Friday, January 20, 2006

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
Martin Landau, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, Joanna Gleason, Claire Bloom, Jerry Orbach

"A film about humanity"

Classic Woody Allen renditionThe beauty of a Woody Allen film lies in its easy flowing delivery of the dialogue. Something which can only be achieved by having a good ensemble cast. So this movie doesn't disappoint in those aspects. It is about an ophthalmologist who hires his brother to take care of a messy little affair that threatens to implode and ruin his successful life. On the other spectrum, you have an irrelevant film maker stuck in a failing marriage who contemplates committing adultery. Both of them don't really know each other yet they move in the same circle of people. Woody Allen's character favorite pasttime is to watch old black and white movies with his niece. So you have short clips of actual footage of these movies throughout the entire film. Then you also get some insights on love and life in general from a professor whom the film maker was hoping to base his new film on but tragedy strikes when said professor commits suicide. Interesting bunch of characters, all well fleshed out by good actors such as Martin Landau and Alan Alda.
I just love how neurotically insecure Woody Allen's characters are. So much angst and hang ups all the time, it's brilliant. I just wish they produce more movies like this, nowadays. No violence, no sex, no computer graphics ... Just relying on witty dialogue and a good plot to grab our attention. Is that too much to ask for?

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