I Am Love/Io Sono l'Amore (2009) - Guadagnino's international breakthrough is a delicious drama

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Star Tilda Swinton stands out in a wealthy family's portrait on this poster for Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love

A wealthy Milanese family's oldest son wants to open a restaurant with a mysterious new friend, who also appeals to his mother during a period of time which is, for the family in question, fateful.

 

I Am Love is written by Barbara Alberti (Melissa P. (2005)), Ivan Cotroneo (Sisi (2009, TV-series)), Walter Fasano (Mother of Tears (2007)) and Italian master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Luca Guadagnino (The Protagonists (1999)), whose 5th feature it is. It is the 1st in Guadagnino's Desire trilogy that also comprises A Bigger Splash (2015) and Call Me By Your Name (2017). The title is a literal translation of the original Italian one.

It is a sensual love tale from beautiful Northern Italy with wonderful actors, foremost among them Tilda Swinton (Problemista (2023)) in a lovely performance, which teams with life and lust. The siblings and the chef are also portrayed vividly.

I Am Love is a delectably photographed (cinematography by Yorick Le Saux (Only Lovers Left Alive (2013))) cinematic treat, which somehow steers clear of becoming clichéd. It works its way to a fierce climax, which is open for interpretation, and ends there. The first of his works that most of us met him through, Guadagninos I Am Love deserves a 'Bravo!'

 

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Call Me by Your Name (2017) - Guadagnino explores desire in sensual, erotic treat  

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 3.6 mil. €, approximately 3.97 mil. $

Box office: 11.7-15.1 mil. $ (different reports)

= Box office success, possibly even a big hit (returned 2.94-3.80 times its cost)

[I Am Love premiered 5 September (Venice Film Festival) and runs 120 minutes. Shooting took place from June - August in Italy and London, England. The film opened #32 to a 121k $ first weekend in 8 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 and in 166 theaters (different weeks), grossing 5 mil. $. The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 1 mil. $ and the UK with 620k $. Box Office Mojo lists an 11.7 mil. $ final gross, while The-Numbers.com lists 15.1 mil. $, however without backing it up with a detailed summary. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar, lost to In a Better World/Hævnen from Denmark. It was also nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Guadagnino returned with 7 short and documentary projects prior to his theatrical return, A Bigger Splash (2015). Swinton returned in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). I Am Love is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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I'm for the Hippopotamus/Io Sto con gli Ippopotami (1979) - Spencer & Hill make a low-brow killing in Africa

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The beloved star duo are back for new shenanigans on this poster for Italo Zingarelli's I'm for the Hippopotamus

Two competing cousins find themselves in Africa, liberating animals and handing out punches.

 

I'm for the Hippopotamus is written by Barbara Alberti (Ernesto (1979)), Vincenzo Mannino (Cobra Mission (1986)), Amedeo Pagani (Colpita da Improvviso Benessere (1976)) and co-writer/director Italo Zingarelli (Una Prostituta al Servizio del Pubblico ed in Regola con le Leggi dello Stato (1971)). The title is a literal translation of the original Italian one.

Terence Hill (Botte di Natale (1994)) and Bud Spencer (Un Piede in Paradiso (1991)) goof around in many lame gags in this African comedy adventure that is often unreal. But it works well as warm and wacky, forgettable entertainment for fans of the star duo.

 

  

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: Unknown, projected 3 mil. $

Box office: Projected 25.1 mil. $

= Uncertain but projected a mega-hit (projected return of 8.36 times its cost)

[I'm for the Hippopotamus was released 1 December (Spain) and runs 104 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa. Although the cost is unknown, it seems certain that the film was a major hit, based on the box office information available: It sold 2.251 mil. tickets in France, 4.91 mil. in West Germany, 720k in Italy, (ironically Spencer and Hill were bigger outside of their native country), and 286k tickets in Denmark. That is 8.167 mil. tickets in these 4 markets alone, with 12 more markets left unaccounted for, although two of them (Turkey and Hungary) did not get the release until far into to 1980s. It was not released in North America but it was released in Australia. With a conservative final projection of 10 mil. sold tickets at a 2.51 $ average prize, the film would have grossed 25.1 mil. $, an enormous sum. Zingarelli only returned as a producer of two more films more than ten years later. Spencer returned in Piedone d'Egitto (1980); Hill in Super Fuzz/Poliziotto Superpiù (1980). 9.4k+ IMDb users have given I'm for the Hippopotamus a 6.6/10 average rating.]

 

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