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Italian movies are taking a sharper turn towards genre storytelling, though classic auteur titles remain a strong component of the country’s cinematic output. Below is a compendium of standout cinema Italiano projects in various stages.

“Non Mi Uccidere” (“Don’t Kill Me”) Young director Andrea De Sica, who helmed the bulk of teen series “Baby” for Netflix, is set to shoot a horror film geared towards the same youth demographic as the show. It’s based on a bestselling Gothic novel about a 19-year-old named Mirta who, with her older lover, Robin, dies of a drug overdose. She then reanimates alone to find out that in order to continue living, and cherishing the memory of Robin’s love, she must eat living humans. Shooting is expected to start soon. Cast is being contractualized. Pic is the director’s sophomore feature after “Children of the Night,” a coming-of-age story set...

The Italian film and TV industry was on a roll when the pandemic hit the country particularly hard. It’s now starting to bounce back as movie theaters reopen and productions prepare to shoot, while the Venice Film Festival, set to physically take place in September, may become a symbol of the global entertainment industry recovery effort.

Besides the festival, Venice in September is expected to host Tom Cruise on the Grand Canal as Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible 7” is scheduled to restart filming — one of roughly 40 shoots, which includes 17 feature films, 19 TV series and some shorts — that ground to a halt in March when Italy went into lockdown.

Since March, the Italian government has been quite supportive of the entertainment industry, providing a roughly $145 million aid package for exhibitors, distributors and producers. And Netflix and Italy’s film commissions have launched a fund to provide short-term emergency support to...

In an unusual move, German and Swiss indie Dcm Film International has snapped up German-language remake rights to Italian dramedy “Andrà Tutto Bene” (“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”) directed by Francesco Bruni, even before the film’s theatrical release in Italy.

While one could be forgiven for thinking the title pertains to the coronavirus pandemic, this pic is instead about a down-and-out film director who discovers he has a form of leukemia for which he needs a stem cell transplant from a matching donor. The deal for German remake rights was inked during lockdown by Italy’s Vision Distribution and Dcm. Bruni’s latest work had screened in still unfinished form at Berlin’s European Film Market in February. Dcm is currently looking at various German directors and talents to attach to the project.

Since the film’s planned March release in Italy was postponed due the pandemic, Vision Distribution...

Exclusive: Production is under way in Turin, Italy on comedy feature Dolcissime, produced and written by Marco D’Amore, star of hit Italian crime series Gomorrah.

D’Amore produces under his La Piccola Societa banner with Italian stalwart Indiana Production, producers of Helen Mirren-Donald Sutherland comedy The Leisure Seeker. Sky Italia-backed Vision Distribution will release the feature next year.

Script comes from D’Amore and Francesco Ghiaccio with the latter directing. D’Amore, Ghiaccio and Indiana previously collaborated on the director’s 2015 feature debut Un Posto Sicuro.

Pic, whose title translates literally as ‘the sweetest’, follows three overweight girls who decide to tackle their insecurities by teaming up with a former enemy, the leader of the synchronized swimming team, who will train them to take part in a competition.

Starring are established Italian actors Valeria Solarino (Angel Of Evil) — who also has a starring role in Indiana’s...

Fox World Cinema is releasing diverse films from around the world which will be available on DVD, Video On Demand and Digital Download in the United States. The first wave of films to be released will be China’s The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman, India’s Dum Maaro Dum and Italy’s Angel of Evil – all critically acclaimed films that have played at festivals around the world. These are beautiful films that need to be seen. Check out the Wave 1 trailer below.

Fans of world cinema should be pleased with this press release:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced that September 27th will be the launch date for Fox World Cinema’s first slate of films including China’s The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman, India’s Dum Maaro Dum and Italy’s Angel of Evil – all critically acclaimed films that have played at festivals around the world.

Fox World Cinema is a newly created premiere line of diverse films from around the world which will be available on DVD, Video On Demand and Digital Download in the United States. Additional films from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s vast catalog of international favorites being rebranded under the new Fox World Cinema label include Slumdog Millionaire, La Misma Luna, Night Watch, Day Watch and My Name is Khan.

“Filmmakers around the world are creating provocative and entertaining films, many of...

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced that September 27th will be the launch date for Fox World Cinema’s first slate of films including China’s The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman, India’s Dum Maaro Dum and Italy’s Angel of Evil – all critically acclaimed films that have played at festivals around the world.

Fox World Cinema is a newly created premiere line of diverse films from around the world which will be available on DVD, Video On Demand and Digital Download in the United States. Additional films from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s vast catalog of international favorites being… More...

Release Date: Sept. 27, 2011

Price: DVD $29.98

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

A mystical blade sees a whole lot of action in The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.

