I Forgot My Mantra

230) To Rome with Love (2012) Dir: Woody Allen Date Released: June 22, 2012 Date Seen: July 21, 2012 Rating: 3.75/5

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked To Rome with Love. I feel it's more thoughtful and considerably less one-note than Midnight in Paris, which I also liked but to a lesser extent. I also like how casual Rome's warmth and intelligence is. Allen sets up the notion that his version of the city is necessarily an illusory view of Rome. The intentionally clunky line, "Ozymandias Melancholia," that Alec Baldwin's character uses is as effective as it is because it suggests that everything about the city is a warm but unreal projection. The variations on that theme that ensue are thus a wistful but knowingly adrift in nostalgia and context-less memories. 

There are also a number of ideas and themes here in Rome that Allen has previously explored in the past filling out the margins of this sunny tribute to the Italian portmanteau sex comedies of the '70s. I'm especially taken with the sex-positive attitude of the honeymooner's divergent subplots, especially the off-the-cuff way that Penelope Cruz's character relates Allen's usual preoccupation with the moral loophole that prostitutes present (basically, she asks: why is it that men are ok with exploring sex with a hooker and not with someone they'd consider as a hetero-normative partner? That question is also asked in the excellent Shadows and Fog).

 Hell, the use of Cruz's dress alone made me smile. She clearly did not fit that thing and the distracting girdle she's wearing to keep her tummy (?!?!) in is just further proof that, yes, the heart wants what it wants. And in this case, the heart wants Penelope Cruz's spectacular cleavage threatening to burst up and out of a red-and-black polka dot dress.

Oh, and I also laughed a lot. I think most of the film's jokes hit and that's partly because there's a sneaky intelligence to them. For instance, I laughed a lot during the man-sings-in-shower-on-stage subplot, especially when he performs key scenes from Pagliacci in the shower (the scene where he applies his make-up and contemplates the performative aspect of being a clown, while during the performance our singer applies body wash to his face: hilarious). But it's also because there's a lot of really good, immediately satisfying zingers here, including, "Your mother married a great imbecile!"

I don't know, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. What exactly do you people want from Woody Allen anymore, exactly?

Wait, don't answer that.

31 Days of Horror

400) Alligator (1980) Dir: Lewis Teague Date Released: July 2, 1980 Date Seen: October 2, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

401) Crawlspace (1986) Dir: David Schmoeller Date Released: May 21, 1986 Date Seen: October 2, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

405) Dead Alive (1992) Dir: Peter Jackson Date Released: February 12, 1993 Date Seen: October 4, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

409) A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) Dir: Lucio Fulci Date Released: March 20, 1973 Date Seen: October 7, 2011 Rating: 3.25/5

410) Dracula 2000 (2000) Dir: Patrick Lussier Date Released: December 22, 2000 Date Seen: October 8, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

411) Messiah of Evil (1973) Dir: Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz Date Released: XX 1973 Date Seen: October 9, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

412) Kill Baby, Kill (1966) Dir: Mario Bava Date Released: October 8, 1968 Date Seen: October 9, 2011 Rating: 4/5

157) Hesher (2010) and 170) Midnight in Paris (2011)

157) Hesher (2010) Dir: Spencer Susser Date Released: May 13, 2011 Date Seen: May 3, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

169) Midnight in Paris (2011) Dir: Woody Allen Date Released: May 20, 2011 Date Seen: May 11, 2011 Rating: 3.25/5

Two very different kinds of festival darlings, both worthy in their own way. See my reviews for Nomad Wide Screen.

387) You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

387) You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) Dir: Woody Allen Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: November 26, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. In terms of its broad beats, it's just more of the same of Woody's recent resigned but wan recent dramedies. But his empathetic dialogue frequently impressed me and the narrative's criss-crossing scenario is frequently immersive in spite of Woody's continued ill-advised use of voiceover narration and Josh Brolin's half-baked performance. Gives me hope for Midnight in Paris...which hopefully I'll get to see at Cannes! Yeaaaaaah.

207) Whatever Works (2009)

207) Whatever Works (2009) Dir: Woody Allen Date Released: June 2009 Date Seen: July 3rd, 2009 Rating: 2.25/5

Mediocre Woody Allen movies like Whatever Works bring out the Woody in me. Having seen 24 of Woody's films now, I am in the privileged position of knowing enough about his limitations and his strengths. Though I understand the former is negligible when compared to the latter, I cannot help but feel that I am entitled to prize my favorite Woody over these lesser entries in his massive oeuvre. I also know that this is not a valid excuse on its own to dump on this individual film. 

But why complain about what does make it bad? It's a useless endeavor to mention how stale and unkempt the film's dialogue was, how contrived the plot was or how limited Larry David's range is--as big as his arms can spread, but no further--because it's been done. Even apeing the man's voice is boring me. I liked the cast: David at times, Patty Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., the handful of lines Conleth Hill had. But I really can't bring myself to say much more than that so I'll shrug my shoulders, sigh a bit and wink at you. How's that?