Woody Allen: Manhattan

If you have the opportunity today (Thursday, August 2nd) you must go catch the screening of Manhattan at City Cinema Village East. Tonight is the last day that they are showing it as far as I can tell and you really ought to catch this beautiful film on the big screen. Although, to be fair, they are showing it on a rather small screen in an intimate theater. But still!

This movie is one of my favorites (and might even be my favorite Woody film) and it is absolutely stunning to watch (it was shot by Gordon Willis, the man perhaps most known for shooting the Godfather). The opening montage alone is worth the price of admission: I've seen it more times than I can remember, but to see it in a theater with the Gershwin score building around you is a special treat. Mariel Hemingway will make you ache. Diane and Woody are in top form together. And Meryl even makes a couple appearances. The writing (co-written by Woody and sometime-collaborator Marshall Brickman) is unbelievably good in this film and, even though the plot will devastate you in the end, you'll leave the theater satisfied and gorged on visual beauty and witty dialog. Cliche as it might sound, they really don't make movies like this anymore. So go. Today. See this film.