The 2010 Chinese action-comedy adventure The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman leads off the first slate of films on the Fox World Cinema label, a premiere line of films from around the world that Fox makes available on DVD — as well as video-on-demand and digital download — in the U.S.

The first feature from filmmaker Wuershan, The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman is executive produced by director/producer Doug Liman (Fair Game), who was intrigued by Wuershan’s original approach to the martial arts genre.

Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles, the PG-13-rated movie recounts the journey of a mystical blade as it passes through the hands of three ambitious men. The film features a mix of diverse filmmaking styles,...

G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes

Bouncing back from the failed "Wonder Woman" pilot, actress Adrianne Palicki will play the female lead in "G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes" for Paramount Pictures.

Palicki will play Lady Jaye in the Jon M. Chu-directed film which also stars Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum and RZA. [Source: Deadline]

Le Guetteur

Daniel Auteuil and Mathieu Kassovitz will team on screen for the gangster pic “Le Guetteur” (“The Lookout”) penned by Cédric Melon and Denis Brusseaux.

Michele Placido (”Angel of Evil”) will direct the film about a detective (Auteuil) in his hunt for the marksman (Kassovitz) who spoiled a plot to catch a notorious team of bank-robbers. [Source: IndieWire]

Roswell FM

Jason London has joined the cast of indie romantic comedy "Roswell FM" opposite Brendan Fehr and Mirelly Taylor.

London will play a quirky eccentric paranormal talk show host in the film which centres around a radio station in New Mexico.

1. Heroine: Grade C-

Well, it does look like a genuine magazine cover, unfortunately it isn’t a particularly interesting magazine cover.

2. Angels of Evil: Grade C

The stylized violence is on display, but it still lacks that eye catching spark. The red is always great, but my nemesis, clutter rears its ugly head again.

3. Monk: Grade B-

The simple intensity of Vincent Cassel is what this poster is all about, and really, why shouldn’t it be?

4. Beginners: Grade C

Why is it that Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer are the only interesting parts of this poster. Ewan McGregor, the star of the film, seems like he would be more at home in a Gap ad.

5. Bell Flower: Grade B

There is an odd mood to this poster, as if it were dredged from a 1970′s poster scrap heap. It is a comforting nostalgia.

6. Goold’s Gold: Grade...

Michele Placido, director of Angels of Evil (2010), is one of Italy’s most well known directors. An acclaimed actor first of all (particularly well remembered is his performance in successful Italian miniseries La Piovra, which vividly depicted the fight against organised crime and mafia), Placido has been nurturing his talent for directing for some time now, involving himself with brave productions and proving on more than one occasion that he’s not afraid to represent the truth as it is.Read more »...

Critics may have been reaching for the aspirin, but the comedy sequel's £10.4m opening swiftly rocked Johnny Depp's boat

The winner

Movies that deliver monster openings usually fall into the category of family, fantasy or action, typically based on pre-existing properties such as Harry Potter, Transformers, James Bond or Marvel crimefighters. Comedies, on the other hand, rarely debut in the high single-digits millions of pounds bracket; Sex and the City (£8.77m including £3.65m in previews) and its sequel (£6.14m, no previews) were among the top performers. Bruno, Borat, Bridget Jones's Diary, Hot Fuzz and the second and third Austin Powers movies all opened healthily in the £5-6m range.

Which makes the £10.41m kick-off for The Hangover: Part II an exceptionally strong result, even taking into account previews of £2.03m. It's eclipsed, just, by Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, although that film's debut of £10.44m was boosted by more extensive previews totalling £3.31m.

Wearing a tank top and looking very down-to-earth, Kim Rossi Stuart tells me he’s tired. Indeed, he’s had a long day of interviews for his controversial film Angels of Evil (2010), and all of them in English - I am actually his first Italian interviewer. As it happens, the interviews have featured very similar questions, with one in particular which he had to answer every single time.

Read more »...

Heartbeats (15)

(Xavier Dolan, 2010, Can) Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri, Niels Schnieder, Anne Dorval. 101 mins.

He's young (22), talented, he directs, writes, produces and acts: don't you hate Xavier Dolan already? Those green with envy will find plenty to object to about the French-Canadian's second movie, not least the fact that it's rather good. It's a love triangle for our times: at its apex a charming Adonis who becomes the covert object of desire for two friends, a guy and a girl. Like its characters, it's not quite as sophisticated as it wants to be, but it's honest, accomplished and recklessly romantic.

The Hangover Part II (15)

(Todd Phillips, 2011, Us) Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms. 102 mins.

The location is different (Bangkok – or at least the movie version) but this sequel to the hit amnesiac prenuptial buddy comedy takes no risks with formula or cast (even Mr Chow is back). The adult humour, though,...

HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.

Each week we’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.

Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.

This week we have 3 new trailers for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Angels Of Evil (Vallanzasca – Gli angeli del male) UK Cinema Release Date: Friday 27th May 2011

Synopsis: A biography of Milanese mobster Renato Vallanzasca.

