Hey there. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kevin McGuire; history teacher, film buff, and college-chum of Nick Douglas. My first post on Look Shiny will address the love I have for one of my favorite comedians and filmmakers, Woody Allen.

I was 17 when first I met her.

It was a late summer evening and I was channel-surfing to relieve my boredom. I stumbled unto the movie channel AMC, and what I saw astounded me.

The film was Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” and I have been hooked ever since. Made in 1977, “Annie Hall” is Allen’s magnum opus to relationships and the city of New York. “Annie Hall” stars Allen, Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts. Secondary roles are filled by Carol Kane, Paul Simon (you know, of Simon and Garfunkel), Shelly Duvall and even a young Christopher Walken.

A winner of four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director (Allen), Screenplay (Allen and Marshall Brickman) and Actress (Keaton), “Annie Hall” is a contemporary masterpiece.

The film humorously and poignantly chronicles the relationship and ultimate breakup of neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer (Allen) and Annie Hall (Keaton). “Annie Hall” follows Alvy as he sifts through the memories of their partnership, trying to figure out why they parted ways.

The film’s story is told in a nonlinear fashion – that is, the events are presented in a non-chronological manner. This is an element common in cinema of today, but it was revolutionary in the late 1970s. “Annie Hall” also fits many other varying film techniques into one movie. For example, Allen’s character often breaks the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience while interacting with other characters on screen. Split-screen scenes and animation are also used, along with a segment where subtitles reveal what Annie and Alvy are really thinking when they interact with each other.

A lot of what happens in “Annie Hall” bends reality. During one of my favorite bits, Alvy pulls media theorist Marshall McLuhan from thin air and uses his help to silence an annoying movie patron. “Oh, if life were only like this,” Alvy says. This is surely something any serious film buff can identify with. As I was leaving a movie the other day I couldn’t help but overhear the couple in front of me: “Have you ever seen a dumber movie? That was so stupid! How did Ebert give that four stars?” The Alvy inside me wanted to pull the Coen brothers out from behind the concession stand to help me push them into oncoming traffic.

Although comedic, Allen uses his humor to explore serious themes: the nature of love, the existence of God, etc. These themes are staples of Allen’s work, but they are particularly important to note in “Annie Hall” because of the film’s autobiographical nature. Just like their character’s, Allen and Keaton had been lovers in the early 1970s, but ultimately separated. Allen’s deep feelings for Keaton allowed him to create an incredibly truthful and highly personal film.

“Diane Hall is her real name,” Allen revealed in an interview. “She had to change it to Keaton, which is her mother’s maiden name, because there was a Diane Hall in Actor’s Equity, and so there couldn’t be two of them.”

Because she is essentially Annie Hall herself, Keaton’s gives one of cinema’s greatest performances. As film historian Graham Fuller put it, “Nothing more perfectly captures Annie’s lyricism than the awkward, winning musicality of Keaton’s flow.”

The film is not only about the relationship between Alvy and Annie, but between Alvy and the audience as well. “I wanted the audience to experience this with me,” Allen said. “That was the impetus for doing the picture.”

“Annie Hall” is my favorite movie not just because of its technical brilliancy, its hilarious script or its dead-on performances, but because of how true to life it is. Allen addresses the bittersweet nature of relationships and creates a film that is as close to perfection as any could be.

After 30 years, “Annie Hall” is still a cut above most films. It’s relatable, refreshing and, most of all, genuinely funny.

Take some time and meet her for yourself.