Prime Video discovery: Simone Godano's delightful AN ALMOST ORDINARY SUMMER

More than mere coincidence, almost every time TrustMovies sees the Warner Brothers logo on a film from Italy, that movie turns out to be a good one: fun, intelligent, mainstream entertainment. But when that same logo appears on an American movie, it is likely to be one of that studio's schlock blockbusters and a major waste of time for any thinking adult. How can two such divergent reactions keep occurring? Well, Italy has long been known for making wonderful films about family, which this new one -- directed by Simone Godano (shown below) and written by Giulia Louise Steigerwalt (with some input from Signore Godano) -- definitely is. 

AN ALMOST ORDINARY SUMMER (its Italian title is Croce e Delizia, which translates as Cross and Delight) tracks the journey of two Italian families in which the fathers/grandfathers of each have fallen in love (and lust) with each other. 

One family, headed by that highly talented icon of sexy smarts, Alessandro Gassman (below, left), is salt-of-the-earth working class with ultra-traditional values, while the other, under the rule of suave Fabrizio Bentivoglio (below, right), is wealthy, elitist but maybe only a tiny bit "woke."

These patres familias may be in love with each other, but the two families are definitely not. So when one grown child of each -- played by Jasmine Trinca, below left, and Filippo Scicchitano, right -- decides to work with the other to sabotage his and her parent's relationship, the movie grows consistently funnier, earthier, sadder, smarter and simply tons of fun. 

The clever screenplay lets us explore the Italian look at prejudices of all sorts, sexual to class-related, and nobody here comes out super-clean. One of the great strengths of the movie is how mixed a bag each of the characters really is. Yet thanks to the clever plotting, smart writing and excellent performances from the entire ensemble, we end up rooting for them all. 

An Almost Ordinary Summer is mainstream and feel-good, all right, but it never loses its hold on a reality in which the divergent must be brought together somehow. Boy, we could use this in the USA these days, but instead we have Donald Trump, his lock-step Republicans, and his idiot base doing all they can to hijack this past election -- chanting  "Stop the Vote" in one state while screaming "Count the Vote" in another. Can somebody please pass out a few spare brains to these folk in need?

But I digress. If you need something lovely -- set in a gorgeous locale with sumptuous interiors, verdant seaside exteriors, and lots of delicious-looking food -- that will make you think and laugh and feel very nice indeed, Croce e Delizia  is the film for you. 

From Wolfe Releasing (and available to view via Amazon Prime), in Italian with English subtitles and running  just 100 minutes, give this Italian mainstream gem a whirl.

Family trauma meets feel-good: John Sheedy/ Lisa Hoppe's adaptation, H IS FOR HAPPINESS

Stick with this recent Australian movie, please, despite its initial unsure footing. H IS FOR HAPPINESS -- directed by newcomer-to-film theater director John Sheedy (shown below) with a screenplay by Lisa Hoppe from the popular young-adult novel My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg -- combines family dysfunction with feel-good filmmaking in a manner that (finally, at least) manages to come together quite beautifully. Initially, if it appears a somewhat uneasy mix of coming-of-age, family tragedy, pretty scenery, humor and even maybe a little mysticism, do hold on. 

Once our heroine Candice (newcomer Daisy Axon, on poster above), about to celebrate her 13th birthday and waiting for impatiently for breast development, tells us: "Waiting for progress in the chest department is like watching grass grow," we listen with a knowing smile.

Then, when Candice receives a very special birthday present from a certain important new friend, the film kicks into action and simply gets better and better with each succeeding scene until its joyous, surprising and delightful climax -- which proves to be just about everything you want (but so seldom get) from most feel-good finales.

The plot of the film has to do with a family fractured from a death and a possible financial betrayal by a sibling, all of which Candice is now trying to repair. When an unusual new boy enters her classroom (Wesley Patten, also on poster, top) and confides to Candice that he is from "another dimension," our heroine is hooked.

The movie's large and talented cast includes some of Australia's finest -- from Richard Roxburgh as dad (above, right), Emma Booth as mom (above, left), and Miriam Margolyes as Candice's wandering-eyed schoolteacher (below). Young Ms Axon and Mr. Patten could hardly be better, both bringing a genuine sweetness and innocence to the proceedings.