Iframe Embed for Youtube...

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? The Island Trailer I don't often kick off things with a suggestion from the peanut gallery but when someone sends you a tip that has...

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (12A)

(Rob Marshall, 2011, Us) Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Claflin. 137 mins

Ahoy! Aha! Ahem. The excitement of another rip-roaring high seas adventure dissipates almost before they set sail in this lightweight epic of action set-pieces and people trying to get stuff they want. Depp is business as usual and the presentation is classy, but the new blood brings little to this non-party, which feels less like a story than a succession of twists and swoops along well-established tracks – like a theme-park ride, in fact. Oh, hang on …

Win Win (15)

(Tom McCarthy, 2011, Us) Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale. 106 mins

Giamatti's hard-up lawyer inherits a whole heap of surrogate family issues, and a teen high-school wrestling ace, in a wry drama that doesn't really stray out of its suburban comfort zone.

Julia's Eyes (15)

(Guillem Morales, 2010, Spa) Belén Rueda, Lluís Homar,...

Source: FilmShaft - Check Out These Images From Ace Gangster Epic Angels Of Evil

Just wait until you see Kim Rossi Stuart's incredible performance as Milanese crook Renato Vallanzasca in Michele Placido's forthcoming gangster epic Angels of Evil. It's a star-making turn in one of the coolest films of the year.

We caught Angels of Evil at the London Italian Film Festival in March and you can read a short review here London's Italian Film Festival 2011 but we'll be reviewing it proper for its UK release date on 27th May. In the meantime check out these stills from the movie.

If you loved the likes of recent Euro crime flicks such as Gommorah, Romanzo Criminale, Carlos, Mesrine and the Baader Meinhof Complex, this is for you! Co-starring with Kim Rossi Stuart is Valeria Solarino, Moritz Bleibtreu, Francesco Scianna and Paz Vega.

Set in Italy in the 1970s, Angels Of Evil...

Last week saw the annual London Italian Film Festival showcase a week of exciting new Italian cinema at Ciné Lumière. This year’s raft of 10 titles was picked by Irene Bignardi and two Film London’s Adrian Wootton. They chose well. Very well, indeed. The festival continues throughout March at the Italian Cultural Institute with an homage to Federico Fellini and Mario Monicelli and a series of screenings focused on film and food.

Film-goers were treated to Passion (dir: Jon Turturro), We Believed (dir. Mario Martone), And Peace On Earth (dirs: Matteo Botrugno & Daniele Coluccini), Lost Kisses (dir. Roberta Torre), Basilicata Coast To Coast (dir. Rocco Papaleo), Angels of Evil (dir. Michele Placido), Sorelle Mai (dir. Marco Bellocchio), The Passion (dir. Carlo Mazzacurati), A Quiet Life (dir. Claudio Cupellini) and Gorbaciof (dir. Stefano Incerti).

One thing is for sure, all the films shown deserve to be seen and distributed in the UK.

Along with the list of films playing in-competition, the Venice Film Festival has announced which films are playing out-of-competition this year. The movies include Ben Affleck’s The Town, Casey Affleck’s Joaquin Phoenix documentary I’m Still Here, Martin Scorsese’s Elia Kazan documentary A Letter to Elia, John Turturro’s Passione, Julie Taymor’s The Tempest as the closing night film, and Robert Rodriguez’ Machete as the opening night film. It’s an eclectic bunch of flicks and they’re just a small sampling of the movies playing out-of-competition. Hit the jump to check out the full list.

The 67th Venice Film Festival will run from September 1 – 11th.

Ben Affleck – The Town

USA, 120′

Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively

Casey Affleck – I’M Still Here

USA, 108′ (documentary)

Joaquin Phoenix

Marco Bellocchio – Sorelle Mai

Italy, 110′

Alba Rohrwacher, Donatella Finocchiaro, Elena Bellocchio, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio

Piergiorgio Gay...

As I rightly predicted yesterday, Michele Placido's biopic on infamous Italian criminal Renato Vallanzasca will indeed be heading to the Lido. Announced at a press conference by 20th Century Fox Italy, Vallanzasca would receive an out of competition slot at the Venice Film Fest, which means Fortissimo Films could very well transfer the title for a Tiff premiere and further market sales. Formerly titled "Il Fiore del Male" and inspired by the book of the same name, scripted by Gerardo Amato, Michele Placido, Andrea Purgatori and Kim Rossi Stuart (this reunites Placido and Stuart) , the pic is now going by the name of the principle person that is involved. This is based on the life of Renato Vallanzasca (played by Rossi Stuart), known as handsome Renè a notorious criminal who terrorized Milan in the 1970s. He has spent 38 of his 58 years in jail. Here's an set pic below you...