Sulla mia pelle (On my Skin): the complete review

Sulla mia pelle (On my Skin), directed by Alessio Cremonini and starring Alessandro Borghi is an Italian bio-drama. The movie has premiered in the Horizon section in the 75th Venice Film Festival and was strongly debated, because was released simultaneously worldwide via Netflix and in the theaters through the Lucky Red distribution's company.

THE PLOT: The movie is set in Rome's suburbs, where the 31 years old Stefano Cucchi is an ex drugs addict and dealer. One day, after having dinner with his parents at the family house, Stefano decided to pass the night out. While chatting with a friend in the car, Stefano lighted up a cigarette. Some Carabinieri (a section of the Italian police), noticed the car and ordered the two men to declare all their possessions. Unfortunately, the officers found some grams of hashish on Stefano and they bring the two guys at the police station in order to interrogate them. The friend is released, whilst Stefano is charged with both possession and drug dealing. Stefano appears in the courts room and the judge recalls the court hearing within a month. Stefano starts a downfall through the unknown injustice of the Italian law system.

THE DIRECTOR: Alessio Cremonini's masterpiece is more than a drama, because brings in it the essentiality of a biopic. Stefano is the one and only main character, and the little motions of the camera, the limited variety of sets, bring the spectator closer to Stefano's condition. Cremonini creates a strong empathy so we identify ourselves with Stefano, forgetting he is the "bad" guy of the situation. As drugs dealers are often considered without further examine the single situation.

THE ACTOR: Alessandro Borghi delivers a straight representation of Stefano Cucchi's character. He speaks the roman's accent, he moves like a "coatto" and is capable of portraying all the aspects of Cucchi's pain. The body motion is fantastic and the sensitivity of Borghi's acting is emotional: the actor has studied all the steps that had lead to Stefano's death and he brights to light even some aspect that Ilaria, Stefano's sister, said that she "wish she had known".

IMPORTANCE OF THE MOVIE: After Stefano's death in prison, after only a week on detention in "unknown" circumstances, his sister Ilaria and the Cucchi's family started their battle in defense of the basic human rights of the inmates.

THE DEBATE: The movie was one of the protagonist at the latest Venice Film Festival because of the topic and because of the channels of the distribution. Sulla mia pelle, produced in collaboration with Netflix, was one of the first movies to win a prize in an official film festival and distributed in streaming. On my skin marks the beginning of a new era?

VOTE : 5/5 ! The movie is strongly recommended. 💫Ciak Movie approved 💫

Micol Sartori

The House with a Clock in Its Walls: the review

         

The House with a Clock in Its Walls  (2018) is a fantasy horror/comedy directed by Eli Roth and starring Jack Black uncle Jonathan,Cate Blanchett as Florence (Jonathan’s neighbor and best friend) and the little actor Owen Vaccaro as the 10 years old protagonist, Lewis. The movie was released in the Us on 21/09 and after a worldwide marketing campaign, is now going to be realised everywhere. 

THE PLOT: We are in 1955, when Lewis, after a car crush that killed both of his parents, arrived at uncle’s Jonathan home. Before dying, his parents gave him an 8-ball and Lewis keeps his gift all the time. Jonathan’s house is wird because on the walls there are plenty of clocks. Jonathan lives in close relationsh with his neighbor Florence. Lewis starts to experience some magical powers and he is scared. He starts to go to school and a new friend of his tells to “keep an eye on the strange uncle”. Even Lewis’s mother appears in his dream to warn him. The boy seems in danger, and, throughout the story he will discover his uncle’s secret and the meaning of the clocks. All the subterranean powers are linked to the strange energy that flows in Lewis’ blood. 

THE ACTORS: Obviously this is a children’s movie, but Jack Black’s sympathy cross all the lines. The actor is entertaining and dictates the rhythm of the narration. Well done to the young actor Owen Vaccaro: with his facial expression and sensitivity he gives a great credibility to his character. What can we say about Cate Blanchett ? She’s as gthe pauses, the expression and the voice of a women, intelligently charming and seductive. 

THE EFFECTS: I really enjoyed the DGB colours that give modernity to a 1950 setting. The visual effects of magic are equilibrate and “storytellinggly” calm. The atmosphere is fantastic as the ones we saw in JK Rowiling Harry Potter’s. 

