Blue Jasmine

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Craig M

Viewed – 01 March 2014 online rental

There is something immediately comforting about siting down to a Woody Allen movie. As a long time fan of this celebrated, iconic director what was presented to me was very familiar … minimalist opening credits, a collection of characters discussing relationships, art, interior design with enthusiasm and intelligence … that gentle jazz background music. Classic Allen harking back to Manhattan. Then of course we get Cate Blanchet as a stuck up New York socialite brought crashing down to earth after her wealthy husband (Alec Baldwin) is found out to be a crook, and she has to slum it with her ghetto sister Ginger and Ginger’s Italian boyfriends…

Blanchet, one of the finest actors of her generation shines as the neurotic, troubled, egocentric forced to start again, but seemingly unable to accept that her life is very different now. A character study of a woman with seemingly everything handed to her on a plate, who reluctantly has to actually work to make something of herself. Good support comes from Boardwalk Empire’s Bobby Cannavale as one of Ginger’s boyfriends, and Sally Hawkins as Ginger is suitably likable and the polar opposite to Blanchet. Allen’s direction can not be sniffed at either, with his camera work really casting a beautiful glow on Blanchet, arguably one of the most uniquely attractive actresses around. Swapping his usual New York setting for San Francisco gives the movie plenty of character, even if this isn’t as with other movie’s in the director’s back catalogue … a love letter to the city.

Perhaps Allen at his lightest, it lacks the genuine wit and charm of something like Annie Hall or even the more recent Midnight In Paris, but with a strong, complex central performance I still came away with a smile.

Verdict: 3 /5

Ten of the best

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Craig M

Top Ten lists are sort of something I enjoy doing, especially at the end of each year. But Top Ten Favourite Movies of all time? Harder. I used to have a list a while back of which some of the movies below used to appear on. Yet I gave up putting them in a particular order as they are so different some of them, comparing is impossible. So find below Ten movies I think have had the greatest effect on me, either growing up, inspiring me (writing, movie tastes) or just hitting me on an emotional level.

Fight Club

Made me a big fan of the movies of David Fincher and has arguably Edward Norton’s finest turn. Style, effects work in a movie that didn’t need it, a great soundtrack, that twist and endlessly quotable.

Gran Torino

Emotional, heart-wrenching, funny, touching with one of Eastwood’s best performances. The cast of newcomers surrounding him are also first-rate.

21 Grams

Complex and twist-filled with three stunning performances (especially Naomi Watts) and a script that is quite literally genius. Tough going but well worth the journey.

Pulp Fiction

Possibly still my all time favourite movie. The dialogue is amazing, funny, very cool and believable. The sound track is stuff of legend and performances across the board are superb.

Leon

Natalie Portman’s debut. Ice-cool, Gary Oldman’s looniest but greatest villain, Jean Reno as a lovable assassin and Luc Besson on stunning form.

Annie Hall

All of Woody Allen’s best ideas, cleverest dialogue and touching observations rolled into one perfect movie. Diane Keaton is excellent and Allen has never been funnier.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

James Cameron fully realising Terminator … stunning effects work, amazing action sequences, Arnie at his best, Linda Hamilton as the most bad-ass female role model since Ellen Ripley. The ultimate sci-fi blockbuster.

Blue Velvet

Weird but one of David Lynch’s most coherent works, with a great cast (Hopper is just plain nuts) and haunting music and a dream-like atmosphere. Sexy and disturbing just how Lynch should be.

Goodfellas

The finest gangster movie ever made, fast, packed with ideas, dialogue, people getting wacked, great dialogue and great performances throughout. Martin Scorsese at his very best.

The Shining

Stunningly filmed, creepy as hell, scary, with an amazing Jack Nicholson and a true directing auteur in the shape of the late Stanley Kubrick. The best horror movie ever made? Quite possibly.

