The Talented and lovely Asia Argento debuted as a film
director with experimental short film "Prospettive"
and can also be seen acting in
in this 1994 Italian collection of short films made by Italian indie
film directors. The quality differs and some are not that good when
others
are, just as with any anthology of short films, but i found it quite
exotic to be able to see short films made by 1990's Italian indie directors,
the then coming generation of filmmakers. I've only heard of Asia Argento
and Alex Infascelli among these directors.
The picture quality in some of the shorts were too dark
(and maybe VHS transfer?) but these films were too obscure to be restored
perhaps
or the film elements were damaged ? The films cover a wide array of
genres as horror, vampire, sci-fi, arty, crime spoof, thriller
Asia in Squeak!
My 2 favourite shorts were Andrea Prandstraller's "India
21" and Eleonora Fiorino's "Finalmente insieme" but i
also liked Asia's short but
surreally poetic "Prospettive" and somewhat liked Allesandro
Valori's "Squeak!" and Alex Infascelli's "Vuoto a Rendere".
1. Intro short by Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, 2. Consegna
a domicilio (Home Delivery) by Manetti Bros. where Asia can be seen
in a small role
3. Just Another Vampire Story by Andrea Maulà with Stefano Abbati
and Cesare Bocci (i didn't like these much, a so-so opening 3 films)
4. La TV fa male ai Bambini ? (Does TV Hurt Children ?) by Alberto Taraglio
with Marco Carlaccini and Maria Livia Lucernari, where a young
girl alone at home is harassed by a demon TV: OK fun
5. Vuoto a rendere (Deposit Base) by Alex Infascelli with
a strange dystopian short: Good - in 2000 he made his debut feature
film with giallo
horror thriller "Almost Blue" followed in 2004 by the even
better crime thriller "Il Siero della vanità
(The Vanity Serum) read about these two
films on my Giallo & Eurocrime Page 1.
6. Prospettive (Prospects) by Asia Argento,
young Asia's 1994 directing debut is a very short arty film, poetic
surreal about a woman holding
an umbrella and flying away. Very short, but i liked it.
Asia, at this time 19 years old, had already acted in some films with
a Dario Argento connection as Lamberto Bava's Demons 2 in 1986, Michele
Soavi's 1989 La Chiesa and in Dario directed Trauma in 1992, and also
in a couple of Italian artmovies. Later in the 1990's she was about
to act
in some more of her father's horror pictures, as
and 
but 
unfortunately these were quite bad, but in 2000 she
directed her great feature length film debut "Scarlet Diva"
praised by critics and it's a
semi-autobiographical plunge into the chaotic world of actress/model
Anna Battista.
Asia has continued to act in international films and also in her father's
films of declining quality as the 2007 stinkeroo "La Terza Madre".
..................................................
Back to De Generazione .... 7. Catene (Chains) by Antonio
Antonelli,
8. India 21 by Andrea Prandstraller (also story and
script) with Giorgio Tirabassi and the brief-case, and probably the
best segment of the
anthology. A tired cab driver is about to quit for the night when a
new customer has sneaked into his backseat and wants to be driven to
some address. It's a paying customer for sure .... but. Absurd and fascinating
and Giorgio Tirabassi is great as the cabbie.
9. Finalmente insieme (Together at Last) by Eleonora Fiorini (also story
and script) with Cesare Bocci and Maria Pia Calzone. Horror and
surrealism plus humour about the Pain couple, Paola and Gudi, tormenting
themselves and suffering from really bad dreams.
Felt like a Buñuel inspired short film and i liked it. Strangely
enough this was the only film Eleonora Fiorini directed
10. Squeak! by Alessandro Valori with Asia Argento as
Lorna is a flimsical crime spoof about 3 rockers abducting a man from
his car
The Italian DVD has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic
wide and an italian audio DD 2.0 with english subtitles, region free.
Extra is an
interview with co-producer and the director of Squeak! Alessandro Valori
(15 minutes in italian without english subtitles)
