francescabalzani-26183 Reviews

I Love You, Man (2009)

So easy it gets difficult to watch

[4/10 · 3 June 2024]

The four points I have given to the film go to Jason Segel, the only real source of comedy in the whole film. The rest of it is just watery and senseless.

Peter and Zooey are engaged, everything seems perfect: great relationship, great house, great careers, great friend support on her side. The only thing that makes Zooey skeptical is the fact that her boyfriend has no friends. He overhears her and being such a good soul, he makes it his mission to find one. He meets Sydney by chance and the two of them hit it off immediately. Is it going to be too much though?

I think the story is ridiculous and the majority of the characters are even worse. Zooey is just spoilt and unbearable, her friends are nymphomaniacs, Peter is such a weak and plain character. I really don't know what happened to Paul Rudd in this film, I normally like him, but he did not communicate much and everything felt akward.

The only laughs come from Segel, who is utterly hilarious as usual, apart from the bits where he has to be cheesy too.

The Artist (I) (2011)

An old-fashioned masterpiece

[10/10 · 26 May 2024]

The Artist is an experimental film which uses the black and white mute style typical of the 1920s, when the story itself is set.

The story revolves around the adventures and then misadventures of a Hollywood movie star, George Valentin, who starts struggling when movies introduce sound and speech. That marks the beginning of his personal crisis, both psychologically and on a career level. The only person who tries to save him is Peppy Miller, a young actress who has made a fortune and who owes the beginning of her career success to Valentin himself.

The Artist is pure beauty: its photography, its soundtrack, the ability to keep the audience hypnotised in spite of a total lack of speech, especially thanks to the great performance given by Jean Dujardin. His portrayal of Valentin is charming, funny and deeply moving. Berenice Bejo gives a great performance too.

The Artist is a brave experimental masterpiece which makes us reflect on the rollercoaster effect of Hollywood, where an artist gets elevated to sacred stardom very quickly, just to be left plummeting down once the charm starts fading away.

The Idea of You (2024)

The ideao of a puerile fairytale

[5/10 · 17 May 2024]

Rom-coms, as a definition, are supposed to be rom-coms: lots of love (or something similar to it), lots of cheesy scenes, a sprinkle of sex, shake everything well and that's your recipe. This is to say that I knew what I was going to face when I decided to watch it. Anyway I was disappointed, especially considering the clamour made around this film.

Solène (Anne Hathaway) is a 40 year old divorcée who runs a successful art gallery and looks after her teenage daughter. She has been through a lot, especially being mistreated by her nasty ex-husband. Yet Solène appears perfect: perfect shape, perfect body, perfect outfits, perfect mum, perfect house and perfect job. This perfection does not make you sympathise with her all that much.

Hayes is a twenty something year old band member, he is sexy, free and seems to have it all too. Nevertheless he is frustrated with his life, does not feel fulfilled and needs a change.

When Solène and Hayes meet they are immediately attracted to each other. After an initial refrain they jump into a relationship which is represented as pure perfection again: the perfect emotional and sexual connection. Age does not even seem to be a factor to take into consideration, especially considering we are talking about sexy Anne Hathaway.

The main problem with this story is exactly the lack of problems in it: apparently they need to struggle because of how big a taboo their relationship is, they break up over and over but then they get back together as if nothing ever happened. Even after five years without seeing each other (this is because the relationship was having such a bad impact on Solène's daughter, but not later though?) they meet and just smile at each other with watery eyes. It is just too much, too cheesy, too pathetic. I would even be fine with that, but what I am not fine with is this supposed realistic human struggle which is not realistic at all. They are two fakely perfect people who play suffering parts, when pain cannot be perceived all that much. I couldn't feel anything real in this film, nor I managed to sympathise with the main characters in any way.

Mean Girls (2004)

Funny, at times

[6/10 · 14 May 2024]

This is a typical teenage comedy which provides a few good laughs, but also presents a lot of cliché-situations.

