Woody Allen - Topic

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Oct 6 2011 04:11pm

Quote (Kamahl16 @ 8 Aug 2011 17:21)

Just finished Husbands and Wives, not bad, overall I give it a 3.5 // 5.0

I think I am becoming somewhat disenchanted with the fact that Woody keeps using these New York intellectual elites as characters. They have problems which others outside of that restrictive cliche have but it seems so distant at times.

i agree, husband and wives was a 3.5 for me as well. and i also had the same exact fear after a few movies that allen was going to start boring me w/ the same pessimistic leftist new york jewish character i kept seeing.. manhattan was good but sorta what i mean by the cookie cutter allen i was starting to see. husbands and wives was ok too, all of these are like 3.5 movies.
but i just finished crimes and misdemeanors.. and this movie got it goin on! the most essential difference was that the pessimism changes. i totally see touches of tolstoy and dostoevsky working here. morality, religion, and humanism are all touched on w/ just superb acting. bravo!
next on my list are interiors, radio days and stardust memories. hope theyr good

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#52

Oct 6 2011 04:24pm

Quote (eriot @ Oct 6 2011 04:11pm)

I'm not sure what your complaint is against Husbands and Wives. Manhattan, though, is far from cookie-cutter stuff. It's much more than just a "pessimistic leftist new york jewish character" being... pessimistic. It's about human imperfections and the search for meaning. Gordon Willis' cinematography is gorgeous, possibly the best of his career, and captures the romantic side of New York City better than any other film I've seen.

I agree with you on Crimes and Misdemeanors - easily one of the greatest films ever made, and Martin Landau gives a tour-de-force lead performance.

Hopefully you enjoy the others just as much. Radio Days sounds like just what you're looking for.

Kamahl16

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#53

Oct 6 2011 04:51pm

Quote (Individuality @ Oct 6 2011 10:24pm)

Radio Days is definitely not like the other stuff he mentioned.

You should watch Shadows and Fog, as well eriot.

Kamahl16

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#54

Oct 21 2011 11:28pm

Going to watch Manhattan Murder Mystery now, I'll post my thoughts on it afterwards.

Kamahl16

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#55

Oct 22 2011 01:39am

Quote (Kamahl16 @ Oct 22 2011 05:28am)

Going to watch Manhattan Murder Mystery now, I'll post my thoughts on it afterwards.

Unlike any of his movies I've seen.

There's not much deviation in terms of what Allen focuses on, that is he still has a cast of older individuals who are fascinated with high culture and the movie turns out to be one of his better movies in terms of showing what Manhattan is like (this is another trend of Allen's, of course). There were a number of beautiful shots in the movie which, although they didn't necessarily add to the plot or anything, had perhaps more impact on me than the whole murder plot.

Despite the casual pace of the movie (some may argue that it is a casual pace) I found it to be perhaps the most exciting of Allen's so far in terms of pure suspense.

My one big gripe with the film would be the ending. It was definitely poor and seemed like Woody took the easy way out writing it.

Kamahl16

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#56

Oct 24 2011 11:23pm

Watched A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy and I'll have to say it was my least favorite Allen film so far, with Small Time Crooks being its' primary competition.

The plot was too damned pedestrian for me and didn't seem to have that charm that most Allen films have, at least not for me. Farrow's acting was dreadful to the point of obnoxious distraction and the rest of the characters weren't too enjoyable. The lightning quick pace by which the character's switch their romantic desires made it seemed as though the script was rushed (I read Allen wrote it in 2 weeks, so I don't doubt it was definitely rushed). I thought it was boring and the only worthwhile highlights were Allen's inventions.

Kamahl16

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#57

Nov 9 2011 04:53pm

Just saw The Purple Rose of Cairo and really enjoyed it.

Overall I'd say it is a 3.5 // 5.0 and the best thing it has going for it would be the idea behind the whole thing. The worst thing about it would be Farrow's acting. There were some scenes, mainly when the camera cuts to her so she can have a facial reaction to something, that just troubled me.

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#58

Nov 9 2011 05:15pm

Quote (Kamahl16 @ Nov 9 2011 04:53pm)

Really? I think it's her best performance and possibly her best character. Compare it to Alice and you'll notice just how much better Purple Rose is - both in its script and performances. Purple Rose is actually quite restrained and poignant; Alice is melodramatic and ditzy.

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#59

Nov 9 2011 10:35pm

Quote (Individuality @ Nov 9 2011 11:15pm)

I haven't seen Alice yet and am not really looking forward to it, honestly.

Her best performance, in my mind, still doesn't amount to much.

Kamahl16

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#60

Nov 25 2011 01:40am

Watched Sweet and Lowdown last night.

I enjoyed the premise of the movie because I enjoy Django so much and love movies centered around a jazz culture. I thought Penn's acting was great but found it difficult to sympathize/like his character. He was such an enigmatic and non-empathetic tool most of the time I had a hard time caring for his misfortune. I'd go into this a bit more but don't want to spoil anything.

All-in-all I recommend it and thought it was one of Woody's better movies. It also isn't a typical Allen movie in terms of dialogue and subject matter thereof, but the plot is vintage Woody.

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