SFFS New Italian Cinema Nov. 11-18, 2012

[Chris Knipp]

San Francisco Film Society
NEW ITALIAN CINEMA
Nov. 11-18, 2012

General forum notification and comment thread for this serie: here.

Here is the program below with the Film Society's blurbs. I will cover the series and provide reviews and ratings of the new films, which are as follows:



The Greatest of Them All
Carlo Virzì (I più grandi di tutti, Italy 2011)
Raucous but with a melancholy air, this is the story of the exceedingly mediocre rock group Pluto and the wheelchair-bound young man who begs the four members of the band to reunite.
Tuesday November 13, 6:15 pm
Friday November 16, 9:15 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema

Kryptonite!
Ivan Cotroneo (La kryptonite nella borsa, Italy 2011)
Set in 1964 Naples, a myopic boy watches his family members react to the turbulent 1960s—his older siblings donning hippie attire, his mom collapsing when she discovers her husband’s affair, and a possibly gay cousin who thinks he is Superman.
Sunday November 11, 5:30 pm
Tuesday November 13, 9:00 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema



Shun Li and the Poet
Andrea Segre (Io sono li, Italy/France 2011)
The friendship between two immigrants amid the xenophobia of a Venetian fishing community is detailed in subtle and visually dramatic fashion in Andrea Segre's first narrative feature.
Wednesday November 14, 6:15 pm
Sunday November 18, 3:30 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

The First on the List
Roan Johnson (I primi della lista, Italy/France 2011)
Set against Italy’s political upheaval in the late ‘60s, this lighthearted comedy follows three young potential revolutionaries who become convinced that there’s going to be a military coup and set off for the border.
Wednesday November 14, 9:00 pm
Saturday November 17, 6:45 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema

Apartment in Athens
Ruggero Dipaola (Appartamento ad Atene, Italy 2011)
Based on a book by Glenway Wescott, this film tells the story of a Greek family forced to take a Nazi captain into their home during WWII and the effect of his presence on each of them.
Thursday November 15, 6:15 pm
Saturday November 17, 9:15 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema



Easy!
Francesco Bruni (Scialla!, Italy 2011)
An underachieving writer, currently ghostwriting the story of an Italian porn star, finds out that the similarly underachieving boy he’s been tutoring is his son.
Thursday November 15, 9:00 pm
Saturday November 17, 4:00 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema

Hit the Road, Nonna
Duccio Chiarini (Italy 2011)
In this playful family portrait, director Duccio Chiarini investigates the life and history of his somewhat belligerent, defiantly unrepentant 87-year-old grandmother Delia, and explores the reasons why she has become a persona non grata in his household.
Friday November 16, 4:30 pm
Sunday November 18, 1:30 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema

100 Meters to Heaven
Raffaele Verzillo (100 metri dal paradiso, Italy 2012)
A creative-thinking monsignor has an idea to expand the image of the Church—getting the Vatican to compete in the London Olympics—and assisted by his childhood friend, they round up a team of athletes from around the globe.
Friday November 16, 6:30 pm
Saturday November 17, 1:15 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema



The Cherry on the Cake
Laura Morante (La cerise sur le gâteau/Ciliegine, France 2012)
A woman, recently separated from her long-term boyfriend, finds the perfect match but is convinced that he’s gay. Surprise—he’s not!
Sunday November 18, 6:30 pm and 9:15 pm
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema