quite
      understandable.
      Allen
      spent
      much
      of
      the
     
     
      rest
      of
      the
      eighties
      pumping
      out
      fluffy
      romantic
     
     
      comedies,
      generally
      free
      of
      his
      running
      self-
     
     
      conscious
      commentary
      (unfortunately).
      All
      were
     
     
      enjoyable,
      with
      some
      (Zelig,
      Broadway
      Danny
     
     
      Rose)
      being
      better
      than
      others
      (A
      Midsummer’s
     
     
      Night
      Sex
      Comedy),
      but
      best
      of
      them
      all
      was
      The
     
     
      Purple
      Rose
      of
      Cairo,
      in
      which
      Mia
      Farrow
      is
     
     
      faced
      with
      the
      choice
      between
      reality
      and
      fan-
     
     
      tasy.
      She
      chooses
      reality
      and
      gets
      screwed.
     
    

    
     
      His
      two
      anomalies
      of
      the
      eighties
      were
     
     
      Hannah
      and
      Her
      Sisters
      and
      the
      underrated
     
     
      Crimes
      and
      Misdemeanours,
      which
      combined
     
     
      the
      pessimistic
      drama
      of
      September
      et
      al
      with
     
     
      comedy.
      Crimes
      is
      a
      rather
      abrupt
      fusion
      of
     
     
      comedy
      and
      drama,
      but
      it
      works
      extraordinarily
     
     
      well
      and
      is
      one
      of
      Allen’s
      most
      profound
      state-
     
     
      ments.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1990
      came
      Alice,
      a
      modern
      take
      on
      Alice
     
     
      in
      Wonderland,
      notable
      mostly
      for
      its
      all-star
     
     
      cast.
      In
      92
      came
      Shadows
      and
      Fog,
      a
      critical
     
     
      and
      financial
      flop.
     
    

    
     
      Though
      the
      likes
      of
      Steve
      Martin,
      Rob
      Reiner
     
     
      and
      Cheers
      were
      making
      money
      off
      Allen’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ost
     
     
      d
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ents
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
          
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
          
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      style
      in
      the
      eighties,
      almost
      all
      his
      films
      lost
     
     
      money.
      Reflecting
      the
      public’s
      sometimes
      per-
     
     
      Verse
      interests,
      Husbands
      and
      Wives
      was
      Allen’s
     
     
      Most
      successful
      film
      in
      years.
      The
      film’s
      art-
     
     
      life
      parallels
      will
      probably
      lend
      it
      added
      reso-
     
     
      nance
      in
      the
      future,
      but
      Husbands
      and
      Wives
      is
     
     
      no
      leap
      forward.
      It’s
      tough
      to
      ignore
      the
      subtext
     
     
      When
      Allen
      refers
      to
      ‘‘kamikaze
      women’?
      who
     
     
      lake
      you
      down
      with
      them
      or
      how
      his
      heart
     
     
      knows
      no
      logic,
      but
      the
      links
      to
      his
      personal
      life
     
     
      distract
      from
      what
      Husbands
      and
      Wives
      is.
     
     
      The
      plot
      is
      typically
      secondary
      to
      the
      dia-
     
     
      logue,
      whichis
      intelligent,
      ifless
      thanrevelatory,
     
     
      but
      these
      romantic
      octagons
      are
      getting
      old.
      The
     
     
      film
      is
      also
      short
      on
      laughs,
      leaving
      us
      with
      an
     
     
      Unceasing
      barrage
      of
      neuroses,
      not
      the
      most
     
     
      Pleasant
      viewing
      experience.
      Shot
      in
      an
      odd,
     
     
      Possible
      mock-documentary
      style
      with
      lots
     
     
      Thead-rush
      inducing
      camera
      movements,
      the
     
     
      St
      scenes
      of
      Husbands
      and
      Wives,
      however,
     
     
      *lvey
      an
      eavesdropping
      intimacy
      and
      mo-
     
     
      ‘nts
      of
      almost
      embarrassing
      realism.
      And
      it’s
     
     
      Uperbly
      acted,
      as
      always.
     
     
      Allen’s
      career
      is
      now
      in
      very
      real
      jeop-
     
     
      {y,
      but
      Husbands
      and
      Wives
      reminds
      us
      of
      his
     
     
      “tinued
      vitality
      and
      progression,
      despite
      re-
     
     
      “ed
      ticket
      sakes.
      He’s
      one
      of
      the
      most
      influen-
     
     
      comedians
      of
      our
      time
      and
      his
      best
      films
      are
     
     
      Me
      of
      the
      best
      ever.@
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Home
      Alone
      2:
      Lost
      in
      New
     
    
   
   
    
     
      York
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      S.
      Livingstone
     
     
      ovies
      are
      not
      the
      only
      place
      in
      which
     
     
      small
      children
      with
      blond
      hair
      are
      inad
     
     
      vertently
      misplaced
      by
      their
      parents.
      I
     
     
      ow
      from
      first
      hand
      experience
      that
      parents
     
     
      lose
      their
      kids
      on
      a
      regular
      basis.
      I,
      of
      course,
     
     
      have
      a
      story
      to
      back
      up
      this
      sudden
      theory
      of
     
     
      mine
      and
      with
      that
      said
      I
      will
      now
      delve
      into
      the
     
     
      files
      of
      my
      adventure-
      filled
      childhood
      and
     
     
      share
      with
      you
      a
      moment
      of
      vacations
      gone
      by
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (and
      awry)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      During
      my
      childhood
      years,
      my
      family
      often
     
     
      took
      summer
      vacations
      to
      New
      Hampshire-
     
     
      particularly
      the
      White
      Mountains-
      to
      get
      back
      to
     
     
      nature
      and
      discover
      ourselves
      amidst
      the
      peace
     
     
      and
      quiet
      of
      the
      squirrel
      infested
      forests.
      On
      one
     
     
      of
      these
      getting-to-know-your-family
      excur-
     
     
      sions,
      we
      visited
      some
      sort
      of
      amusement
      park.
     
