Trailer for 'Blue Jasmine' Directed by...Woody Allen?

Really? Woody Allen directed this?

From the trailer you wouldn't know it, couldn't tell it. This cuts nicely. I like it and, yes, I'm not much of a fan of Allen's stuff. His movies are so...crisp, clean and neatly folded. Tasty in a tightly focused way, refined and lightly sweetened, like something you'd have with tea in the afternoon, but with an appeal few find compelling. Woody Allen's movies are for people who want stories that are clever but restrained, funny but not viscerally so, humorous in that intellectual way that was so sought after in the 50s, 60s, and 70s but rarely finds a home on the big screen today.

'Blue Jasmine', however, looks greasy and delicious -- like a big juicy burger that everyone wants to munch, gobble, devour, and wash down with a huge frosty glass of beer. It's for people who want to get lost in a crazy world that's populated by irresistible characters. This is a movie that's funny because you feel it in your gut.

'Blue Jasmine' still looks smart, mind you. These people have layers, and the subject matter -- addiction, ego-driven materialism, relationships built on a foundation of ulterior motives -- look like they're handled with utmost care. But, intellectual? Perhaps not so much. And, that, exactly that, is what audiences will be drawn to.

Woody Allen has given us cerebral somewhat tightly-wound comedy in the past. 'Blue Jasmine', on the other hand, plays like a boisterous ballet, has raw poetry, and is hella funny, while remaining shrewd, observant, honest, and (yes) smart.

Star studded as usual but Alec Baldwin and Cate Blanchett have that certain something. Like really nice icing on a really nice cake.

Must-see, can't wait.






















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