Review: TO ROME WITH LOVE

I believe it was Socrates who said, the unexamined life is not worth living; at 76 and with over forty films attributed to his name, Woody Allen has now examined his life and then examined himself examining his life. After Midnight in Paris -his most successful film in terms of revenue- Woody Allen takes a step back and returns to his more traditional depiction of neurotic characters observing, describing, philosophizing about, and suffering because of love, life, universal inconsequence, and - for the first time - Rome. 

To Rome With Love, is a collection of four vignettes all set in Rome. Each vignette could have been separate stand alone film. And some of them would have likely been more enjoyable that way. We are introduced to the four vignettes by a traffic cop; who from his pedestal in the middle of the road observes everything. Or so he claims. 

Traditionalist may criticize Allen for abandoning New York and “selling” to tourism boards that want to show off the most beautiful cities in the world - London (Match Point, Cassandra’s Dream), Barcelona (Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona) and Midnight in Paris (Paris)- but, personally, I like how my pseudo-intellectual self can relax and enjoy a Roman holiday alongside my giddy low-brow tourist self, while enjoying these romantic Euro locales, and conversing with characters as neurotic as... my neurotic self. 

Review: THE GREY

The urge to stay alive is a peculiar one. Thousands of people kill themselves every day and millions more want to kill themselves to varying degrees of sincerity when the line at the grocery store moves too slow or when a former love announces on Facebook that they’re getting married to a drug dealer on April 20th. Hypothetical? Yes. Philosophical? Indeed. Depressing? You bet your meaty ass. Surviving is not enough; one needs a reason to live. Liam Neeson's latest romp in a string of ultra-masculine, brutal, inwardly driven films, is “The Grey” and never has a search for purpose come up so empty.

Review: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

I'm surprised Woody Allen doesn't slouch more. That head of his must weigh a ton, what with all the exhaustion and neuroses it's filled with. His newest braingasm Midnight In Paris should please everyone from the deepest Allen fans to newcomers of his style.

Woody Allen is one of my heroes for a specific reason; when he makes movies, he makes them for a reason. The reason he's made almost 50 movies is not because the studio asks him to pump them out like Stephen King novels. He makes his movies because he has vision about something. They range from wild fantasies to slapstick comedies, but they've always had the mark of a true vision. Allen is now 75, and Midnight In Paris is as true an Allen film as I've ever seen. As the phenomenal opening sequence came to a close, I realized he's still got it. He's still able to make movies people care about. Midnight In Paris is about a guy with a dream.

What We Like: JC's Favorites 2

It is time to start a second round of the films that make up our favorites. It is hard to review films objectively. Well, actually it is impossible. Film reviewing is entirely based on opinion alone; would I recommend these movies? Yes, and if you like the types of movies I like then you should check them out. So what are the movies that make up my favorites? These are movies that are unique (there really isn’t any other movie like them or there hasn’t been in a very long time); these are movies that one can watch multiple times and not get tired of them (you might be surprised but I probably do watch these a lot more than any other movie) and these are films that I would love for you to buy,/rent, and check out because if you like movies like I do you will love these.

        

Review: WHATEVER WORKS

It's as simple as this: Fans of Woody Allen's old comedies will be in for a giant treat. If you are not too familiar with his old stuff like Annie Hall and Manhattan, you may not enjoy it as much.

What we have here is another odd love-ish story about Boris Yellnikoff. It's Larry David basically playing Woody Allen. He's uptight, quirky, neurotic, and absolutely ridiculous. It seems to me, that this was a part Allen had written for himself, but never got to play. Or, who knows, maybe he just felt nostalgiac about the characters he used to play, and thought David would work.

What We Like: Wilder's Favorites

Hey all. Get ready, because here be me faves.