Here’s a quickie indication of where I’m going with my Woody Allen reviews.
As I pretty much intended, I have touched on nearly all of
his films from his “major phase” of 1977-86 (as defined by my “Director’s
dossier” on him, viewable here; and
see the list at the end of this entry). In coming entries I will continue to
look at his career, but more selectively. I will have some essay-like
statements to make about him that are apart from particular films, hopefully in
an entry or entries coming very soon.
Films of his I either definitely will review or am likely to
review include (and some reviews will be short [and some are already posted]):
Radio Days (1987) (the review is here)
Crimes and
Misdemeanors (1989) (the review is in Part 1 here and Part 2 here)
Manhattan Murder Mystery
(1993) (the review is here)
Bullets Over Broadway
(1994) (the review is here)
Mighty Aphrodite (1995) (to come)
Deconstructing Harry (1997) (to come)
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) (my truncated review is here)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) (my review is the first half of this)
Hollywood Ending (2002) (my review is the second half of this)
Anything Else (2003) (my review is here)
Match Point (2005) (my review is here)
Deconstructing Harry (1997) (to come)
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) (my truncated review is here)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) (my review is the first half of this)
Hollywood Ending (2002) (my review is the second half of this)
Anything Else (2003) (my review is here)
Match Point (2005) (my review is here)
A few others, as conditions allow
Intermission: Bits by Woody, gathered here like flotsam
Here are a few quotes and other things that relate to the
Woody Allen movies I’ve already reviewed, which either would be cumbersome to
put with the appropriate review, or which I forgot to include, or which stand
well as “afterthoughts.”
Related to Stardust Memories
(1980) (see my review here):
Bearing on the issue that the movie wasn’t about himself but
was a fictional concoction:
“The audience in the movie was just an exaggerated depiction
of what somebody [e.g., the film’s Sandy Bates] who couldn’t appreciate his
success might imagine under the pressure of being a hit and yet still being
unable to stave off life’s tragedies or have a real love relationship.”
—Allen in Eric Lax, Conversations with Woody Allen (New
York: Knopf, 2007), pp. 231-32
Epigraph I wanted to put with my review of Broadway Danny Rose (1984) (see my review here) and neglected to, due to a clumsy error in
handling my Word files:
“Not only is he a great agent, but he really gives good
meeting.”
—a bit player in Annie Hall (1977), in a scene with Hollywood and
music-industry movers, shakers, and miscellaneous others at a party at the
mansion of music producer Tony Lacy (played by Paul Simon); yes, I believe the
quote is accurate, and it definitely is meant to satirize
agent/producer/insider pretenses and lingo
##
Films I’ve already
covered:
Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975)
Interiors (1978)
Manhattan (1979)
Stardust Memories (1980)
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982) and Zelig (1983)
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
