Friday, January 30, 2009
LIFEWORKS
Today's movie was Woody Allen's
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)
Great movie. Classic Allen.
Way back in time. Allen's films would arrive in Boston on an annual basis. They would play at the Paris Cinema on Boylston Street. A huge old fashioned movie theater.
The lines for all shows would go out the lobby and around the corner.
Sitting in the audience you were with kindred souls. All sopping up the latest Allen product. It was a group thing as well as a very satisfying individual adventure.
Allen's films mattered because they were smart. You had to think.
The dialogue was realistic. Not movie talk pap but the way people, of the type of folks who were in the film, talked. Most of us sitting in the Paris either were or would be like those people. Many times we were laughing or crying about ourselves.
Allen's work went through periods which his fans debated at length. He seemed above all that and just kept making movies. And more movies.
I have seen all of his films. I have not enjoyed all of them as much as I would have liked. But I have always, always found myself in the company of a compatriot. We have lived or observed the same country.
For a while Allen's films have not been up to the par we have set for him but they have always been above the par for films in general.
The last several films made outside New York have been on the up trend.
This one is near or above the lifetime Allen average.
Penelope Cruz is wonderful and so is everyone else.
And I mean everyone. Even the smallest parts get the full Allen attention.
I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5 because it will be in the long, long Allen film fest.