Cady (Lindsay Lohan) has just moved from Africa and attends school for the very first time, as she had always been homeschooled before that. She makes friends with outcasts Janis (Lizzie Caplan) and Damian immediately, as they seem the only human people in the school. She is also welcomed by "the Plastics", a group of fakely good-looking rich girls, led by ruthless Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Even if at the beginning Cady, Janis and Damian come up with a plan to take revenge against the mean "plastics", soon Cady gets transformed into one of them and loses her identity.

The cast is very good, I especially love Lizzie Caplan and Rachel McAdams in this film. There are various funny moments, but at the same time lots of trivial situations and cheesy times.

It is a light watch, good for a couple of weightless hours.

Reality Bites (1994)

An absolute classic

[9/10 · 14 May 2024]

This is one of my favourite films, I don't even remember how many times I have seen it and each time I watch it my heart melts.

Everything in the film is really 90s style, in the most intriguing sense of it: it is a perfect portrayal of what life was like at the time, underground music, free love, the typical struggle of young people to find their own path in life and make compromises, coming to terms with reality itself.

A group of friends Lelaina (Winona Ryder), Troy (Ethan Hawke), Vickie (Janeane Garofalo) and Sammy (Sam Zahn) have just graduated and are trying to follow their dreams. Vickie wants to find love desperately and she ends up sleeping around, Sammy has to face his sexuality and Troy and Lelaila are two in love with each other, but they can't admit it to themselves.

Ethan Hawke is the incarnation of sexy, the typical troubled musician who does not seem to care about anything, but he does. His chemistry with Winona Ryder is tangible. Janeane Garofalo is really funny, her moves and her voice are so magnetic. Then there is Ben Stiller, playing Lelaina's boyfriend and directing this wonderful film, he seems to be born to make comedy.

Watching this film is a whirlwind of emotions, laughs and moving love scenes. It is a must watch and it will never become outdated.

Deep Water (I) (2022)

An embarassing nonsensical story

[4/10 · 11 May 2024]

Vic Van Allen and his beautiful wife Melinda seem to have it all, they are rich and free, apart from a little detail: she cheats on him constantly and he kills her lovers, because he does not want to break up with her.

Why doesn't he want to break up wirh her? Not clear, of course she is beautiful and sexy, but she is also a spoilt nymphomaniac. She gets really annoying after a while and he does too, as his actions are incomprehensible.

They live their life partying, having dinners, getting drunk, basically doing nothing interesting and that is because he's very rich, but especially because there is a serious lack of brain usage, especially for what concerns Melinda.

The film is supposed to be a thriller, but most of it is just pseudo-erotic, hinting at sex all the time. Normally there should be some sort of suspance in a thriller, but this one reveals the truth immediately and then procedes to nothing, in the sense that at the end nothing much happens: he kills her last lover, the two "loving birds" get close again (just because he gave her a collection of old photos) and when she discovers he has killed again she wants to leave but stays, convinced by their four year old daughter, who seems the most sensible character of all.

An utter disappointment and a total nonsense.

Labor Day (2013)

Surreal dullness

[5/10 · 9 May 2024]

In a remote American town, during some hot summer days, we meet Adele, a depressed divorcée and Henry, her teenage son. Adele is so down that she hardly ever leaves the house, apart from when she has to do the shopping. At the shops they bump into Frank, a wierd man on the run. Somehow he convinces them to take him to their house to hide. What was supposed to be just a few hours turns out to be a few days, in which Adele and Frank fall in love, thanks to his hidden kindness and culinary abilities.

They are attracted to each other also because of their traumatic stories: in fact we later find out that he was just a victim of an abusive relationship and had been accused of murdering his wife. We also learn that Adele is so depressed because she suffered many miscarriages and finally had a baby girl born dead. After that her husband left her.

The whole story just seems a bit too much, the relationship between the main characters is weird, the little boy is weird and the events are weird too. Some scenes are dragged on for so long, like at the beginning, when we see a road trip in the middle of the woods, with a creepy sountrack that made it seem like the beginning of a horror film.

I found everything rather cheesy and unbearable, especially at the end when Frank faces his destiny back in prison with his usual good pride. Adele waits for him for years, continuing to be depressed. Finally the little boy was so impressed by Frank's recipes that he decided to become a chef.

