The Wind Rises review

Who knew an animated movie about planes could be so damn touching.
I have never seen a Hayao Miyazaki film until now. I am a bit ashamed of this fact, but it is true. People have always raved about Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, I just never got into any of it. After watching his newest film, The Wind Rises, I know I've been making a huge mistake. The Wind Rises was pretty terrific. It's about a budding young aviation expert and engineer named Jiro Horikoshi. When Jiro was a child, he dreamt of airplanes. They fascinated him on another level. Then he grows up and works for a company making planes for the Japanese and German governments. He is a genius, having the best mind for aeronautics in the entire company. Jiro tries to be a successful engineer, while also having a personal life and keeping a sane in a world filled with war and hurt. Soon he finds love, but many obstacles stand in his way. This is the story of Jiro Horikoshi. This is The Wind Rises. As I said before, I am in no way versed in the works of Hayao Miyazaki. So I wasn't familiar with his style or anything like that. In fact, the only reason I saw this movie in the first place was because it got nominated for Best Animated Film and was supposed to be good. I had medium expectations because I never really was a fan of anime. Yet, The Wind Rises "rose" to any expectations I had and made me just stare in wonder at the movie screen. Which is fitting because in a way, The Wind Rises is all about wonder. Wonder and dreams and even movies themselves. Tragedy too, but mostly wonder. Jiro is captivated by aviation and engineering as soon as he comes in contact with it. His awe and wonder is 100% genuine. He compares planes to dreams, and they appear in his dreams. It may seem far fetched, but I think  Miyazaki is talking about his (or anyone's) love of film. I completely related to Jiro's love and fascination of aviation, except with movies instead. It made a lot of sense to me. It could be that I am just unconsciously projecting my own thoughts and persona into the story. If that's the case (which it most likely is), I applaud Miyazaki even more. To make a film so emotionally relatable is amazingly hard. What he has done, is created a movie about wonder and the importance of dreams. Then pumped the movie with hope and a good story, to create the ultimate cathartic film. The movie has many dream sequences throughout it, often really helping display its themes. One in particular, shows Jiro looking in amazement as his idea for a plane be brought to life through the power of his dreams. Anyone who has ever made a film, or really done anything creative, can relate to this. The sense of sheer joy at seeing your creation come alive, even if it's just in a particularly vivid dream. All the use of hope and wonder is great, but it'd be useless without a decent story and the other things that make a good movie. Luckily, The Wind Rises has all these things. And it does them quite well.  It also keeps a nice balance between whimsy and historical tragedy, not blurring the lines between them and not going overkill on either one. Keep in mind, although this is an animated movie, it isn't necessarily for your kids. While it has a lot of wonderful visuals and things that they may enjoy, it's also about World War II and tuberculosis. The story is sad at times, but it's also a great story. Occasionally it borders on overplaying the emotion factor, but it never actually does overplay it. The voice actors are great at breathing life into the story too. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very solid as Jiro, as he usually is. Emily Blunt teams up with her Looper co-star as his love interest, Nahoko. Mae Whitman plays Jiro's sister, but she came off very whiny and annoying. Maybe that's just the "little sister" character, but it didn't make her any less grating. Frozen won Best Animated Film at the Oscars. I haven't seen it, and it probably is good, but I highly doubt it's better than The Wind Rises. And I do wish this had taken home the award, however impossible that may be. The Wind Rises is as successful in storytelling and thematic tools as practically any of the better films of last year. Apparently, this is Hayao Miyazaki's last movie. This makes me quite sad, for I'm just getting started on this guy. Happy Viewing everyone. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.  

