Woody Allen
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- 19721h 28mR6.7 (42K)66MetascoreDirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenGene WilderLouise LasserSeven stories are trying to answer the question: what is sex? Or maybe they are not trying.Let's misbehave
These seven sexually oriented stories are based on original and interesting ideas, but the realization of the film is bad in every way. Cheap production, poorly written script and unnatural and forced humor leave an insipid taste in your mouth. The second story, about a man in love with a sheep, and the seventh, which represents a human organism as a machine operated by a large crew faced with a sex opportunity, in my opinion, deserve eight and seven out of ten. Although the ideas on which other stories are based also have a lot of potential, these ideas are wasted on a rather stupid film.
5,5/10 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsAlvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages."After that, it got pretty late and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I realized what a terrific person she was and how much fun it was just knowing her. And I thought of that old joke: this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, 'Doc, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken.' And the doctor says, 'Well, why don't you turn him in?' The guy says, 'I would, but I need the eggs.' Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships: they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, I guess, we keep goin' through it because most of us... need the eggs."
7/10 - DirectorGyörgy PálfiStarsIsabelle AdjaniAnouk AiméeWoody AllenA simple yet timeless love story between a man and a woman, told using scenes edited together from hundreds of other films."Umro je drug Tito"
One of the most original films I've ever seen is composed entirely of scenes stolen from other films. Hungarian director György Pálfi has made a universal romantic drama, skillfully and humorously combining clips from several hundred films, so black and white and color scenes, different genres and shooting techniques, actors, locations and epochs, rapidly alternate before our eyes, all followed by nicely blended music, also borrowed from other films and series. Clips were reportedly downloaded from torrent sites and, in order to avoid copyright lawsuits, the film was published as educational material by the Hungarian University of Film and Theater. It may seem confusing and even unwatchable at first, but do not let it deter you, because you will get used to it very quickly and after a few minutes you will no longer need extra concentration. The idea is ingenious, a realization hypnotizing, and I am afraid to even speculate how extensive his knowledge of world cinema is, as well as how much time and patience it took to assemble and edit this madness. Even if we disregard all the other qualities, the effort itself deserves a maximum rating. Bravo!
10/10 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonMariel HemingwayThe life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress."At this point in my life, if this is the best I can do, they shouldn't give me money to make movies."
A forty-year-old twice-divorced man leaves his seventeen-year-old girlfriend for the mistress of his married best friend, while his ex-wife, who left him for another woman, writes a book that reveals all the details of their (sexual) life, marriage, and parting.
Allen wouldn't be Allen if he didn't go to extremes, but although this sounds like a plot for a comedy, he used it for a very good study of romance and close relationships in general. In an hour and a half of this drama, imbued with his characteristic eccentric humor, which often causes discomfort rather than laughter, Allen portrayed realistic characters who, in an unsuccessful search for their own identity and fulfillment, run away from themselves through relationships. Of course, for the characters to be convincing, it is not enough just to be well written, but the performances of Allen himself in the lead role, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, and Meryl Streep do not lag behind. Add that to the beautiful black-and-white photography and music of George Gershwin performed by the New York Philharmonic led by Zubin Mehta, and we get a timeless classic. If you don't like this movie, ask yourself whether it might be because it led you to reexamine your own life which, consciously or subconsciously, you are not fulfilled with.
8/10 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMartin LandauWoody AllenBill BernsteinAn ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman."If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's not funny."
Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is a film about people, without embellishments or caricatures. A film whose plot serves only as a background for a thorough characterization of various characters and interpersonal relationships, as well as a good part of the films of this eccentric author.
It is based on dialogues and monologues, convincingly and naturally presented by an excellent cast, which, together with dialogues from Allen's other films of this type, put together a puzzle of his life philosophy.
There could be a lot of discussion about the situations, characters, and their relationships in this film, but any analysis would require serious spoilers, which I usually try to avoid wherever possible. I will only say that the situation, psychological development, and actions of one of the main characters irresistibly remind me of Raskolnikov, the protagonist of "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, who, judging by the title, was probably the inspiration for this film.
