Woody Allen: A Documentary - 9 stars out of 10

Woody Allen: A Documentary - 9 stars out of 10

"Woody Allen: A Documentary" is an absolutely comprehensive chronicling this celebrity's life.  The film is incredibly entertaining, not because of the narration or anything that sets it apart from other documentaries, but simply because Woody and all of his movie clips are entertaining by their very nature.  With 200 minutes of footage, the documentary is not as daunting as it might seem, splitting the film into two parts at a logical point in Woody's life so that watching it in two sittings will not disrupt the film's flow.  The documentary tells the story of Woody's personal life from childhood to famous writer, interspercing the important moments of his career into this timeline.  With such a long run-time, the documentary provides a ton of insight into the making of Allen's most famous films, as well as audience reactions and their inability to dictate the author's work.  If there is one thing to take from this film, it is that Woody is an artist that creates films without regard for the audience.  He puts on paper what is in his mind, manifesting his quirky humor and allowing the actors to take liberties with his script to properly develop their characters.  That is what makes his films so amazing and candid.  Some of my favorite parts are the interviews with actors (Scarlett Johannsen, Penelope Cruz) as they recall stories of their interactions with Woody during filming.  Martin Scorsese is featured a lot, creating an interesting perspective of Woody.  The documentary also draws many parallels between the content of his films and his own childhood and adult life.  "Woody Allen: A Documentary" is a must see for all fans of his movies, and I would guess that anybody who is not familiar with his body of work will be adding many of his movies to their Netflix queue as the documentary progresses.  This is simply another reminder of the greatness of Woody Allen's films.

Broadway Danny Rose - 7 stars out of 10

Broadway Danny Rose - 7 stars out of 10

"Broadway Danny Rose" uses an interesting storytelling technique but misses its mark.  Woody Allen must have called in a few favors for this tribute to entertainers of the 40's and 50's.  The story is told in the context of a group of classic entertainers (including Milton Berle, Sandy Baron, etc.) sitting around a table in a New York deli and reminiscing.  They quickly come to a story about Danny Rose, the talent agent who would represent some of the worst acts in New York City (my favorite of which being the ballon animal artists).  Danny gets lucky when his washed up singer Lou Canova regains popularity, followed by a convoluted  soap opera-ish plot involving Canova's mistress, the mob, and a beaten up ventriloquist with a stutter.  As is the case with all of Woody's films, the characters are outstanding.  Each one has a lot of depth, even the smallest roles.  Nick Apollo Forte's voice has a fantastic 50's feel in the role of Lou Canova.  I really enjoyed Mia Farrow as the rough-around-the-edges Tina, particularly right after seeing "Radio Days" because you wouldn't even believe that she is the same actress.  And of course Woody is awesome in the titular role, bringing his candid style and unique brand of humor to the role.  This film can't even compare with "Midnight in Paris" or "Radio Days," but it's a great chance to experience the dynamic characters written by Woody Allen.

Radio Days - 10 stars out of 10

Radio Days - 10 stars out of 10

From the moment that it began, "Radio Days" became one of my top 25 films of all time.  Woody Allen's inspired series of vignettes are an honest telling of life in the late 1930's, woven together by the memories triggered by a young boy's favorite radio shows and songs.  The young boy tells his story through a brilliant candid narration by Woody himself.  Although there are many characters, the film focuses on the boy's dysfunctional three-generation family living in a small house in New York City during the Golden Age of radio.  This family puts Ralphie's family from "A Christmas Story" to shame.  Woody writes the greatest characters, from the get-rich-quick scheming father to Aunt Bea, desperate to get married.  From the biggest roles to the smallest ones, this talented cast makes each one memorable.  The most famed performances come from Mia Farrow as Sally White, the waitress that just can't seem to catch a break, and Dianne Wiest as the comically single (and often dancing) Aunt Bea.  They are hilarious, but the depth of the smaller roles is what makes this film special, like Josh Mostel (the principal from Billy Madison) as Uncle Abe, the fish expert, and even Wallace Shawn who has a very small role as the Masked Avenger.  Julie Kavner (voice of Marge Simpson) and Michael Tucker have incredible chemistry as boy's argumentative parents, typifying the "do as I say, not as I do" parenting style.  Add in Danny Aiello as a gangster, Diane Keaton as the New Year's singer, and a very young Seth Green, and you have a conglomeration of big names of the past and yet to come.  I also love that it pays tribute to stars of the time period, like Kitty Carlisle from “A Night at the Opera” in a cameo as the Maxwell House jingle singer.  As is generally the case with most Woody Allen films, the script is simply incredible.  He manipulates the story to seamlessly include some of the most important moments in radio, such as the infamous Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds and the announcement of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all while painting his romanticized vision of NYC with the magic of a movie in Radio City Music Hall.  With it's tongue-in-cheek humor, memorable characters, and awesome jazz soundtrack, "Radio Days" is a must-see.

The Dictator (2012) - 3 stars out of 10

The Dictator (2012) - 3 stars out of 10

"The Dictator" is a one-trick pony whose trick isn't very entertaining.  I was expecting another edition of "Borat" but this was more like "Bore-FLAT."  There is something to be said for candidly offending people on camera by acting like an ignorant foreigner, but it isn't the same when all of the offensive actions are scripted and the victims are actors whose outraged reactions are also scripted.  It does have its moments.  It starts off so strong with the newsreel about Aladeen's life - the Olympics, his mother dying at childbirth, the patient who is HIV-Aladden... but then they realized that they had to have a plot instead of a long stream of vignettes that showed how idiotic the main character is.  In retrospect, I wish that they would've just gone with the vignettes.  I don't think that anybody would claim this film's strength to be it's plot or its character development.  It is a prime example of the Family Guy effect, where they brainstormed a bunch of funny situations and then wrote the plot as a means of loosely tying them together.  The helicopter sequence is hilarious in the worst possible way, and the severed head is one of the funniest running gags I've ever seen.  I will credit this film as being the best executor of running gags since "Happy Gilmore."  But outside of these occasionally humorous situations, it was just a long stream of sexual jokes and dialogue that must be horribly offensive to any Middle Eastern person.  It is too soon for the majority of this humor and I now need to watch "Borat" a few times and pretend that this never happened.

