Posted By admin on January 13, 2010

I’ll be doubling up for a bit, until I get caught up.

365 Movies

Movie 7

With thanks to Olivia for providing the year.

Radio Days (1987)
Rated PG
Runtime: 88 minutes
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Notable peoples: Baby! Seth Green, Julie Kavner, Michael Tucker, Dianne Wiest
Look out for: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David as “Communist Neighbor” and poor murdered Rebecca Schaeffer as his daughter.

I’m not generally a huge fan of Woody Allen, but there are two of his movies I absolutely adore, and this is the first. It’s a fond look back at The Narrator’s (Allen) family in Rockaway Beach during the golden age of radio. In addition to meeting the family, we get glimpses of the radio stars whose every word, song and perilous escapade they hang on.

There are moments this film reminds me strongly of A Christmas Story, especially when following the adventures of Joe, the young Narrator (played by tiny little Seth Green) and his friends, but there are more moments of drama and great poignancy as well. Dianne Wiest plays Joe’s scandalously single aunt, and her search for love (or at least a non-disastrous husband) is one of the more touching storylines in this vignette-styled piece.

Overall, a lovely trip down Memory Lane, even if you weren’t around for those particular memories.

Movie 8

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Rated PG
Runtime: 82 minutes
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Notable peoples: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
Look out for: ‘40s heartthrob Van Johnson as Larry

Mia Farrow plays Cecelia, a dispirited mouse of a waitress in 1930s New York, married to an ignorant slob (Aiello) who’s not above smacking her around a bit here and there. Cecelia’s only escape is the movies, and this week the theatre is showing the glamorous The Purple Rose of Cairo. Cecelia goes to see the movie repeatedly — so many times, in fact, that one of the characters, Tom Baxter (Daniels) notices and steps off the screen to find out more.

While this is wonderfully thrilling for Cecelia, it is less so for the characters Tom has abandoned onscreen, who must figure out a way to carry on until he returns. Also perturbed is the actor who played Tom, Gil Shepherd, various movie houses, and Cecelia’s husband.

The movie is wonderfully silly and frothy at times, but ultimately comes down to the choice to live in a fantasy world or the real world, however ugly it may be. Cecelia’s agonizing over that choice is deftly handled by Allen, and rings true, whether you agree with her choice or not.

Today’s quote — “For God’s sake, Gerry. I asked you a simple question; there is no need for you to become Woody Allen.”

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