Last night I caught up to Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013), courtesy of Netflix. I had no idea what it was about and was surprised it had to do with the wife of a Bernie Madoff-like slime ball, post financial and social ruin. Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for the role. No one writes better for women than Allen. It is an intense, often unpleasant portrait of a woman on the verge of complete emotional/mental collapse. I expected excellence from Blanchett, but the biggest surprise of the film was the solid performance of Andrew Dice Clay, who I assumed had never recovered from the verbal beating he took from feminists and the media in his stand-up days in the 80's. He has had four short runs in TV series, and IMDb has 33 titles listed under his name, the earliest an appearance on MASH in 1982. I did not find his act funny, but not because of the politically correct nonsense cited by his critics. As the saying goes: “Comedy is not pretty,“ and I will always err on side of free speech. Bill Maher has made far more objectionable comments than Clay ever did, and he attracts heat only from conservatives, who don‘t matter to the media. Kudos for stick-to-it-tiveness, Mr. Clay. Anyway, in Blue Jasmine he plays the brother in law who has lost the money he won in a lottery to the creep who promised him outrageous returns. The swindler is played by Alec Baldwin, one of the biggest giuches goin’ but a fine actor. Many will be delighted at his fate in the narrative, which switches constantly between past and present. So where does the film rank in Allen’s illustrious career? I’d say it’s in the second tier, well below his finest work: Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). What about Annie Hall (1977), devotees would say? I like it but think it’s vastly over-rated. The 283 contributors who rated Blue Jasmine at IMDb forge a consensus of 7.4 on a scale of ten. I say 3.25 of five. The story has been in the news and adapted loosely in several TV show and films, so it doesn’t feel fresh. The main attraction is Blanchett’s great performance and the solid work of the supporting cast, a hallmark of Allen’s movies. From a grim view of life he has created much fine art, much like Martin Scorsese.
I was scheduled to pick up my friend's son at LaGuardia at 7:30 AM. When the flight was pushed back to nine, I figured I'd get my computer work done, make the pick up and set up the book shop upon our return. Then he was bumped to 11AM, and I regretted having been too weak to say no. Rather than sit around waiting until 12:15, I decided to open shop for an hour+. I'm glad I did. Young Marie strolled past, doubled back, and bought A Hitch in Twilight. I sold five other books as well. And at four, while on my way to Delmar for a couple of slices, Waj's brother, now running the gyro stand, called out to me. A woman had left five books for me. Funny how things go sometimes. Thanks, folks.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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