"Manhattan"

I've always respected Woody Allen for his uncanny knack for story telling. His wit and neurotic charm make almost every single one of his films, save for a few (I'm lookin' at you, "Whatever Works"), unbelievably enjoyable. From all the Woody Allen films that I've seen, the story has always come first, and all the other aspects of the films seemed secondary. However, after watching "Manhattan", my previous notions of what a Woody Allen film is like were completely turned upside down.

Simply stated, the cinematography completely blew me out of the water. Shot in completely black and white, "Manhattan" is a love letter to New York City under the guise of a quirky romantic comedy. The iconic bridge scene, plastered on movie posters and DVD boxes, should be enough to make anyone think New York a magical place.

The contrast between light and dark is near perfect, making the image beautifully pop off the screen. For the first time ever while watching a film on Netflix, I had to stop and screen-capture certain shots because they were so well composed.

Many films have great lighting, but what I think sets this film apart from others is the interesting way that the shots are composed. In particular, I thought the scene in the planetarium was spectacular. Each shot blew me away, transitioning from very long shots to close-ups easily, whilst still accentuating the planetarium itself. I posted the video of the scene here tentatively, as I don't think the quality of the video does the scene justice.

Overall, I think that "Manhattan" is brilliant, and perhaps one of Allen's greatest films, vying with "Annie Hall" and "Midnight in Paris". It's definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in cinematography or for anyone who simply enjoys a good movie.

Midnight in Paris

A couple days ago I watched the film Midnight in Paris, written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. First off I want to say that this was my first Woody Allen movie and despite it being one of his later pieces, it did not disappoint.  The film was simply beautiful.  Being shot on location in, it's important for the film to capture the mystique that is Paris. In my opinion, Mr. Allen was able to do this wonderfully.  One of my favorite aspects of the movie was its story because it veered away from the typical love story. Trying not to give to much away, I will say that the resolution to the story is gratifying in that the story comes full circle. Something that doesn't always happen in film today.  After watching Midnight in Paris, I am more than excited to get started watching all of Woody Allen's classic projects!