Genova

I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting. Winterbottom's slow pace and naturalistic style just clicked for me from the beginning. I was never bored, I just loved the verisimilitude of the busy sound mix and unselfconscious acting (well, except for Willa Holland, who obviously wasn't cast for her acting chops). I didn't even mind the ghost story, probably because it's debatable whether it actually was a ghost story. A surprising pleasure.

Grief and loss in foreboding, claustrophobic Genoa. Aspires to "Don't Look Now" but doesn't reach those heights.

http://gorgview.com/a-summer-in-genova

Stunning shooting and mood, very nice acting with kids in beautiful scenery. Unfortunately the nicely built climax left you on a thin air. There was no ending in the movie.

Coming to terms with a dead mother and wife isn't the most uplifting premise, and the episodic narrative fails to bring me much; most glimpses of quality are from a good cast. *Preview*: #12#, exp-3*, story, (reviews), cast, R2.

Fairly decent family drama in which Michael Winterbottom gets most of his kicks using irregular editing and unclear angles with wobbly handheld cameras to create an atmosphere of tension and impending disaster while his young female protagonists trot unwittingly into Genoa's darker passages. As an exercise in sustained moodiness, the film works well, but it doesn't have much more to offer, such as a deeper psychological study of the guilt a child might feel after causing a tragic accident.

After a very promising first half, film fails to go anywhere. Despite eliciting very good performances, and having successfully crafted an atmosphere of tension and apprehension, the filmmaker seemed to be satisfied merely to lead the viewer to the smallest of possible conclusions. Needless to say, pleasant scenery.

Very subdued but still involving, this trip to Italy is remindful of Don't Look Now and Quite Chaos.

Enjoyed this far more than I should have. It's a simple tale, mostly told through the things that don't happen onscreen, or by subtle interactions between the characters. Colin Firth is a recently-bereaved widower left with 2 teenage daughters in a foreign city. One guilt-ridden over her mother's death, the other finding her sexual awakening. Really, just imagine Firth playing that role and all the complexities that come with it and make your own score.

#871 - 13 Ekim 08, 19:00, emek sinemasi, filmekimi 08 with Emre Abi & ilk 10 dk.si disinda temposuz, kendini yineleyen, sikici bir film. nerden tutsaniz elinizde kaliyor... http://sineofrenik.blogspot.com/2008/10/filmekimi-2008-genova.html

shocking opening scene is brilliant. rest is (neigh)boring totoro.