The ins and outs of the plotting include a seemingly mystical pony (three photos up), the proprietor of a local costume shop (George Shevtsov, below, right), and even a little quantum mechanics. It all comes together nicely though, with that special birthday gift popping up again and again, each time funnier and even more appropriate than the one before.

From Samuel Goldwyn Films and running a just-about-right 96 minutes, H Is for Happiness will make its American debut via VOD and digital streaming this Friday, September 18 -- for purchase and/or rental. 

The glorious Brian Cox brings János Edelényi's THE CARER to pulsating and delightful life

A love letter from Hungarian film to British actors, acting and Shakespeare himself (whoever the hell he actually was), THE CARER is also the second film I've seen in as many weeks to star that great actor Brian Cox in yet another role of a dying old man.

Again, as in The Etruscan Smile, Cox is a treasure, and the movie itself, even as it proves filled with many of the usual dying-senior-citizen tropes, is so specifically designed around Cox and his (along with director and co-writer János Edelényi's) love of acting, in particular the Shakespearean variety, that this movie immediately becomes a gift and a treat for anyone who shares these affections.

Hungarian filmmaker Edelényi (shown at right), along with his co-writers Gilbert Adair and Tom Kinninmont, tells the story of a once hugely popular (if not hugely loved) stage and screen actor Sir Michael Gifford (played by Cox, above and below), now suffering from Parkinson's disease, mostly reclusive, and given to firing one caregiver after another, to the frustration of his daughter (Emilia Fox), his driver-and-ex-dresser (Andor Lukáts), and his nurse and ex-lover (Anna Chancellor). Into this unhappy little hothouse comes a possible new caregiver (played sweetly/feistily by an alliterative newcomer named Coco König), a pretty young woman who brings along her own agenda.

How all these characters bounce around and off each other -- in ways that often go differently than you'll expect -- helps make the movie a lot more enjoyable that it might initially seem. And the acting ensemble, led by Cox, is both ultra-talented and eminently watchable.

Additionally, the script, direction and performances do not play fast and loose with senior years or end-of-life situations, so there is a certain verisimilitude to the proceedings that makes whatever feel-good you take away from the film unsaddled with guilt.

Shakespeare lovers will revel in both how much of the Bard they'll enjoy during the course of the film, and Mr. Cox does such a fine job with it all that you'll wonder why he has not been tapped to play all these roles already.

The Carer is one of those well-made, old-fashioned films that should resonate both with older audiences (for obvious reasons) and younger ones willing to take an interest in what maybe lies ahead. As for the lovely, intelligent and deeply felt speech that Sir Michael makes at the film's conclusion, if you are not already aboard this very special slice of entertainment, this should fully wrap you in its wonders.

From Corinth Films and running a just-right 89 minutes, The Carer hit home video last month -- for purchase and rental. Amazon Prime members can view it now free of charge it as part of their membership.

Senior trip: Sheila Hancock does a title-role star turn in Simon Hunter's sweet movie, EDIE

Thank goodness for Sheila Hancock and Kevin Guthrie, the two stars of the 2017 film EDIE (just now getting its U.S. theatrical release). Without them and their sterling work -- moment to moment, they play off each other just perfectly -- this sweet but-always-threatening-to-grow-saccharine -- movie might have become intolerable.

The writing and direction are not the culprits; instead, it's the use of the musical score -- credited to Gast Waltzing and featuring a lovely major melody -- which has been allowed to be beaten into the ground so heavily by the finale, which itself provides the heaviest moments, that you'll wish you had brought your own mute button to the theater.

Director Simon Hunter (pictured, right, who also provided the idea for the story; the screenplay is by first-timer Elizabeth O'Halloran) has worked most often in the horror genre, so this aged-senior-decides-to-do-her-own-thing tale must have proven a nice change of pace for the guy. No zombies or mutants to contend with here!

Mr. Hunter has managed a very nice build-up, along with excellent pacing, and the two fine performances he's coaxed from his leads. Actually, I doubt much coaxing was needed, as both Ms Hancock (shown above and below) and Mr. Guthrie (two photos down) have proven themselves more than capable  -- the former since the early 1960s and the latter since the beginning of this century.

Still beautiful at age 83 (when Edie was filmed), Hancock has a remarkable face, which she uses with both subtlety and force (when needed). Her Edie, thankfully, is a nicely rounded character: prickly, sweet and alternately closed and open to at least some degree of change.

