Film: Profondo Rosso

"Profondo Rosso", (also known as Deep Red or The Hatchet Murders), is the 1975 horror classic directed by Dario Argento, which earned him the title of “heir” of Alfred Hitchcock in the genre.
Marc, a young pianist, witnesses a parapsychologist being killed, but he cannot see the face of the killer. While he investigates the homicide, with the help of an attractive female journalist, also the people he encounters are killed, one by one. The truth is unpredictable. The film is the stylistic and creative climax in Dario Argento’s work, and marks the passage from his initial “thriller” period to the more distinguished “horror” phase. The film does indeed present aspects of both genres, making it a fairly intensive cinematic experience. The cast is excellent and the plot, though sometimes overcomplicated, offers some of the spookiest creations in modern suspense cinema. Finally, a special mention need to be paid to the soundtrack by the Goblin, which is exceptionally terrifying.

A movie review: “Pane e tulipani”...enjoy life!

This film is already a decade old (1999), yet it still holds its charm.

“Pane e Tulipani” by Silvio Soldini is the romantic story of a clumsy and undervalued housewife, Rosalba, superbly played by the talented Licia Maglietta, who finds a new life in Venice.
On the way back from a group trip to Paestum, Rosalba is “forgotten” by her family at an autogrill (highway restaurant) near Rome.

Mistreated by her husband for her clumsiness and generally burdened by all the preoccupations of a wife and mother, she decides to take advantage of the situation by taking a short trip to Venice, a city she has never seen.
In Venice, she meets intriguing and hilarious characters such as an Icelandic waiter who speaks in the style of Renaissance poetry and quotes from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso; an unhappy and lonely masseuse; a plumber/detective; and an anarchical florist.

Her brief sojourn continues and is not temporary any more. Because of the characters she meets, Rosalba manages to change her life and embrace her flaws as her peculiar, charming qualities.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you had better do it soon.

With its lighthearted, yet profoundly optimistic message, “Pane e tulipani” will surely give you a new joy of life.