     
      I
      can
      still
      imagine
      it
      to
      be
      a
      Disney
      World
     
     
      wannabe
      covering
      acres
      upon
      acres
      of
      New
     
     
      Hampshire
      countryside,
      but
      with
      some
     
     
      reevaluation,
      I
      have
      come
      to
      the
      conclusion
      that
     
     
      the
      entire
      park
      would
      probably
      fit
      quite
      com-
     
     
      fortably
      into
      the
      Charlottetown
      Mall
      parking
     
     
      lot.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      during
      this
      fun-filled
      visit
      that
      chaos
     
     
      struck
      my
      parent’s
      lives
      and
      complete
      anarchy
     
     
      overwhelmed
      the
      park.
      I,
      the
      small
      blond
      crea-
     
     
      tor
      of
      havoc,
      was
      completely
      unaware
      of
      all
     
     
      this.
      After
      all,
      Iknew
      where
      I
      was
      -
      I
      was
      sharing
     
     
      intelligent
      conversation
      with
      the
      ‘‘Old
      Woman
     
     
      in
      the
      Shoe’’
      who
      was
      actually
      quite
      young.
     
     
      Wigs
      can
      be
      such
      deceitful
      disguises.
     
    

    
     
      Now,
      of
      course,
      it
      took
      my
      parents
      a
      consid-
     
     
      erable
      amount
      of
      time
      to
      cometo
      the
      realization
     
     
      that
      they
      had
      lost
      their
      only
      son
      in
      a
      sea
      of
      small
     
    
   
   
    
     
      children.
      They
      had
      simply
      assumed
      I
      was
      with
     
     
      the
      other
      couple
      travelling
      with
      us.
      Needless
      to
     
     
      say,
      thanks
      to
      their
      poor
      response
      time,
      I
      could
     
     
      have
      already
      been
      priced
      for
      the
      black
      market,
     
     
      but
      there
      is
      no
      need
      to
      force
      a
      guilt
      complex
      on
     
     
      the
      parental
      unit
      fifteen
      years
      after
      the
      mishap.
     
    

    
     
      To
      end
      this
      captivating
      tale
      of
      my
      early
     
     
      years,
      I
      will
      tell
      you
      that
      they
      did
      eventually
     
     
      find
      me
      and
      a
      tear
      inducing
      reunion
      took
      place.
     
     
      I
      had
      no
      idea
      as
      to
      why
      all
      this
      sudden
      embrac-
     
     
      ing
      of
      various
      members
      was
      taking
      place.
      I
     
     
      never
      even
      knew
      I
      was
      lost.
     
    

    
     
      Little
      Kevin
      MacAllister
      on
      the
      other
      hand
      .
     
     
      realized
      early
      on
      that
      he
      was
      lacking
      the
      ever
     
     
      present
      parental
      element
      the
      minute
      he
      stepped
     
     
      onto
      the
      tarmac
      in
      New
      York
      City.
      Again,
      the
     
     
      parents
      were
      somewhat
      late
      in
      their
      reaction
     
     
      time,
      so
      Kevin,
      without
      fear,
      takes
      advantage
      of
     
     
      both
      his
      free
      time
      and
      his
      Dad’s
      credit
      card
      to
     
     
      explore
      the
      most
      fascinating
      city
      in
      the
      world.
     
     
      He
      does,
      as
      expected,
      meet
      up
      again
      with
      the
     
     
      ‘Wet
      Bandits’’
      from
      Home
      Alone
      (Pt.1)
      and
     
     
      the
      painful
      trip
      for
      these
      two
      societal
      discards
     
     
      continues.
      The
      torture
      may
      not
      beas
      continuous
     
     
      as
      in
      the
      prequel
      but
      it
      lends
      itself
      to
      even
      more
     
     
      bodily
      injury
      than
      before
      and
      in
      this
      film,
      that
     
     
      equates
      laughs.
     
    

    
     
      Home
      Alone
      2,
      although
      certainly
      not
      a
     
     
      startling
      departure
      from
      the
      original,
      is
      both
     
     
      lighthearted
      and
      creative.
      If
      you
      are
      looking
      for
     
     
      a
      film
      with
      which
      to
      recover
      from
      Christmas
     
     
      Break
      withdrawal,
      this
      may
      be
      the
      one.
      Don’t
     
     
      expect
      a
      commentary
      on
      society
      beyond
      the
     
     
      generosity
      of
      one
      homeless
      person
      because
      this
     
     
      is
      a
      John
      Hughes
      family
      flick,
      not
      a
      Martin
     
     
      Scorsese
      directed
      study
      on
      the
      clash
      of
      the
     
     
      pathetically
      poor
      and
      the
      epitome
      of
      upper
     
     
      middle
      class
      life.
     
    

    
     
      Rating
      ***
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Holy
      shit!"
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      11