In the role of Jonny, the fellow who initially knocks her off her feet (along with his ever-rushing girlfriend, played by Amy Manson, below), Guthrie, above, is Hancock's equal at winning us over without using anything but his skill, charm and good looks. That Edie and Jonny will bond is of course obvious from the get-go. But the smart, funny little pas-de-deux in which they consistently engage proves as engaging as it is believable.

The plot, such as it is, has to do with Edie's need/desire to climb a certain mountain in Scotland (seen below) -- no Everest, mind you, but a real jaunt -- and Edie, just like Hancock, is 83 years of age. Little wonder the locals do not expect this old woman to manage it.

Does she? Does it matter all that much? And why? Or is simply trying the main accomplishment here? You'll find out, as the film builds (so does that music, unfortunately) to its inspirational, feel-good finish. And thanks to these two wonderful actors, you'll happily note that -- as we've often been told -- it's the journey that matters much more than the destination.

From Music Box Films and running 102 minutes, Edie opened this past Friday, September 6, in New York City at the Angelika Film Center, and in Los Angeles at several Laemmle theaters. Here in South Florida, it opens this Friday, September 13, at the Bill Cosford Cinema, Miami, and the Living Room Theaters, Boca Raton. Click here and scroll down to click on Theatrical Engagements to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

Pursuing dreams: Tyler Nilson/Mike Schwartz's sweet adventure, THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

Yes, it's determinedly feel-good. Yes, it's not entirely (or even mostly) believable. And, yes, it's sentimental as hell. Yet THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON -- as you've probably already heard via copious PR and maybe, by now, word-of-mouth, too -- is such a sweet movie, so well-acted and often just as well-written, and full of the kind of specificity regarding character and incident that will quickly turn you into a supporter, that the film passes the "worth-seeing" test and then some.

Best of all, it bestows on one of its leading characters, a Down Syndrome young man, more multi-faceted, full-bodied, positive/negative integrity than you usually find in narratives featuring this kind of special-needs character.

The movie's writers/directors -- Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz, pictured at left, with Mr. Schwartz on the right -- have done just about as good a job as you can imagine of creating a low-budget-but-thoroughly-mainstream film in which much that you expect indeed happens. But it happens with enough charm, sweetness and just enough of the sour to make it palatable for intelligent movie buffs.

Plus, it boasts a very good cast -- leads to small roles -- starting with Shia LaBeouf, who, with American Honey and now this film, seems to have gotten both his career and mental health back on track. The actor (below) has grown from a gorgeous if gangly, pretty-boy youth

into a real man. His performance here, as an angry, on-the-run fisherman who haltingly befriends our Down Syndrome hero (who's also on the run) is a very fine one indeed. In fact, it's LaBeouf's strength and complete credibility that most holds this movie together.

The actor is helped, of course, by the rest of the fine cast, starting with newcomer Zack Gottsagen, (above, left), an actor who has Down Syndrome and makes the very most of his role of Tyler, gaining our sympathy with absolutely no special pleading. Granted, today's audiences are likely to be on his side, just as soon as his condition is made clear. But this actor makes that condition at once both canny and complete. He's as likely to get you angry as he is to win you over. He's funny and moving and every-moment-real -- even when the movie-makers are asking him, as at the finale, to go full-out fantasy.

The leading lady (who is Tyler's care-giver and must track the kid down once he runs away from the facility where he lives) is played by Dakota Johnson (above, left), who is as good here as she's been elsewhere. The supporting roles are taken by actors as superb and in-demand as Jon Bernthal (below, right), Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church and John Hawkes, all of whom, considering their small roles, must have been most taken by the story, script and theme.

Comparisons have been made to the "rafting" tales of Mark Twain, and it's a good bet that Mr. Twain would have himself appreciated this smart little movie. Resist it as you might, get ready to be sweetly trounced.

From Roadside Attractions and running just 93 minutes, The Peanut Butter Falcon -- after making a splash at festivals and opening to excellent reviews on either coast -- hits South Florida and elsewhere this Friday, August 23. Click here to find the theater(s) nearest you.

Innocence & insistence power Tom Shadyac's legitimately feel-good film, BRIAN BANKS

A true-life tale that shines a most interesting light on  -- immediately and without any undue effort -- everything from the Black Lives Matter and Me2 movements to our woeful criminal justice system, BRIAN BANKS tells the story of the high-school student of the title, a 16-year-old boy with the not-at-all-impossible dream of playing for the NFL, whose life and career are cut short by an accusation leading to a prison term that destroys any possible football career. How this young man, seemingly innocent from just about every angle imaginable, sets out to prove this innocence against the odds is what lies ahead.