Capote review

Philip Seymour Hoffman died recently. The entire world of cinema went into shock when it happened. Some of his favorite performances of mine were in The Master, The Big Lebowski, and Magnolia. He won a Best Actor Oscar in 2006 for his role in Capote. I had heard for a long while that he was great in the film, but I never brought myself to watch it. So recently I sat myself down, and watched Capote. Boy, have I been missing out. Capote was a fantastic film. It combines great acting and writing, with Zodiac-esque tension and plotting. It's expertly crafted and I really did enjoy it. The movie is part biopic and part true crime thriller. It documents a tumultuous part of writer Truman Capote's life from around 1959 to 1962 as he researches the Clutter family murders for his book, In Cold Blood. I haven't read any of Truman Capote's novels or short stories. After watching the movie, I certainly am quite interested. He was an interesting man, Hoffman's performance really capitalizes on this in the best way possible. He gets the accent perfectly. He gets all of Capote's little tics, understanding his demons and problems fully. There's one scene in particular where Truman is talking to one of the killers, seeing him off to his execution. Hoffman makes the scene as powerful as movie scenes get. Raw, emotional, and just damn terrific. He isn't inhabiting the character, he is the character. I think he one hundred percent deserved his Oscar for this, the guy was truly fantastic. I think his performance in Capote is tied with The Master for his best performances he has ever given. Catherine Keener also gives a solid performance as To Kill A Mockingbird writer and good friend of Truman Capote, Nelle Harper Lee. She does a good job of supporting Philip Seymour Hoffman, but she isn't given much of a time to really shine. Keener has little powerful moments, but isn't given even a whole scene to herself. It's not a huge problem, but Catherine Keener is a great actress who isn't used to her full potential here. Luckily, that is one of the few complaints I have with Capote. Hoffman does a spectacular job here, but the movie has many other terrific aspects to it besides his wonderful performance. For starters, it's really well directed. Bennett Miller has only directed this, Moneyball (which I unfortunately haven't seen yet), and some movie called The Cruise. I don't know how this compares with his other projects, but I can tell just from this that he is talented.The film has a very polished, yet cold, feel to it that reminded me of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Zodiac. Each scene is framed and lighted perfectly, capturing the emotions of the scene and the feel of the era. He's also great at creating a suspenseful mood for the film. Working along side him is writer Dan Futterman, who wrote a terrific and Oscar nominated screenplay for Capote. His dialogue is great, and the way he writes the story really boosts the film in a great way. Futterman humanizes his characters very well. Making Truman Capote more than a big name author and making the two murderers look like more than just evil faces on the front page of the New York Times. In the end I really felt as if I understood the plight of the criminals and of Capote's issues. The film as a whole is a haunting and absorbing slice of history that is really, really well made. Often biopics are just a series of it's subjects achievements, eventually leading up to the inevitable death of the subject. Capote overcomes those problems by focusing on just one part of Truman Capote's life and then looking at that moment in the best way possible. Some biopics, like Lincoln, are informative yet very boring. Capote is really informative yet also very entertaining and interesting. It makes me really miss Philip Seymour Hoffman and appreciate what a fantastically awesome actor he was. I highly recommend you watch it. I wouldn't be surprised if I watched it again soon. Happy Viewing guys. If you haven't already, you can like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies and follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies. Thanks!

Oscar Predictions: Who Should Win/Who Will Win

A lot of people like to rag on the Oscars. They talk about how pointlessly flashy they are, how they are harmful to the "art" world, and how they don't matter at all. Some of those are valid complaints. Yet, I think the Oscars are very important to the film industry. For example, I think studios would be a lot shakier to
invest in movies like Her if there weren't the Oscars to guarantee them some extra viewers. Do you honestly think producers would invest in more independent projects like Dallas Buyers Club and 12 Years a Slave if they didn't have the Academy Awards as an impetus? No! The Oscars are great in that way. For me at least, the Oscars re-inspire this love of the movies that I feel we often forget about. I love the Oscars. They're fun and entertaining to say the least. I still feel that it's messed up to rank movies like the Oscars do though. Is The Wolf of Wall Street better than 12 Years a Slave? Maybe, but they are two completely different films. If they broke up the awards into genres, that would probably be better. But alas, that will never happen. I'm also mad some films like Prisoners and Inside Llewyn Davis were completely snubbed for the major categories. But why complain? Let's just embrace it all and enjoy the Academy Awards! So below are my choices of who should and who will win. Also keep in mind that I'm only covering the categories in which I know what I'm talking about. That's why I have no thoughts on Best Foreign Film or Best Documentary short film.
Enjoy.
P.S. Let's all hope Her wins everything.

Best Picture
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Her
12 Years a Slave seems like the obvious winner. Yet, I think Gravity may be a surprise here. I would actually be okay with this. It's an amazing technical achievement and reminded everyone why exactly we go to the movies. To be swept up and amazed in the wonderful, and sometimes scary, dream world that is the movies. Her should win though. No movie blew me away emotionally like Her did. It was so incredibly written and acted, and its narrative structure is amazing. I put it at my #1 spot of the year, and I stand by that. No movie deserves Best Picture quite like Her. It won't win, but I'd love it if it did.

