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MOVIECLUB #3 - Due Monday 4/27: Alice

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Post by Donte77 Fri May 08, 2009 12:56 am

So I watched Alice a few days ago. I had no idea what the movie was, no plot idea at all. I knew it was Woody Allen and Mia Farrow.

It wasn't bad. It was humorous without being funny (which Allen is good at, I hope he is trying to get that effect). I didn't even read the back of the movie case. just popped it in and watched.

What a weird movie. It starts off very normally even though I was sure it would just be a tirade against materialism. Alice scheduling massages and having the housekeeper playing with the children while she shops and gets pedicures. Her husband makes more money than Trump even though I don't think we ever hear anything about his job.

Then she goes to this herbalist and the next thing you know, she is a frikkin superhero. She goes Sue Storm, Jericho Drumm, and Zebediah Killgrave all within the span of 50 minutes. (Now that is comic geek/god trivia there) It was odd but not too over the top.

Overall I guess I liked it but I am not sure why it made the movie club list over movies like Lawrence of Arabia or Downfall. Even among Woody Allen movies it was merely okay.
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Post by numbersix_99 Mon May 11, 2009 3:43 am

Not a big fan of Alice, to be honest. While I see the associations with Fellini, that perhaps is my problem with it. When Woody goes for blatent mimickry and ignores his own take on things, he usually ends up failing. Interiors is a blatent Bergman rip-off and it fails. Alice is a blatent Fellini rip-off and it fails. But something like Stardust Memories is pure Fellini but wit Woody's particular brand of self-loathing-jewish wit, and it works.
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Post by NSpan Mon May 11, 2009 3:56 pm

packpaljs wrote:Shadows & Fog - The Best of the Worst

I call this the Best of the Worst because Woody Allen is one of my favorite directors and actors, I think he represents my personality and traits better than any other person that I've seen on celluloid. But Shadows & Fog is one of those I refer to the weird era of Woody Allen.

Technically the movie is great, done on a studio stage, it's amazing, and you hardley ever see any of Allens movie done on a stage, almost always it's on location, so right away, you can tell this is different than most other Allen projects. But being B & W, it's great, The fog and the shadows and the shadows and the fog. It's has a certain feel brought on by the sets alone that do make this worth a watch. However, and there is always a however. Putting this up to other Allen projects, it's towards the bottom of the list. He tries to give us a comedy with a metaphor, typical Allen, but this metaphor is kind of out there that it's not even that transparent and you kinda say....Okay, so what.

It's trying to show you that in the night of a town/city, the comforts that protect you during the day are really on man made and not really there. The fact is that your alone in a town/city and it's very dangerous, it only comes out at night because less people and no daylight makes it easier for the predators. So that's kinda stupid, just write the movie and let it naturally become what it is.

Allen is funny as ususally but I think he's about it, the rest of the cast lets me down, and it has a great cast list. John Malcolvich, Kathy Bates, Jodie Foster, John Cusack, of course Mia Farrow, Lily Tomlin and if you look real closely you can see a very young John C. Reily and a young William H. Macy.

So even though this movie is on the best of the worst list of Allen's, that still puts it up against a crap load of other movies so it's a good watch, if anything to check out the sets, oh and I critiqued the camera work in Crimes and Misdemeanors, in this movie, it's great, everything is shot the way it should be.

watched this tonight.. instead of calling it "the best of the worst"--i would say "the best of Allen's lesser works".. and, if possible, i mean lesser non-pejoratively.. it's a throwaway--but, intentionally so.. much in the same way i describe Burn After Reading.. in fact, I feel like this movie was a major influence on the Coens (despite it being released after 3-4 of their best movies had already been finished).. despite some lofty themes, i think this film falls in line with Allen's light-hearted fare.. you know, movies like Sleeper, Zelig, his contribution to New York Stories, or Tiger Lily.. of his "lighter" movies, this one stands heads-and-tails above the rest.. i'd say it even eclipses more ambitious projects like Bullets Over Broadway or Manhattan Murder Mystery... hell, i daresay, (and i know i will get some lashings for this), i think it might even give Manhattan a run for its money

ps, in terms of Shadows & Fog.. the casting was brilliant.. this movie has EVERY "that guy" there is known to man


Last edited by NSpan on Mon May 11, 2009 4:05 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Post by NSpan Mon May 11, 2009 4:00 pm


Recommended Double-Feature: Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
More Suggestions:
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Shadows and Fog (1991)

i gotta say.. while i was utterly underwhelmed with the feature.. i'm reeeeeeally glad that Alice made through the Movie Club votings.. the film itself is forgettable, but, having seen Juliet of the Spirits, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Shadows and Fog for its sake--holy hell, i really feel like i hit a minor jackpot just in terms of movies that i'm really glad that i finally saw...

pay attention to the double-feature recommendations, everybody!! these movies will compliment the feature, AND it'll give you a great compare'n'contrast perspective for the two (read: excellent way of participating in dialogue regarding the film(s))
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Post by JackO Tue May 12, 2009 8:43 am

The trailer seemed so much fun. However early on, it could not hold my attention. I was sorely disappointed to say the least. I though tit would be a lot more funnier, not hypnosis and talking to ghosts and yada yada yada. Alice as a character is actually quite complex and interesting, it's just that she goes through obnoxious ways to solve very basic problems. It started to act more like Over His Dead Body then a modern day classic. Maybe that is a bit exaggerated but well, I'd rather not follow around a schizophrenic for 2 hours.
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Post by NSpan Tue May 12, 2009 2:40 pm

numbersix_99 wrote:When Woody goes for blatent mimickry and ignores his own take on things, he usually ends up failing. Interiors is a blatent Bergman rip-off and it fails. Alice is a blatent Fellini rip-off and it fails..
indeed
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Post by packpaljs Tue May 12, 2009 5:21 pm

JackO wrote:The trailer seemed so much fun. However early on, it could not hold my attention. I was sorely disappointed to say the least. I though tit would be a lot more funnier, not hypnosis and talking to ghosts and yada yada yada. Alice as a character is actually quite complex and interesting, it's just that she goes through obnoxious ways to solve very basic problems. It started to act more like Over His Dead Body then a modern day classic. Maybe that is a bit exaggerated but well, I'd rather not follow around a schizophrenic for 2 hours.

It seemed this movie couldn't hold many peoples attention. I do however disagree with you on Over Her Dead Body, I really enjoyed it. Ha!
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Post by becs Tue May 12, 2009 5:31 pm

Well I discovered the Alice which I added to my netflix queue is most certainly not the right one (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095715/), however after reading the reviews you guys have posted it sounds much more interesting (and possibly like something Donte might have cooked up).
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Post by JackO Fri May 15, 2009 4:02 am

becs wrote:Well I discovered the Alice which I added to my netflix queue is most certainly not the right one (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095715/), however after reading the reviews you guys have posted it sounds much more interesting (and possibly like something Donte might have cooked up).

There is two of them! Look for the one with the lady in the hat like on the first page.
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