Two Line Reviews - #419

Movie: A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)

Plot: A crazy inventor and his wife have a problematic period. That's when they invite two couples for a weekend at their summer house. The 3 pairs get entangled in many different ways causing a lot of riotous comedy in the process!

What Works?

• When Woody Allen handles subjects on relationships and infidelity, you can safely assume the film's going to be enjoyable and this one too is!
• The character of this film, apart from Woody obviously, is the Old Professor Leopold! His mannerisms and expressions of disdain score!
• Allen, Mia Farrow, Tony Robers, Steenburgen and Julie Hagerty as the peculiarly voiced nurse offer credible support!
• Allen's crazy flying machine and his crystal ball invention give a sense of the man's liking for parody!

Hilarious show of a raucously romantic summer weekend!

Two Line Reviews - #388

Movie: Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

Plot: A couple decide to adopt a child; When the adopted child grows into a kid high on IQ, the father is curious to find who his parents were. When he gets to know his mother, he tries to smoothen and set her life up so that it becomes socially reputable!

What Works?

• An unusual plot of this kind is something only Woody Allen can come up with and narrate convincingly!
• The mythical characters that act as his conscience, their songs and the way they lament are fun to watch and still carry strong meaningful messages for life!
• Woody Allen, the dumb-headed wannabe actress have nice chemistry going on between them and that surely creates an impact.
• The pig clock in the lady's house is an epic :)

Interesting, funny and special too!

Two Line Reviews - #386

Movie: Everyone says I Love You (1996)

Plot: An American girl narrates the romantic associations of the members in her family and in the process explains how she tried to tie her divorced father up for a relationship with a lady who meets a known shrink!

What Works?

• This one, probably, is Woody Allen's tribute to musicals and he has chosen an apt story for that! Some of the musical portions make this a refreshing watch!
• The Woody Allen-Julia Roberts portions are as eccentric as they come in WA films!
• Drew Barrymore's terrace scene with the murder convict is a hilarious piece as well; Edward Norton has a minimal role to play but the tap dance at the ring shop is memorable.

Good in parts,this musical is.

Two Line Reviews - #385

Movie: Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Plot: A couple have a thing for solving mysteries. When the wife of their newly acquainted neighbour pair dies, they suspect the husband and the suspicion spikes up when they see his wife alive elsewhere!

What Works?

• Woody Allen has his own style of dealing with even thrillers and mysteries! Here, he offers a punch of humour-filled thriller in a way only he can!
• As usual both Woody and Diane Keaton light up the scene and come up with delightful performances.
• When Woody pensively tries to get his wife off the detective act, and when she shares her findings with their friend, his frustrations are a riot to watch!

Murder thriller, the WA way!

Two Line Reviews - #325

Movie: Radio Days (1987)

Plot: A person narrates the influence that radio has had on his childhood and his entire family. He vividly remembers characters from the radio and takes people down a nostalgic trip (if they can connect to it).
 
Positives:

• This film is quite out of the ordinary. Woody Allen takes a different route this time and does a neat job.
• The characters in the film, as described by the commentator, are nice ones & the entire family with unique characters please the viewer.
• Some of the satirical scenes shown are enjoyable.

Negatives:
Not generic for the worldwide audience.I couldn't establish any connection with the programmes or the characters narrated. Some impact gets lost there.

Memorable if one can relate to the film.

Two Line Reviews - #321

Movie: Love and Death (1975)

Plot: Russia goes to war and along with it takes a timid, war-hating crackpot where he surprises all and sundry by playing pivot in Russia's war victory. When he gets back home, he yearns for the love of his cousin who seems to have loved every other person in the country! They fnally become a couple and when another war approaches, they decide to disguise as spanish diplomats and try to assassinate Napolean!

Highlights:

• Woody's take on what is love and how one experiences death is quite impressive,with more focus on love than on death!
• The fast paced narrative and the introductory scenes are full of sarcastic comedy taking digs on Russia and war and are funny to the core.
• The complex dialogues that Woody and Diane exchange are downright funny and brilliant!
• The Napolean assassination plotting scenes add to the fun and provide a climax to enjoy.

Dostoyevsky, a terrific funny character!

Two Line Reviews - #320

Movie: Crimes and Misdemeanours (1989)

Plot: A doctor's illicit relationship grows into a problem when she starts blackmailing him and he battles between right and wrong before finishing her off. Elsewhere, there is battle between the good and the ugly for the love of a woman and the confluence of the stories is the film's climax!

Highlights:

• This intense drama from Woody Allen is appreciable for the screenplay which shows one story and itst analogy in parallel and shows the irony crisply!
• Martin Landau who plays the doctor shows emotions - love, guilt, fear- to perfection with his expressive eyes
• Woody shines , in his parallel track as the ambitious film maker who loses his love for the most irritating person who the couple had had laughs about.
• The detailed artwork (Woody's house in the film being as close as it could get to a film maker's house) is appreciable.

