Pop Culture Pundit

A Roman fashion house is terrorized by a faceless killer in this endlessly stylish, thrilling midcentury mystery.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2022/10/10/cinema-italiano-podcast-episode-34-blood-and-black-lace-mario-bava-1964/

A married Russian-Italian mother finds a new passion for life when she meets a younger chef.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2022/09/07/cinema-italiano-podcast-episode-33-i-am-love-luca-guadagnino-2009/

New essay: Lina Wertmüller’s Ferdinando & Carolina (1999), the story of a love bound by circumstance and empowered through destiny.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/ferdinando-carolina-1999/

We're moving!

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/new-site-cinema-italiano-podcast/

Breakdown ranking from lowest chances to highest changes, with the pros & cons of each.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/best-picture-2019-predictions/

Celebrating Fellini's filmography, career, plus rumors on what could be coming later from Criterion.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/28/episode-13-fellini-100/

Weekly round-up of news, events, and what's going on (che succede) in the world of Italian film.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/27/che-succede-jan-19-25-2020/

I’m back from the 31st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival! I wanted to provide an overview of the seven Italian films I got to see, all of which were featured in the Focus on Italy...

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/22/episode-12-the-31st-annual-palm-springs-international-film-festival/

The White Sheik is an excellent example of the balance between hyperbolic comedic situations, and moments of intense human drama.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/throwback-excerpt-on-the-white-sheik-1952/

I got to speak with director Leonardo D’Agostini and screenwriter Antonella Lattanzi to discuss their film Il campione (The Champion) (2019). In our conversation, they talk about what inspired...

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/episode-11-interview-with-leonardo-dagostini-antonella-lattanzi-the-champion/

In this episode, I sit down with first-time director Chiara Malta to discuss her film Simple Women (2019). During our conversation, Malta talks about her inspiration for the movie, her experienc...

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/episode-10-interview-with-chiara-malta-simple-women/

In this episode, I sit down with first-time director Beniamino Barrese to discuss his film Storia di B. – La scomparsa di mia madre (The Disappearance of My Mother) (2019), a documentary explor...

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/episode-09-interview-with-beniamino-barrese-the-disappearance-of-my-mother/

The feel-good story about a successful, though reckless, young athlete whose life is turned around when he is assigned a tutor by his soccer club.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/il-campione-the-champion-2019/

Simple Women is a very imaginative original film whose name betrays its complex, metafictional narrative.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/simple-women-2019/

The inherently exploitative nature of the documentary is explored through a most personal subject: the director's mother.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/storia-di-b-la-scomparsa-di-mia-madre-the-disappearance-of-my-mother-2019/

Veteran director Marco Bellochio, decades into his career, is still grappling with questions of existentialism: building a sense of order in a world of disorder, through one’s own moral code an...

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/il-traditore-the-traitor-2019/

Sole has a cold, detached feel which fits its somber narrative, though its overall joyless nature makes it a difficult film to engage and connect with.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/sole-2019/

Martin Eden's new interpretation set in early 20th century Italy feels a perfect fit for a tale of optimism, promise, and eventual self-destruction.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/martin-eden-2019/

Weekly round-up of news, events, and what's going on (che succede) in the world of Italian film.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/che-succede-dec-29-2019-jan-04-2020/

Croce e delizia is a warmly charming, and often moving, look at how family dynamics may change but love and compassion will always be at the heart.

https://popculturepundit.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/croce-e-delizia-2019/