Annie Hall : by Woody Allen

Alvy Singer , is one of the most crazy zany hysteric comic characters of all time conceptualized by none other than Woody Allen.

Make no mistake , this is a serious film (pun intended) by Woody's standard , still the genre is tagged as an American comedy film (1977) !

The film is about this comedian who is absolutely besotted by Annie Hall a vivacious and ambitious lady.

Alvy goes through the troughs and the crests of this dynamic relationship , and this makes the essence of the movie.

As the screenplay goes,  we are taken on a flashback ride of Alvy's childhood , to crosscut memories of Annie and Alvy's past.

Soon , the couple realize they are incompatible and have marked different personalities.

Annie moves to California to chase her dreams and Alvy continues play writing and standup acts.
Sooner he realizes his love has not diminished and meets Annie to convince her back.

Annie was the special one for Alvy , and the finale justifies the need for relationships and its complexities!

Woody 's best work till date , & the Academy revered it!

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Life is Beautiful : by Roberto Benigni

This is the second foreign language film  reviewed by me after Amelie & it gives me immense gratification in doing so for 'Life is Beautiful'.

This 1997 , Italian film is about Guido , played by Roberto Benigni who is a happy go lucky chap working as a waiter in a restaurant.

The film traverses through the hilarious set pieces in the first half where Guido woos a local school teacher. He is charismatic , comical and coy!

Years pass by , Guido marries his beloved and they have a son. The setting moves to WWII , where Guido and his son Joshua are forced to move into a train to concentration camps.

His wife demands to be on the same and all three are taken to the Nazi camps to be separated later in the male/female wings.

Guido makes all the effort in humour to guard his son from the Nazi's. Joshua  is told a made up story by his father that all the prisoners are a part of war game where the person who to attains 1000 points wins a tank.

The movie is poignant and funny , erupting mixed emotions for the audience. Roberto Benigni is brilliant as Guido and his performances brings a lump in my throat and grin with each passing reel.

In a bid to save his family , Guido's positivity & conviction that everything will be alright , carries the screenplay to great heights.

The finale makes you wonder of the film's title ' Life is indeed beautiful' and one should make the most of it till it lasts ... Guido did & passed the same moral to all!

Roberto truly deserved the Best Actor & Best Foreign Language Film academy honour.

A film for all seasons .. a message to Celebrate Life! come what may!

Rating : 4.0/5.0