1810 - Annie Hall

So I've seen this film (probably) more than any other.  I've written about it here a lot.  Last night I got to do one of my favorite things, which is introduce a great movie to someone who has never seen it - and in this case it was a friend who is a young filmmaker.  I still remember the first time I saw this, having been loaned it by a friend with no lead-up at all.  It blew my mind and everything I wrote in the weeks after was a blatant rip-off.  What Allen does in this film is create a magic trick - he blends a lot of different techniques and uses them to express ideas too complicated to summarize through straight narrative.  And the only bad thing about Annie Hall is when you realize that there's nothing else like it, and there's no way to experience it again for the first time.  I'm not going to say any more, probably because I'll just be repeating myself from a previous post, but I'll say this - if you've never seen this movie please get-thee-to-a-DVD (or however you can).  To not like this film is, to me, akin to someone saying that they don't like music.

After watching the film my friend asked me to recommend a top-ten essential Woody Allen.  Which is no small feat to make considering the man has made a film a year for four decades, and at least half of his body of work is amazing.  I tried to narrow it down to ten and I couldn't - and no one can make me,  so instead I've boiled it down to what I think you'd be absolutely remiss to miss.  She'd already seen Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona so that, along with Annie Hall, will be absent from this list.  I decided to make the list on what best represents Allen, but also gives a sense of his breadth as a filmmaker as well.  Here is it.  If I made this list tomorrow as opposed to today there's a good chance it would be different because, to me, Woody Allen is like sex or pizza - even when it's bad it's still better than most things.  If you're reading this and you're offended that I've omitted a title I promise you that tomorrow I'll be equally offended!

Top Essential Woody Allen Viewing (without Annie Hall, Midnight in Paris, or Vicky Cristina Barcelona (which my friend had already seen) and in no particular order):

• Take The Money and Run 
• Bananas
• Manhattan
• Stardust Memories
• Zelig
• The Purple Rose of Cairo
• Hannah & Her Sisters
• Crimes & Misdemeanours
• Husbands & Wives
• Bullets Over Broadway
• Mighty Aphrodite
• Everyone Says I Love You
• Deconstructing Harry
• Sweet & Lowdown
• Match Point

So there's that - disagree with the list?  Comment below!

1614 - Morning Glory

I'll see pretty much anything that Rachel McAdams is in, and when you throw Harrison Ford & Diane Keaton into the mix as well - you've guaranteed my viewership. 
McAdams stars as an up-and-coming morning show producer challenged to take a morning show on it's last legs and breathe some fresh air into it.  It's full of the usual work place trappings, like office romance, workaholic natures, etc... but it doesn't fall into the cliches of them, which was a nice touch.  What I love most about McAdams, and what's obvious here, is that she actually likes to play her characters honestly.  This is a big budget comedy, but she looks like a real person - her hair is messy sometimes, she looks slightly disheveled - because she's supposed to be given her job.  A lesser team would have kept her polished the entire time. 
It's easy to forget that Keaton and McAdams played mother/daughter a few years back in The Family Stone, they fit their roles so well, but the big surprise is Harrison Ford - much like his character - you don't expect him to show up at a film like this, and it works quite well.
This is a cute little film worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of any of the headlining talent.
Morning Glory  Morning Glory [Blu-ray]

1492 - Manhattan

I don't know why, but I decided to make this my birthday movie this year. It's been awhile since I saw it and so I was more than happy to revisit. First and foremost, this is easily one of Woody's most visually striking films. It's not just black and white for the sake of it, the way shadows, blacks and whites are used, it's pretty damn impressive.
This is Woody's least favorite of his own films, and the story goes that he actually offered to writer and direct another film for free if United Artists would promise never to release it. Bizarre. Some might find this film a bit on the talky side, but at least the characters have something to say. The film is full of clever dialogue, but in addition there is some real insight on Allen's part into people. The entire cast is delightful. Keaton and Allen alone make this film soar, but Muriel Hemmingway and Michael Murphy just take it a step above (not to mention that there's a delightful cameo by Meryl Streep). As with most of Woody's films they are the kinds that I continue to revisit and will always do so.
As a history note, this film was the first ever to be released on home video (VHS) in the letterbox format, all others up to that point were simply blown up and cut off at the sides.
If you're a fan of Woody at all and you haven't seen this, get on it.

1480 - The Family Stone

The second film of my little Christmas marathon! I first saw this film when it was in theatres and it just knocked my socks off. I have to say that poking around the old inter-web I was amazed to see that there are some people that just absolutely hate this film. And while I know that there are millions of opinions about millions of subjects I guess I always just find it strange when I discover that something that hits me so strongly can be dismissed by people. That's ridiculously small minded of me, but there it is...

For those of you who don't know, I lost my mother around Christmas time when I was a teenager, and so Christmas sucked for a number of years. The day was always lovely, of course, but there was always this... absence that came along with it. But the years go on, as they do, and Christmas became Christmas again. And it seems that it was at that time when this film came out, and for those of you more intimate with the storyline, you know that there's a thread involving the mother. So this film hit me pretty hard, and in a weird way connected it all for me. I saw this film initially with my father and I think it was hard for him as well, but also a bit cathartic. I don't think we ever talked about it, but we both knew. So I might have some bias towards this film, but I'm okay with that.

I love films about dysfunctional families, and I like Christmas films to boot, so this one was easy to decide to revisit during my little festive watching. A man brings him his uptight girlfriend to meet his tight-knit family and they do not approve of it. Hilarity and heart ensue. This film is one of those that have an amazing, jealousy worthy, ensemble casts. From the always lovely Diane Keaton, to Craig T. Nelson, to Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Luke Wilson (who I'm normally 'meh' on, but love here) to my personal highlight, the wonderful Rachel McAdams - this cast is just chalk full of people that I would love to work with.

So this isn't your traditional Christmas film (who knows if I'll actually get around to watching any of 'those') but this is the kind of film that I think if you haven't seen it, you just might dig it. The cast alone makes it worth checking out, but the story is what's going to make it work for you. Great characters, great writing, wonderful film.