Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem star in Woody Allen’s latest comedic take on love and lust. Two best friends – Vicky and Cristina (Johansson) plan to spend a summer in Barcelona studying the culture. Early into their stay they are approached by a Spanish painter - Juan Antonio (Bardem), who offers or I should say suggests that they go on a trip with him and partake in….um…cough “extracurricular activities” together. Cristina is immediately drawn to his passion and is more willing to accept the offer than her friend. However, in due time both girls separately fall prey to his enthusiasm for love. The situation then gets turned on its head when Juan Antonio’s crazy ex-lover (Cruz) shows up. In typical Allen fashion all of the characters are refined, sophisticated, and into the arts. Allen’s strong suit is his sharp writing and his ability to get his characters into outlandish situations and this film is full of those moments. The film is equipped with a narrator from start to finish. Although he has some funny lines, I felt Allen could have done much more with this element. The ending of the movie was also a little bit of a let down for me as I did not feel satisfied with any of the characters’ evolutions. This is probably the best comedy Allen has penned in 15 years, but it is still far short of his greater works.

Ry's Rating: B -

If this movie had parents they would be: Wild Things & Melinda and Melinda

With a runtime of 96 minutes

This film is rated PG-13

Bullets of Interest

• This is the 39th film directed by Woody Allen
• It is the 3rd time he has worked with Johansson
• 1st Woody Allen movie to take place in Spain

The Clone Wars Review

CK, an esteemed film director and a good friend of mine was lucky enough to catch an early screening of the new Star Wars animated film - his guest review is below. Thanks CK


Star Wars, The Clone Wars: There is a new Star Wars film, sort of. This Friday the newest entry into the most successful film franchise of all time will be released at your local multiplex. The Clone Wars is a 90 minute amped up Saturday morning cartoon for the big screen. The project was initially developed just for television, but supposedly once Executive Producer George Lucas saw the first three episodes he thought they looked so good that they would work as a feature. He was right for the most part. The plot centers around a kidnapping conspiracy involving the son of the infamous Jabba the Hutt (taking place sometime between Episode 2 and 3). It’s not an epic feature type story-line, it was never meant to be. Those looking for the 7th gigantic Star Wars film will most likely not find it here. What you will find is some great looking action, nice animation, a lot of wonderful nods to Episodes 4-6, and a good introduction to a promising family series. Lucasfilm has done a nice job of balancing the series between young kids and the adult crowd who grew up with the franchise.
CK Rating: C+ / but as far as launching a new TV series: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Star Wars & Atlantis: The Lost Empire

With a runtime of 98 minutes
This film is rated PG