Salve ragazzi,
Where have I been? Don’t ask.
Let’s just say that I’ve been going through a sort of identity crisis, as far as cheerleading for the Italian film industry is concerned. Everything is SO DIFFERENT from when I picked up the red, white and green pom poms, and I started wondering if maybe I wasn’t needed anymore. The game is going so well, the players are killing it, and jumbotron has it covered.
Do you NEED me to tell you how well it’s all going? Maybe not, but I think I’ll stay on the sidelines for a while. I’ll be one of those annoying sideline reporters that asks the dumb, obvious questions and annoys everyone until somebody makes me stop.
But remember, I need all y’all now more than ever. There is so much happening that I can’t keep up anymore. So if you see something, say something.
Now, where was I…?
Oh yeah, Manohla Dargis. She’s the chief film critic of The New York Times, and while I disagree with her reviews all the time, I was so very pleased to see her Oscars Best Supporting Actor list: The 2023 Nominees Should Be…
Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo for The Color Purple
Soya Kurokawa for Monster
Charles Melton for May December
AND…Alessandro Borghi for Le Otto Montagne (The Eight Mountains)
If you haven’t watched it yet, take a look at my conversation with Borghi when he came to New York with the film.
MORE OSCAR TALK…
We’ll know on January 23 if Matteo Garrone’s ‘Io Capitano’, after having made the first cut for Best International Feature, will get one of the 5 nominations.
My opinion? Obviously I’m happy to see Io Capitano (Me Captain) on the short list, but I’ll go out on a limb and predict that it won’t get the nomination. They would have been much better off choosing Alice Rohrwacher’s ‘La Chimera.’
First of all, Rohrwacher has turned into somewhat of a foreign film darling with films like Lazzaro Felice and Le Meraviglie. Theater-goers and critics alike have fallen in love with her and she’ll go down in history as one of Italy’s greats.
La Chimera stars Josh O’Conner (The Crown) stars as an archeologist just out of jail and searching for his dearly departed Beniamina. A band of tombaroli (grave-robbers) who survive by looting Etruscan tombs befriends him and could possibly help him find find his beloved?
The rights to La Chimera have been acquired by Neon, and they have the film listed as “Coming Soon”. I’ll let you know when I know.
Second of all, (and don’t hate me for saying this), not another European migrant crisis movie! Ever since Gianfranco Rosi scored big with his Fuocoammare (Fire of Sea), directors all over jumped on the bandwagon. I’m not saying that Io Capitano isn’t a great film, it’s only just that getting the Academy’s attention is tricky.
Cohen Media Group has bought all North American rights to the film and it’s set for release early this year.
If you want to see the other international films that made the first cut, go
Third of all, I may have to eat my words if, tonight, Matteo Garrone goes home from Beverly Hills with a Golden Globe. Io Capitano was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, so we’ll see!
Coming Soon: Cabrini
I’m looking forward to this biopic, set in New York City, about Italian American Francesca Cabrini, better known as Mother Cabrini.
After witnessing disease and poverty in the slums of New York, Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini embarks on a daring journey to persuade the hostile mayor to provide housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphaned children.
It’s got a nice cast made up of Italian actors like Giancarlo Giannini, Fausto Russo, Federico Castelluccio, and Cristiana Dell'Anna, who plays Cabrini. You’ll remember Cristiana from her role as Patrizia in the Gomorra, the Series.
Cabrini will be in theaters March 8, 2024.
Mi siete mancati - I missed you! Alla prossima!
Un bacione 💋,
Cheri
America’s Cheerleader For Italian Cinema
What Pablo said, really. Thank you Cheri. We are here for you and your valuable insights.
Always enjoy your reviews and letting us know of new Italian movies