brownie Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Woody Allen remains an 'enfant chéri' of the French moviegoing crowd. His soon to be released opus 'Midnight in Paris' was filmed in the French capital. The Soon-Yi story did little to alter Allen's public adulation here. Some of his recent films have left me a bit disappointed but I really enjoyed 'Match Point'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I'm sure I'll get into trouble here, but Soon-Yi was not his stepdaughter. Allen and Farrow were never legally married and although they did legally adopt two children together, neither of those adoptions was Soon-Yi. Sorry; faulty memory I guess. I was never a big Allen fan; the only two I ever saw more than once were Sleeper and Zelig. Sleeper was a lot of fun; Zelig was just awesome. I like his stand-up more than his movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I guess I need to revisit Match Point. I seem to remember liking the beginning, but then not really "buying" the second half. I'll revisit at some point. My favorite line of dialogue in Celebrity is heard in the background in the plastic surgery center. A guy walks up to the receptionist and asks "Do you do penis enlargements?", the receptionist responds, "No, we don't have the space". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I guess I need to revisit Match Point. I seem to remember liking the beginning, but then not really "buying" the second half. I'll revisit at some point. My favorite line of dialogue in Celebrity is heard in the background in the plastic surgery center. A guy walks up to the receptionist and asks "Do you do penis enlargements?", the receptionist responds, "No, we don't have the space". I really didn't like Match Point. Woody had no sense of modern British vernacular. Some of the dialogue was painful to listen to. Also the premise of a supposedly working class, my arse, tennis coach worming his way into upper crust society was ludicrous. A complete dud imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) the Soon-Yi thing was disgusting, but it is possible to evaluate him aside from that - to me he has just made too many bad and pointless films, with a few gems - What's Up Tiger Liillie, Take the Money and Run, Annie Hall, Sleeper, Radio Days, Sweet and Low Down (I think was the name) - and he was never a leading man, though he tried to cast himself, and it became harder and harder to accept him in that role - years ago I played a party for William Styron's 65th or 70th birthday, in Litchfield Connecticut, not long after the whole Farrow/Woody/Soon-Yi thing happened. In the middle of the party Farrow walked in, and I looked at the band (Harold Danko on piano, Jeff Fuller on bass) and said 'let's play Woody 'n You." They declined to do so. Edited February 13, 2011 by AllenLowe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Woody should have focused more on the clarinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen archer Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I love all his movies! Alice is another great one,I love the scene where Alice tells Dr.Yang that"penguins mate for life" and Dr.Yang responds with "ah you think penguins are catholics?" Also recently saw Small Time Crooks for the first time and Elaine May totally steals the movie,ya gotta see it just for her performance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Alice is one of my very favorite ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Heck, even Jerry Lewis was funny for a picture or two.. Only for this, you definitely should call Woody Allen's therapist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 "Whatever Works" is his best "late" movie, IMHO, so damn honest, such a very personal statement about love, ageing, and the meaning of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) "Manhattan" put me off Woody Allen for a long time (the affair with Mariel Hemingway's *very* underage character); most of my friends had the same reaction to it and I don't think anyone (us women, anyway) was terribly surprised by the whole deal with Soon Yi. And yes, no question that the publicity surrounding that affair tarnished his reputation. That said, I really like a lot of his movies, although I prefer his comedies to the more auteur-ish films he keeps trying to make. here are some of my faves: Love and Death Radio Days (probably my favorite) The Purple Rose of Cairo Broadway Danny Rose (Nick Apollo Forte! Macy's parade balloons! The Carnegie Deli!) Bullets Over Broadway (the casting is perfect; very funny movie) Small Time Crooks (Elaine May *and* Tracey Ullman! But see it for Elaine May... she's superb. For that matter, so is Hugh Grant - again, another casting decision that sounds awful on paper but really works onscreen.) A film or two that I feel ambivalent about: Sweet and Lowdown Alice A film I expected to like but never have (saw it as a first-run): Annie Hall - though I thought Diane Keaton was fun and well-cast. One that I thought was hilarious but haven't seen in years: Take the Money and Run I think there's much less focus now on an attempt to create American auteur types than there was in the 70s. Allen got over-hyped back then (imo) as an aspirant to the title. He's creative, yes, but maybe everyone got tired of the pretentiousness of the whole auteru thing as well as wanting him to not appear in his own movies. (Which sentiment I heartily second; there's only so much one can do with that shtick.) Also agree that it's a generational thing. And yeah... he makes a lot of movies; maybe too many (imo, anyway). Edited February 14, 2011 by seeline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cih Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Went to see Sweet & Lowdown in a cinema in Manhattan the first time I visited NY... I quite enjoyed it but was equally struck by the audience... people on their own talking to the screen and offering criticism as the film went on. Then the man behind - who had laughed throughout - said loudly "that damn mute has the best lines in the film" and got up and left. Then I was also impressed on the subway when I dropped my glove and somebody walking past said "your glove fell". Very succinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 My girlfriend and I have been doing a chronological journey through his films - I'd only seen about half-a-dozen prior. Take the Money and Run is indeed funny, as is Bananas. (Play It Again Sam is next on my queue.) Of ones further down the itinerary, I really liked Manhattan but have never warmed to Annie Hall. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 very interesting to see the likes, and don't likes...actually liked Woody as a small child, liked Annie Hall then, Play it Again, Sam...go figure! Like most everyone here, really liked Radio Days, a perfect little film....forgot about Bullets Over Broadway, really a fun film. Small Time Crooks has a lot of flaws, but as others have said, Elaine May is so good in it...just checked IMDB, she has only made 10 films, such a shame! Anyone ever see her in A New Leaf??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 Hannah & Her Sisters is probably my favorite. Friends were in NYC recently & saw him & Soon-Yi out & about. So - there is longevity to their relationship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 My girlfriend and I have been doing a chronological journey through his films - I'd only seen about half-a-dozen prior. Take the Money and Run is indeed funny, as is Bananas. (Play It Again Sam is next on my queue.) Of ones further down the itinerary, I really liked Manhattan but have never warmed to Annie Hall. Guy Did you begin with What's Up, Tiger Lily?? And don't forget (if you can sit through it) the original Casino Royale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Small Time Crooks has a lot of flaws, but as others have said, Elaine May is so good in it...just checked IMDB, she has only made 10 films, such a shame! Anyone ever see her in A New Leaf??? I think the flaws are forgivable for her performance alone... and (imo) the movie really is a good sendup of certain kinds of pretensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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