What I disliked tho most was this overload of drama, portraying characters as stereotypes: Frank is the good brave victim who will never surrender and who will be good forever. Adele is a weak woman who suffered very much and seems destined to continue suffering. There is a way in pain too...

Radioactive (2019)

An extraordinary life portrayal

[7/10 · 8 May 2024]

19th century France - Maria Sklodowska is a Polish scientist who has lived in Paris for a few years. She is extremely intelligent, ambitious and determined. She starts working with another important scientist, Pierre Curie, and their relationship soon evolves into romance, hence her married name Marie Curie.

The film portrays their achievements, such as the discovery of radium and polonium, and their struggles when the side effects of radium start becoming clear. Marie Curie had to face terrible challenges on her own, as her husband died in an accident.

The best aspect of this film is the acting, Rosamund Pike is magnetic, absolutely flawless in her performance. I also liked the scenes which are structured in a surreal way, making them dream-like.

In some moments some of the consequences of the discoveries made by Marie Curie and her husband are shown, such as the atomic bombs in Japan. Differently from many others I don't think this was out of place, as it is a real creation, made also thanks to what was discovered. This does not mean that Curie is to blame, but rather that the evil use of her discoveries should be held responsible.

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Timeless charming classic

[8/10 · 8 May 2024]

David and Diana are a couple of young passionate lovers, madly in love with each other and free to live their love with simplicity. When they start thinking that they need more money to buy a bigger house and make a better living they try gambling. There is where they meet John, a middle aged millionaire who offers them $1.000.000 in exchange for a night with Diana. They think their love will manage to overcome this, but it is just the beginning of their dreams collapsing to the ground.

There are several things I love about this film: it is beautiful, its glazed colours, its soundtrack, the charm of the places portrayed and the main actors. Diane and David are so beautiful together, a real moving couple, they seem to portray that fascinating concept of two halves meeting. Maybe not everyone has got another half somewhere, maybe not everyone wants one and that's fine, but seeing them just makes me dream.

What I also love is the main message of the film: money cannot buy everything, especially it cannot buy love and love does not need money to sustain itself. It is not a judgemental film, but it opens to interesting considerations.

Certain Women (2016)

Certain women in slow motion

[5/10 · 27 April 2024]

In a cold Montana winter, lulled by the constant wistle of never ending cargo trains, the lives of four women get connected in very peculiar ways.

Laura is an attorney, she looks constantly lonely and depressed with her love life and the frustration of not feeling appreciated by a difficult client.

Gina is married and has a teenage daughter. Her husband is going to build her a wonderful house, but she seems very disappointed with everything.

Beth is a lawyer giving evening classes far away from home and she meets Jamie, a weird loner who manages a ranch and gets obsessed with her.

I suppose the purpose of this film is to explore the difficulties of female life, the frustrations and sadness women have to face throughout their lives, reflected in a harshly cold environment.

To be honest I fell asleep a few times... the stories seem pointless and have no clear connection. Also some characters are just incomprehensible, their actions go beyond human understanding. Everything is dragged in the slowest of ways. Normally I like slow films with beautiful landscapes... this one was too much for me though.

Watch it after a strong coffee!

No Strings Attached (I) (2011)

No much feeling attached after watching it

[4/10 · 24 April 2024]

"No strings attached" is the typical easy romantic comedy in which not much happens throughout the film, not in the plot nor in the emotions given.

So Emma and Adam are two extravagant teenagers that meet at a summer camp, they share a weird conversation and then meet again throughout the years. They like each other, but Emma keeps on running away, as she doesn't want to get involved. Then one night, when Adam finds out that his ex-girlfriend is now dating his dad, he gets drunk and goes to Emma's apartment, gets undressed and passes out. The day after they have sex for the first time, they like it so much (you wouldn't say though) that they decide to be sex friends, thinking that they won't get involved.

I seriously can't find much I liked about this film. First of all the main characters: Emma is cold and detached, she has some clear issues which are never really clarified (apart from her mum saying "sweetie, you don't have to worry about me anymore..."). Adam is attractive and that's it; he seemed to suffer for the situation, especially considering his father going through a "Peter Pan" crisis, but I could not feel for him much.

