inspector manara 2: crime and amore

MHz has recently released the second season of the Italian crime/comedy series Inspector Manara 2. Fans of the first series will be sure to enjoy the further adventures of the title character, Luca Manara, played by the charming and handsome Guido Caprino. In the first series, a reluctant Luca had been transferred to a sleepy little Tuscan seaside town, where he soon, unexpectedly, found himself busy chasing down clues to countless murders and other associated crimes. He was helped in his endeavors by the lovely Inspector Lara Rubino (Roberta Giarrusso), a former fellow student from their days at the pice academy. Luca, although immediately very popular with all the love-starved local ladies, ended up pursuing Lara, and the two fell in love and got together by the end of the first season.

As the second season begins, Lara and Luca are getting married, with their friends and the entire town thrilled to attend. But the course of true love never quite runs smoothly for this pair. As Luca fumbles with his lines at the altar, a young cyclist bursts into the church, interrupting the ceremony, and falls down dead in the aisle in the first episode, "Matrimonio con delitto (Marriage with murder)." Luca and Lara put their wedding on hold and try to solve the crime, but it is clear that the pair may have not been ready to swap vows just yet. They try living together, but they don't seem to mesh well as roomies, either. In "L'addio di Lara (The farewell of Lara)" Lara decides to accept an offer to attend a prestigious course at the police academy in Milan. This will help her in her career, but also take her away, at least for a time, from Luca. ...

The gang's all here, L-R: Toscani, Sardi, Buttafuoco, Barbagallo, Lara, and Luca

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inspector manara: fun and sexy detecting, italian-style

MHz has released another international series on DVD, Inspector Manara (Il Comisario Manara). Part police procedural, part romantic comedy, it is a very engaging show with likable characters that American audiences should take to immediately.

Set in a small Tuscan town by the seaside, Inspector Manara features Guido Caprino as Luca Manara, who has been transferred from his beloved and fast-paced Milan to be the new police commissioner of what he thinks is a tiny, boring, crime-free town. He will soon learn that murder is as frequent an occurrence here as in some other mythical television hamlets like Cabot Cove and Midsomer. Luca has no intentions of staying, and doest hesitate to declare so at every opportunity, but his transfer was a disciplinary measure - the result of his getting too cozy with his former superior's wife. His current boss, Casadio (Luis Molteni), has no intention of granting his transfer request until he can prove himself. Casadio also isn't too pleased that his own wife (and just about every lady in the vicinity) are immediately charmed by the handsome Inspector. Come bello.

Luca (Guido Caprino) and Lara (Roberta Giarrusso) on a case

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There are many charms to Inspector Manara besides its main character's sexy '70's vibe. Crimes of passion are certainly more common in this particular burg than premeditated murder. Italophiles will be interested in the series' beautiful locations, which were filmed near the small village of Trevignano Romano, which is not too far outside of Rome. After watching a few episodes, viewers will not only get pulled in by the recurring cast of characters, but the rhythms of life in their small and picturesque town. Everyone actually seems to go home at the end of the day (who's minding the police station?) to try and spend family time and eat some fabulous homemade food. This idyllic pace is of course a recurring joke on poor Manara, who yearns for some activity, some nightlife.

You can read my entire review on Cinema Sentries

donna detective: ci vediamo

Donna Detective is one of the latest offerings from MHz Networks, which releases international television shows on DVD. ...

Although some of situations in Donna Detective are far from fresh - the new boss who must prove herself, perceptions of women in the work force, how hard it is to juggle career and family - it is still fascinating and most importantly, entertaining, to watch Lisa (Lucrezia Lante Della Rovere) face each obstacle at home and at work. Maybe because the show originated in Italy, there is also a soap opera aspect to some of the "crimes of passion" that Lisa and her squad are up against, but the episodes are far from boring. As the series progresses, each crime that Lisa and her team investigate also sheds light on their characters and what is happening in their lives. There is also an ongoing series story arc involving Lisa's husband Michele, who has been accused of murdering a female colleague, which has a major impact on their marriage, and could even threaten Lisa's career, as she tries to clear her husband. ...

Lisa (Lucrezia Lante Della Rovere) and Nanni (Flavio Montrucchio) on a case

It may seem impossible to American viewers to take Lisa seriously when when watching her switch gears so quickly, to whipping up a frittata for her hungry family when she returns home from a long day of busting perps, but that is exactly the charm at the center of Donna Detective. It is refreshing to watch a cop show that is as interested in its characters and their motivations - as well as what they want to eat and drink - as it is in solving the crime of the week. The great soundtrack by Savio Riccardi and the backdrop of the eternal city of Rome just add to the experience. Donna Detective is good-looking, too, with cinematography a step above typical crime dramas. ...

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