Woody Allen

So hands up who likes / hates Woody Allen's films. Let's leave the unpleasant bedroom partner side out of it for now.

Is it strictly a man thing? Or do women love him, too? If so i've yet to be introduced to one.

Best film?
'Manhattan' is my fave bittersweet theme (but too close to life imitating art)
'Play it again, Sam' is brilliant, good physical comedy and dialogue and so under-rated.
'Crimes and Misdemeanors' for the classic moment where Allen's character intercuts a TV producer's speech (the subject of a biopic he's pressured to make) with Mussolini strutting and a donkey braying.

SlagA

I can't say I've seen many Woody Allen films, but one particular one - can't remember much about it - which I saw on a plane last year, was just awful. Absolutely painful.

I cant believe i did not see this. I love Woody Allen.

"Annie" & "Play It Again, Sam" are two of my favourites. I can't remember if i ever saw "Take The Money And Run", but if i did it was funny. The man is a comedy genius. Great one liners to.

I've been going back thru his DVDs

Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is beautifully directed (his first crack at it) plus Mary Steenberg's acting is incredible (plus she looks like a young Kate Bush in it - a homer drool moment occurs) but it's beaten by:

Broadway Danny Rose - i like because Danny makes you want to empathise with him so badly - the guy too soft at heart to make it big in cut-throat showbiz. The party at the end with all his no-hoper acts is a great sad / happy moment. It was nominated for 2 Oscars too.

Bananas and Take the Money and Run are my favourites - inspired silliness at its best. I watched Play It Again Sam a couple of weeks ago and it still makes me laugh, especially the scene where he approaches the woman in the art gallery and it ends with him asking her what she's doing on Saturday night - "Committing suicide." - "What are you doing on Friday night?"

Of the more serious films, Manhattan and Annie Hall are my personal faves. In terms of recent output, I think he's lost his touch - the last really good films he made were Mighty Aphrodite and Sweet and Lowdown.

If you don't own a copy, I would recommend that you buy Woody Allen: Nightclub Years on CD - the man was a great standup comedian and this CD contains some brilliant material...Altogether now...I shot a moose...

'Play it Again Sam' will always be up there as a good laugh-out-loud film. As for the others, well, can't say I've ever been to overwhelmed. I once thought 'Sleeper' was brilliant but then I recently saw it and realised that perhaps like Mel Brook's 'History Of The World', things aren't as we once remembered them - or as funny.

However, films aside, I reckon the best Woody Allen work can be heard on his live tape. Can't remember the full title, probably 'Woody Allen Live' or something. Unlike VD, definitely worth catching.

Think I've only ever seen three Woody Allen films. Bananas, Love and Death, and Sleeper. Really liked them all, but its a while since I've seen them, so don't know how they come over these days.

Ashamed I've never watched Annie Hall and Manhattan though.

I like the silliness of Bannanas.

I think he is a brilliant man in the films and things he does outside of his personal life..He is thought of badly in the states because of his behavior at home,,not on screen..He is brilliant and I am female..At least I was when I last checked.....Valentine

Am also in possession of a womb.

I've seen most of his films and love about 90% of them. Not seen the most recent few though.

My favourites are the 70s and 80s ones involving lots of talking and New York types having releationship troubles.

Watched Husbands and Wives last night on TV. Ace.

I like his early, funny films.

(c) Woody Allen, Stardust Memories

Not entirely true though, as my favourites are The Purple Rose of Cairo, Play it Again Sam, and Hannah and Her Sisters (in that order; at least today).
Not such a big fan of some critically acclaimed stuff. Annie Hall is very funny in parts, but lacks narrative drive; Husbands and Wives is just self-indulgent; Manhattan looks and sounds greater than the story.
But the guy is a bona fide genius and has made more films that are worth watching than perhaps any other American, IMO.

It's official. In his newly published autobiography (after it was dropped by Hachette), Woody Allen admits that he finds younger women sexually attractive. He fantasizes about them has even tried to have sex with some: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/29/brought-to-book-woody-allens-memoir-is-the-most-damning-indictment-yet He denies abusing Mia Farrow's daughter, yet he admits to lusting after other females.
Is it now unacceptable to watch a Woody Allen film? Is he more morally repugnant than Harvey Weinstein?
Could you ever listen to Rolf Harris or Gary Glitter sing again?
Should we separate the art from the artist?
And what about this chap, who designed fonts, BBC art and had it off with his daughters, his sisters and his dog? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gill

What's the funniest thing Woody Allen's ever done? F**k his daughter.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 4th April 2020, 1:27 PM

What's the funniest thing Woody Allen's ever done? F**k his daughter.

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Woody has made some sensationally funny films and I, therefore, doubt that any CCTV footage of him having entirely lawful sexual intercourse with his girlfriend's adopted daughter would be funnier than the best of those films.

Having said that, I have absolutely no idea how funny their union actually was.

Accordingly, I have to concede that you might be right about it being funny (if not entirely right about whose daughter he was intercoursing with).

I do however repeat that the act would have to be spectacularly funny in order to be funnier than "Radio Days".

Quote: Kenneth @ 4th April 2020, 7:36 AM

And what about this chap, who designed fonts, BBC art and had it off with his daughters, his sisters and his dog? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gill

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I guess it's because he was sans serif.