1740 - Hannah & Her Sisters

I've always said that Annie Hall is my favourite Woody Allen film, but I can't help but wonder if this one isn't sneaking in there.  It doesn't have all the wonderfully surreal stuff that it does, but as a straight-story, it could be his finest.  It's a lovely ensemble that's full of some wonderfully comic moments, and then some really dynamic drama (I'm looking at you Max Von Sydow!).  I was watching this mostly to look at the visuals again and think about it purely from that stand point.  The film I'm currently working on is similar to Woody's films in that it's quite dialogue driven, and so it helps me a fair deal to watch the films of similar wordy writers, and this is just simply one of the best. 
I always point to Annie Hall as the film that non-Woody-believers should check out if they don't think they'd like him - but I think this one deserves a mention just as much.  Please, oh please, if you've never seen it - treat yourself.  You won't regret it - and if you do… we probably can't be friends.  Sorry. 

1710 - Hannah & Her Sisters

I'm sure that I've commented on this film several times at this point, it's one of the many Woody Allen films that I revisit on a regular basis.  It's one of the best ensemble comedy films out there, and it's not surprise that it won an Oscar for screenplay that year.  Annie Hall is always my go-to favourite Woody film, but this one might just be the close second the more that I think about it. 
I'm revisiting it at this point as I start to plan the visuals for my next film Sex After Kids.  I'm going to be re-watching a lot of relationship films in the next little bit, particularly ones that are heavier on the dialogue front just to compare styles and get some more inspiration.  What's interesting about Woody is that he likes to shoot mostly in just big master shots.  He hardly, if ever shoots coverage and very sparingly shoots close-ups.  I like how a lot of his shots go from wide shots to medium shots to close-ups just by following the actor's natural rhythms.  I honestly think that there's something to be said for not getting in the actors way when it comes to a visual style and sometimes that simply means letting a scene play out and not destroy it with too many shots and interruptions. 
If you've never seen this, you really should, in a catalogue of great films, it's one of Woody's best.

1599 - The Ex

I really don't know what made me watch this, besides the fact that it was on netflix and I felt like having something on in the background.  What's even more quizzical is that I have absolutely no idea how this attracted the talent that it did.  It even brought Charles Grodin out of retirement (and he certainly isn't looking his best unfortunately). 
It's the story of a man whom moves his family back to his wife's hometown only to find himself competing against a former flame.  The biggest problem with this film is that it features a rivalry over a woman who has her own opinions and can not be won.  Secondly it just really feels kind of 'meh'.  There is a fun 'couples therapy' sequence in the middle of the film, but other than that not really any great solid laughs.  I liked Braff, Peet, and Bateman as always, it's just a shame that they didn't have stronger material to play off of.  This is by no means a terrible film, it's just not something I can passionately recommend.  Good rainy day watching.
The Ex (Unrated Widescreen Edition)