Ode to Woody Allen

No movie Tuesday today.  Bummer.

Since I didn't go to the movies today, I found something else to keep me busy, aside from watching reruns of The Office and futzing around with this blog, I started wondering how many Woody Allen movies I've seen.  I counted them up and based on my Netflix history my total is 15.  He's been making movies since 1965.  I've been watching movies since, I don't know, the 80's.  I've got a lot of catching up to do.  That is a friggin lot of movies, especially because most of the story lines are the sameish -- working through the same struggles with the same actors.  I fell asleep through at least one.  I have NO IDEA what Bananas was about.  NO IDEA.  It was one of those times when I thought I was watching, woke up, and was totally confused.  And I have a feeling that may have been one of the only films that did not adhere to the dissatisfaction in romantic relationships, disenchantment with love, cheating, sexual blunders, and bizarre resolutions.  Although, I guess I'll never know.

I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona the other day.  I think we can all agree that Penelope Cruz was brilliant as a totally unstable hot mess.  The basic storyline follows two friends who travel to Spain for the summer and their sexual and emotional adventures.  Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlet Johansson) meet Juan (Javier Bardem); both have sexual encounters with him; one turns someone's life upsidedown and one turns her life a bit more bisexual and passionate.  Add crazy María Elena (Penélope Cruz) to the mix and Woody Allen magic happens.  And in the end, they all go home.  I'm not sure how into Scarlet Johansson I am; her range of emotion and delivery is stunted somehow.  She's the new Diane Keaton.  The new Mia Farrow.

On the list of my favorite Allen movies, Match Point is at the top.  Devastating.  After the first time, of course my emotional reaction was not as viceral, however super fantastic wonderful in a super serious dramatic kind of way.

Don't Drink The Water is a must see.  It is totally a play and I would not have wanted it any other way.

Melina and Melinda.  Great.  I was skeptical, too, but by golly, great.  Will Ferrel as Woody Allen or vice versa.  Love the double storyline.

Crimes and Misdemeanors.  Again, devastating, complicated, messy, emotional.

Play It Again, Sam and Annie Hall working through similar psychosexualsocialemotional muck in a cult-classic-real-neurotic kind of way.

Sleeper.  It's just weird enough.  Robots and future drugs and world domination. 

Also, please absorb the music.  Even if the films are repetitious, the music is always perfect.