"After 10 years of Berlusconi as a PM, thanks to the impressive media power at his disposal, Italians are now living in his imagined world. It's a world without respect for women, legality or financial accountability; which values only individual success, money. It sees the image as more important than the word."

Giulio D'Eramo, Index on Censorship website, in response to the Government "pushing for a bill that would restrict internet freedom by making it compulsory, even for blogs, to get a government permission before posting political comment on the web."

Globe and Mail's Elizabeth Renzetti explains why the celluloid vision of Italy glamorized in the film NINE (clip above) is a far call from the Italy many Italians know today. Matteo Garrone's gritty docu-drama Gomorrah (clip below) shows the harsh reality that undermines the culture in Naples and Caserta, two cities in the region of Campania.

As an Italian it is hard to look at the depth of corruption, but it remains a quiet reality regardless. Please know that as a southerner I have never seen first-hand the violence or grit documented in Gomorrah, nor do I necessarily agree with everything Renzetti articulates, but I am aware of the corrupt underbelly that continually breaks the country down from the inside.

Click the link at the bottom of this post to view Renzetti's complete article.

Click Here for the Full Article

There are no words for how amazing Federico Fellini's original 1963 film "8 1/2" is. It's the story of a film director (Marcello Mastroianni) who has a severe case of director's block. The film captures the process of creation, and unfolds organically. If you haven't seen it, please go rent it before shelling out for the upcoming Hollywood Musical remake "Nine." I have a feeling that it would be very difficult to appreciate the subtleties of the original after watching the new version. I'm obviously really excited for "Nine" anyway.