When it comes to Woody Allen, I think, you either like him or you don't, there's no middle ground. If you are one of the first, be sure to check out "Crimes and Misdemeanors".
8/10
Finally, a few quotes that made a stronger impression on me:
"We are all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions. Moral choices. Some are on a grand scale. Most of these choices are on lesser points. But! We define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are in fact the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, human happiness does not seem to have been included, in the design of creation. It is only we, with our capacity to love, that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying, and even to find joy from simple things like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more."
"Honey, you're the one who stopped sleeping with me, ok. It'll be a year come April 20th. I remember the date exactly, because it was Hitler's birthday."
"God is a luxury I can't afford."
"We must always remember, that we, when we are born, we need a great deal of love, in order to persuade us to stay in life. Once we get that love, it usually lasts. But, the universe is a pretty cold place. It's we who invested with our feelings and, under certain conditions, we feel that the thing isn't worth it anymore."
"I couldn't go on living if I didn't feel with all my heart a moral structure with real meaning and forgiveness and some kind of higher power. Otherwise, there's no basis to know how to live."
"What good is the law if it prevents me from receiving justice?" - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMichael CaineBetween two Thanksgivings two years apart, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly."For all my education, accomplishments, and so-called wisdom, I can't fathom my own heart."
"Hannah and Her Sisters" brings us the story of three sisters, close, but with very different characters. Hannah is a talented actress, who leaves her career to devote herself to the family. Meanwhile, her husband, Elliot, is having an affair with her youngest sister, Lee, while her ex-husband, a television comedy producer, and heavy hypochondriac, ends up with her other sister, Holly, who leads a bohemian life and is trying to make it as an actress.
Woody Allen took real people and real relationships from his own life and dramatized and caricatured them into a film nominated for seven Oscars that everyone can relate to. The backbone of the story is three family Thanksgivings, inspired by Bergman's film "Fanny and Alexander". The first gathering takes place before the plot and introduces us to the characters, the second occurs during the climax of the story, and the third after the denouement. The story is somewhat over-the-top, but it is essentially very realistic and life-like and represents an excellent study of various characters, who, if we honestly look at ourselves and the world around us, are not as eccentric and caricatured as they seem at first glance.
"God, she's beautiful. She's got the prettiest eyes. She looks so sexy in that sweater. I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her and tell her how much I love her and take care of her. Stop it, you idiot, she's your wife's sister. But I can't help it. I'm consumed by her. It's been months now. I dream about her, I - I - I think about her at the office. Oh, Lee, what am I gonna do? I hear myself moaning over you and it's disgusting. Before, when she squeezed past me at the doorway and I smelt that perfume on the back of her neck - Jesus, I - I thought I was gonna swoon. Easy! You're a dignified financial advisor. It doesn't look good for you to swoon."
Mia Farrow plays Hannah, a stable, capable woman who is always there for everyone and asks for nothing in return. She financially and sisterly supports her unstable and vice-prone sister Holly, masterfully played by Dianne Wiest, who deservedly won an Oscar for supporting actress. Michael Caine is Hannah's husband Elliot, a successful financial advisor who is secretly in love with her youngest sister, played by the captivating Barbara Hershey. His character is in the spotlight and the best developed, and his portrayal of moral and emotional turmoil (through which, I believe, every man with a bit of life experience has gone through at least once) won him an Oscar for a supporting male role. Hanna's hypochondriac ex-husband is played by Woody Allen himself. "Hannah and Her Sisters" was his most profitable film up to that point and brought him an Oscar for best screenplay and a nomination for directing.
The story from the head of Woody Allen, which is brought to life by such a strong first cast, is in my opinion a must-watch for every film buff. Especially when you consider that the top five are supported by names like Carrie Fisher, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, John Turturro, and Max Von Sydow.
8/10