Word: italianizer
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...gang of unattractive rebels wreak desultory havoc. Those last two words apply to the film as well. But we come not to bury the bad films but to unearth some good ones and sing hallelujah. So all praise to Paolo Sorrentino's The Family Friend, a mordant Italian comedy about a gnarled moneylender and the beautiful young woman he hopes to corrupt and conquer; it's the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale with a toxic twist, and the smartest entertainment at Cannes...
...long tail has its intellectual roots in economic ideas that date back a century. In 1906, Italian philosopher Vilfredo Pareto noted that 80% of the property in Italy is owned by 20% of the population, a formula that, much later, became known as the 80/20 rule. It has forever influenced brand management, customer service and even personnel development. Focus your attention and resources on that top 20%, which is where the best returns on investment can be found...
...dramatized, merely alluded to. Oh, all right, Schwartzman's Louis XVI says at a meeting of his ministers, raise taxes; send troops to America. The intonations, especially of the American actors, are uninflected, perfunctory. And with the polyglot ensemble of actors speaking English in American, British, French and Italian accents, the film has the feeling of the original sound track of one of those European co-productions before the Babel of voices was dubbed into a single coherent vocal style. Though this may accurately reflect the cacophony of the Versailles court, it is painful to listen...
...later at the city's main cathedral - there was no avoiding the sounds of the changing of the guard since John Paul died nearly 14 months ago. A skilled linguist like his predecessor, Benedict opened and closed his speeches in Polish, but (as planned) spoke almost exclusively in Italian, the official Vatican tongue, with an aide translating into the local language. There could be no more jarring reality for this passionately Catholic country that had grown used to seeing one of their own in the seat of Peter, and relied on John Paul's unique leadership to help end Communist...
...Handsomely filmed, in a rich style that enhances both the comedy and the pathos, A Friend of the Family is the best film in the current Cannes session. To me, Sorrentino is the young hope of Italian cinema. He doesn't turn 36 until next Wednesday, and I couldn't imagine a happier or better deserved birthday present than a Palme d'Or. Then he, like the residents (and sometimes the journalists) of Cannes, could party all night...