Anything Else - Woody Allen's Anything Else jokes with several points, like fire guns, religion and, specially, romance. Jason Biggs star as Jerry, a young New York comical writer. His girlfriend, played brilliantly by Christina Ricci, is constantly turned off by him, and avoid any sexual contact. He meets an older
writer (played by Allen) that works as his guru. Woody Allen manages well the humor in the film, and the supporting cast (featuring Jimmy Fallon, Danny DeVito and Stockard Channing) is amazing. It misses the points when it tries to deal with subjects like analysis and drugs (shown in much better way in other Woody Allen films like Annie Hall) but it's mostly fresh and interesting, unlike most of his recent works. Playing Mona Lisa - This unknown (and underrated) romantic fluff about a young piano player (Alicia Witt) that brokes up with her boyfriend and tries to re-construct her life with the help of extravagant friends and family, is a really good option to similar, but less charming, romantic comedies. It hits the exact points movies like Just a Kiss missed. It's modern and cool without beign boring, altought it embraces several romantic clichés. Above average. Showgirls - I've had heard some really bad things about this one, but I never tought it was THIS bad. Elizabeth Berkley is Nomi, a sexy showgirl with the dream of becoming the star of Las Vegas hottest strip show, but she discovers it won't be easy in the showbusiness, where you have to give more than talent to hit your goals. Of course, you can't take seriously a movie where every single scene features Berkley's "talents". The best to do is take it for what it is, a brainless, perky and oftenly ridicullous thriller. Unlike Striptease, there are tons of laughs. It's an 137 Min. movie where the biggest attempt to show some character development is a scene when Nomi confesses she had aten dog food. There is Nomi's misty past, something the movie never develops. Because this is, surely, a waste of time if you consider there is so much to be developed here... (Anything Else) - 106 Min. - 2003 - PG-13 D: Woody Allen. S: Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Woody Allen. DreamWorks. (Playing Mona Lisa) - 98 Min. - 2001 - PG-13 D: Matthew Huffman. S: Alicia Witt. Buena Vista. (Showgirls) - 137 Min. - 1996 - R D: Paul Verhoven S: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle McLachlan, Gina Gershon. MGM.
June 18, 2005