Best Leading Actor
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street
Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street

Very tough category. It's been a fantastic year for movies, no doubt. Arguably, a better year for acting. There were some notable snubs here like Joaquin Phoenix for Her and Tom Hanks for Captain Philips. I really think everyone nominated deserved it though. You may think I'm crazy for picking Leo over McConaughey. I think they were both fantastic and deserving of the nomination. But this is DiCaprio's year. I can feel it in my bones. He's been ignored for too long. I think he has a solid chance and really deserves it. He also won at the Golden Globes. I may end up being wrong, but I'm sticking with my gut this year.
Best Leading Actress
Will Win: Cate Blanchett-Blue Jasmine
Should Win: Amy Adams-American Hustle
It's really a shoe in for Cate Blanchett this year. She won at the Golden Globes and numerous other awards shows. Everyone knows she will win. Blanchett was very good but personally, I think Amy Adams should walk away with the award. She gave a fantastic performance in American Hustle. I actually think she was better in Her, but she deserves it for this as well.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club
Should Win: Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club
I kind of want to give this one to Jonah Hill, but Leto really did give an astounding performance here. Not only did he lose massive amounts of weight, but his performance was just amazing. Dallas Buyers Club had a lackluster script, but Leto and McConaughey carried it. Jared Leto definitely deserves this win.

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Lupita Nyong'o-12 Years a Slave
Should Win: June Squibb-Nebraska
Even though Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe and was very good in her role, I don't think she'll win. She already got an award last year and it seems like the favor is starting to shift towards Lupita. Personally, I'd like to see June Squibb win for her hilariously good performance in Nebraska. Squibb made me laugh, but she also gave her character a dearth of emotion and depth. I think she should win, but she definitely won't.
Best Director
Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity
Should Win: Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity
Part of me wants Scorsese to win, but what Cuaron did with Gravity was much too awe inspiring to ignore. Gravity is the best "space" movie I've seen since 2001: A Space Odyssey. Many people have complained about Gravity's narrative and screenplay. Both of those are actually great, but it's direction is astounding. I was literally on the edge of my seat for all of Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron massively succeeded with what he set out to do here. Gravity is not my favorite movie of the year. But it is the best directed movie. I honestly cannot comprehend the amount of time, talent, and painstaking work it took to make a movie like Gravity. Therefore, Cuaron should, and will, win.
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Her
Should Win: Her
I'm not even going to talk about this. Her is the best film out of all the nominees and the undisputed best film of the year. I loved it. I saw it twice in theaters. Spike Jonze deserves it 100%. The screenplay is beautiful and original. Enough said.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
Should Win: The Wolf of Wall Street
Besides being a very good and harrowing portrayal of life in slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a great movie. But The Wolf of Wall Street has a much better script. 12 Years was good mainly because of the direction and acting. The Wolf of Wall Street was good because of all those things, and the fact that it had a fast paced and terrific screenplay. The dialogue was absolutely great and Terence Winter really improved on the book. I sure hope it wins, although I do doubt it will. The Academy will want to give 12 Years a prize if it doesn't get Best Picture and it seems that it's been picking this up at the other awards shows this year.
Best Animated Film
Will Win: Frozen
Should Win: The Wind Rises
So, I haven't seen any of the animated film nominees besides The Wind Rises. Yet, The Wind Rises was so good that I feel no other film in this category will surpass it. I've heard other people say the same. The Wind Rises had a beautiful and touching story that I think is very pertinent to the movie industry. It's a shame it won't win. This is mostly because it's not as popular as movies like Frozen.
Best Cinematography
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Prisoners
Although Gravity's cinematography was really damn good, Roger Deakins' work on Prisoners was incredible. That man should shoot everything. He gave the film a tone that fit with the story perfectly, capitalizing on the depressing and rainy atmosphere of Prisoners. Deakins is one of the best cinematographers working today and he's yet to win an Oscar (although he has 10 nominations). I hope this is his year, but it's very likely Emmanuel Lubezki will scoop this one up for Gravity.
Best Editing 
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Captain Philips
Gravity was a technical masterpiece, but Captain Philips was really well edited and deserves at least one prize considering how it was snubbed in other categories. I think it really deserves it though. Philips was fast paced and riveting. Mainly because of the editing. I think Gravity will win this, but I'd like to see Captain Philips win for sure.
Best Original Score
Will Win: Her
Should Win: Her
It was a great film alone, but Her also had a very beautiful score. Go listen to it and you'll see. That's all.
Best Original Song
Will Win: Frozen-"Let It Go"
Should Win: Her-"The Moon Song"
It's a crying shame that Inside Llewyn Davis' "Please Mr. Kennedy" isn't nominated here, and if it was I'd want it to win. But I think "The Moon Song" is a soft and wonderful song that completely deserves the award. Unfortunately, it will not win. Frozen's song is just more popular and crowd pleasing.

