movies

I watched a set of Marcello Mastroianni movies. He's been in over 100 flicks and a lot of them are pretty bad, so I tried to pick from the top rated ones I'd not yet seen.

• The Friend (2024): Many women talk about the dead guy and the live dog. It does a good job of handling conflicting feelings during a time of loss. Recommended.
• Joyland (جوائے لینڈ) (2022): Quiet film of a patriarchal family whose youngest son joins a burlesque show and falls for a strong-willed transgender woman, further complicating family relations, especially with his wife.
• Green Book (2018): A bouncer drives African-American classical pianist Dr. Donald Shirley through the South. Great acting from Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. Forgive it for being "remarkably conventional and shallow in its treatment of racism" as it is based off real-life stories the driver told his son, who has a writing credit for the movie. Their NYC-Italian POV is valid, if shallow.
• The Big Gay Musical (2009): While working on an off-broadway show, the lives of two men mirror the characters they are playing. Skip it.
• A Petal (1996) (꽃잎): A fictionalized tale of how a girl reacted to the trauma of the 1980 Gwangju massacre. This film spurred the Korean public to demand the truth behind the incident, and their government eventually opened previously classified files on the massacre. I have issues with the film, but felt the need to watch.
• A Taxi Driver (택시운전사) 2017 : Lighter than the previous. Based on a real-life story, the film follows a taxi driver from Seoul who unintentionally becomes involved in the events of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. It draws on the experiences of German journalist Jürgen Hinzpeter and his interactions with driver Kim Man-seob. All of Man-seob's details are fictional because no one could find him until his son saw the movie and realized it was about his dad.
• Chamber of Horrors (1966): I guess it is Halloween season. Meh.
• Manichitrathazhu (1993) (മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ്): Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Thampi objects to his nephew's idea of moving into a haunted mansion. The warning ignored, things get spooky. Recommended.
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997): skip.
• Stalker (1979) (Сталкер): THIS IS STILL THE BEST MOVIE! Filled with despair.

Mastroianni movies:

• The Organizer (1963) (I compagni): Former teacher-turned-unionist (Mastroianni) tries to organize workers laboring with inhuman conditions at a textile factory. Tense and true. Highly Recommended.
• Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) (I soliti ignoti): fun heist flick
• Ginger and Fred (1986): Old dance partners rejoin for TV special and comment on aging, societal change, the entertainment industry and more.
• Le Notti Bianche (1957) (White Nights): A middle-aged man meets a young woman who is waiting on for her lover's return after a year apart. Will he sway her? Will the lover return? Highly Recommended.
• 8½ (1963) : Not my favorite Fellini, but others rate it highly.
• Divorce Italian Style (1961) (Divorzio all'italiana) : Comedy about a husband who falls for sexy niece, but since Catholics can't divorce, the only option is murder.