THE REVIEW: Couldn’t ask more from an horror/comedy movie. I enjoyed the story form 1’ to the end without falling asleep - as often occurs because the genre is not my favourite one. Director Roth has won a spot in the sun for “ Best animation”. VOTE:4/5

⭐️Ciak movie approved ! ⭐️

Micol Sartori

Spike Lee's return: BlacKkKlansman, the review

BlacKkKlansman (2018) is an American biographical comedy-drama directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Lee himself,  based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth. The film stars John David Washington as Stallworth, Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace. 

THE PLOT- Set in 1970s Colorado Springs, the plot follows the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs police department, Ron Stallworth. Ron's first assignment is to infiltrate a local rally of the Black Power organization in order to keep an eye on the meeting. In fact, Kwame Ture, a famous speaker was that night's special guest. In this occasion, Ron meets Patrice Dumas, the head of the student's black party. While taking Ture to his hotel, Patrice is stopped by patrolman Andy Landers, a corrupt, racist officer in Stallworth's precinct, who threatens Ture and sexually assaults Patrice. 
The rally convince Ron to do something for his people: at the office, while reading the local paper he finds the ad of the Ku Klux Klan. Ron, with the help of the white and jew officer Filp,  decides to enter the Klan. Ron has an ability: he can imitate perfectly a white man's voice. So, Ron is the one who interacts with the Klan through the phone and organizes the plans, while Filp was Ron double when it comes to join the meeting in person. The two of them manage to contact the White Wizard and politician David Duke ...

THE ANALYSIS- BlacKkKlansman is a dense movie: Spike Lee puts in the pot many cinematic echos such as Gone with the Wind colors and, most of all, David W. Griffith's Born of a nation. Griffith's movie is harshly criticized with many original clips that appear in the key moments of the story. Lee's willing is to make us reflect about the contemporary situation, between the difference of the actual America and the dreamed one. Are the white Americans still pretending to be the head of the nation? Lee is subtly criticizing Donald Trumph's governance (with him appearing in the movie too), while showing the contrast between scenes of violence and the president's reassuring words. The fact that the K.K.K is criticizing not only the blacks, the yellows or whatsoever but even the white jew, as Filp is, puts in ridiculous the basis of the racial organization. Still, this organization, as the last scene show, is part of the US present. 

THE TONE- BlaKkKlansman alternates grotesque humorism with some serious moments of thought. Ron's dialogues with the head of the K.K.K David Duke are incredibly entertaining.

THE ACTORS- John David Washington is equilibrate in Ron's shoes, credible and natural while acting the mythical police officer. Adam Driver's contribution signs another great performance of the actor, who is living is best season in Hollywood's movie productions.


MOVIE JUDGEMENT- BlacKkKlansman has won the Grand Prix price at Cannes Film festival. The movie   is Spike Lee business card for the Oscars. VOTE: 5/5

Micol Sartori

DON'T WORRY movie exclusive review !

Produced by Amazon Studios, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (2018) is a bio-drama based inspired by the life of the cartoonist John Callahan.

The actor Robin Williams (1951-2014) knew John Callahan and, after the death of the artist, Williams decided to buy the right's of Callahan's autobiography. Williams' dream was to made out of it a nice on screen biography and to act as the main character. 

By the time Williams was working on Good Will Hunting with director Gus Van Sant, he introduced him to Callahan's book: “He wanted to create a screenplay to star in and that’s where it started. We developed a couple of screenplays and as time went by, Robin never got around to it,” Van Sant told The Hollywood Reporter at the film's premiere at the ArcLight Hollywood.

Then Callahan died at the age of 59 in 2010 and, in 2014 Williams died too. 

After William's death, Van Saint thought of finally accomplished the actor's dream. The credits of the movie, in fact, include a special thanks to Williams.

Van Saint enrolled the prized actor Joaquin Phoenix (1974 ) and the nominated actress Rooney Mara (1985).

CIAK MOVIES REVIEW.

Positive aspects of the movie:

• Joaquin Phoenix is an amazing actor. After winning the Best Actor prize at Cannes thanks to A beautiful day movie, Phoenix is proving again and again his amazing skills. And deserved the Joker role in the next Batman's series. In Don't worry he acts in a soft, equilibrate way, showing Callahan flaws as a drunker. 
• The dialogues between the characters.
• The costumes.

• The movements of the camera, that shifts fast from one face to another and is often out of focus.

Negative aspects:

• The movie is quite long and still, dialogues only with little music.
• Rooney Mara as Annu is only a frame. Van Gus should have dept more her role.

Ciak's vote: 3,5/5.

DON'T WORRY movie official site