Quentin Tarantino -Jackie Brown
After two great films like "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction," Tarantino's inevitable decline begins. For me, this is consistently between 3 and 4 stars, a film still more than decent with some truly successful scenes, a great Samuel L. Jackson, and a good performance by Robert De Niro (barely decent compared to those from '68-'96, gigantic in comparison to those from '00 onwards). Good film. more
Ridley Scott -Hannibal
Less ugly than I remembered. A film directed with skill by Scott, for style very different and for quality much lower than "The Silence of the Lambs", it relies mainly on the charismatic performance of a flamboyant Hopkins and benefits from the excellent Florentine set design in the first part (with a good Giuseppe Giannini added) and a couple of remarkable scenes. Julianne Moore did not convince me at all, good performance by Oldman, decent Liotta, experienced and skilled Scott. more
Michael Mann -Collateral
Great film "Collateral", on par with "Insider" and almost at the level of Mann's two masterpieces: Manhunter and Heat. Excellent Foxx, convincing Cruise (probably his best performance), Mann as usual stunning, beautifully depicting the night of Los Angeles. Tension, adrenaline, class, and excellent technique. Truly a magnificent thriller. more
Michael Mann -L'Ultimo Dei Mohicani
Mann ventures into the epic/historical genre and does so with his usual skill, managing to create a beautiful film. A separate discussion is warranted for the stunning soundtrack, which is a true masterpiece. Then there's a phenomenal Lewis (but that's not news), a wonderful, tight, engaging, and epic final part (20-15 minutes), and finally the breathtaking sets and the excellent direction from the always outstanding Mann. It's a shame that the screenplay ends up focusing too much on a certain love story. more
Roman Polanski -Repulsion
Perhaps the pinnacle of early Polanski (the one before Rosemary's Baby), a sickly, surreal thriller (the scene with the hands emerging from the walls is stunning), exhausting. Deneuve, besides being beautiful, is exceptional in portraying Carol's relentless descent into the abyss of madness. Excellent ending. Perhaps not a masterpiece (like "The Tenant") but still a beautiful film. more
Martin Scorsese -Chi sta Bussando alla mia Porta?
The excellent debut of Martin Scorsese (1969), who in the '70s, thanks to masterpieces such as "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," would establish himself as one of the greatest representatives of "New Hollywood" and one of the greatest directors of all time. The protagonist is his friend Harvey Keitel (also a newcomer), who later boasts a brilliant career (an exceptional actor). It's not yet fully in focus, but Scorsese's class and skill are already evident; there's Little Italy, and there's a great story. more
Tom Waits -Bad As Me
Great even here. It sounds like a thirty-year-old screaming loudly, yet this guy is 62 and has almost forty years of career behind him by now. Evergreen and unyielding Uncle Tom. When I heard "Bad as Me," it was clear that the devil had truly returned; when I then listened to "Hell Broke Luce," I had confirmation, old crazy madman. But there are also wonderful ballads, with "Last Leaf" standing out. A kind of excellent synthesis of his long career. Immense. more
Martin Scorsese -New York, New York
One of Scorsese's most underrated works. A great De Niro, an excellent Liza Minelli, the New York Jazz of this film is one of the many faces of the city that Scorsese has wonderfully depicted throughout his career. A beautiful film, it has the one flaw of being literally overshadowed by the two absolute peaks of Scorsese, "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," which are a good notch higher. more
Roman Polanski -Il Pianista
Roman Polanski’s masterpiece, directed at the age of 68. A wonderful biographical masterpiece about the life of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman and at the same time a very autobiographical film. Brutal and ruthless from beginning to end but, especially in the final part, incredibly moving. The German officer who helps Szpilman is magnificent, and of whom the Polish pianist will not manage to learn the name at least until after the death of the officer himself, in a Soviet gulag... more
Johnny Cash -Johnny Cash With His Hot and Blue Guitar
Maybe he’s done better ones, but this is a classic Country/Folk track as well as the stunning debut, released in 1957, of one of the greatest American songwriters of all time. "Folsom Prison Blues" masterpiece. more
Johnny Cash -The Songs That Made Him Famous
Inferior to the debut, it still contains at least 2-3 tracks that are worth the price of the record (I’m especially thinking of "Home of the Blues" and "Big River"). more
Johnny Cash -The Fabulous Johnny Cash
"Fool's Hall of Fame" (one of my favorites from early Cash), "Walkin' the Blues," "Suppertime," "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" are absolute masterpieces of country music and elevate this album greatly despite a few inevitable, forgettable fillers. more
Terry Gilliam -Paura e delirio a Las Vegas
Completely nonsensical but extremely funny, practically a scenario where Gilliam could unleash his visionary creativity. Depp and Del Toro are wildly eccentric; after all, the same Thompson/Raoul Duke was not exactly sane. Grotesque and hilarious characters and situations, along with an outstanding soundtrack (just to name a few: "Combination of the Two" by Big Brother at the beginning and end of the film, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" - the latter used wonderfully - by Jefferson Airplane, and "Stuck Inside" by Dylan). Awesome. more
Johnny Cash -Songs of Our Soil
Beautiful, masterpiece of Country. more
The Beach Boys -Surfin' Safari
A bullshit of a record, even if occasionally amusing. more
Mike Newell -Donnie Brasco
3 and a half balls. more
Traffic -Welcome To The Canteen
the BEST!!! found for really little, an album that will wear out my stylus... more