150W: You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (Dir. Woody Allen/2010)

Squeezed between Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris are two less-known features. Whatever Works harks back to earlier scripts while You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is a mish-mash of actors and threads of stories that are, ultimately, forgettable. Alfie (Hopkins) divorces his wife, Helena (Jones), while daughter Sally (Watts) struggles with her own husband, Roy (Brolin). Roy falls for younger-model Dia (Pinto)as Sally herself fantasizes about her boss Greg (Banderas). Allen explains how what weaves the stories together is delusion - faith in the future, belief in reincarnation. Esteemed actors, such as Anthony Hopkins, meant I had faith they’d be more engaging than standard affairs fare and upper-class woe. London fails to add a sense of purpose (as locations do in Manhattan and Midnight in Paris) while the Stacey-Solomon-like charm of the prostitute seems cliché and insulting. Woody Allen can be more nuanced and engaging than this!

Rating: 4/10

The Film Locker #6: Pedro Almodóvar and 'Talk to Her'

I think this is where we separate the men from the boys. The purpose of The Film Locker is to inform, educate and entertain. I know that for me, through discussions with Hatter, and through editing I hear information again and again and it all helps for me to build up a comprehansive knowledge of cinema.

Having spent five episodes discussing english-language directors, we now move to Spain whereby this international filmmaker creates film rooted in Spanish culture. When people claim they "can't watch" a film because it is not spoken in their language, I go back to what my Dad used to tell me: "Can't means won't".

International cinema influences Hollywood on so many levels and you don't have to look too far to understand how - Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress directly influencing Lucas' Star Wars, whilst only recently Matt Reeves practically remakes Alfredsons Let the Right One In by Hollywood-izing Let Me In.

If you haven't watched an Almodóvar before, now is your chance - watch Talk to Her and then listen to this episode... and then watch the rest of his films because, believe me, they are incredible.

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