Woody is perhaps America’s greatest living filmmaker. Certainly in the top five. I have loved his movies for as long as I can remember and I look forward to each new one. So I want to wish him a very happy birthday!
Let’s celebrate! Here are a few clips from his films.
More below…
I saw the new Woody Allen movie today. Friends know that I am a huge fan of his, and as such I may not be completely objective. So what. He’s one of the best filmmakers ever and a huge talent to boot. Sure, he’s made a few lesser films but overall nearly all of his films are good, very good, great, and/or amazing.
Really, you need to see each of his films a few times to truly appreciate the witty and incisive writing, the expert direction, the always-high talent level of the actors. And this one has all that. Set in Rome, it tells multiple stories but weaves them all into a enjoyable, funny, and clever film. Is it a drama with comedy or a comedy with drama? Dunno. Who cares. The characters are interesting and draw you in, and he gives them good lines and the leeway to create.
Here’s the trailer:
Woody is perhaps America’s best living filmmaker. Certainly in the top five. I have loved his movies for as long as I can remember and look forward to each new one. So I want to wish him a very happy birthday!
Here’s a clip from a very early movie, still funny over 40 years later…
What’s your favorite Woody Allen movie or scene?
Hello again, family, friends, and everyone else too. The pictures from our Seattle 2011 trip are now online! We had a great time as usual. There are Seattle pix, Bumbershoot Festival pix, and just some other weird pix we took on the trip.
Note: These photos came from my cell phone camera. There may be other pictures posted later.
Any questions, just ask. Besides Petra and me, you might even notice a couple pictures of our friends Mama O and Liz. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….
The new Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris will be released soon. He is certainly one of the great American filmmakers and his body of work is very impressive. Here’s the trailer for his upcoming effort. It has a fine cast, as always, and it’s a given that the writing and direction will be first-rate. Check out this teaser:
Looking forward to it, big time. What about you?
I wished him a happy birthday before, but this one is the 75th and that’s a milestone. So, Happy Birthday, Woody. I love your movies!
Here’s what I wrote a couple years ago:
Woody is one of America’s greatest filmmakers and humorists. A short overview of his life and career is here on Wikipedia. But that does not do it justice. The man has been making very-good-to-outstanding films since the 60s and continues today. And that is not to even mention his books, plays, or even his clarinet playing. He is one of the truly great artists of our time and I honor him by wishing him a wonderful birthday.
And it still rings true. Back then, I listed my top 11 Woody Allen Films, in case you were wondering about that too 😉
Why not leave me a comment below? It’s free and it just *might* make you rich and famous. Maybe not, but isn’t it worth a try?
Recently I saw the movie “Nowhere Boy” (official web site). It’s about the early years of John Lennon, specifically the teen years. Yes, before the Beatles were even a real group. The movie delves into John’s relationship with his aunt Mimi (who raised him) and also his mother who left him when he was a child. His hurt, anger, and confusion are real and justifiable and the film doesn’t sugar-coat those qualities, but his charm and sense of humor shine through it all. Take a look at the trailer for the movie below:
I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a Beatles fan and maybe even if not. The critics at Rotten Tomatoes give it a very high rating. Have you seen it? What did you think?
Recently I saw the latest Woody Allen film, You Will Meet A tall Dark Stranger. It’s a drama with a little humor here and there. As always with his films, the acting is top-notch, as are the actors. The writing is crisp and insightful and the direction is expert. The message is somewhat downbeat overall, which happens in many of his films. But then, life is not always happiness and sunshine either, is it? I found it very entertaining. Here’s the official trailer, take a look:
Woody explores the familiar theme of infidelity but also the ultimate question of whether happiness can last and is it even possible? And if it is, can we find it only if we leave reality behind? Heavy thoughts. It’s a very good film that should make you think but hopefully enjoy at the same time. Recommended, but remember it’s not a romantic comedy or a Bruce Willis action flick. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?
First off, part one is here in case you missed it.
Friday September 3
And a happy birthday to the daughter too. We started the day, as with the past few, by having a light breakfast in the room. Then we were outta there, to walk a few blocks to the monorail station. We took the two-minute train to the Seattle Center, because it was the day before the Bumbershoot Music and Arts festival. The day before? So what, you say? Ha. Yeah. Well, they open up the visual art exhibits a day early (for one thing), so we got a great chance to check all the art a day early before all the crowds were there. And it was totally great, just like every year. After a while of this we finished and then picked up our Bumbershoot Gold Passes. Yep, we bought some VIP treatment but not the Platinum. That takes the big money!
Art, gold passes, monorail, wow doesn’t that make you hungry? Well it did us! A few blocks away was Pacliacci Pizza so we stopped by for a slice. We actually had a two-for-one coupon from last year and they honored it no problem. The pizza was pretty good too. Then it was across the street to Easy Street Records. We shopped quite a while and found some CDs that we absolutely positively needed wanted. Same old story for us! After, we took the monorail back to the hotel so we could drop off the CDs, passes, and other stuff.
