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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

'The dinner' DVD: Black Friday Giveaway of Awesome Family Drama



New York-based distributor of the best international films Film Movement makes holiday shopping a little easier with the best-ever Black Friday promotion. Friends and relatives of film lovers get both a free DVD copy of the 2014 Italian drama "The dinner," which Movement is releasing on DVD on November 25 2015, and 25-percent off a subscription to the Movement DVD Film of the Month Club. The numerous awards for this freebie live-stage seeming adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name include Best Actor awards for the two leads.

The club selections provide Unreal TV great source material. The limited-time offer ends on November 30, 2015 and requires using the code DINNER.

The most awesome aspect of "dinner" is one of the primary qualities that makes Movement films so user-friendly for American audiences. This tale of two very different brothers who regularly see each other apparently out of a sense of familial obligation only to have a crisis severely strain that bond is universal. Like most Movement films, "dinner" could be filmed shot-for-shot and line-for-line in America. Additionally, the balanced and believable manner in which each actor portrays his or her character is very apt for any film from any country.

The following YouTube clip of the "dinner" trailer  conveys the sense of the above points and shows the artistry of the film without spoiling the plot.


The universal aspects of "dinner" start from the opening scenes in which a man experiencing an escalating degree of road rage while driving with this son reaches a very dramatic conclusion. The need of the son for treatment in the aftermath of this event introduces kind and caring pediatrician Paolo.

We soon meet Massimo, who is a defense attorney, when he comes home after a typically tough day at the office and immediately seeks to close himself in his office to do more work. Many of us with siblings can relate to this sharp contrast regarding the personalities of the brothers.

These  early scenes additionally establish that Paolo and Massimo (along with their spouses) regularly meet for dinner on Massimo's Euro. Paolo and his wife Clara particularly dislike these meals but attend them out of a sense that they should do so. Paolo making critical remarks regarding the low character of the clients whom Massimo represents both provides good exposition and partially sets the stage for the central drama in the film.

The event that accelerates the family drama from first gear into turbo is a brutal attack on a homeless person. Surveillance footage of the incident and related evidence increasingly points to Massimo's daughter Benni and Michele, who is the son of Paolo, being the perpetrators. The tension that this creates between the brothers beginning with the initial suspicion and continuing onto differing opinions regarding how to handle the matter when the threat of incarceration seems imminent makes for excellent film drama. The ambiguity that closes the film makes "dinner" especially memorable.

In universal terms, "dinner" simply is a well-written written and acted film that ENTIRELY relies on the dialog and the performances to entertain the audiences. The complete absence of elaborate special effects and over-the-top acting makes this film being available to U.S. audiences the second best gift from Movement this year.

The DVD bonus feature is a making-of short film.

Anyone with questions regarding "dinner" or Movement is strongly encouraged to email me; you can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.








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