The Village

the-village

The Village. I’d heard it was among the better of Shyamalan’s but I wasn’t expecting such a… masterpiece? So very, very good. Imagery and structure and theme and camerawork and characterization is all dialed in and thoughtful.

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris.

That’s what the present is. It’s a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.

I really liked this one. Fun exploration of nostalgia, heroes, joie de vivre, being true to yourself, etc. And I love our hero’s giddy, can’t-believe-his-luck enthusiasm. This might be my favorite Owen Wilson performance ever. There’s a few characters who are only light caricatures for purposes of contrast, but that’s Woody Allen for you. I do love how the elements of scifi/fantasy here are a given, accepted, no explanation required.

It’s been a while since my last Woody Allen film. My updated rankings, though maybe it’s been too long a time for this to be definitive:

  1. Manhattan
  2. Annie Hall
  3. Midnight in Paris
  4. The Purple Rose of Cairo
  5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
  6. Sleeper
  7. Match Point
  8. Scoop