Then back to the Seattle Center to check out the
We just got back from our annual trek to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and more). I’ll post some pictures soon, but in the meantime here is a short synopsis of what we did. Enjoy, and maybe we’ll see you there next year…
Tuesday August 31
We took the Super Shuttle to the airport, and you know, once you are on the shuttle then you are on vacation. It was a quick flight to the Seattle Airport (SEA-TAC). The city of Seattle recently built a light rail line from downtown to the airport (they are way ahead of us) so we tried it. It was much better than a bus and only $2.50. We checked into our hotel, The Camlin, and even thought we were a little early our room was ready. Nice. First stop for us hungry travelers was nearby Cyber-Dogs. This is a great place, all vegetarian, with awesome and filling dogs with lots of toppings and combinations. Suitably stuffed, we went to the grocery store and bought a few supplies to keep with us back at the hotel for quick breakfasts and snacks. Then we
It’s only 40 days until this year’s Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Sept. 4-6) !!
Any thoughts about it so far? Who are you going to see? Who do you think we should see? Almost every act has been announced by now, so I won’t list them all. It’s all on the web site. Here are some helpful links:
Main web site:
http://www.bumbershoot.org
Printable PDF artist lineup, schedules, and map, which includes the new venue that is replacing “the pit” (aka the Exhibition Hall)
http://bumbershoot.org/info/pdf/
Online lineup and scheduling tool:
http://sched.bumbershoot.org/
Miscellaneous info:
http://bumbershoot.org/info/about-bumbershoot/
Info about the free 40-years-of-Bumbershoot poster show (thru Sept. 7):
http://bumbershoot.org/40/umbrella-for-the-arts-40-years-of-bumbershoot-artwork/
Downloadable icons, wallpaper, and cellphone stuff:
http://bumbershoot.org/bumberfan/downloads.htm
Platinum/Gold Pass info:
http://bumbershoot.org/tickets/platinum-gold/
Buy tickets and ticket info:
http://bumbershoot.org/tickets/
That’s all for now…
OK, it’s not really a day. It’s the last week or so. But it’s time to catch up a little bit on what the heck stevenology has been doing!
Well, to start off, I’m full and happy after a lunch at Curry Corner. It’s a great Indian Food lunch buffet here in the Natomas area. All you can eat and all gooooood.
Last night we saw an advance screening of a new movie, City Island (web site, more info, even more info). It’s a very funny comedy with heart. We were laughing out loud and so was everyone else in the theater. Great writing, brisk pace, and funny! Go see it!
And let’s be sure to add some April birthday wishes for my sister Steph, my ex-sister-in-law Connie, and our friend Jared (the big 30).
And talking about Jared, he just started up a food-related blog over at JaredEatsWorld. Go visit and tell him stevenology sent you!
Last Friday night we went to see the Sacramento Rivercats baseball game. It was fun, always is, but they lost. They choked at the end. Oh well, you can’t win them all.
OK, faithful readers, what do you think of all THAT?
I think they do it just to get my money!
And just like last time (read about it) we were lunching on the Indian Food buffet next door at Curry Corner. As we waddled out of the restaurant, we noticed the “4 DVDs for $20” sign. What could we do? We were powerless to resist!
Here’s what we bought:
Young @ Heart – We saw this one before in a theater and really liked it. Old people performing punk music and rock and roll, a heartwarming and fun movie.
Whatever Works – Very funny Woody Allen film starring Larry David. Read my full review here and then go rent it!
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Haven’t seen this one yet but heard it was good.
Barack Obama – The Man and His Journey – he’s not perfect but I am SO glad he won. So VERY glad. Very very VERY glad.
Have you seen any of these? What did you think? Leave me a comment below.
Over the extended holiday period, I managed to see three new movies in the theater. That’s a lot for me, although I love going. Here’s what I saw: Sherlock Holmes, Up In The Air, and Youth In Revolt. Did you see any of these? If so, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. Here’s what I thought:
Sherlock Holmes – Robert Downey Jr is just so charismatic. I love him. The rest of the cast was good but he is the star. This version of the venerable tale is a big budget effort and it shows. But there is still attention to the Holmes character. It’s fast-paced and very entertaining.
Up In The Air – The smartest movie of the three for sure. It’s from the director of the wonderful Juno, and like that film has great dialog and sharp, interesting characters. George Clooney is the lead and does a very good job, but both of the main female characters are very good too. It’s very funny at times and moving at other times. This one is for the brain and the heart.
Youth In Revolt – It’s an indie-feeling teen comedy but a little raunchier and more “out there”. The characters are wild stereotypes and the situations are hilariously outrageous but the main thing is that I was laughing out loud over and over during this film. It’s really funny unless you are easily offended. Even then, you will probably laugh a lot.
In short, I would recommend all three movies. If you’ve seen any of them or even if not, let me know what you think!
