Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen has been a bunch of hits and misses for me. More of the latter. This one, however, surges to the top of the list because of The Spectacular Cate Blanchett - who plays a neurotic ex-socialite struggling with the turn of events in her life. Heads to her sister's place in San Francisco, who is everything what big sister Jasmine isn't, to seek refuge. Things just get worse as she slowly and comically struggles to stay in the race with the Joneses. Louis C K makes a cameo as a cheating sound engineer and is perfect for a Woody Allen film - straight faced, dark, and makes more out of nothing. 'Blue Jasmine' does have a social angle to it - should be the campaign video for the President's latest brainwave on inequality.

Rating: * * * +

Midnight in Paris

Circumstances and a dastardly Spaniard conspired against me, to make me do something that I swore to avoid… watch a bloody Woody Allen film. But with good faith and an open mind I tried my hand at it again.

Gil (Owen Wilson), a floundering author is wandering around Paris with his overbearing fiancé, Inez (Rachel McAdams). Her super rich parents are equally snooty and little needs to be said about her snobby friends. The situation leaves Gil to wander the streets and he stumbles in to mysterious avenues from the past. While the setup seems fine on paper, it translates on to the screen in typical Woody Allen fashion. Noisy dialogs that leaves the viewer with a buzzing in their ears and the lack of stillness that gives a feeling that Allen is rushing around with no end in sight. Never again will I put my self through this torture!

Rating: *

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) go to Barcelona, meet Juan (Javier Bardem) who is obsessed with his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) and end up in a mighty existential tangle. Woody Allen continues remain in my book as a noisy and overrated director!

Rating: * +

Cassandra's Dream

2 brothers (played by couple of good actors) in respective financial bother, Woody Allen, a boat called Cassandra & a twisted plan - its easy to expect a lot. Made deliberately, I suspect, with a touch of the 60s in terms of dialogue & reactions - disappointingly the quirkiness ends there.

Rating: * *