(Ugly, Dirty and Bad)
Directed by Ettore Scola
125 minutes
In Italian with English subtitles

Italian director Ettore Scola was one of the most intelligent, insightful and hilarious filmmakers in cinema history. He was first a scriptwriter for other directors for years (Il Sorpasso), and then started making his own wonderful films. His achievements are overlooked today by the hype placed on the Tarantinos of the industry, but I feel that once the hype begins to turn sour, directors like Scola will keep burning bright.

This film by Scola is especially extraordinary, a wild black comedy centering on the lives of an outrageously huge family that live together in utter poverty in a cardboard house on the outskirts of Rome. There are about 20 people packed inside, all of different generations, all pent up in this ridiculously small space... which leads to such volatile and out-of-control emotions as jealousy, curiosity, desperation and hatred amongst the family members... all conveyed with a sharp dark humor.

Described by some as "grotesque", it is in fact a searing depiction of real life for many people, packaged with a kind of deep absurdity that is integral to survival. If things are really bad, the only salvation is to turn it into humor. Director Ettore Scola was a genius, and this crazy black comedy is one of his crowning achievements. I had an Italian neighbor that played this film 24/7, keeping it on the screen instead of television for months on end.... that's how rich it is. Totally unknown in backward places like America, this movie has always touched the heart of everyone I know who saw it. Both scandalous and witty at the same time, this is certainly one of the masterpieces of the last century.

This will be a high-definition screening.