MSPIFF: Tuesday 4/20: Italy and the U.K.
Tuesday was Day 5 of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival. Nice weather, again? Well, I braved the sunshine and the mild wind to get into the movie theater for two films on Tuesday:
* [Mid-August Lunch](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277728/), Italy. Ferragosto is Italy's biggest holiday in the holiday month of August. Everyone is out on the beaches or in the mountains. Rome's honking traffic jams vanish. Gianni is staying home this year with his elderly mother. Oh, and with his doctor's mother; last-minute change of plans. Oh, and with a neighbor's mother, in exchange for forgiving some condominium repair bills. Oh, and the neighbor's aunt. A fun, sometimes silly movie about making the best of a holiday you really didn't plan. **Recommended**. Not showing again, sorry.
* [Looking for Eric](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242545/), U.K. Eric isn't a very good postman or father these days, though he used to be a great rock 'n' roll dancer with blue suede shoes. Then he starts having (imaginary) conversations with Eric Cantona, his soccer superstar idol. And life begins to change, mostly for the better ... until the involvement of one of his sons with a local drug dealer threatens the whole family. The Star Tribune (?) reviewer was right: this film could've used subtitles, though everyone was speaking English (with the exception of Cantona, now and then speaking French). My ears are not used to the Manchester accent, alas. But I quite liked the film. I hadn't forseen Eric's revenge on the drug dealer; Eric's chats with Eric do him a world of good. **Recommended**. Not showing again, sorry.
Also, I saw Uncle Brad & Aunt Linda as they were leaving one of the back-by-popular-demand screenings of Max Manus, along with Dwight Penas and Margaret Bostelmann. All agreed that you, too, should see Max Manus!