Snow White and the Huntsman - 5 stars out of 10

Snow White and the Huntsman - 5 stars out of 10

The first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes of this movie were awesome!  Too bad that this is like an Oreo with a boring flavor of cream that takes forever to consume... "Snow White and the Huntsman" was one of my most anticipated films of 2012, with its fresh new take on the classic fairy tale and what appeared to be one of the most sinister villains in recent movie history.  Charlize Theron did not disappoint as the queen, heartlessly killing her husband and screaming at her servants just because she can.  The inclusion of her brother who cannot stand up to her further added to her meanness.  Just like everybody else, I expected Kristen Stewart to be terrible in the role of Snow White but lo and behold, she did not ruin any of her scenes and she even had a very impressive monologue as she rallied the troops.  If the acting is good and the concept is even better, what could ruin this movie?  It isn't the special effects, because the Dark Army is incredibly cool and the Queen's aging was impressive (I'd go as far as to say mind-blowing).  The problem is this script.  It would be wrong to say that there was not 2+ hours of story and that they dragged the film out.  The problem is that they told this story in the most boring possible way.  The film starts so strong but as soon as she leaves that castle, things nearly halt in the Dark Forest (which arguably should be the most interesting part of the film).  This film is definitely worth watching for Charlize Theron and this fresh spin on Snow White and the not-so-cuddly dwarves.  The darkness is nearly overwhelming in this gothic telling of Snow White; unfortunately, the majority of this dark setting is only good for a nap while you await the epic 20 minute battle at the end.

BASEketball - 4 stars out of 10

BASEketball - 4 stars out of 10

"BASEketball" is pure stupidity.  It isn't absurdity cleverly woven into a decent story like the Adam Sandler films of the 90's - it is solely comprised of dumb humor.  Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, are the perfect candidates for these lead roles.  Considering the guys in the lead roles, I was surprised that there was some restraint in the areas of profanity and dirty humor (though they did get several f-words in there).  The actual game of BASEketball is very clever and entertaining, and the writers treat it so seriously that this quickly turns into a parody of sports movies.  Everything from the team names to the children with illnesses is completely over the top, often resulting in laughs but sometimes falling short of a comedic moment.  Perhaps the most amusing parts of the movie are when you hear the voices of South Park characters finding their way into the lines delivered by Stone and Parker.  Considering what this film is, I was amazed by the number of cameos (Al Michaels, Bob Costas, Dale Earnhardt, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Jackson, and many others) contained in this film.  "BASEketball" is good for a few laughs and clever situations, but in general it can't compare with most comedies and parodies.

The Princess Bride - 9 stars out of 10

The Princess Bride - 9 stars out of 10

"The Princess Bride" is simply one of the greatest comedies in the world.  Even though it has a strong cult following, I don't consider it to be a cult classic.  It isn't the type of film that you had to see as a child or had to see with a particular group of people for it to have a magical effect each time that you watch - any person can watch this for the first time at any point in their life and immediately find themself quoting it.  In fact, it is arguably the most quotable film in the world, from "As you wish" to "Inconceivable" and "Anybody want a peanut?"  How many weddings on television and in real life have involved the words "Mawwiage is what bwings us togethah today"?  This is not just a film - it is a part of our culture.  The majority of the credit belongs to William Goldman for writing such a humorous script equally filled with heartwarming moments and absurdity.  The dialogue flows without ever letting the movie get boring.  I love the storytelling technique (particularly because it involves Peter Falk as Grandfather), but you derive a certain comic element by having all of the "kissing parts" be interrupted by Fred Savage.  The only problem is that it really does prevent you from having an emotional moment with the strategic interruptions, but the humor is probably more valuable than the chick-flick-effect.  The casting department also deserves a great deal of credit for bringing in big names for this family film and finding a perfect fit for each character.  But really, this film comes down to incredible acting, spot-on interpretation of characters, and memorable delivery of lines.  I am going to skip past all of the lead actors and go straight to Wallace Shawn, who gives the performance of a lifetime.  He is absolutely hysterical as Vizzini, the high strung Sicilian with a superior intellect.  His voice and facial expressions make this one of my favorite characters in all of cinema.  Carey Elwes and Robin Wright have excellent chemistry together, even though they are in a limited number of scenes, but it is enough that we want to see them together.  Chris Sarandon brings a great scheming side to Humperdinck, showing that he really is smart but has a dark side that we hate, and who could forget Mandy Patinkin's signature line that keeps appearing throughout the movie.  Andre the Giant's dialogue is really difficult to understand but let's face it, it's Andre the Giant and that's awesome.  Perhaps the greatest surprise of the entire movie is Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, unrecognizably done up in make-up as Miracle Max and his wife.  These characters may only have 5 minutes of screen time, but the vocal intonation and sass of these two classic comedic actors is the icing on the cake.  From its creative atmospheres like the Cliffs of Insanity and the Fire Swamp to its quotable dialogue and dynamic characters, "The Princess Bride" is a laugh-out-loud love story that can be enjoyed by audiences of any age and is one of our generation's first classic films to pass on to our children.