Intense and gripping drama!

Two Line Reviews - #319

Movie: Small Time Crooks (2000)

Plot: A crook of a spoilt man, his wife and friends plan on a bank job, rent a nearby shop for doing that and by unusual change of fortunes, their shop flourishes and the couple get rich in a way they never assumed it to be. With the riches come a penchant for class and they lose their way in the quest for class,a dn finally realise their own selves!

Highlights:

• There is a gem of a message at the end of this hilarious film and that isn't preachy! Another humour filled outing from Woody Allen.
• This is one of those films which would display Woody's spontaneity in acting - the scenes where he word-fights his wife, the scenes where he show frustration etc. are amazing! The performance of the lady who plays his wife is equally good!
• The bank job tunneling scenes & the scenes where they get coached are rip-roaring fun.

Hilarious entertainer!

Two Line Reviews - #318

Movie: The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

Plot: Two investing agents at an insurance co. who are at loggerheads are hypnotised by a magician and are brought under the curse of his jade scorpion. Through them he tries to win a lot of jewels; The duo , who get chased by police, finally come together to solve the case and nab the magician.

Highlights:

• Another interesting Woody Allen film rated poorly! The intrigue, the sarcasm, the humour - they are all there in the right proportion in this film too.
• Woody as the serious yet funny agent rivels in his role and his cat-fights with Helen Hunt are all the more engaging!
• The screenplay though predictable and flat is enjoyable nevertheless.

Engaging and funny!

Two Line Reviews - #317

Movie: Scoop (2006)

Plot: A dead reporter gets a scoop on a serial killer and his spirit gives the scoop to an amateur reporter who, along with a street magician, try to solve it by tracing and tracking a wealthy handsome tycoon who they are after.

Highlights:

• It comes as a rude shock that the film is badly rated on IMDb as it is highly engaging and is one of the better films to watch without one losing interest over its course.
• The brilliance of Woody Allen is everywhere to see - the screenplay,dialogues and direction are exemplary.
• Add to that his own performance as the wrong-side-driving-fearing guy who moves on from a scared-to-death magician to a curious one trying to solve the case.
• The pretty Scarlett Johansson and the hunk Hugh Jackman perform amply well to suit the film's mood as well.

A taut thriller, easily made in typical Woody Allen style!

Two Line Reviews - #316

Movie: Midnight in Paris (2011)

Plot: A writer who wishes to write about the classical past which he loves is battered by his wife, her parents and her friends during a family holiday in Paris. When on one day he takes a stroll to avoid their bickering, he suddenly gets to the past and meets the likes of Fitzgerald, Hemingway etc. He eventually realises that he has to break up with his girl as their tastes donot match at all.

Highliights:

• Even though the subject has been dealt with in the past, the premise chosen for showing the writer's delusion is fresh and Woody Allen gets the viewer to the past.
• Owen Wilson comes up with an effortless yet impactful performance and his love and reverence for the legends from the past is evident in the scenes he meets them.
• The way Paris is captured in the first three-four minutes is amazing and the rest of the film is as poetic as that.
• The scene that Woody uses to stress the point - for every generation, the past seems better than the present - is brilliant.

Nostalgic tribute to the 1920s writers!

Two Line Reviews - #315

Movie: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Plot:Two friends from the US spend their summer vacation in Spain and in the process get acquainted with a Catalan painter on whom the two of them develop inexpilcable passion at different times. His ex-wife gets into the picture at exactly the wrong moment causing trouble to the already delicate relationships that exist.

Highlights:

• This must be one of the Woody Allen gems,for the way in which a sensitive relationship situation is handled extremely logically & delicately is highly commendable.
• Javier Bardem & Rebecca Hall provide nice supporting fiddle but the role of Scarlett Johansson as the passionate girl with an indecisive quest for love and that of the beautiful Penelope Cruz whose frayed temper and Spanish outbursts are extremely delightful to watch are the roles to look for.
• The scene where Cristina explains her relation with the Spanish pair to Vicky takes the cake as the most convincing scene in the film.
• Nice spanish locations - churches, ruins - among others, a lively narrative and a solo barcelona background track keep the viewer engaged.

Delicate subject, delivered deliciously!

Two Line Reviews - #313

Movie: Sweet and Lowdown(1999)

Plot: A guitarist who thinks he is the second best all over the world has reverie for his numero uno Django. The film traces the career of the guitarist over the 1930s during which he had flourished.

Highlights:

• I've always longed to see what the result would be when Woody Allen directs a good talent and from what's evident with Sean Penn's performance, it would have been great to see many more such combines.
• Woody's screenplay putting a take on the human ego through his prime character and dialogues to stress on that and sandwiching that between humorous sequences & an unusual pairing makes this a refreshing tale.
• The commentary, with the usual nonsense touch of Allen, is enjoyable (not as much enjoyable as in Zelig though!)

