Movie Review #8 - Annie Hall (1977)

This wait is longer than watching lord of the rings

Whilst sitting at home the other night, we decided to put a movie on. Initially we were going to watch Seinfeld, but as I opened the cabinet, my eyes fell upon Annie Hall. I had seen it long ago, and remember it being very funny. I also remember Woody Allen being very neurotic, so it seemed like a good substitute for Jerry and co. On the DVD cover is a little sticker, marking the film as a Best Picture winner. Released in 1977, and up against Star Wars for the Academy Award, most doubted the quirky romantic comedy would beat the blockbuster space epic. Surprisingly, it did, on the back of a terrific screenplay by Allen and Brickman (which also won an Oscar) about the nature of relationships.

Annie Hall is a love story, narrated from the very neurotic, pessimistic viewpoint of Alvy Singer. It seems contradictory that somebody so whiny and annoying can be in a relationship with somebody as pretty as Diane Keaton, yet he is quite funny and appealing and a wounded puppy kind of way. The performances are pitch perfect and there are great scenes in which Allen and Keaton riff off each other. Surprisingly, and  continuing the Seinfeld comparison, Annie Hall is a movie that is seemingly about nothing. We go from different stages of a relationship, from it's conception to end (sound familiar?). What is so interesting about it, however, is the way this is done.

Annie Hall is a movie with so many different styles. It begins with Allen talking directly into the camera, documentary style, and then launches into the first flashback. It contains split screens, animation, characters talking directly to camera, and an inventive use of subtitles. Enjoyed (500) Days Of Summer? That is essentially an Annie Hall remake. Indeed this movie has been incredibly influential on so many movies, and is one of Allen's finest achievements. Granted I haven't seen many of his films, this is brilliant, inventive filmmaking, superior to most of his new films. I can also picture Alvy Singer claiming that I don't know anything I'm talking about.

4.5 Stars 

Movie Review #7 - I Knew It Was You (2009)

You know you've made it when the Simpsons reference you!

A colleague recently lent me this nice little documentary on John Cazale. Who the hell is that, you might ask? Well he's in Dog Day Afternoon, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, The Godfather and The Godfather II. Not a bad CV! He was, the perfect supporting actor and the movies that he worked on won numerous Academy Awards.

The documentary is a short (40 mins) tribute to his brief, but great career. Containing interviews with a plethora of film icons, including Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Francis Ford Coppola and Sidney Lumet, it outlines how much they respected and admired his amazing skill. These interviews are intercut with excerpts from his films, again demonstrating his enormous talent.

As a film, I Knew It Was You is hard to review. It's well-made, but not great documentary filmmaking. It seeks to do nothing other than recognise Cazale's skill, and it achieves this. It is great to see great cinema legends honour such a magnificent talent. It was a shame that Cazale passed away so young (cancer), because he would have amassed an impressive body of work. Go and watch his five films, and focus on Cazale; his expressions, his delivery, his body language. Acting at its finest.

3 Stars