Best Documentary
Will Win: The Act of Killing
Should Win: The Act of Killing
The only nominated documentary I saw this year (Blackfish was snubbed!) was the first half of The Act of Killing. Weak, I know. Yet, what I saw was horrifying and very well done. It got it's point across. I've heard about the rest of the film and there is no doubt in my mind that it should win. I plan on finishing it soon to get the full picture. I did see Blackfish however, and it was a great and absorbing documentary that should have gotten a nomination at least. I really do believe The Act of Killing will win. As it should. It's only real opponent is 20 Feet From Stardom but I think The Act of Killing will pull through.

That's all I have for you guys. This is my final list. I hope you find it enjoyable and informative. Above all, I hope you enjoy tonight's awards, regardless of the winners. Happy Viewing folks.
While you're here you can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies! Thanks!

  

Philomena review

I would make a joke about the name Philomena, but I don't have the most run-of-the-mill name either so.... I'll just keep my mouth shut.
Philomena is about this old lady named Philomena Lee (played by Judi Dench). When Philomena was a mere teenager, she has sex with a boy and becomes pregnant. This is bad, although most people can deal with it some way or another. The problem with Philomena is that she lives in a nunnery-type place and gets her child taken away from her by the nuns to be adopted to an American family. This understandably hurts Philomena very much. You'd think at that point you'd try your hardest to get your baby back or at least try and go see him, right? Well Philomena has been brainwashed into thinking what she did was an unforgivable sin. So, she never tries to find her child at all. She thinks that she's paying for what she's done everyday. After 50 years of this, she finally tells her daughter. At a dinner party, the daughter confronts recently laid-off journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) about her mother's story. Sixsmith is reluctant, but he does take up the story and helps Philomena find her long lost son. On hearing about this movie, I really wasn't interested in it at all. It sounded like an emotionally manipulative and sappy piece of Oscar bait that I just wouldn't be able to stand. Well, it went and got nominated for four Oscars (including Best Picture). While I do think we often put too much attention and weight on the Academy Awards, I still like to be up to date with them. Plus, a movie has to be pretty damn good to be nominated for four major Oscars right? RIGHT? Maybe. Philomena is a pretty decent film. I didn't hate it, and I really liked certain aspects of it. Yet, in no way is it deserving of Best Picture, or really any of the Oscars it was nominated for. It was better then I expected but worse then many critics made it seem. Philomena has a very interesting and incredible story. That's not because of the writers or director though. That is just because this actually happened. The film is just showcasing the story. I feel like the story could have been showcased in a better and less manipulative way. The story is just sort of thrown up there for you to see. It uses big swells of music and the acting of Judi Dench as a crutch for the sometimes weak direction and script that didn't have a lot to say. What the music and acting doesn't hide is how very cheesy this movie feels at times. The aforementioned swells of music paired alongside especially emotional moments feels incredibly cheesy and worst of all it feels like the director is shoving emotions in you face. It's like he's practically shouting at you "Feel sad!" "Feel happy! This is heartwarming so you should feel happy!". While a little little bit of that when used the right way (like The Shawshank Redemption) can work wonders, a large heaping amount of it used the wrong way can make something like Philomena feel all wrong. Now don't get me wrong, this movie isn't all bad. Philomena's screenplay can be weak at times, but at other times it's quite funny and filled with wonderful British wit. Also, the acting is pretty great. Dame Judi Dench is terrific here as Philomena. She displays equal parts naive innocence and a determined demeanor that works great here. Her acting nomination is the only one I think is even halfway deserved. After seeing her play M in the James Bond flicks the past few years, it's nice to see her show what other ability she has. Steve Coogan, while not fantastic, does a solid job playing the sarcastic and skeptical journalist. Coogan has proved he can be funnier and better, but he understands this is Dench's film. He let's her take the helm while simultaneously providing support and funny lines along the way. This movie is a nice story filled with emotion that the whole family can enjoy. Yet, it's not all that great. And it could've been done a lot better in my opinion. Philomena has different parts that are great, but as a whole I felt it faltered a bit. It's not bad, but it sure as hell isn't Best Picture worthy. I give Philomena 3.4 out of 5 stars. Remember you can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies. Happy Viewing!        

