Blue Jasmine

When you've been making films for decades, it can be hard to adapt to the changing film movements. (This is why a number of stars from Hollywood's Golden Age didn't fare too well during the New Hollywood era.) But there are those few names that have been thriving since they stepped foot in Hollywood.

One such name is Woody Allen. He's been making films since the mid-1960s and he shows no signs of slowing down either. His new film Blue Jasmine proves that within its opening moments. Much like the content in Match Point, what's shown in Blue Jasmine feels rather un-Woody Allen. (That's not a bad thing, mind you.) Instead, it feels like a work from Tennessee Williams.

Which is fitting since Blue Jasmine, intentional on Allen's part or not, is very reminiscent of A Streetcar Named Desire. (Also fitting since stars Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin were in productions of Williams' play.) Allen and Blanchett take the famed Woody Allen persona (the neurotic lead) and, rather than have it played for laughs, give the role a much more realistic edge.

As Allen often does with his films (Hannah and Her Sisters and Midnight in Paris in particular), he enlists choice actors for Blue Jasmine. Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Stuhlbarg, Louis C.K. and Peter Sarsgaard make the most of their brief screentime. Sally Hawkins and Bobby Cannavale also add to the A Streetcar Named Desire allusions. But this show belongs to Blanchett, who will (hopefully) get nominated for her work.

Allen has had his fair share of cinematic ups and downs throughout the years, and Blue Jasmine is one of his ups. (A step up from his last film, don't you think?) This may go down as one of Allen's best films and Blanchett's best performances. This is a film that'll be on my Oscar ballot.

My Rating: *****

Match Point

A good film is one where the dialogue plays as much of a role as the actors in it. That is always a key thing to listen for.

Woody Allen is one of those fortunate filmmakers who knows how to write a damn good film. Many of his films are comedies, other times romances. Regardless of the film, you can always count on fantastic dialogue from Allen.

His film Match Point, when in comparison to Annie Hall or The Purple Rose of Cairo, feels out of place. Rather than being a light comedy with snappy dialogue, this is the kind of film Alfred Hitchcock would have made. Honestly, what Chris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and Nola (Scarlett Johansson) say to each other during their first encounter is worthy of the sly innuendos Hitchcock was famous for.

Speaking of Hitchcock, Rhys-Meyers and Johansson are just the kind of people Sir Alfred would've cast. (A good omen since Johansson will be playing Hitchcock blonde Janet Leigh later this year.) He is charming but is also hiding secrets. She is beautiful and has a few tricks up her sleeve. These are the kind of people commonly found in a Hitchcock film.

In all honesty, I had to keep reminding myself that this is a Woody Allen film. It's just so much darker than his other work. That doesn't mean it's not a great film; it very much is. Hell, it's one of the best titles of the last ten years.

My Rating: *****

Sweet and Lowdown

Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown is sort of different from the director's other work. I say sort of because this shares a few elements with Allen's earlier film Zelig but it's still a different film entirely.

The star of Sweet and Lowdown is Sean Penn, perhaps an unusual casting choice for a Woody Allen film. Surprisingly, it works. Perhaps it's because Penn is a loose cannon at times in real life that makes his character's impulsive behavior more believable. But that's just my perspective.

Samantha Morton in my eyes is a terribly underrated actress working today. Her work here is just one of several reasons for why she should be on everyone's radar. Allen told her to use Harpo Marx as an influence for her character and boy, does she follow through. (Best scene as proof? The moment she's listening to Penn play his guitar.)

It's sort of a known fact that almost all of the non-Quentin Tarantino films Uma Thurman is in are bad. I say almost because this was pretty good. (So was Dangerous Liaisons.) In her first scene, she gives off a sort of Dietrich vibe. (Probably because she's wearing a tuxedo.) Still, she also gives an amusing performance.

Sweet and Lowdown is very amusing. Not as great as some of Allen's other work but it's still very entertaining. Penn, Morton and Thurman are great, but Morton is my personal favorite. All in all, it's very much worth a look.

My Rating: ****1/2

Zelig

Woody Allen has a certain sense of humor that everyone knows about. It consists of a few sly jokes inserted into the compelling story.

Such is the case with his 1983 film Zelig. A mockumentary on human chameleon Leonard Zelig (Allen), it chronicles the bizarre life Zelig had as from media sensation to sideshow freak.

Years before Christopher Guest practically nailed it down to a science, Allen has a good idea of what a mockumentary should be like. The archival footage looks aged as though it was actually from the 1930's. A great feat for a film from the 1980's.

Allen also shows in Zelig the effects of celebrity on society. Zelig himself is catapulted into stardom upon the discovery of his condition. He doesn't mind it at first, but then it becomes too much to handle. Happens all the time in real life too.

Zelig is definitely one of Allen's best films. It has a great balance of satire and heart, a common theme among Allen's work. Allen is great, as with Mia Farrow. Just goes to show that Allen knows how to make a good film.

My Rating: *****

Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen has always brought out the magic in his movies, especially with The Purple Rose of Cairo. In recent years, some of his entries lacked that magic. His newest movie Midnight in Paris brought the magic back and then some.

The first four minutes of Midnight in Paris shows shot of the City of Lights, which is reminiscent of the opening moments of Manhattan. You have to admire Allen for paying homage to his own work. Only he can display the glamour of a city without overdoing it.

