From October 2010 to October 2011 I revisited each film from writer, director, and actor Woody Allen in preparation for 2011 – the 40th anniversary of the release of what is considered by many to be Allen’s first film, Bananas. Of course he did release a few films prior, but it was Bananas that was the first to begin the yearly string of releases that came to be known as the quintessential Woody Allen film.
Allen has for years been one of my top five favorite directors, and looking back at his long career (one film per year for 40 years) it’s really quite astounding. Sure, it’s true that most of the time Allen doesn’t branch out nearly as much as other filmmakers. But there is a particular and familiar universe that he has created and lives in 99% of the time, and it’s a style all his own, a world where he invites you into every year – to meet new characters, and the stories they have to tell.
My reviewing skills are admittedly not very strong, and the famous quote from Truman Capote – “it isn’t writing at all – it’s typing” – is never more prevalent than with these short reviews, but none the less this was very fun for me to revisit all these movies again over the past months – and exciting to share at least a few of my basic thoughts to the world (ha!) on one of my top five favorite filmmakers. The timing couldn’t be more fitting as well not only because of the 40th anniversary of Bananas, but because that year saw the release, surprisingly enough, of Allen’s biggest financial success in the United States – Midnight in Paris. These are in order of release, beginning with 1971’s Bananas and ending with 2011’s Midnight in Paris.
Woody Allen
A Ghostlife Retrospective
Celebrity
I’m not fully sure why after seeing this movie again after many years that I enjoyed it so much more – maybe it’s just one of those situations where the subject at hand gets better with age. When I initially saw it in the theater I was terribly annoyed with Kenneth Branagh playing the part that Allen would usually plays by doing a near complete impersonation, but now I found it quite fun and enjoyable. Maybe it’s simply the filling of the gap from the past few years where Allen hasn’t appeared in most of his films. Maybe also now that time has passed and the film’s s process of becoming more of an older film has progressed, it becomes all the more apparent the classic feel that a beautifully shot black & white film can bring to a movie. Watching this has been the greatest of surprises as I wasn’t looking forward to this one nearly as much, and as it turns out I’ve a new-found appreciation and thus I do recommend checking it out. An ageless Charlize Theron, an un-seasoned Leonardo DiCaprio, the consistently fantastic Judy Davis, then Winona Ryder, Melanie Griffith, and countless others all round out this take on modern-day celebrity, intertwined with the ups and downs of modern-day romances of course – this is Woody Allen after all. Lovely … surprisingly.
B
1998