Rocco Papaleo, a big resounding ”NO” to Woody Allen

Yep, our much-loved Italian actor Rocco Papaleo has no time for Woody Allen this August, Papaleo did the screen test and was offered a role in Woody Allen’s new film Bella Ciao, Bop Decameron or ? currently shooting in Rome. You will know this Italian as the director and screenwriter of Basilicata Coast to Coast and his latest role as an actor in Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me directed by Massimiliano Bruno. Has this usually down to earth actor Papaleo gone all arrogant on us this summer ? No, not at all Woody Allen’s production team was not able to give him and exact filming date he was asked to keep all of August free, Papaleo had promised his son a holiday in August so had to turn Allen down, that is what I call a family man, if Italy does not have a ”Father of the Year Award”  I think it is time they did, we have a clear winner.

Allen has started shooting in Rome and although the name of the film is still up in the air it seems to be going well. What exactly Benigni and Scamarcio are doing in the same film is beyond me and Benigni…. I should not wonder. Perhaps they will not be in the same story line, cannot wait to see the outcome either way. Below a list of possible stars, could change a short notice.

State side: Woody Allan, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig and the lovely Jesse Eisenberg

Home front: Roberto Benigni, Antonio Albernese, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ornella Mutti, Alessandro Tiberi, Alison Pill, Flavio Parenti, Alessandra Mastronardi and our opera singer Fabio Armiliato

Top Italian Films 2010

As the David di Donatello 2011 awards will be confirmed on the 6th of May 2011 and the options this year sadly are so uninspiring, I am feeling award fatigued already to the point of not caring who gets what, I do feel passionate about Giuseppe Battiston getting the ” Best Supporting Actor ”  statuette for his role as Ramiro in La Passione, The Passion directed by Carlo Mazzacurati, he was awesome.

What happened to Italian films in 2010 ? I thing there were some cool and very interesting films around, they just never reached nomination for a David di Donatello. There were a lot of excitement on the Festival scene both in Italy and Internationally so who should have been looking for an award ?

Italian Film at most Festivals and with most awards 2010 :

3rd place Le quattro volte, The Four Times directed by  Michelangelo Frammartino with 104 Festivals and 32 awards. I did not care for it much, I was even a tat bored the first time I saw it, then I was told it was a masterpiece and I returned to the cinema and OK to be fair it has some great qualities, even though the goat changed its spots on occasions.

2nd place L’uomo che verrá, The man who will come directed by Giorgio Diritti with 112 Festivals and 41 awards. I was disappointed in this film only as it was released shortly after Miracles at St. Anna directed by Spike Lee a truly awesome film, great story line, great cinematography and a super cast, it was however panned and vilified by the Italian public. The story was the same apart from a few black soldiers and the sex of the small child. Both films were truly great.

1st place  Non é ancora domani (La Pivellina), The small one  directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel it was seen at 156 Festivals and won 36 awards, well done is all you can say to that.

Top of the Box Office 2010 :

3rd place  La banda dei Babbi Natale, The Xmas gang of Santas directed by  Paolo Genovese

2nd place Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the South directed by Luca Niniero

1st place Che bella giornata, What a beautiful Day directed by Gennaro Nunziante

Interesting and diverse the two lists, wonder how many saw all six films……

Thanks go to Cinema Info and Box Office Mojo

The nominations for David di Donatello 2011 (and winners)

I am unimpressed and cannot possibly see how Noi Credevamo, We Believed could receive 13 nominations, how I ask is it possible ? I shall have to have words in the oracles ear like, this is a very confusing side of  Cinema Italiano, I blame drugs and alcohol for such odd choices. As for Marco Bellocchio being up for Best Director with Sorelle mai, Sisters Mai is just pure “Silliness” it was a terrible production.

I am very pleased to see Giuseppe Battiston in La passione, The Passion up for best supporting actor, he was brilliant and should win hands down. I shall update you in another blog with a list of much better films although it will alter nothing, it might help me solve the puzzle that is Noi Credevamo, We Believed and its popularity with the David di Donatello organisers.

Here are a list of nominations for this years David di Donatello:

Best Film :

Basilicata coast to coast

Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South

Noi credevamo , We Believed  WON

La nostra vita, Our life

Una vita tranquilla, A Quiet Life.