Our protagonist Gil is played by Owen Wilson, who I considered one of two actors that perfectly captures the Woody Allen persona apart from Allen himself. (The other actor is John Cusack in Bullets Over Broadway.) Gil is clearly unsatisfied with how his life is going. He's constantly around people that you yourself wouldn't want to be stuck with at a party, including his fiancee. (They're at that stage that makes you wonder what made them fall in love in the first place.)

But then at midnight, Gil finds himself transported to his ideal location: Paris in the 1920's. Over several nights, he encounters prolific names of the lost generation. (Of the people Gil meets, my favorites were Corey Stoll's Ernest Hemingway and Adrien Brody's Salvador Dali.)

Much like The Purple Rose of Cairo, Midnight in Paris masterfully blends fantasy and reality. Almost immediately, I was swept up in the tale Allen had crafted. If you haven't seen one of this year's best...well, why haven't you?

My Rating: *****

The Purple Rose of Cairo

You ever been in a low mood and your first solution is to watch a movie? It has and always will be the best way to forget your problems.

This is the case with Cecilia (Mia Farrow). She has good reason for her moviegoing. She's stuck in an abusive, loveless marriage, she has been fired from her job, and she's looking for an escape from the poverty throughout her neighborhood in Depression-era New Jersey. What better escape than going to the movies?

I've always liked Woody Allen's work (mainly Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters), mostly because he knows how to capture the movie's mood. With The Purple Rose of Cairo, he blends the feel of the 1930's with the ambiance of a comedy from that time. Not many movies can do that successfully.

I absolutely love The Purple Rose of Cairo. Farrow and Jeff Daniels have magnificent chemistry together. In fact, the movie acts as though it's from the 1930's. The ending just about crushed my heart, but that didn't stop me from adoring this movie.

My Rating: *****

Bullets Over Broadway

When you watch a Woody Allen movie, the common lead male character is the neurotic writer. In his earlier movies, Allen usually portrayed that character. In his later movies, different actors have portrayed the role.

David Shayne (John Cusack) is an aspiring playwright who is having difficulty getting financial backing for his latest play God of Our Fathers. He's forced to hire Olive Neal (Jennifer Tilly), the girlfriend of gangster Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli), in order to get money for the production, regardless of the fact that she can't act. Although David isn't too crazy about him at first, he starts to like Olive's escort Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) when it's revealed he has good ideas for the play.

Can I honestly say that casting John Cusack in a Woody Allen-esque role was perfect? Yeah, I know I saw High Fidelity before this (both roles are somewhat similar, in my opinion), but it just works. Dianne Wiest's Helen Sinclair manages to steal every scene she's in and is a homage to Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond. Allen's writing is sharp and funny. All of these factors make Bullets Over Broadway a movie not to miss.

My Rating: ****1/2

Annie Hall

Many consider Annie Hall Woody Allen's best movie. I kinda agree (I'm more of a Manhattan person myself), but it is very good.

After breaking up with his girlfriend Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), comedian Alvy Singer (Allen) goes on a stream of consciousness journey through his memories of their relationship, trying to find out what caused them to part ways.

I like the psychological aspect of the movie, by that I mean the dissection of a failed relationship. The performances from Allen and Keaton were very good. I could definitely see how it won Best Picture (though I'd be happier if Star Wars won).

My Rating: *****

Hannah and Her Sisters

Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I should review a movie focusing on family. That movie is Hannah and Her Sisters.

The plot revolves around three stories of an extended family:

-The first is about Elliot (Michael Caine), Hannah's (Mia Farrow) husband. He has an interest in Lee (Barbara Hershey), Hannah's sister, who lives with misanthrope artist Frederick (Max von Sydow). Lee and Frederick's relationship isn't what it used to be, so when Lee finds out about Elliot she has an affair with him.

-The second is about Hannah's ex-husband Mickey (Woody Allen), who is a hypochondriac. He thinks he has an actual disease and when it turns out he doesn't, he unsuccessfully converts religions.

-The third is about Hannah's other sister Holly (Dianne Wiest). She's a recovered drug addict and unsuccessful actress who runs a thriving catering business with her friend April (Carrie Fisher), who's also an actress. They compete for a guy they've met at a party they were catering and a part for a play, both of which go to April. She tries her hand at writing, but Hannah disapproves of the play she wrote because it mirrors Hannah's marriage with Elliot. She meets Mickey, in which previously they had a disastrous date together, and they go on another date.

The movie overall was very good and, in some ways, very Woody Allen. No surprise that the screenplay picked up an Oscar. Caine and Wiest's performances were also very good and earned those Oscars. How it lost Best Picture to Platoon, I'll never know.

My Rating: *****

Manhattan

I find it interesting. Woody Allen allegedly claimed that he wasn't pleased with the finished result of Manhattan. Ironic since it became one of his best-known works.

TV writer Isaac Davis (Allen) has an interesting way with women. He's dating 17 year old Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), his ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) is writing a book on their failed marriage, and he's fallen in love with Mary Wilkie (Diane Keaton), who is the mistress of his friend Yale Pollack (Michael Murphy).

There are two things Manhattan is mostly remembered for, the opening montage of the city and the iconic shot of Queensboro Bridge (seen on the poster). And I can see why they've left such an impact on Hollywood. Allen said he shot the movie in black-and-white because that's how he remembered the city when he was growing up. It probably wouldn't have work had it been shot in color. The black-and-white gives the movie a more romantic feel to it, in my opinion. And also Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is a nice touch.

My Rating: *****