit who opens Ginia’s eyes to all sorts of differing possibilities.

Watching THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER I found myself getting lost in the film I drifted off from my here and now and found I was in Italy.  This is film where the visual have a tactile quality to them. We not only see and hear events but we can almost feel and smell them. Cinema transcends its limitations to put us into a specific place and time.

The cast is wonderful. Yile Yara Vianello as Ginia is haunting. It’s a magnificent performance that has put her on my list of one’s to watch. Deva Cassell as Amelia is equally good.

And I don’t know what to say beyond that other than I want to see the film again, preferably on a big screen. That is a rave. I say that because twenty minutes into the film I stopped taking notes, I stopped watching the clock and I just watch events unfold before me. The film stopped being a film and just was life. I was, as I said above, in Italy in 1938. For one of the few times this year I stopped being aware I was watching a film and just was experiencing a story. This is glorious filmmaking of the sort we get from great filmmaker. That this is Laura Lucentini’s time out of the gate makes me wonder what she is going to next.

Recommended

THERE IS STILL TOMORROW (2023) Open Roads 2024

Set just after the Second World War an abused woman finds strength in the up coming elections which will allow women to vote for the first time in Italian history.

A sensation when it played in Italy, I can see the same thing happening here in the US. The story of a woman finding her strength and finding she doesn’t have to kowtow to the men in her life is a story for our time, especially since the far right wants to take away the hard fought rights of women across the globe. This is a wonderful film about standing up. By the time the end came I found myself misting up.

Shot with a hard edged playfulness the film is designed to provoke a reaction. We instantly fall in love with Delia and side with her.  We want her to do better than where she is. Director Paola Cortellesi masterfully constructs everything in such away that the film becomes a moving hymn to the strength of women everywhere. I can only imagine what she would do if turned loose in Hollywood and allowed to do with a big budget crowd pleaser.

This is a great film. It’s a film that is going to move you.

Recommended.

War Machine (formerly Commadante) (2023) Open Roads 2024

The true story of an Italian submarine at the outset of WW2 which sank a Belgian cargo ship (before it entered the war) that was carrying a British cargo. The submariners rescued the crew of the Belgian ship and  took them safety.

WAR MACHINE had it’s name changed very recently from COMMADANTE. I understand it makes it a more sale-able title but it is entirely misleading. This is the story of men at war trying to remain civilized not about a submarine hunting the enemy.(Don’t go into expecting constant sea battles)

WAR MACHINE was at the top of my must see list for this year’s Open Roads. We don’t normally get WW 2 submarine films from anyone other than the US or Germany so I was interested to see how another set of filmmakers might go about telling a tale.  I was not disappointed.

Focusing on the men and an act of humanity the film the film raises all sorts of questions, the most pressing of which is why are we fighting wars when it means a loss of humanity? I don’t have an answer for that, but the film caused me to ponder a lot of questions that we should all be pondering considering the fact that the world is currently hosting numerous acts of aggression. It is a meaty discussion of what our right path should be.

This is a well-acted  and glorious looking film. It’s a film that takes it’s time to set the table before plunging us into the central drama and we are better for it.

While some people have argued that the film is a kind of white washing of what the Italian Navy did during the war, fact is that this a true story. The ship that was sunk was neutral so the rules of war play out differently. I’m sure had this been later in the was things would have been different. Regardless of when it takes place it still raises questions that need to be pondered.

I really liked this film a great deal.

Recommended.

Nightcap 5/26/24 Open Roads Starts this week, The Brooklyn Film Festival starts this week, A Lynne Sachs Retrospective, Freida Lee Mock & Terry Sanders release their collection on Vimeo

The always wonderful Open Roads New Italian Cinema opens this week and you need to get some tickets and go.

One of the best festivals every year it is a thrilling collection of some of the best films you'll see all year. I love this fest and I always try to see everything because the fest just brings great films.

I've seen a few films and I'm planning on going to see more so check back

For tickets and more information go here.

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Starting this week is the always wonderful Brooklyn Film Festival.

One of the best festivals in New York it always has a great selection of films that will hang with you all year. Every year I’ve covered it I’ve always found some great films. I’ve also run into filmmakers with whom I have stayed in contact.

I absolutely love this festival and always make an effort to try and cover it in some form.

This year because of life and it’s crossing across another festival, which shall remain nameless, my coverage is only going to be a couple of films.  That’s okay, they are great films.

If you have time I suggest you make the trip to Screenings at Windmill Studios and Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn to see some films.

IF YOU CAN’T GET TO BROOKLYN-THE FESTIVAL IS VIRTUAL

In an age when many fests seem to pulling back from having a virtual element Brooklyn is still using it to spread the word on great films.

Buy some tickets and take some rides. Trust me it will delight you

Details on how to get impersonal tickets of a virtual tickets can be found here.

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Lynne Sachs: From the Outside In Retrospective June 7 – 11

2024 marks 40 years since experimental filmmaker Lynne Sachs took her first video class at DCTV. In From the Outside In, we traverse Sachs’ documentary films, defiant of traditional genre or style. From peering out, collecting others’ experiences and world events, to looking inward, reflecting on familial histories and entanglements, Sachs weaves the political with the personal. Through this 7 program series of screenings and discussions, with Sachs and collaborators in front of and behind the camera, this retrospective celebrates Sachs' distinctive artistry and groundbreaking career.

Featuring: 24 films; an artist talk and workshop with Lynne Sachs; and daily Q&As with special guests including Tom Day, Sam Green, Tabitha Jackson, Naeem Mohaiemen, Lizzie Olesker, Ira Sachs, and Accra Shepp.  

