Oliver goes down & makes love to VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA!
Matt here and delighted to tell you that Woody Allen has finally secured a British release date for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Though it won't be till February... you could probably get the Region 1 DVD imported by then! Oh well!This was in my top five anticipated movies of 2008 and it's so cool to read that Oliver believes the movie gets Allen back to his MATCH POINT best... It pleases me to report that Woody Allen's lastest film VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA is a warm, welcome return to comedic form that sees the director revived by an exotic fresh new location, a talented cast of recently accomplished actors, gorgeous sun-drenched aesthetics (courtesy of Pedro Almodovar's regular DP Javier Aguirresarobe) and a script that is probably Allen's best written work in 20 years. BARCELONA concerns two young American women taking vacation in the romantic resides of the titular Spanish haunt. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is a head-strong conservative type who is a grad student and is set to marry the idealistic man of her dreams, while Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous aspiring short-filmmaker who likes to experience life on the edge. The two girls meet Spanish charmer Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), an impressionable painter and ladies man who appeals to the two girls by offering to whisk them away with him on his plane for a romantic weekend. While Cristina accepts his advances Vicky is openly hostile and reluctant but eventually goes along with the two of them on a scenic trip around Oviedo's rich and cultured landscape. As things heat up between Christina and Juan Antonio the unexpected occurs leading Vicky to begin a journey of emotional re-discovery which will test her own commitments. But this being a Woody Allen film love typically doesn't run so smoothly and if you have seen half a dozen of his films before you pretty much know what's in store, particularly when other characters re-surface out of the woodwork. Allen is never better then when he orchestrates an ensemble cast of characters who twist and turn from one romantic endeavor through to another. When Penelope Cruz (as Juan Antonio's volatile and suicidal ex) turns up about an hour of the way through the running time things turn up another notch and we are thrust into another emotional turmoil that has some more exciting consequences. Also thrown into the mix is the wonderful Patricia Clarkson as Vicky's seemingly level-headed cousin Judy who might have romantic endeavors of her own to pursue. Allen's writing hasn't been this fresh in years and this film is an absolute delight from slow start to staggering finish. You can't help but be captivated by the performances, indulged by the locations and charmed by the innuendos that surface:-most of which would be a sin to spoil here. Rebecca Hall is an utter revelation in a part that Diane Keaton would surely have picked up in her younger years and after a persuasive performance in FROST/NIXON indicates that she's a major talent to watch over the coming years. Johansson finally warms naturally into the Woody Allen environment with a finely judged performance. And the recent Oscar winner Bardem is marvelous at sending his image up in a beautifully written role. I also liked Cruz for her diversity and energy in what amounts to the best performance of her career. The chemistry among the entire cast is alluring and as always characters emotionally express themselves in painfully clear articulated dialogue which speak from the heart and soul and more importantly the psyche. Revel in Woody Allen's finest movie in ages; its nice to know that among all the doom and gloom that contemporary life can throw at us that there's something out there that can still inspire you and make you smile and laugh...at least for a time.