vellutogrigio

Another beautiful book, which I recommend to everyone, is "La rossa mano destra" by J.T. Rogers (Polillo). A mystery in which the ending is determined solely by the reader, but weeks after finishing the book.

Ah, Poletti, I don't usually praise lesser films, not least because I find it foolish to distinguish the category of "lesser" (it's amusing if you read Paolo's reviews but no further). There are certainly silly little films that I might enjoy for nostalgic and sentimental reasons, but I have no doubt that masterpieces exist: one of them, for example, is "The Deer Hunter" by Cimino, which both you and I have tackled, with results that every reader of the site can appreciate. As for the well-worn story of Fellini and Ferreri, your viewpoint, as well as that of your counterpart Rikardo, doesn't differ too much from a Mereghetti or any history of cinema: at that point, with all due respect to you, I might as well read those directly. Of course, I'm not saying this site is bad because you write for it; on the contrary, I enjoy reading you.

Damn Rikardo, you’re getting a bit overly enthusiastic about a territory that I particularly appreciate, namely the yellow/thriller cinema. It’s worth noting that “vellutogrigio” comes from a film of the same name and not from the fabric of my trousers. Based on personal evaluations that deserve to exist, especially on Debaser, I observe how this film doesn’t hold a candle to Bava, Argento, Avati, or Roeg’s “Don’t Look Now.” Fincher is great, but Zodiac is better. The reason is simple: this film relies on the gruesomeness, either revealed or suggested, of a moralistic killer – which only in the States can be appealing – a forerunner to the much-celebrated Saw. The mystery lies entirely in the reasons why the character kills, but those reasons become evident as soon as one grasps the ethical character of the film; the identity of the culprit is irrelevant (whether it was Spacey or not, what matters is that he was “The Moralist”), and the twist where the final sin is committed by the one you know… is always explained by the aforementioned considerations. Having read several mysteries and related genres in my life, and seen similar films, I recommend – but I also strongly recommend this to Poletti – reading “Il giudice e il suo boia” by Dürrenmatt (Feltrinelli, in my edition with Moebius’ cover) and the similar “Tenebre” by Dario Argento, just to understand how ethics can be done – the European way – and how to deceive the reader who believes they see and understand one thing, when everything is part of a performance and a game against their fallacious convictions. And the beauty is that it’s all right in front of the reader’s eyes, who, misled by their own prejudices, ends up making a double fool of themselves.

Paolo, it is known that you are me!

Yes, for example "Three Columns in the News". I don’t remember the director, maybe you can check because I have to go watch the movie now. ST, Il_Paolo (and apologize to Lavalin, don’t make a fool of yourself because when you want, you can be nice and even smart)

Well, a brief review that paradoxically says everything about an excessively overrated film, interesting more for its aesthetic value than anything else. Watching it today, it feels outdated, and especially lacking the essential element of these films: the mystery. In summary, a flashy video clip orchestrated by the talented Fincher, benefiting from the presence of great actors Freeman and Spacey, along with handsome faces - Pitt and at the time Mrs. Pitt (Gwyneth Paltrow) - who enjoys great fame among an audience that evidently does not know (or appreciate) Bava, Argento, Avati. Nevertheless, Fincher redeemed himself with the excellent Zodiac.

Nero, sorry for intervening in a discussion that’s already underway: I recommend reading Durrenmatt (especially "Giustizia"), which explains, albeit symbolically, how the judicial path towards the discovery of truths and responsibilities is the most arduous and fallible. Personally, I don’t need a verdict to refrain from voting for Andreotti (back then) or his obvious successors (now)... I just need that minimum of critical and civic sense acquired in my family and at school. Of course, I can consider myself lucky, unlike - it seems to me - the vast majority of Italians. Personally, I am quite pessimistic about the pedagogical effectiveness of these films: a certain moral, either you have it as an imprint or you are lost.

I’d like to take a moment to delve deeper into the meaning of my previous post, particularly in light of some reflections I've found written above. In my opinion, when we talk about Andreotti (or rather any public figure somewhat involved in criminal affairs), we need to distinguish between the judgments of the Courts (which are found in the rulings, and nowhere else) and the broader judgment of history. And I believe that, regardless of how he may be acquitted by the Courts (whether in substance or procedure), a less benevolent judgment hangs over him from his contemporaries and a significant part of historians. Furthermore, I would add that Sorrentino treats Andreotti as a character for film, a character upon which to build an artistic speculation, rather than a historical, political, or legal one. It is also true that reality escapes any simplification, being much more complex and ambiguous: and Sorrentino’s intuition that Andreotti was an "agente del kaos," promoting evil to justify good, unsettles me and seems closer to the Truth than any ruling or historical judgment.

Beautiful as always, Muito, and interesting in its biographical ebb and flow. Heart-wrenching songs: "Come una madrigale" by Ennio Morricone, the soundtrack to "Quattro mosche..." (ah, Nina, why you?), and definitely "Astronomy" by Blue Oyster Cult, mostly for the sense of nostalgia and emptiness it leaves you with, without really explaining what you’re missing (certainly not the annoying Suzie from the song). An objectively heart-wrenching song, suitable for all occasions: "Champagne" by Peppino di Capri.

Dad, I missed this one. About Carrà, let me share a conversation between me and a friend: VG: "I've never understood why Carrà at her peak never took me as a man." A: "She's not hot, she doesn't have tits." VG [silence] A [silence]. They exit the scene. Her songs weren't bad, though.