In my defense, I'm watching many of these movies out of chronological order and after years of learning about Allen as a person. Compound that with the 1970s release - an era where the backlash against second-wave feminism saw a lot of critically touted films that don't present ladies in the best light - and I had a lot working against me with this movie. On its own merits Annie Hall is fine. It sets up the Allen persona as…

Hitchcock's spy films are an acquired personal taste. The myriad twists and turns, complicated further by his McGuffins, always leave me scrambling to deconstruct the plot and lose connection with the characters. In short, I'm often left too confused by these. Now, that's probably a simplistic summation of the Master of Suspense's oeuvre, but I think I cracked the code after watching North by Northwest. Hitchcock's masterful story of a flashy ad-man in a gray flannel suit isn't just peppered…