The plot is supposed to be easy, of course, but the things that happen go beyond, they are just ridiculous. At the end the entire film is a continuous swing from absurd to sappy situations. One watch is more than enough...

American Woman (2018)

A bitter after taste

[7/10 · 20 April 2024]

This drama picture tells the story of a thirty something woman, Deborah, who struggles to make ends meet and lives with her teenage daughter, Bridget, and her baby grandson. Unfortunately one day her daughter goes missing and the film follows Deborah's fight to carry on with her life, looking after her grandson and trying to find out the truth about her daughter' disappearance.

I really loved Sienna Miller in this film: she is magnetic and effervescent but, at the same time, extremely moving in portraying a woman whose pain goes beyond understanding. I enjoyed the family dinamics too, especially between Debra and her sister Katherine and her mum Peggy.

Anyway some parts of the film made me feel bewildered and I thought they were too much, such as what happens with her husband Chris: his betrayal was just unbearable considering everything she had been through. Also her final decision to move and leave everything behind seemed detached to the bond with her family portrayed throughout the film.

Flashdance (1983)

Inebriating charm

[7/10 · 16 April 2024]

This film is an inebriating flow of 80s pop culture, its amazing soundtrack, the way people looked and dressed, the dancing styles, its overwhelming sensuality. It is a dive into those years in which everything seemed lighter and surely looked more colourful and appealing.

The story is pretty straightforward: Alex, the protagonist, is a beautiful young woman who loves dancing and who works as a welder to make a living. She is too afraid to follow her dreams until she starts dating Nick, her handsome rich boss. It is a simple romantic comedy. Anyway the appeal given by this movie cannot be found in its plot, but rather in its surroundings, the music, the dances, the hypnotic looks and wonderful Jennifer Beals in one of her best performances.

There's Still Tomorrow (2023)

Great performance, forced storyline

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

I will start by saying that I really love Paola Cortellesi, she is one of the finest Italian actresses of these times, capable of offering the greatest laughs and the most bitter tears, thanks to her versatile acting skills.

This happens throughout this film too. She is Delia, a middle-aged woman who lives with her husband, three children and her nasty father-in-law in terribly harsh conditions. She struggles to make ends meet and to sustain her family, while suffering domestic abuse and dreaming of a past love. When her daughter gets engaged to the son of the local café owner, she senses that her she risks embarking in a life of strain and violence, just like hers.

I loved the performances in this film: Paola Cortellesi, Vittorio Mastandrea (one of my favourite actors), Giorgio Colangeli and Emanuela Fanelli. The use of black and white was clever, as it gives the film a poetic look. I also appreciated the bittersweet scenes: tragedy mixed with comedy.

Nevertheless I wouldn't call this a masterpiece as I thought the storyline was a bit forced, especially with the final surprising end, which seems a bit too detached from the rest of the film...

I, Tonya (2017)

Sublime performances

[8/10 · 10 April 2024]

"I, Tonya" narrates the life events of Tonya Harding, an American ice-skater who achieved stardom and success through years of pain and then suffered a terrible downfall, when she was accused of taking part in the aggression against her sport rival.

The story is extremely moving, terribly painful, especially considering it is a true story and the violence suffered by the protagonist really happened. I really liked Margot Robbie, her performance is simply wonderful and it highlights her chamaleontic ability to transform into anything. My absolute favourite is Allison Jenney, her performance, her voice, her movements, her charisma, she is beyond. It is a must watch!

Morning Glory (2010)

The greatest combination of sappy and funny

[6/10 · 10 April 2024]

The risks of watching this type of comedies is to incur in a series of banal situations, cliches and a great deal of mushy scenes. I cannot say that it never happens in this film, because it does, especially towards the end, when the protagonist achieves her glorious happy ending. What makes a difference though is the fact that some bits of the film are really funny. I found that the scenes with Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton were the best, they were absolutely hilarious!

Even if I like Rachel McAdams very much I thought that her character was rather annoying, her drive to succeed, as a sort of incarnation of the American dream. Her fling with Wilson was non impressive too, it felt tasteless.