Dallas Buyers Club review

This movie is about people slowly dying from the horrible disease of AIDS. And I thought my cold was bad!

Dallas Buyers Club is the story of a homophobic electrician from Texas, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), who gets diagnosed with HIV. He starts selling medicine to make some extra cash, but soon he starts doing it just to help people. At first glance this seems like a guilt trip of a film designed to get showered with awards and make you feel all sorts of emotions. It looks formulaic and cheesy. Heck even it's tagline, "Dare to Live", sounds corny as hell. And while Dallas Buyers Club does occasionally do some of the things mentioned, in the end it is a solid and very well acted flick that I can certainly recommend. The film is based on a true story, but it still has room to add a little extra drama and conflict. And at times it does get overly dramatic. With other actors, this could turn into a sob-fest worthy of a Lifetime TV movie. Yet, with McConaughey and  (surprisingly)  Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club becomes really good. Matthew McConaughey's transformation into an emaciated AIDS patient is nothing compared to his transformation as an actor. From annoying rom-com dude to serious and respectable Golden Globe winner, I don't think any of us saw this coming. I've said it before, as has everyone else, and I'll say it again. Just a few short years ago McConaughey was starring in such "movies" as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Failure to Launch, and Fool's Gold. Now he's in stuff like Mud, True Detective, and The Wolf of Wall Street. And you can add this to his list of good films with good performances. The guy kills it here. Not only did he lose a massive amount of weight for the role, but he really shows the pain,hate, and emotion in his character quite well. And although he carries most of the film on his shoulders, he isn't alone. Musician and occasional actor Jared Leto is in this movie. And he is really, really good in it. I don't know where his talent came from but damn is he fantastic in his role as a transsexual woman named Rayon. It's no wonder they both won acting awards at Sundays Globes. I'm not sure if McConaughey has secured an Oscar win yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if Leto has. Even if you're skeptical about the film as I once was, see it at least for the performances.  Don't get me wrong though, the acting isn't the only strong point here. The other parts of the film aren't all bad. While I did find the script a tad cliche at times, the direction and overall feel of the movie was really good. I haven't heard of the director of this before, but he did a pretty good job here. The film has this feel of being slightly old, fitting of it's time period, yet it doesn't overdo it as to distract us. The close ups and quiet, prolonged shots of the characters in pain help really highlight the superb acting here and put us in the character's shoes. Even if it is only for 117 minutes. While the script is sometimes mediocre, it still manages to capture the raw emotion and courage of this true story. You feel the pain of these poor, sick people. When a character dies, you can't help but get teary eyed. The catharsis here here is astounding. Aw damn, now I'm starting to sound corny. Dallas Buyers Club is quite good, mostly because of it's top notch performances, but it's still good. Had I seen this earlier it certainly would have made my Top 15 of 2013 list. While it's sometimes overly dramatic, Dallas Buyers Club is mostly very good and especially well acted. I just hope McConaughey keeps up this streak of being awesome in awesome movies. I give Dallas Buyers Club 4.2 out of 5 stars! Happy Viewing y'all! Remember to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.   

If I Ran The Oscars...

We are currently in awards season. The time of year when all the best films vie for a trophy at the Oscars, or the BAFTA's, or the Golden Globes. While many of the movies nominated for stuff this year is good, I feel some movies were snubbed, an other movies won't win what they deserve. So, this year I am doing my own personal list of Oscar nominations complete with the winners. Enjoy.
Edited Version

BEST PICTURE
Her (Winner)
The Wolf of Wall Street
Gravity
The World's End
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Inside Llewyn Davis
Prisoners
Captain Phillips

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Her-Spike Jonze (Winner)
The World's End-Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
Frances Ha-Noah Baubach & Greta Gerwig
American Hustle-David O. Russell
Nebraska-Bob Nelson
The Place Beyond the Pines-Derek Cianfrance & Ben Coccio
The Counselor-Cormac McCarthy