Annie Hall

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Craig M

Viewed – 28 March 2012 Blu-ray

I went through a phase in the nineties of being really into the films of Woody Allen, and none more so than this 1977 Oscar-winning relationship comedy. Allen plays struggling stand-up comedienne Alvy Singer who through the movie narrates the on off romance he has with Annie (Diane Keaton), a carefree, happy-go-lucky nightclub singer who Alvy at times adores, is annoyed by, and also finds irresistible … and it’s not hard to see why.

The movie is not your straight forward boy-meets-girl love story however, but more a satirical look at a very believable relationship, through its ups and downs, break-ups, make-ups and everything in between. For me it remains Woody Allen’s most perfectly written, cleverly played out and engrossing movie he’s made. Some I think don’t always get Allen’s brand of angst-ridden, nervous humour, and although it’s rarely laugh-out-loud, it has a charm to it he’s carried throughout his career, which is one reason why he still manages to turn critics heads and get rave reviews to this day (Midnight In Paris, for example). Here though he’s at his inventive best, offering to the camera anecdotes, inventive use of split-screen, animation and just plain clever-ass dialogue that references everything from Groucho Marx to the JFK assassination, and kept this viewer smiling. Performances are also first class, especially from a captivating Keaton, who sparks brilliantly off Allen’s at times motor-mouthed, scatter-shot version of himself. The movie has been cited as being semi-autobiographical, an easy thing to believe considering Keaton & Allen’s real-life relationship, that spawned a succesful on-screen partnership until they parted ways years later.

Annie Hall for me is the best movie ever made about a single relationship, and captures the complexity, the fun and the sadness just right. One of my all-time favourite movies, and watching it again was like visiting an old friend.

This recently released Blu-ray from MGM however, is a disappointment. The picture is serviceable at best (although this is a very natural looking movie so vivid colours and razor-sharp image quality was never going to happen) and the audio has some minor lip-sync issues if you’re paying close enough attention. Thankfully there doesn’t seem any post-processing work done and grain looks intact. Extra features? If you call the theatrical trailer an extra feature, then sorry … that’s all you’re getting. A shame considering this movie’s legacy – where’s the documentaries, the interviews? Very poor indeed.

Verdict:

(the movie) 5 /5

(the blu-ray) 2 /5

Which Is The Better Best Picture: Annie Hall or The Apartment? (entertainment.time.com)
Blu-ray review: “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” (popdose.com)
MANHATTAN Blu-ray Review (collider.com)

Midnight In Paris

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Craig M

Viewed – 24 March 2012 DVD

It’s been a long time since I have sat down to watch a movie by directing legend Woody Allen. I’m not sure why but my love of his brand of whimsical, angst-ridden relationship comedies, has waned over the years, and have found myself less and less interested in his output, which continues to be one of the most prolific outputs of any director currently working. Yet post-Oscar season, this latest effort sparked my interest.

Owen Wilson plays a screenwriter who takes a holiday in Paris to work on his novel with fiance Rachel McAdams and her upper-class friends. Yet he finds their company disenchanting, and although adoring Paris and its inspirational mystique, finds himself taking solitary midnight walks to gather his thoughts. That’s when he is transported back into the 1920’s and starts mingling with the famous names of the era, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Pacasso and Salvador Dali etc. This is a great concept and a perfect fit for Woody Allen’s often over-used nervy navel gazing lead characters and relationship woes. The Paris locales are shot beautifully, clearly offering a love letter to the city like he did with New York in his classic Manhattan, and the writing is as sharp as he’s ever been. Owen as expected is playing the ‘Woody Allen’ role but it works wonderfully for one of the most likable Hollywood stars around, and the various actors playing the famous faces, deliver perfectly fascinating caricatures. McAdams is gorgeous, but doesn’t offer up anything various pretty actresses couldn’t have done just as well. Inception’s Marion Cotillard instead delivers a far more enjoyable performance, exuding French sexiness and mystery. Also for an Allen movie the comedy is played a touch too gentle and charming for my taste.

As a long time fan however, I feel so glad to be back in the director’s company, and although I’m sure he could have delivered just as good a movie if he had starred himself, his casting and choice of location won me over, leaving me with a really nice feeling as the credits rolled.

Verdict: 4 /5