In my Vicky Cristina Barcelona post I called it a "Woody Allen joint," and Stephany asked me what that meant. It's not part of the body nor something wrapped in thin paper. It's a reference to Spike Lee, who calls his movies "Spike Lee joints." This St. Anna joint is LONG, 2 hours and 40 minutes. Jack and I had to plan way ahead to see a weekend matinee with our busy schedules. We both found plenty of scenes that could have been trimmed, especially the battles, and the trudge on the beach at the very end. The movie has "bookends," starting and ending with scenes set in 1983, with all the rest in 1944. The cinematography and locations were gorgeous, and the acting good, but oh, I hate those bloody battle scenes (yes, I avoided Saving Private Ryan (1998), which was even longer, clocking in at 2:50). I have not seen every Spike Lee joint, but here are some of my favorites: Bamboozled (2000) was racist, offensive, and side-splitting; Inside Man (2006), the bank caper, was brilliant (apparently there is a sequel in the works); She Hate Me (2004) is about a straight guy selling his sperm to rich lesbians; 25th Hour (2002), with Ed Norton on the brink right after 9/11, was very good; and, of course, Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992) are not just for fans.
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