From a screenplay by Doug Atchison and directed by Tom Shadyac (shown at left), Brian Banks turns out to be that relatively rare "inspirational" movie that actually proves to be genuinely inspiring, rather than the faux feel-good we usually get from this genre. Mr. Atchison's screen-writing and dialog are up to the task at hand, while Mr. Shadyac's direction is just as good, seldom hitting things too hard or repeating what we know.

If repetition does occur -- as when Brian (played exceedingly well by Aldis Hodge, above and below) is told, over and over by the very folk he implores to help him -- this is for good reason, as he (and we) come to better understand just how loaded and unfair the criminal justice system is for the certain types of people who can so easily become incarcerated for years/decades. And, yes, I mean poor and/or "of color," rather than, say, Jeffrey Epstein.

What makes the movie -- and from all accounts, the man himself -- so stirring and active-positive, is Banks' unrelenting fervor and determination to prove his innocence. Mr. Hodge turns what could become annoying, repetitive and even tiresome into something rich and mammoth.

Hodge, who looks remarkably similar to the real Brian, wins us over completely, just as he does the folk from the California Innocence Project to whom he turns for help. The group's leader, Justin Brooks, played with his usual professionalism and subtle flair by Greg Kinnear (at right, below), is loathe to take on Brian as a client because the deck is so stacked against Banks that Brooks feels the result will only defeat and depress this prisoner, now a parolee, even further.

Interestingly, we don't learn the details of just why Brian has been tossed into prison until about a half-hour into the film. This is smart movie-making because it keeps us in a certain suspense, even as we grow to appreciate Brian himself. And when we do finally see what happened and meet Brian's accuser (brought to life by a terrific Xosha Roquemore), any puzzle pieces remaining begin to fall into place. (That's Sherri Shepherd, below, right, equally caring and commanding as Banks' mother)

If you are familiar with the story of Brian Banks, the movie should bring it all to fine life. If you're not, I suspect you'll be even more transfixed. From Bleecker Street and running just 99 minutes, the film opens nationwide this Friday, August 9. Here in South Florida, you can find it in the Miami area at a number of Regal Cinemas, at AMC's Sunset Place 24, Hialeah 12 and Aventura Mall 24 and at the Flagship Cinemas 14, Homestead; in Broward County at AMC's Pompano Beach 18 and the Cinemark Paradise 24 in Davie; and in Palm Beach County at the Cinemark Boynton Beach 14 and Cinemark Palace, Boca Raton. Wherever you live across the country, click here to find the theater(s) nearest you.

Feel-good family fun, with some fine music included: Brett Haley's HEARTS BEAT LOUD

The best thing about HEARTS BEAT LOUD is its original music via Keegan DeWitt, sung to a fare-thee-well by the movie's stars, Kiersey Clemons and Nick Offerman. We hear this music almost from the film's beginning and it continues off and on throughout. You can easily believe it would get noticed, grow popular and perhaps even start some careers in the process.

Beyond the music is what TrustMovies is beginning to view as a typical Brett Haley movie (as with I'll See You in My Dreams and The Hero): low-key, pleasant, with properly calibrated ups and down, and although the subjects raised may be deep, the handling of them is not.

Yet each of Haley's films (the co-writer/director is shown at right) offers an enjoyable, feel-good time, and best of all, the filmmaker never wraps it all up too cozily at the finale. Some questions remain unanswered and things are always left open for further possibilities (both good and bad).

Haley's co-writer, as usual, is Marc Basch, and the screenplay the two have concocted this time around involves a Brooklyn father (Offerman, shown above, right, and below, left) and his late-teen daughter (Ms Clemons: above, left, and below, right) about to leave for a pre-med course at UCLA. The two have long made music together (the mom of the family having died some years back), so Dad wants one last jam session together, at which daughter suddenly comes up with a song she's been working on that has definite possibilities.

That's pretty much it for plot -- oh, daughter gets involved with an attractive local girl (Sasha Lane, below), even as dad finds himself attracted to his friendly landlord (Toni Collette, further below) -- the only big question arising here is whether daughter must or maybe will give up her medical studies to pursue a musical career.

