Advantages: Moving and heartwarming story, one of the most beautiful film endings ever.
Disadvantages: That the version for UK and US release cuts out key scenes.

...to terms with life after the Second World War. Salvatore (then known as Toto) is a young boy, left fatherless by the war. He is endearingly mischievous, and while this proves to be the bane of his mother and local priest’s existence, Alfredo the projectionist at the Cinema Paradiso takes him under his wing. The two forge a firm friendship, strengthened by a variety of comic and tragic incidents along the way. The film moves on through the stages of Salvatore’s life, from boy to adolescent. Salvatore is now the projectionist himself and has embarked on his own filmmaking career, when he meets Elena. The relationship of the young lovers does not run smoothly and following Alfredo’s advice, Salvatore leaves the town to make something of his life and never look back. The older Salvatore, returning to the Sicilian town for the first time... Read review

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Advantages: Bottom As It Is Meant to Be
Disadvantages: None Worth Mentioning

...Guest House Paradiso is a cinema extension of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson’s Bottom. It’s how bottom wanted to be on the small screen but couldn’t because of censorship. This film is lewd, crude and puerile. It’s also very funny, if you like Bottom. If you don’t, then Guest House Paradiso is probably not for you. The film is set in a dilapidated old guest house which is situated on the edge of a cliff, right next to a nuclear power plant. For very obvious reasons, the guest house does not attract very many guests, but those that do arrive, wish they had never done so. Rik Mayall – Richard Twat (pronounced Thwaite) Richie (whose surname has been changed from Richard to Twat), desperately wants his guest house to be a success. Unfortunately, he unhappy with the type of guest the place is attracting. For example, Mr. Johnson... Read review

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Advantages: Eddie's got nice glasses
Disadvantages: Oh, everything

...Thirty years ago, the archetypal rock and roll guitar slinger, Dave Edmunds, blessed the world with a solo album stylishly titled 'Subtle As A Flying Mallet'. Now that would have been a pretty wonderful subtitle for 'Guest House Paradiso', the cinematic debut of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson's 'Bottom' wonderworld, except it wouldn't have been a flying mallet in the title, it would have been a flying toilet, because in truth the humour of the Mayall and Edmondson never wanders far away from the inside of the water closet. If you've never happened by the particular worldview of our fine, foul mouthed force (and there may actually be one or two deprived souls out there), the talent of Ade and Rik lies in updating the sort of slapstick made very popular by the comedians of the silent cinema with their own extremely individual brand... Read review

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Advantages: Great views
Disadvantages: cold Lake

...of achievement priceless. Along the track you will see rivers, waterfalls, and from the top you sit in safety and listen to the Avalanche as the Glacier is active. The walk takes about 3 or 4 hours. If you want something fun to do in Wanaka then I suggest an afternoon at Puzzle World, this is great fun for all ages and cheap too. Puzzle world is full of amazing mind games and illusions that will have your brain ticking, the giant maze in the garden is also great to do. It took us about an hour and half to complete. Cost: Adults $12.50 and Child $9.00 For a something a bit different I suggest a night out at the cinema, what's different about that I hear you ask, allow me to explain! The Paradiso is a really cool cinema with out the usual structured seating you can sit in comfort on sofas an arm chairs just like you are in your own lounge... Read review

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Advantages: Looks beautiful
Disadvantages: See Op

...I decided to buy Malena based on 3 things. The first my Sister had supplied me with Amazon vouchers because of my advent into my 25th year. Secondly I love Cinema Paradiso, another film by director Giuseppe Tornatore. Thirdly, I read a review on Ciao that was rather generous to it. When it first came out I remember Malena being derided as lacking in imagination compared to Cinema Paradiso; critics less kind likened it to a boy’s masturbatory fantasy. Having watched it I don’t agree with the former though I have to agree with the latter. Both Malena and Cinema Paradiso focus mainly upon a child over a stretch of years. Admittedly Cinema Paradiso takes in a greater scope of time, whilst Malena focusses on the years of World War II. For Malena opens with the image of a well suited near corpulent fascist standing in the back... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great Story with Tim Roth giving out a Good Performance
Disadvantages: Roths Dodgy Accent!!

...1900s Director is Giuseppe Tornatore, who has made many movies including the excellent Cinema Paradiso. This English-language picture from an Italian director has more style than substance, and it looks and sounds quite beautiful, with fellow Italian Meastro Ennio Morricone providing the amazing Soundtrack... Welcome aboard the Virginian, a grand trans-Atlantic ocean liner at the turn of the last century. Cleaning up after pulling into port, one of the crew members (Bill Nunn) discovers a newborn baby abandoned in the dining room. The sailor then takes the child as his own, and raises him aboard the ship-he found the baby on the first day of the first year of the new century, and so the little boy is christened after the year: 1900... The boy grows up (Tim Roth playing the lead Acting Superbly) in the crew's barracks, never leaving... Read review

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Advantages: Funny
Disadvantages: None

...... Read review

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Advantages: I can't think of any
Disadvantages: Almost everything

...Guesthouse Paradiso, Hmm this really shows you why a half an hour comedy programme should be left at just that! Obviously it stars Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, as would be holtelier’s Richard Twat and Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba, respectively. Now in it’s half hour format I think the show works quite well, Richie and Eddie usually manage to make a complete pigs ear of something and put some funny moments into it also. The movie format was a different kettle of fish. Richie and Eddie are in charge of the worst hotel in the UK, which is right next door to a nuclear power plant. The illegal immigrant chef has done a runner and so have all the guests. Then a fam