Best Director:

Marco Bellocchio per Sorelle mai, Sisters Mai

Saverio Costanzo per The Solitude of Prime Numbers, The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Claudio Cupellini per Una vita tranquilla , A Quiet life -

Michelangelo Frammartino per Le quattro volte, The Four Times

Paolo Genovese per Immaturi, The Juveniles

Daniele Luchetti per La nostra vita, Our Life  WON

Mario Martone per Noi credevamo, We Believed

Luca Miniero per Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South

Best Director Newcomer :

Aureliano Amadei per 20 Sigarette , 20 Cigarettes

Massimiliano Bruno per Nessuno mi può giudicare, No One Can Judge Me

Edoardo Leo per Diciotto anni dopo ,Eighteen years later

Rocco Papaleo per Basilicata coast to coast  WON

Paola Randi per Into Paradiso

Best Screenplay :

Rocco Papaleo e Valter Lupo per Basilicata coast to coast

Paolo Genovese per Immaturi, The Juveniles

Mario Martone e Giancarlo De Cataldo per Noi credevamo, We Believed  WON

Sandro Petraglia e Stefano Rulli e Daniele Luchetti per La nostra vita, Our Life

Filippo Gravino e Guido Iuculano e  Claudio Cupellini per Una vita tranquilla, A Quiet life.

Best Actress:

Paola Cortellesi per Nessuno mi può giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  WON

Sarah Felberbaum per Il gioiellino, The Little Germ

Angela Finocchiaro per Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South

Isabella Ragonese per La nostra vita, Our Life

Alba Rohrwacher per La solitudine dei numeri primi, The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Best Actor:

Antonio Albanese per Qualunquemente, Whatsoeverly

Claudio Bisio per Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South

Elio Germano per La nostra vita, Our Life   WON

Vinicio Marchioni per 20 Sigarette, 20 Cigarettes

Kim Rossi Stuart per Vallanzasca gli angeli del male, The Angles of Evil

Best Supporting Actress :

Barbora Bobulova per La bellezza del somaro, Love and Slaps

Valeria De Franciscis Bendoni per Gianni e le donne, The Salt of Life

Anna Foglietta per Nessuno mi può giudicare , No One Can Judge Me

Valentina Lodovini per Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South  WON

Claudia Potenza per Basilicata coast to coast

Best Supporting Actor:

Giuseppe Battiston per La passione,The Passion WON

Raoul Bova per La nostra vita , Our Lives

Francesco Di Leva per Una vita tranquilla , A Quiet Life

Rocco Papaleo per Nessuno mi può giudicare, No One Can Judge Me

Alessandro Siani per Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the  South

Best Director of Cinematography:

Vittorio Omodei Zorini per 20 Sigarette, 20 Cigerettes

Luca Bigazzi per Il gioiellino, The Little Germ

Renato Berta per Noi credevamo, We Believed  WON

Fabio Cianchetti per La solitudine dei numeri primi, The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Arnaldo Catinari per Vallanzasca gli angeli del male, The Angles of Evil.

Best Music score :

Rita Marcotulli e Rocco Papaleo per Basilicata coast to coast  WON

Umberto Scipione per Benvenuti al Sud , Welcome to the  South

Teho Teardo per Il gioiellino, The Little Germ

Fausto Mesolella per Into Paradiso

Hubert Westkemper per Noi credevamo, We Believed.

Best Film from the EEC :

Another Year

The Kings Speech   WON

In a Better World

Il segreto dei suoi occhi

Men of God.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Black Swan

La donna che canta

Hereafter   WON

Inception

The Social Network

The Fellini award

The Fellini award at this years Film Festival in Bari went to Giuseppe Tornatore.

Academy Awards 2011 Best Foreign Film

Best Foreign Film entered by Italy was   The First Beautiful Thing directed by Paolo Virzì it  did not get accepted and will miss out on an Oscar.

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2011

Is showing the following Italian films at this years festival:

The Double Hour, La Doppia ore

Eighteen Years Later, Diciotto anni dopo

The First Beautiful Thing, La prima cosa bella

Four Times, La Quattro Volte

Loose Cannons, Mine Vagante

The Man Who Will Come, L’uomo che verra

The festival is on from the 5th January until the 17th of January 2011

http://www.psfilmfest.org

BAFTA 2011 Io sono amore, I am love nominations.

Great news for Io sono amore, I am Love  it has been nominated for the following 6 YES 6 awards :

Original Screenplay

Make Up & Hair

Costume Design

Production Design

Cinematography

Leading Actress Tilda Swinton

Such a fab film I really hope it does well.