Mar 22, 2014 - 08:37 AM
A couple thoughts…. if you sign up for Duolingo (which is free), you can learn some verb tenses that are not taught in Fluenz, and add some vocabulary. But they also have a section on "real world" practice, with articles that you can read and translate. Other people have already offered their translations, so if you can't understand something, the English is right there.
As for movies, I really liked "Life is Beautiful" and "The Best of Youth", both available through Netflix. A few movies I've rented rely heavily on dialect, making it close to impossible for me to understand!
Music: I downloaded a couple Paola Turci songs, via iTunes. Her singing is clear enough to make out all the words. Translating them is a good exercise. Also listen to Rai Radio via iTunes for general talking, and to find other songs/artists you might enjoy.
Books: I tried several. there is an Italian Easy Reader book ("L'amore ritorna e ti uccide") that was comprehensible, and "Omicidio alla moda" I could get through. These I read while I was still in Level 3, and so there were a lot of verb tenses and use of direct/indirect pronounce that I didn't know yet. It is tedious but I think helpful to wade through these, take notes on new vocabulary, etc.
I believe there is already a thread or two on here about movies, so search for that for more ideas.
Ciao!