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ANNIE HALL--Probably his funniest, and most meaningful, film. It really caught the spirit of an era. Not only Allen's best, but one of the finest films of the seventies.
WHATEVER WORKS--It was actually written for Zero Mostel, but polished up for the currently day. It really hearkens back to the days when Allen was major box-office, not relegated to art houses. Great film!
RADIO DAYS--His sweetest, most nostalgia-filled film. It makes you wish you inhabited the era it takes place in.
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO--Nostalgia done as fantasy. Sort of a companion piece to RADIO DAYS.
MATCH POINT--A veddy, veddy British mystery, wrapped up in a very Allen-esque viewpoint.
I think Woody Allen has actually entered another terrific phase in his career, which is being sadly neglected by the majority of movie fans. His last half-dozen or so films are absolutely top-notch, and amongst the best films being made right now.
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ANNIE HALL--Probably his funniest, and most meaningful, film. It really caught the spirit of an era. Not only Allen's best, but one of the finest films of the seventies.
WHATEVER WORKS--It was actually written for Zero Mostel, but polished up for the currently day. It really hearkens back to the days when Allen was major box-office, not relegated to art houses. Great film!
RADIO DAYS--His sweetest, most nostalgia-filled film. It makes you wish you inhabited the era it takes place in.
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO--Nostalgia done as fantasy. Sort of a companion piece to RADIO DAYS.
MATCH POINT--A veddy, veddy British mystery, wrapped up in a very Allen-esque viewpoint.
I think Woody Allen has actually entered another terrific phase in his career, which is being sadly neglected by the majority of movie fans. His last half-dozen or so films are absolutely top-notch, and amongst the best films being made right now.
Wow, I'm going with the same picks as ManEatingCrow. EXCEPT.. replacing 'Whatever Works' (virtually unseen but hilarious) with either 'LOVE & DEATH' or his latest, 'YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER'. (Leaning toward 'Stranger')
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CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989) - because I think it's his most profound, brilliant, and exceptionally written masterpiece. The exploration of moral ambiguity and how it's played for comedy and tragedy, mixed ever so carefully, superbly acted by all (Landau shoulda won an Oscar). I think it's just a flawless film in every regard and I never tire of it. The symbolism in this movie is compelling, and I also think it's one of his most visually interesting films.
ANOTHER WOMAN (1988) - this is perhaps Woody's most underappreciated masterpiece IMO. I like it almost as much as CRIMES for many of the same reasons, sans comedy. The multiple meanings layered within the story are fascinating to explore, the concept of self delusion coupled with insecurity and aging, played expertly by Gena Rowlands with wonderful supporting turns from Ian Holm ("I accept your condemnation.") and Gene Hackman. I think Woody is at his best when he makes films like this.
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN (1968) - still one of the funniest movies ever made; nothing more to say except, "Apt naturally."
ZELIG (1983) - few comedies are this clever, this inventive, this visually creative, and this effective. No movie like it. None.
SHADOWS & FOG (1992) - like Another Woman, here's another oddball that nobody seemed to care about, but I loved every second of it. It's a bizarre film to be sure, but man it's so incredible to look at and there are just so many wonderfully crafted scenes of expert filmmaking. Plus there's a scene with Woody trying to steal a fingerprinted wine glass that is hysterical. Really fun, magical, and beautifully shot little flick. My affection for it originated when I was a pre-teen and had some of Woody's comedy books, one of which had the play called Death that this film was based on. The source material is even better (and funnier), but I thought this was a great adaptation.
I used to put Woody on a pedestal right up there with my filmmaking hero Clint Eastwood. Sadly, after Small Time Crooks (2000) and other changes in his career, he turned into some monstrosity that I don't even recognize anymore. I've seen almost all of his films, including the handful from the past decade. Didn't like any of them. At all. Terrible on every level. I'm convinced somebody else made all these awful movies like Melinda & Melinda and Match Point and Cassandra's Dream. Ugggggg. This is one woody that went soft years ago. But I still worship his genius of yesteryear.
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Posted: |
Feb 23, 2011 - 8:43 AM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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"Hannah and Her Sisters" -- This is Woody at "perfection" level on all counts -- story, script, performers/performances, combination of humor/wit/drama, and on an equal level his music selection. Woody, Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, Michael Caine, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, and all the other superb supporting cast are absolutely riveting throughout the film. I have many "favorite" scenes in this film, but my "most favorite" is Woody spying Dianne Wiest (Holly) in a record shop and going in to remind her of the worst date of his life. It's an amazing, very funny, beautiful scene.
"Manhattan" -- This is the finest valentine ever filmed to/for a city (or anything/anyone else). The Gordon Willis b/w cinematography is masterful, the Gershwin score is sublime and the story is very New York and very Woody (and not a little bit disturbing given Allen's romance with a teenager, wonderfully played by Mariel Hemingway at her most beautiful).
"Love and Death" -- Hilarious homage to Ingmar Bergman with some fantastic sight gags, silliness, mayhem and an hysterical "Death" giving Woody the sort of "ending" he obsesses upon in nearly all his personal films.
"The Purple Rose of Cairo" - Wonderful "little movie", filmed to perfection. Great central performance by Mia Farrow and wonderful conceit of movie character coming off the screen because a "real person" has seen the film so many times he just had to say something. This movie was a "gift" when it was released and always seems to be a "gift" upon repeat viewings.
"Annie Hall" -- I'm not the biggest fan of this film, although it IS wonderful and funny and kooky and brilliantly done. Woody has had better stories, but it's the central character and Woody's interactions with her that make the film work wonderfully.
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Crimes & Misdemeanors is what made me a fan of his; I was 18 at the time.
Me, too. I was fortunate enough to have first seen the movie at a USC screening, after which Martin Landau came to the class and was interviewed by Charles Champlin. It was so cool because I grew up watching Landau on Space 1999 and Mission Impossible. It was a delight to speak with him, and I told him then that CRIMES was his best work ever. Still holds true for me today (ED WOOD being close competition).
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Alan Alda was another Woody stock player that did some good work with Allen.
"If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's not funny."
"Comedy is tragedy plus time."
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Husbands and Wives almost made my list. I think it was hilarious, and Sydney Pollack was AWESOME. The scene in which he's arguing with his girlfriend and saying "Get in the f***in' car!" = priceless. In regard to the shaky-cam, it was innovative for the time, giving the movie a documentary fly-on-the-wall style that was really effective. What was once a clever idea is now of course overused, but at the time, it was nifty.
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