I was offered a single seat at a screening tonight of Woody's upcoming movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and accepted, knowing nothing about the movie. I got there early, waited briefly on line (behind a familiar-looking man who recent pictures show was not Jackie Martling or Danny Aiello, but someone in that vein - possibly just an unknown man), and snagged a center first-row balcony seat in Cinema 1.
The movie began with the familiar Woody Allen titles fonts, Spanish music, and a narrator. The engaged Vicky (Rebecca Hall - who seemed familiar, and indeed was in the woefully ignored "Starter for 10") and free spirit Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are spending the summer in a parent's friends' luxurious villa in Barcelona. They meet charismatic artist Javier Bardem, still not over his wild and crazy ex Penelope Cruz, and various pairings and complications ensue. The plot moves quickly with a light and humorous touch. I really enjoyed the movie.
It was still light afterward (oh look, Regis was there, though I didn't see him) and the timing was right to walk to another movie at 8:30 which I'll talk about later since I might see more in that series. It was starting to rain when that let out around 10, and pouring buckets when I got out of the subway. I waited a bit under a construction scaffold but it wasn't letting up so I rushed the rest of the way home in deep puddles and lightning. Jiggety jig!
