To be molested as a child is about as terrible a thing that can happen to a person.
To be accused of molesting a child when you didn't, in public, is a close second.
One of these things involved Woody Allen.
After reading all the pertinent things to be read about the matter, I'm inclined to think the latter.
It's not a firm judgment.
Just an inclination.
I saw 'Blue Jasmine" a few weeks ago, and nothing about this case has changed anything about my reaction to that film.
Woody Allen is that rare kind of filmmaker who can turn out five stinkers in a row, and I will get in line to see the next one.
That's how great the great ones are.
"Blue Jasmine' is right up there with his greatest:
"Broadway Danny Rose"
"Crimes and Misdemeanors"
"Bullets Over Broadway"
"Manhattan"
"Radio Days"
"Annie Hall"
"The Purple Rose of Cairo"
"Zelig"
It is absolutely exceptional.
It's his take on the Bernie Madoff scandal, with a touch of Blanche DuBois thrown in.
That it wasn't nominated for Best Picture by the Academy is disgraceful.
On to the scoring:
Is it interesting?
Fascinating.
A+.
Compelling even?
Totally.
A+.
Is it controversial?
Only in that it wasn't nominated.
A.
Is it a story worth telling?
Better than the real version.
A+.
Is it good storytelling?
Wonderful. Great intercutting between past and present.
A+.
Is it well written?
Tops.
A+.
Is it well cast? Well played? Well shot?
Beautifully cast. Cate Blanchette was magnificent. Nice turns by Alec Baldwin, and, of all people, Andrew Dice Clay.
A+.
Is it too long? Too short?
It seemed all too brief.
A+.
Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?
Totally, and totally.
A+.
Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?
Never, and always.
A+.
Do you think about it after you've seen it?
It's quite haunting.
A+.
Is it funny?
Very. But that's not what's great about it.
A.
Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?
Yes.
A.
Is it impressive ?
I was in awe.
A+.
Overall grade: A+.
I would have sat through ten stinkers in a row to stand in line for this one..
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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not
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I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one. If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.
*****
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
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- mark rothman
- Hi. I am, according to my Wikipedia entry,(which I did not create) a noted television writer, playwright, screenwriter, and occasional actor. You can Google me or go to the IMDB to get my credits, and you can come here to get my opinions on things, which I'll try to express eloquently. Hopefully I'll succeed. You can also e-mail me at macchus999@aol.com. Perhaps my biggest claim to fame is being responsible, for about six months in 1975, while Head Writer for the "Happy Days" TV series, for Americans saying to each other "Sit on it."
I do not know what happened, and I suppose we never will. However, the only contested court hearing about this issue, in which Woody Allen had a chance to prove what he now asserts, ended very badly for him. Justice Wilk's opinion is widely available on the net, here is just one link. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-shea/heres-the-1993-woody-alle_b_4746866.html ia wins no awards, but in a no fault state where custody is most often shared, Woody does very poorly. So much for the rich being able to buy their way out of trouble.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is exacebated by Woody's relationship with Soon Yi. I understand his comment that "the heart wants what it wants." Nevertheless, one must control some urges to remain in civilized society. Having a relationship with your wife's daughter was designed to destroy the Mia-Woody relationship as well as thoroughly poison that family every which way one can. And I'm no fan of Mia, as you can easily find comments from the Previn family about how Mia tore that family apart. And Mia sleeping with Sinatra while in a relationship with Woody, having a child, and lying to that child about his parentage until he is in his 20s, and then publicly discussing the issue, is pretty sick.
I don't pass judgment. My problem is that I can't watch a Woody Allen film now, and I have seen them all, including some with you years ago, without now thinking, "That's the guy who married his daughter." (I know she is not his daughter.) For an actor, I'm supposed to believe they are the character they portray. For that reason, for example, side by side, I thought Meryl Streep was a better Julia Child than Julia Child was. I believed Richard Burton was every character he played, and I did not keep thinking about he and Liz cheating. I don't watch Woody Harrrelson and say, gee, his father murdered a federal judge. I watch Mel Gibson, and think he's nuts, but that, I think, is his goal as an actor. Woody Allen, however, is different, and he doesn't do it for me as an actor any longer.
I'm cool with Roman Polanski too, and we KNOW he did it.
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