I just finished watching the PBS American Masters doc. on Woody Allen, which is available online. (Part 1 as of this writing and Part 2 shortly will follow.)
While this 3.5 hr doc. is mostly thorough, Part 1 and 2 are almost like different films. (I said almost.) Part 1 is the better half, since it goes into how Allen got involved in film in the first place, and covers his early development as an artist, his relationship with Diane Keaton, etc. Part 2 is more on commercialism and scandal, though it does cover his films with Mia Farrow.
But as for a few things that disappointed me: all the critics made it seem like Stardust Memories was a "misstep" and a "failure" of grand proportion, though none of them really stated why. Just read Dan's review and see how he disagrees with that. Stardust Memories is one of the greatest films I've ever seen in my life, so to call this masterpiece a "failure" even more than 30 years after the fact made me depressed a little.
The second disappointment is that the doc. didn't even mention Another Woman, which is another one of his greatest films. In fact, if I could rank his three best films overall, they would be Stardust Memories, Another Woman and Crimes and Misdemeanors. One out of those films was mentioned as a failure and the other wasn't even mentioned at all.
Yet why the boner for Matchpoint? Ah, because it made some money and sort of made him "cool" in a way, after various lackluster films like Jade Scorpion, Hollywood Ending and Anything Else. Though the doc. neglected to mention that Allen recycled his own material from Crimes and Misdemeanors, albeit differently. Granted, Matchpoint is a good film, but no Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Perhaps the most ridiculous was when they made it seem like A Mid Summer Night's Sex Comedy was somehow an indication that Allen was back on the "right track" after having "fallen off it" as result of Stardust Memories. Other than being the first film with Mia Farrow, it's just an ok, lite movie.
The doc. is worth the watch, even though I found the critics ill informed and overall ignorant about what makes for a great film. Oh, and for only calling Interiors "heavy." Heavy? That's all they can say about it? What a bunch of Joeys.
Showing posts with label woody allen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woody allen. Show all posts
11/21/11
11/18/10
7/21/10
2/25/10
2/23/10
Crimes And Misdemeanors- A poor loser....
'A poor loser agrees to do the story of a great man's life and in the process comes to learn deep values.'
1/28/10
1/23/10
Woody's Radio Days.
Dan and I were talking about Radio Days last night and we both think it is one of his greatest. What I particularly admire is his use of memory and narration. It is something I've used in my own works, where the speaker is recalling something and what is being recalled doesn't necessarily seem accurate, but you accept this as the speaker's memory.
Examples would be when the boy recalls his parents fighting over oceans or when he and his classmates remember the hot teacher in front of the class wiggling her ass, when in reality, his parents likely did not fight over oceans and the teacher did not wiggle her ass quite as much as he might remember--but the point is, this is how he has chosen to remember it. I use that as a technique myself and it can lead to much comic relief. Most intelligent people can catch onto this, but if you're a lit agent, you won't. Here's the trailer:
Watch more clips here.
Examples would be when the boy recalls his parents fighting over oceans or when he and his classmates remember the hot teacher in front of the class wiggling her ass, when in reality, his parents likely did not fight over oceans and the teacher did not wiggle her ass quite as much as he might remember--but the point is, this is how he has chosen to remember it. I use that as a technique myself and it can lead to much comic relief. Most intelligent people can catch onto this, but if you're a lit agent, you won't. Here's the trailer:
Watch more clips here.
12/3/09
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