The Rome Film Festival has whetted our appetite.
Thanks to our good friends at Mazda Ireland, we were extremely happy to attend the tenth annual Rome Film Festival and it didn’t disappoint. Before the screenings, all eyes were on the new Mazda MX-5 model but once the cameras rolled, it had to share centre-stage with some of the best films from around the world.
We were privy to some absolutely brilliant features and amidst all the passion for iconic cars and cinema, two features stood out. Season Two of Fargo made an incredibly strong start, mainly due to its impressive cast, while the Cate Blanchett-led ‘Carol’ looks certain to collect a few accolades when award season comes around.
The Mazda Cinema Hall was home for all the passionate cinema lovers in attendance and they left satisfied as they gave the superbly acted Fargo and Carol standing ovations. With this in mind, we’ve decided to take a look at some of our favourite ensemble films.
1) The Big Lebowski
Cult-classic ‘The Big Lebowski’ is arguably the Coen Brothers’ finest work mostly due to the eclectic and odd characters that ‘The Dude’ comes across. There’s no small part or forgettable role in this one, it’s an absolute classic because everyone’s on their A-game.
As producers of the Fargo TV show, the Coens will know that its real strength lies with the incredible array of actors in the cast. In Season One, Billy Bob Thornton was equal parts terrifying as he was magnetic, while Martin Freeman’s character Lester was the ideal weaselly foil.
Allison Tolman, Oliver Platt, Adam Goldberg and Colin Hanks all made massive contributions as part of a perfect ensemble and Season Two looks just as good. Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kieran Culkin and Jean Smart are a cast that most shows would kill for…irony fully intended here!
2) American Beauty
Some directors can spend their entire career without making a truly memorable film, Sam Mendes did it with his debut feature.
It’s clear to see that the British director came from a theatre background before making his mark in film because American Beauty feels like an updated version of ‘Death of A Salesman’ with each character given their time to shine.
This is the perfect example of when insightful scriptwriting, skilled direction and wonderful acting all combine. Kevin Spacey managed to make a midlife crisis look cool but it’s Chris Cooper’s unhinged and dismayed Colonel Frank Fitts that steals the film.
3) Oceans Eleven
Sometimes you watch a film that you really wish to be a part of.
The genius of Steven Soderbergh’s crime caper is that it’s almost impossible to separate the sense of fun that the cast had off-screen with what you saw in the cinema.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney are notorious jokers on the set but there’s an energy, buzz and camaraderie when they’re around the rest of ‘the crew’ that just can’t be acted or staged.
This was clearly a bunch of friends that just loved being in each others company. It’s clear that Soderbergh was open to improv and suggestions and it paid off handsomely. The Oscar winner managed to pull-off that rare thing, a remake that’s better than the original.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7VTkceSsEw
4) The Usual Suspects
Some films become so famous that a single scene becomes ingrained in pop-culture and it’s not a coincidence that films like this are all cult-classics. I’d argue that this blistering scene in Bryan Singer’s debut is well capable of going toe-to-toe with any film that has preceded or followed it.
What’s great about this cast is that you learn everything that you need to know about each character from just a few lines of dialogue…well not everything!
5) The Royal Tenenbaums
The family unit has always been a fertile ground for screenwriters and filmmakers alike but very few directors have managed to capture the eccentricities, weirdness and strange relationship that people have with their families quite like Wes Anderson.
Like Tarantino and Scorsese, you never get the impression that Wes Anderson “wastes” a character and it’s easy to identify with at least one person in this story about a family of geniuses that waste their talent. The director even made a special appearance at the Rome Film Festival as the audiences were treated to some of his best features.
My own personal favourite is a pitch-perfect performance from a disillusioned, bitter but oddly endearing Gwyneth Paltrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPO12GYknq4
6) Pulp Fiction
The oldest cliche in cinema is that a film is only as good as the script which is why Tarantino’s films are bloody brilliant, an emphasis on the word ‘bloody’.
Ever since Reservoir Dogs, QT has shown that he has a wonderful cinematic brain that’s combined with an ear for dialogue and an eye for casting.
Think about how many left-field choices he has made when choosing the actors for his films but what’s even more incredible is that he usually writes particular roles with a certain actor in mind.
Think about your favourite performance from Pulp Fiction, it’s nearly impossible. Even Christopher Walken nearly steals the film and he was only in it for about 5 minutes!
Even though the maverick director wasn’t in attendance at the Rome film Festival, there was still a little favour of Kill Bill in the Mazda Cinema Hall with their 360° immersive cinema.
Here’s me suffering the best death imaginable.
7) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
This might seem like an odd choice given the more ‘high-brow’ films on this list but I’ve a reason why Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team are included.
Improv is one of the hardest things to perfect because it requires a sharp comedic mind, excellent timing and most importantly, the willingness to share the spotlight with others.
There’s no room for ego or hogging the limelight which is why Anchorman really works as a comedy. It’s endlessly quotable and no one character gets all the best lines. You get the impression that this film was off the cuff, spontaneous and the work of some comedic geniuses.
8) The Dark Knight
It’s testament to the legacy of Christopher Nolan’s comic-book version of Heat (another wonderful ensemble) that his second film in ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy has somehow managed to change Hollywood’s approach to big-budget films.
His version of Batman proved that it was possible to balance big explosions, epic action and huge stunts with interesting characters, an engaging plot and a gifted cast.
The Dark Knight feels like an arthouse film that has a blockbuster budget. The late Heath Ledger famously won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker but he’s just one part of a superb ensemble that also features Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Christian Bale.
9) Saving Private Ryan
Whoever the casting agent was on Spielberg’s classic, they definitely deserve a drink. Not only were they able to spot some of the best actors at the time, they also had an eerie sense of destiny about some of the best up-and-coming supporting actors of the last decade.
Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Ed Burns and Giovanni Ribisi may have been the more prominent members of the squad but did you know that Bryan ‘Breaking Bad’ Cranston also starred in the film as did Ted Danson, Vin Diesel, Paul Giamatti and Adam Goldberg?
Now that’s a team that you would want on your side.
10) The Departed
There are so many Scorsese films to chose from that it’s almost sacrilege to pick just one.
The incredibly gifted filmmaker has always been ‘an actors director’ which is why films like Goodfellas, Mean Streets and Raging Bull are still at the top of people’s favourite films and contain some wonderful acting performances.
I’ve opted for The Departed though because it’s a near perfect crime film that you can watch for the hundredth time and still discover some subtle little nuance about each role.
Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Ray Winstone give a masterclass in doing lots with very little.
Mazda’s pure passion for cinema and cars is now entering it’s third year at the Rome Film Festival and it shows no signs of slowing down. The Mazda Cinema Hall was an immersive mecca for movie lovers of all genres while their Lounge and Sake Bar only added to a memorable tenth anniversary of the Rome Film Festival.
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