Directed by Woody Allen In Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a bunch of characters break out of a cycle only to return to it like nothing happened. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are two American tourists who arrive in Barcelona for a two month stay.  Vicky is set to be married to Doug (Chris Messina), and she … Continue reading Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell) are brothers who buy a boat that they name Cassandra's Dream, after a racehorse Terry bet on that won him a good deal of money.  The brothers are elated at the thought of the purchasing a boat.  Even before we know anything else about them, we know that … Continue reading Cassandra’s Dream (2007)

Woody Allen returns to his comic comfort zone with Scoop, about a young journalist named Sondra investigating Peter Lyman whom she suspects is the Tarot Card Killer. Sondra (Scarlett Johansson) isn't clued into the murders until she's brought up onstage during Sid Waterman's (Woody Allen) magic show.  She sees the ghost of Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), a … Continue reading Scoop (2006)

Match Point is the first film (chronologically) of Woody Allen's that I had seen before I decided to go through all of his films in order.  I had seen it a couple times before watching it again, and I was looking forward to it, curious to see if my opinion of the film would change … Continue reading Match Point (2005)

Melinda and Melinda takes one story and tells it twice, once as a comedy and once as a drama.  These stories are spliced together, so we jump back and forth between them, and the genre differences result in slight plot variations.  But in both stories there's a scene in which a character tries to jump … Continue reading Melinda and Melinda (2004)

Anything Else is about Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) fixing a life that he doesn't realize needs fixing.  He's a comedy writer in New York, and he seems very sure of himself.  He's in a satisfying relationship, already has a therapist at his young age and he has a hardworking manager on his side. He meets … Continue reading Anything Else (2003)

Hollywood Ending is a film about the making of a film.  I always like those kinds of films, and Hollywood does too (Argo won Best Picture after all).  In Hollywood Ending, Allen both celebrates and ridicules the Hollywood system.  He mostly ridicules it. Allen plays Val, a struggling movie director who gets a big break to … Continue reading Hollywood Ending (2002)

Woody Allen plays detective CW in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.  He's an excellent detective, having just solved a difficult case, and he remarks to a friend that he'd hate to have himself investigating himself, this after his friend remarks that it takes a thief to catch a  thief.  And that ends up being the … Continue reading The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

In Small Time Crooks, Ray (Woody Allen) concocts a plan to rob a bank.  He wants to buy out a space neighboring the bank, then he and his wife and a small gang of fellow thieves will create a cookie store as the front while they tunnel into the bank. It feels like an extended sketch show … Continue reading Small Time Crooks (2000)

There's a lot of immaturity in Sweet and Lowdown.  The story follows a talented, brilliant guitarist named Emmett Ray (Sean Penn) who acts on nearly every whim.  Emmett is a child, basically.  He's proud and self-centered, and his undeniable talent affords him leeway to act impulsively. Emmett doesn't seem to have much of a goal in life … Continue reading Sweet and Lowdown (1999)