Journey of a musician & a take on the elephant called Ego.

Two Line Reviews - #312

Movie: Stardust Memories (1980)

Plot: A director known for his comedies turns philosophical and that is something that irks his audience. He gets caught in a nostalgic warp when he is made to contemplate whether or not to get back to what he was liked for.

Highlights:

• Woody Allen shines with an abstract screenplay whose climax bears an evident semblance to Fellini's eight-and-a-half.
• He performs his role with aplomb; It's a delight to see him get vexed in movies and here it comes in the form of irate audience wanting his autograph for the films from his past!
• The dialogues are as good if not as humourous as they are in Woody Allen films; the final scenes where he explains one reason why one could live for is a gem.

A bit complex but interesting to watch.

Two Line Reviews - #311

Movie: Deconstructing Harry (1997)

Plot: Fictional characters from a writer's past get back to him and the memories compound his problem of getting into a writer's block. Through them, he deconstructs himself & finally his own characters honour Harry.

Highlights:

• This purely imaginative stuff has been filmed wonderfully well by Woody Allen and his team. Fictional characters getting life is a delightful proposition.
• Woody Allen reiterates some of his own philosophies on life, relationships, awards, his trust on medicine etc. with well constructed sequences.
• The dialogues with an apt dose of humour is a big plus. The guy who gets out-of-focus is an example of the outrageous characters that Woody creates time and again.

Hilarious Harry, constructed well!

Two Line Reviews - #310

Movie: Match Point (2005)

Plot: A tennis pro gets acquainted with the sister of a person he coaches, gets into their family & suddenly gets a feel for the lady of the man he coaches for. His not-so-enthusing family life and the opportunity to mix with the girl of his liking take him to trouble - to the point of a planned perpetration!

Highlights:

• Like in Prestige, the premise that is set (with the let cord luck) in the very first minute gets captured in the very last stages of the film.
• This is a mature, no-nonsense Woody Allen film and when things gather momentum, it qualifies as a suspense film.
• The guilt-ridden Meyers, Goode, Emily et al. come up with convincing performances & the passionate and furious scenes involving Meyers & Scarlett Johansson are the film's marquee scenes.
• The twist & the re-twist at the Police officer building in the climax is brilliant.

From romance to suspense, the transition is terrific.

Two Line Reviews - #272

Movie: Husbands & Wives (1992)

 

Plot: A husband-wife duo announce the break-up. This shocks their close-friends couple but a dramatic turn around sees the former pair re-uniting and the latter pair splitting!

 

Highlights:

• The idiosyncracies (a term Allen so often uses) are quite evident with the flow of this Woody Allen flick.
• The ironic tale is narrated in a nice and interesting fashion with classy dialogues and scene segments.
• With Allen leading the way, Mia Farrow plays another good role & the young Liam Neeson supports well.

Ironies brought to life on-screen!

Two Line Reviews - #271

Movie: Hannah & her Sisters (1986)

 

Plot: A lady's husband falls in love with her sister and her ex-husband too has his share of the pie by getting into a relationship with the other sister of hers.

 

Highlights:

• This one is successful as a funny, likeable entertainer with Mia Farrow playing the pivot backed solidly by roles of substance given to her sisters & husbands ( Allen & McCaine)
• The style that the narrative takes with chapters goes well with the film's tempo.
• Woody Allen as the check-up addict & the religion philosphy seeker is a riot with his purposefully sidelined funny role.

Another relationship drama - Doesn't disappoint.

Two Line Reviews - #270

Movie: Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

 

Plot: A budding writer is forced to give chance to a useless actress wife of a don for getting the financial support for a film he wishes to cast some promising names. When these actors rehearse, the don's aide - a bodyguard to the wife-actress - corrects some badly written scenes & soon it becomes a norm with the aide becoming the writer & the writer becoming a help-seeker.

 

Highlights:

• The message - the difference of looking at things wearing a different hat - is superbly delivered by Allen & the title is a brilliant fit.
• John Cusack & Chazz play the main roles convincingly & Dianne West reminds one of Sunset Boulevard's protagonist.
• The screenplay, which gradually shifts focus from the rehearsals to the message, is smartly knitted.

An unconventional Woody Allen film!

Two Line Reviews - #269

Movie: Zelig (1983)

 

Plot: There is a man who has the weird talent of becoming (looks-wise & behaviour-wise) anybody he observes and stays close to. The film is a documentary on such a mystifying character.

 

Highlights:

• Woody Allen makes the character 'Leonard Zelig' an instant legend with his superb essayal.
• The different characters that Zelig the chamaleon gets into are enjoyable.
• The narrative style employed - pucca documentary model - clicks big time.

A near-perfect mockumentary!