It’s a good month to polish up on your Italian, as on every Monday and Tuesday evening throughout October, Rialto Channel will be screening Italian films. There’s a wonderful collection of stories to enjoy, such as the historical drama Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy that tells the story of the tragic Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan 1969. It’s my first pick of the week . 

It’s a good month to polish up on your Italian, as on every Monday and Tuesday evening throughout October, Rialto Channel will be screening Italian films. There’s a wonderful collection of stories to enjoy, such as the historical drama Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy that tells the story of the tragic Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan 1969. It’s my first pick of the week: 

Loosely based on the book Il Segreto di Piazza Fontana by Paolo Cucchiarelli, this award winning film takes us very carefully through the events surrounding the tragic bombing of a Milanese bank in 1969 that killed 17. The film captures an unsettled time in Italian politics as communism swept across Europe, and in this particular case, studies how the government, the police, the secret service and neo-fascists dealt with the rise of the left. It’s not a straightforward story and unfortunately there’s no neat and tidy ending. However director Marco Tullio Giordana does a great job of setting the scene and an especially good job at keeping up the intensity throughout this film that’s set over the span of a decade.

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
Starring: Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion & Alexis Denisof
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Screening: Rialto Selection, Saturday 11^th October, 8.30pm 

From Joss Whedon, the man that created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and wrote and directed The Avengers comes a contemporary, sexy and sparkling take on Shakespeare's classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing. It may seem like an unlikely choice for this pop culture lover, but for the last ten years, Whedon and his friends have been doing readings of William Shakespeare’s plays at his house. This pretty flash home video is an extension of those meetings. Set in the present day and using Shakespeare’s original text, Whedon shot this screwball romantic comedy in 12 days at his own Santa Monica home. Presented in black and white, this story of two sparring lovers, Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof), works well in Whedon’s modern day setting. There’s a dark undertone in this play that juxtaposes nicely with the absurd humour that’s also present and Whedon and his cast of kind-of familiar faces nail it well.

Cutie and the Boxer (2013)
Starring: Noriko and Ushio Shinohara
Directed by: Zachary Heinzerling
Screening: Rialto Documentary, Thursday 9th October, 8.30pm 

This gentle documentary tells the story of the 40 year old marriage between 81 year old artist Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko, who married him when she was a 19 year old art student. Ushio is a critically acclaimed artist rather than a commercially successful artist. His dedicated wife has stood by her husband regardless of his alcoholism and their financial hardships, but as her Ushio prepares for a new exhibition, she decides it’s time to assert some independence, and puts her own artwork forward for contemplation. This is a compelling portrait of marriage, art and the creative process.