Inserted into all this is a grandmother (Blythe Danner) suffering from dementia who occasionally shoplifts and create sort-of problems. While it's always a pleasure to see Ms Danner at work, this character seems so needless to the tale told, and her arc really goes nowhere, that the movie would be a bit tighter and shorter without her.

Better used and more germane is the bartender/old friend of dad's, played by Ted Danson, below, who gives his neightbors good advice and even better booze now and again. Otherwise, the movie is easy-going, pleasurable and rather predictable. But the music, as I say, is quite good, and so are each of the performances.

All in all, this is just about what we've come to expect from a Brett Haley movie, but, as someone once asked, What's not to like?  

From Gunpowder & Sky and running a pleasantly-paced 97 minutes, Hearts Beat Loud opens this Friday, June 8, in New York (at the Regal Union Square and the Landmark at 57 West) and Los Angeles (at the Arclight Hollywood and The Landmark in West L.A.). Here in South Florida, as well as elsewhere around the country, the movie opens the following Friday, June 15. In the Miami area, look for it at the AMC Aventura, the O Cinema Wynwood, and Regal's South Beach 18 and in Fort Lauderdale at The Classic Gateway.

Another "granny" documentary opens: Sky Bergman's ode to seniors, LIVES WELL LIVED

Hot on the heels of last week's Nana comes another documentary inspired by the life of a filmmaker's grandmother, but this time, instead of concentrating on a single senior whose life was devoted to something significant, we're treated to a whole bunch of the aged in a mere 72 minutes, with maybe a dozen of their stories given to us in some detail, while the others (there are 40 folk included here) merely add a few thoughts to this mix about life, aging and living well. Overall, the documentary provides the expected upbeat scenario and should have audiences leaving the theaters where the film opens this Friday feeling good -- if not especially challenged or provoked in any way.

The filmmaker, Sky Bergman (shown above, left, with her grandmother, who was the person who most inspired this documentary), has set out to show the diversity and possibilities of old age and what can be done with these in a positive manner.

Her film, titled LIVES WELL LIVED: Celebrating the Secrets, Wit and Wisdom of Age, moves from that granny to a fellow, above, who now makes mozzarella daily for his daughter's deli to a woman, below, for whom (and evidently for decades now) yoga has been of major importance in life.

We meet another woman of Hispanic and Filipino heritage (below) who credits the Girl Scouts of America for providing her opportunities she had not found elsewhere. Among the many stray thoughts and ideas these seniors offer up, many may sound as though you've heard them (and more than once) previously, but there is one very smart and perhaps quite important one that might just get by you in the rush: A French/Danish woman quietly notes that "Your attitude" (the italics are mine) "is the only thing you really have control over in your life." An idea to live by, I should think. (I am very grateful to Ms Bergman for including it.)

Most of the participants here seem to be living middle-class-or-better lives, and we only hear briefly, if at all, about the battles they may have had to wage to get there. This keeps things

on that even keel and positive plane. Another woman, a Japanese-American (at left) whose family was placed in one of those despicably racist internment camps during World War II (second only in our country's history to its embrace of black slavery during its first century), has clearly risen above that most difficult period, though the documentary doesn't offer many clues or much info as to how.

One of the people included is a fellow referred to as Botso, about whom an entire and very good documentary (click on the link above for further info) was released back in 2014. What we learn of Botso here, however, barely skims the surface of what was/is a truly fascinating, amazing life and career.

As with any documentary that must fit all these lives into barely more than one hour, some peoples' stories will command much more attention and interest than others. TrustMovies was particularly taken with one couple -- she a member of the original Kinder-transport, he a German Jew who managed to escape the Holocaust -- of whom I'd have liked to learn much more. Ditto Santi, an evidently famous Italian photojournalist back in the day (above) whose comment, "In Europe, we know our limits" simply begs for a bit more exploration.

As does the life of the black woman named Blanche (at left), for whom dance was a cornerstone of life, who says that she did not come into her own till age 50.

I can't help wonder what and who she was and what she had to deal with prior to that. Well, maybe some enterprising documentarian will give each of these folk a movie of their own.

Skimming along a very pleasant surface but offering little depth, and more suited, I think, for the home screen than for movie theater prices (unless you have a MoviePass and use it often), Lives Well Lived has already opened in a number of cities around the country and hits some California venues this Friday, April 20, and then quite a few more locations over the weeks to come. Click here and scroll down to learn when and if it will be playing at a theater near you.