Okay, last super-late post before I get to the new festival:
Israelis and Palestinians, they've had their differences over the years. There's obviously a rich history to this region but what foes that mean to some New Yorker chick? That's the staggeringly inessential question that this film tries to answer. I think you're supposed to sympathize with this granddaughter of a Palestinian refugee but she seems like the epitome of "the ugly American". She barges into a strange country, makes ridiculous demands, and throws a tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants. This woman robs an Israeli bank because of the persecution she feels she has endured by the Israelis. Apparently Israel is so powerful that it can oppress third-generation immigrants in Brooklyn. And the nicer the Israelis get the more petulant this woman becomes! The Middle East has enough problems, we don't need American tourists stirring things up.
This charming little film takes place in a small Italian fishing village in the 1950s. The town has an unusual tradition where, on a girl's eighteenth birthday, all the boys bring her father a present and then he allows the bearer of the best gift to take his daughter on her first date. How they prevent teenage girls from going on dates until they turn eighteen is left unexplained. Anyway, our hero Marcello is the son of a poor fisherman and he never participates in this ritual because he can't afford presents (at least, not any presents that are good enough to get the girl). Of course, Marcello is in love with a girl and he must find the perfect gift for her eighteenth birthday. The problem is that her father is the mayor of the village and the other, richer boys are pulling out all the stops to win her hand. The tradition is especially weighty because so many villagers wind up marrying the boys who take them on their first date. Fortunately, Marcello notices that the mayor is woken up by a rooster every morning and realizes that presenting him with that rooster will be a far better gift than anything the other boys can buy. Unfortunately, the owner of the rooster hates the mayor and won't part with his pet for anything . . . except maybe for two bottles of a rare limoncello. Well, Marcello rushes off to a small island to locate the prized commodity but the sisters who make the stuff won't part with their precious reserves . . . unless Marcello can get something of theirs back from a shopkeeper. Naturally, this becomes a very complicated process and it is an absolute joy to watch Marcello scramble about the village trading favors to secure the one gift that will get him his love.
Dominic Monahan stars in this horror-comedy about two hapless grave robbers in 18th century England. It's a fun movie but somehow not as much fun as it should be. I mean, it's good for chuckles, not laughs. It was disappointing, I really wanted to love this movie but I just couldn't get into it. The premise was great and the actors did their parts but it just didn't quite come together the way it should have. Amusing but not a must see.
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