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Wolf of Wall Street-Terence Winter (Winner)
12 Years a Slave-John Ridley
Behind the Candelabra-Richard LaGravenese
Captain Phillips-Billy Ray
Much Ado About Nothing-Joss Whedon

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Amy Adams-American Hustle (Winner)
Eva Mendes-The Place Beyond the Pines
Greta Gerwig -Frances Ha
Sandra Bullock-Gravity
Carey Mulligan-Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street (Winner)
Matthew McConaughey-Dallas Buyers Club
Oscar Isaac-Inside Llewyn Davis
Christian Bale-American Hustle
Joaquin Phoenix-Her
Simon Pegg-The World's End

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
June Squibb-Nebraska (Winner)
Amy Adams-Her
Jennifer Lawrence-American Hustle
Scarlett Johansson-Her
Lupita Nyong'o-12 Years a Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club (Winner)
Jonah Hill-The Wolf of Wall Street
Micheal Fassbender-12 Years a Slave
Bradley Cooper-American Hustle
Jeremy Renner-American Hustle

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity (Winner)
Edgar Wright-The World's End
Paul Greengrass-Captain Phillips
Martin Scorsese-The Wolf of Wall Street
Spike Jonze-Her

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins-Prisoners (Winner)
Bruno Delbonnel-Inside Llewyn Davis
Hoyte Van Hoytema-Her
Dariusz Wolski-The Counselor
Phedon Papamicheal-Nebraksa

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Pretty much every original song on the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack. We all know that's what deserves to win this category.

Well that's it guys. When the actual nominees come out I'll do another list of predictions. Hope you enjoyed this. If I missed something or you guys agree/disagree, feel free to comment with your thoughts. Hey, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.

#tbt Annie Hall review

"I'd never want to belong to a club that would want someone like me as a member."
This is how comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) describes his love life. Finally being with a woman he wants to be with, and soon growing bored and detached, eventually leaving her. Soon Alvy meets Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), a lovable and occasionally clumsy girl who he soon falls deeply in love with. Woody Allen creates a relationship and a story that is very funny and fresh. I haven't seen a romantic comedy done this well since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Annie Hall is the movie that pretty much rocketed Woody Allen to stardom and placed him on everyone's top directors list. It's the film that everyone points to as a sign of Allen's genius. It won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture. I can see why it's not just brilliant, it's one of those movies that may have actually changed film itself. So yeah, I think it's safe to say Annie Hall is pretty good. And it's a real shame I haven't seen it until now. Woody Allen's most recent film, Blue Jasmine, got a lot of praise and is even getting some awards buzz. Personally, I didn't think it was all that great. It had some really nice performances, but overall it just wasn't that special. But I'm not here to review Blue Jasmine. What I can say, is that Annie Hall makes Blue Jasmine look like Grown Ups 2. It's that good, I assure you. Spike Lee sometimes uses the technique of talking to the camera. That same documentary-style technique is used in many TV shows today like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family. It seems to have all started with Annie Hall. The film has such a simple plot: a man looks back at his broken relationship wondering what went wrong. Yet, Allen makes it work so well. I've never been as captivated and entertained by a romantic comedy like I was with Annie Hall. It's so well done. Especially the screenplay, written by Woody Allen himself, is so witty and smart. It mixes very interesting and original techniques with pop culture references and poignancy into a truly fantastic movie. There's one scene in particular where Alvy and Annie are just getting to know each other and are talking on Annie's roof. They're making small talk, but in subtitles is what they're actually thinking. Alvy will say one thing, but underneath him it'll say "I wonder what she looks like naked.". It's really quite clever. I probably don't have enough life experience to "get" Annie Hall. But I can still enjoy it. And boy, did i enjoy it. If I watch Annie Hall a few more times, I'm sure it'll make it as one of my favorites of all time. Maybe it already is. Annie Hall is the kind of movie you want to watch again. Happy Throwback Thursday and as always, Happy Viewing. You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!
P.S. I've decided to devote this month to westerns. So for the rest of the month I'll be watching and reviewing exclusively westerns in order to really understand the genre as a whole. Then at the end of all that I'm going it write a piece on my thoughts about the entire western genre. Just wanted to let you guys know so you're not wondering why I'm only doing westerns for my next Throwback Thursday reviews. Thanks for reading!