Monday, July 21, 2014

Blue Jasmine, the movie reviewed


Blue Jasmine is Woody Allen's latest Opus. It has all the elements of all Woody Allen movies, and this one is filmed right on his home turf of NYC. So we get to be entertained by the neuroses and other emotional storms of stressed out city dwellers.

That is if you are still entertained by this sort of thing. For me it has gotten a bit old. Curiously too, even though there is a solid cast of actors assembled with a really virtuoso performance by Cate Blanchett, the lead, for me a lot of the dialogue sounded stilted and formal. It is as if Allen has created his own form of communication, and all the players respect his writing too much to really lose themselves in their roles.

Of course there are exceptions, notably Blanchett who does an amazing job of portraying a woman who works on maintaining her illusions until her connection with consensual reality becomes tenuous at best. It's Tennessee Williamsesque; and Blanchett is often reminiscent of Blanche DuBois.

The human state of consciousness rules all here, and moments of transcendence are notable by their absence. So for those of us who live to be refreshed by higher states of consciousness, they are not to be found in this film. It feels a bit like reliving places we have outgrown and/or left behind.

Quite evident too, is Allen's narcissistic projecting of his own issues for our entertainment. Like I said, sorry Woody but we are not amused. His solipsism is wearing thin.

Different strokes though. If you still get a vicarious thrill out of watching the machinations of the upper middle class, then go for it. I have better things to do, thanks.