Individual tickets are now on sale, as well as a series pass, which grants access to all screenings and includes a special print monograph.

For tickets and more information go here.

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The Academy Award® and Emmy winning husband and wife team of Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders, along with their daughters Jessica and Brittany Sanders, who have produced and released nearly 50 films spanning decades of filmmaking through their non-profit company American Film Foundation, announce that their film collection is for the first time available worldwide on Vimeo on Demand to buy or rent. Their films and/or series have received three Oscars, 10 Oscar nominations, Primetime Emmys and Emmy nominations and numerous other awards.

Some highlights from the collection are: 

ANITA: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER 

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 2013, 76 min.

The story of Anita Hill who responded to questions about sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in a contentious Senate Hearing exposing the issue to the world.

BIRD BY BIRD WITH ANNIE

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 1999, 54 min.

A portrait of the best-selling author and laugh out-loud funny humorist Anne Lamott (Somehow, Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, Crooked Little Heart) it is the inspiring story of a survivor — a recovering alcoholic, single mother,   born-again Christian and liberal activist. UPDATE: Lamott’s newest book Somehow is currently on The New York Times Best Seller List, debuting at # 1.

G-DOG

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 2012, 92 min.

G-DOG tells the entertaining, hilarious and unlikely story of how a white Jesuit priest became an expert on gang lives through Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang intervention and rehab program in the world. Father Greg Boyle (G-Dog to homies) works by a powerful idea: Nothing stops a bullet like a job. His unstoppable compassion has transformed the lives of thousands of Latino, Asian, and African American gang members. UPDATE: On May 4, 2024, Father Greg Boyle received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden.

LILLIAN GISH: THE ACTOR’S LIFE FOR ME

Dir. Terry Sanders, 1989, 56 min.

Called the first lady of the silent screen, Lillian Gish was the archetypal silent film heroine — the delicate damsel in distress, stranded on a swift-moving ice floe, cowering before a sadistic brute. The film showcases generous footage of her most memorable performances. In this Emmy-award winning documentary, the celebrated actress reflects on her life and work spanning the 20th century, particularly her years as D.W. Griffith's favorite leading lady and collaborator.

MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 1994, 98 min.

Oscar Winner - Best Documentary Feature

The Academy Award®-winning documentary about sculptor and architect Maya Lin who, at age 21, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. tells the gripping story behind the Vietnam Memorial and explores a decade of her creative work. Maya Lin's design of the Civil Rights Memorial, the Yale Women's Table, and the Juniata Peace Chapel reveals her ability to address major issues of our times through the healing power of art. UPDATE: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2023 and Maya Lin received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President  Barack Obama in 2016. Her newest design is the entry sculpture for the Obama Presidential Library).

NEVER GIVE UP: THE 20TH CENTURY ODYSSEY OF HERBERT ZIPPER

Dir. Terry Sanders, 1996, 40 min.

The extraordinary story of Vienna born musician and conductor Herbert Zipper who survived Dachau, Buchenwald, and a Japanese concentration camp to become one of the great music educators of the world, continuing at 92 to bring music to the inner city schools of America. Academy Award® Nomination, Best Documentary Short Film

RETURN WITH HONOR

Dir. Freida Lee Mock & Terry Sanders, 1998, 102 min.

Presented by Tom Hanks, Return with Honor tells the gripping story of American fighter pilots shot down over North Vietnam and surviving with honor as POWs for up to eight and a half years. The film includes astounding, never-before-seen footage from the archives of Vietnam and contains riveting first person accounts of the hidden war behind prison walls. It is an inspiring testament to faith, brotherhood and the resilience of the human spirit.

ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY: A LIFE TO REMEMBER

Dir. Terry Sanders, 1990, 18 min.

An Oscar nominee, this documentary is a moving portrait chronicling the life, the times, the joys and sorrows of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. The film honors her work in the field of mental retardation.

SING!, 

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 2001, 36 min.

Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Short about the world-renowned Chorus where Billie Eilish and Finneas learned to sing, the film asks how do squeaky-voiced 8 year olds become amazing singers? SING!, about the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, tells the story of how a community group, amid severe cutbacks in the arts, is able to develop a children's chorus that is one of the best in the country.

A TIME OUT OF WAR

Dir. Denis Sanders with Photography by Terry Sanders, 1954, 22 min.

The 1955 Oscar Winner for Best Short Subject, the film portrays a dramatic incident from the American Civil War when two Union soldiers and a Confederate soldier, facing each other across a river agree on an hour's truce.

WRESTLING WITH ANGELS: PLAYWRIGHT TONY KUSHNER

Dir. Freida Lee Mock, 2006, 98 min.

In the film, Tony Kushner (Playwright of Angels in America) takes us from his childhood home in small-town Louisiana to his development as a writer, politically active gay man, and endlessly quotable globe-trotting force for a more literate and compassionate universe. Featuring Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden, Tonya Pinkins, Maurice Sendak, George C. Wolfe, Oskar Eustis, Frank Rich and others.

Sanders’ feature dramatic films have introduced actors in their first film roles including: George Hamilton (Crime and Punishment USA, 1959), Robert Redford (War Hunt, 1962) and Mikey Madison (Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey, 2017). Madison next stars in Sean Baker's new film, Anora, being released by Neon next month. The film is in competition in the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

A full list of the American Film Foundation collection can be found on Vimeo on Demand.