I would hope that even the most die-hard Woody Allen fan would admit that the man’s work is either hit or miss. When he’s on, he’s on fire. When he’s off, you get The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. I can’t quite get a handle on which end of the spectrum Vicky Cristina Barcelona will fall, since the trailer really doesn’t give anything away. No, really…there’s not even any dialogue in it.

From what I can cobble together based on the snapshots in the trailer and my own reading about the film, Javier Bardem (looking far less terrifying than the last time I saw him) is a Spanish artist who gets it on with a lot of women. He’s sleeping with two American tourists (one played by Allen’s new favorite ingénue, Scarlett Johansson) and also has a jealous ex (Penelope Cruz) tracking him down. And there’s lots and lots of sex.

The trailer shows little more than short clips of some steamy love scenes all set to a Spanish song, with any dialogue from the movie removed. I would think they would want to market a Woody Allen film as something more than a sensationalized adult film, but what do I know? Well, I do know this: as for this particular Allen film, I’m going to SKIP IT. If it turns out to be his next Annie Hall, I’m sure someone will tell me.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is rated R and opens in limited release August 29. (Official site)

I have a lot of respect for the Coen brothers. Most directors essentially make the same film over and over, only with different plot-lines. Every Coen brothers film, on the other hand, seems to be a complete 180 from their previous one. And if not for their trademark quirky humor, you’d hardly guess that all of their films were made by the same two brothers.

No Country for Old Men is a perfect example of this. Based on a Cormac McCarthy book, No Country for Old Men seems to be completely different than all of their previous films. Most notably, it appears to be the darkest movie they’ve ever made. And kudos to them for continuing to challenge themselves creatively.

Unfortunately, though, my respect for the Coen brothers usually surpasses my actual appreciation for their films, at least as of late. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Fargo, and The Big Lebowsky is one of my favorite movies, but their last few efforts (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers) have been a complete waste of both my money and my time. Like I said, I respect their willingness to take creative risks, but I expect those risks to result in something at least a tad bit better than those two stinkers.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m gonna have to pass on No Country for Old Men. I’ll RENT IT just to be sure, but I refuse to risk my $11 on these guys anymore…just because they like to gamble, that doesn’t mean I have to.

No Country for Old Men is rated R and opens sometime this fall. (Official Site)