Alice (1990)

This film comes and goes in how good it is. The premise is marvelous, the ending is thoroughly satisfying, and the scene where she meets a former lover is very touching. As a whole, however, there are a lot of scenes that don't ontribute much to either the film's plot or the film's tone, and really don't seem to have any purpose at all. Woody Allen's films often meander into discussions of the philosophical, but this seemed not even to have that in mind most of the time. Not one of his better ones, although still worth seeing for a fan. 3 stars.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

This is the most substantial movie Woody Allen's made in a couple of years. Cassandra's Dream (2007) wandered a bit too much and Scoop (2006) was pleasant, but completely fluffy. Match Point back in 2005 was much darker, but was received similarly well.

As with all of Woody Allen's movies, I just enjoyed watching the characters interact. Whatever their circumstances were, as the characters sought to find what they wanted, they were interesting. (By the way - Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress? I highly disagree. Rebecca Hall, who played the more subdued but far more interesting Vicky, would have been the better choice.) Two-thirds of the way through the movie, I was unsure where it was going or how it would end. Most of all, I was worried it wouldn't end in a way that made sense for Woody Allen, a writer/director whose work has come to feel very reassuringly consistent for me. But as the last scene faded to black, it was a satisfying one. It ended in such a way that I had to go back and rethink the characters and everything they'd been through, and how it all connected.

Although there were moments that dragged on a little bit long, it was overall an excellent film, and Allen's best in three years. I'm excited to see where his next one goes. 4 stars.

Purple Noon (1960)

I liked this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel just a bit better than 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," although that was good as well. This is smoother and classier, and Alain Delon is chilling as Tom Ripley. The two movies vary significantly in how they end. I haven't read Highsmith's novel, so I'm not sure which one is closer to the original. I liked both endings almost equally well, although my sense of justice was more satisfied with this film. This film is also significantly shorter than the 1999 one, telling the entire story in under two hours, which gives it a tighter, more imperative feel. 4 stars.

Nine Lives (2005)

This isn't one long movie as much as it is nine short ones. I kept waiting for these women's lives to intersect and they mostly didn't, although one or two characters crossed over to other stories. But mostly it's just a star-studded cast showing a moment in nine women's lifetimes. I found myself completely interested in each and every one of them. My favorites were probably the last two -- one about a woman terrified about having a mastectomy, and one about a woman and her daughter visiting the cemetery. I almost wish we'd gotten one last moment with each of these women. It doesn't need resolution so much as a quick revisit, to remind us of what we saw. 4 stars.

You Can't Take It with You (1938)

Although a bit heavy-handed with its message, this older comedy is a delightful look at a family completely unfettered by obligations. When one of their daughters becomes engaged to a man from a materialistic family only concerned with making the business deals and looking good in the papers, the two don't exactly hit it off. The dialogue is snappy and clever, like many of the quieter comedies of its era, and is great fun to follow along with. The ending is a bit sappy but fairly satisfying. James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Lionel Barrymore are all fantastic in their individual roles. And I have to say the family in question reminded me of my own at times. As fireworks go off outside the window, or a dance lesson takes place right in the middle of the sitting-slash-living-slash-dining room, everyone remains calm and continues doing their own thing. 3.5 stars.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

This movie was overall fairly lame. The plot was silly, the acting was overdone... heck, the WRITING was overdone. I have to wonder how much of the bad acting was the fault of the actors, versus the fault of the dialogue... but anyway. The last fifteen minutes of the film somehow took characters I didn't care about and a plot I was giggling at, and wrapped them up in a thoroughly satisfactory way. Those last few minutes clearly belonged to some other, better movie.

The songs are not really even worth mentioning in this. Alan Jay Lerner has done much, much, much better. As has Streisand. 2 stars.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

So, my theory about the High School Musical movies is that as the song-and-dance sequences get better, the plot gets worse. This has one of the stupidest plots I've ever seen. Loose ends are left hanging awkwardly, characters jump in and out of their personalities as the situation demands, and nothing really seems to make sense. But this has by far the most imaginative choreography and the most interesting songs. Although "The Boys Are Back" had absolutely zero relevance to the plot and was surrounded by terrible dialogue, it was a superb musical moment that far surpasses anything the HSM franchise has done thus far. My mother commented as she watched it that it reminded her of Newsies, and it's true, it was nearly at that level of awesomeness. The first movie had a predictable-but-fine plot and decent music. The second had more entertaining music but a lamer plot. I suspect HSM3 gave their entire budget to the songwriters and choreographers and wrote the script by asking every cast and crew member to write a page of dialogue and pass it on. It's a great nostalgic end (I hope-- it's about run its course) to the series, and a great series of music videos, but a lousy movie. It gets 3.5 stars for its musical numbers... otherwise it'd have gotten MAYBE one star. 3.5 stars.