Overall I'd say that Morning Glory is not that glorious, but it does provide a few laughs, and that is enough on some days!

Because I Said So (2007)

When comedy becomes annoying

[4/10 · 28 March 2024]

Fair enough, I knew this film was going to be something easy and not particularly deep. Nevertheless I think there should be a mid way between an easy comedy and a pathetic nonsense.

The story revolves around Daphne, a strong single mother who is about to turn 60 and who is obsessed with her 3 daughters, especially the youngest one, Millie, as she is struggling to find her better half. So she decides to put up an advert to find her the right partner, leading to a series of misunderstandings.

I really disliked Daphne: she is manipulative, self-centred and her ego is as big as the solar system. At one point she finds love herself and she goes from a life of dry abstinence to an intense sexual life... ridiculous!

I didn't like Millie either, she is weak and submissive. What is worst is that she actually blamed her mother for having two relationships at the same time... ridiculous too!

If you don't want to feel really annoyed, just don't watch it!

Little Fish (2005)

A glazed depiction of resurrection

[6/10 · 5 March 2024]

This 2005 Australian art film tells the story of a former heroin addicted woman's search for resurrection.

Tracy Heart has survived the turmoil of drug addiction and she is trying to start from scratch, becoming the owner of a video store. When her ex boyfriend Jonny turns up again after years, she has to fight fiercely to save herself, her brother and her lover from the danger of drugs.

I enjoyed the glazed colours of the film, as if everything was the manifestation of dreams. Most of all I loved Cate Blanchett, a chamaleontic goddess capable of deep transformations.

The rest of the film left me with a sense of perplexity... it might have been the characters or the slow actions or the lack of strong emotions I felt. Not clear, but something did not click properly.

Young Adult (2011)

It could have been much better...

[5/10 · 2 March 2024]

Mavis Gary is a 37 year old woman who works as a ghostwriter. She was once really popular at school, in her hometown called Mercury. Nevertheless her life is not as successful and rewarding as a lot of people would think, as she suffers from severe depression and drinks too much. When she finds out that her ex-boyfriend has had a baby, she decides to go back to her hometown to win him back. What she gets is having to face her real problems and trying to start all over again.

Even though I liked Charlize Theron very much (as usual), the character she portrays is rather nasty and does not go through much change. On top of that the whole story is disappointing and not really interesting. During the film I kept on waiting for something to happen, but there wasn't much action nor cathartic moment.

I feel that this film could have been much more, but it wasn't.

The Stepford Wives (2004)

Insipidly colourful

[4/10 · 17 February 2024]

Joanna and Walter are going through a crisis, their lives are completely soaked by their tv show careers and Joanna's craze for success. When she gets fired for the way she handled her last reality show, she falls into a severe depression and her husband decides to move to Stepford, a little town in Connecticut. This is where they are faced with the strangest people and behaviours: everything is really 50s style, perfect houses, wives and social events. Joanna cannot fit in and this leads her to want to find out what sort of strange dimension that is.

This is definetely an easy film, a soapy comedy which provides just a few laughs. I did not enjoy it much, it left me with nothing and I did not particularly appreciate any of the characters. Nevertheless Glenn Close's great performance deserves to be mentioned: her character is the prototype of obsession, she wants beauty and perfection no matter what and she ends up being utterly creepy.

The film deals with an extremely important topic, it is a pity it wasn't deepened in a different way...

Perfetta illusione (2022)

The two faces of beauty

[6/10 · 27 January 2024]

Toni and Paola are a happily married couple, or so it seems at the beginning. Their main aim is to improve their financial situation, as Paola wants to open an elegant boutique in the city. This starts creating a great sense of frustration in Tony, who has given up his real passion, painting. When he meets Chiara, a rich art expert who admires his work, Tony cannot deal with his private life and his passion anymore, and everything starts falling apart.

Perfetta Illusione shows us various dichotomies: Milan as the capital of fashion, art and luxury, but also a city that hides grim outskirts. The dichotomy of art, which is supposed to be a means of communication, but is often used as a mere means of production. Love takes double forms too, as a form of expression and repression.

