Loose Cannons

A stunning, beautiful, delightful masterpiece
Loose Cannons is a beautiful movie about a young gay man in a large, loving and eccentric Southern Italian family. His plan to free himself from the family pasta business by coming out as gay misfires early in the movie, and the remaining ninety minutes cover how his dilemma is resolved.

But this is far, far more than a coming-out movie. Themes of life and death and immortality and family and love lost and found run like deep, rich rivers of life throughout the story, and it is astonishing how much emotional ground is covered so effectively in just one movie. Each one of the dozen or so highly differentiated characters is fully and richly developed, and not one of them is short-changed or stereotyped.

I got Loose Cannons because I have loved the earlier works of Ferzan Ozpetec, particularly His Secret Life, Facing...

A Sensitive, Intelligent Coming Out Story, Italian Style
Turkish writer/director Ferzan Ozpetek (His Secret Life, Saturn in Opposition, Facing Windows, Sacred Heart, Steam:The Turkish Bath, etc) has created yet another sensitive, warmly humorous, intelligent movie in LOOSE CANNONS (MINE VAGANTI), a film he co-wrote with Ivan Cotroneo. The film is filled with an extraordinary cast of Italian actors, most of whom we do not know but who deliver some of the most memorable characterizations in recent years. The title for the film `loose cannons' refers to an irresponsible and reckless individual whose behavior (either intended or unintended) endangers the group he or she belongs to. There could not be a better title for this film that examines family life in contemporary Italy.

The film opens with a prelude of a beautiful woman in a bridal gown running across the fields toward the ancient house where she embraces a man Nicola (Giorgio Marchesi, watch his star rise!) and then is lead to her planned wedding to another man. The story...

Fantastic Italian Romp!
I had meant to catch this at the cinema when Peccadillo brought it out, but sadly missed it. This is one of those films that comes along far too rarely and when it does, you remember what the magic of cinema really is. This is set in Paloma, where a rich family of pasta makers, are going through a change. The patriarch wants to hand the reins of the very profitable business over to his two sons.

The elder Antonio has stayed to run the factory and put his life on hold for the goodness of the family. His younger brother Tomasso (Riccardo Scamarcio), has been in Rome allegedly studying business, whilst actually indulging his love of literature instead. That is one of his loves, the other happens to be a man. He tells Antonio the night before the surprise family dinner where all is to be handed over, that he will come out the following night. Antonio tries to talk him out of it, all to no avail.

The following night though Antonio surprises everyone by coming out...

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