I enjoyed the main message of the film, which is the fact that we are often misled by our desires to succeed. The protagonist is disappointing as a person, but he's also the real and only hero, true to what really makes sense to him: art. The other characters show us how mediocre and despicable greed is.

One Life (2023)

Utterly moving

[10/10 · 27 January 2024]

This is the real story of Nicholas Winton, a reserved upper class British man who saved hundreds of Jewish children during WWII.

The film begins at the end of the 1980s when Winton, now an elder man, is still struggling to overcome the atrocities he had to witness. Through a series of flashbacks we learn his amazing story and the admirable courage he had.

As the majority of films portraying the horrors of the Shoah, it is utterly moving and painful. Nevertheless the fact that it focuses on the destiny of hundreds of children makes it even more striking. My experience with this particular story was extremely strong, leaving me with a sense of anguish and hope at once. One Life shows us the two aspects of humanity, the dangers of evil and the awareness that good still exists and must prevail.

I loved the entire cast, but Anthony Hopkins' performance is simply outstanding.

The Order of Time (2023)

I thought it could be... but it wasn't

[5/10 · 13 January 2024]

The story follows a sort of theatrical structure: the setting is the same throughout the whole film, apart from a couple of scenes which took place in a nearby location. There isn't much action and everything happens during one single day: a group of old friends meet up at the beautiful sea house of a couple of them and they get lost in their existential conversations, doomed by a comet which is about to hit the planet. The characters seem on stage, wandering about and getting lost in their deeply melancholic conversations.

I expected much more from this film, considering some of the names starring (for instance Alessandro Gassman, Edoardo Leo, Valentina Cervi...) and the great director, Liliana Cavani. What I enjoyed was simply the beauty of the landscape, a few funny lines and the special effects when the comet approached.

The rest of it was disappointing, most of the protagonists were disappointing and their human relationships were the most disappointing aspect of all.

Maggie's Plan (2015)

A soft touch of naivety

[7/10 · 6 January 2024]

Maggie's plan is the story of a young woman, who's gone through dark times in her life and has matured into a non conventional soul, desperately seeking for love. She decides to have a baby on her own, but at the same time falls in love with an intellectual who is going through a marriage crisis. A series of strange events and decisions unfold after that.

There is no realism in this story, rather it is a sort of fictional tale told in different chapters. It is set in stunning New York, mostly during winter times and everything takes part in the creation of a dream like atmosphere: the locations, the costumes, the complicated relationship, yet so sweet at once. The cast is great: Ethan Hawke is charming and philosophical, his character really seems inspired to his real self. Julianne Moore is gorgeous and plays her role sensationally, even creating an unbelievable Swedish accent. I really loved Greta Gerwig too, her character was bizarre, akward and attractive at the same time.

In spite of the simple plot and the simple outcome of the events, I enjoyed this film a lot, it made me feel good, in a sort of dreamy state.

Dry (2022)

The drought within

[7/10 · 31 December 2023]

Siccità is a dystopic choral film narrating life in the Italian capital city, plagued by years of drought. Directed by Paolo Virzì it stars important names in the Italian cinematic industry such as Valerio Mastandrea, Claudia Pandolfi, Silvio Orlando and Tommaso Ragno.

The beauty of this film lies in the fact that in spite of its catastrophic events, Rome keeps its charm, which is transformed into a sort of dry gothic allure. The colours are particularly vivid and intense, in the same way as the various pictures portrayed and the special effects.

A multitude of characters flow through the various scenes, apparently strangers but all interconnected. Each one of them has to face the devastation surrounding them, but also the devastation within, in a long search for their lost souls. I especially loved Claudia Pandolfi and Valerio Mastandrea, a chameleon capable of transforming himself into any character in such an intense way.

Even though I enjoyed this film very much I found some flaws: Monica Bellucci is just a fascinating statue, a sort of goddess of fertility, but as soon as she starts talking her lack of acting skills are unveiled. Her performance really clashed in this story. Then I felt really skeptical about this environmental crisis hitting just Rome and not the rest of the country, it does not make much sense...

Apart from this I highly suggest it!