Director Series - Woody Allen

So I decided to take the whole movie list thing a little further.  I've made a list of directors in which I've seen a vast majority of their movies.  As a service to y'all, and as another reason to compile a list of something, I will feature one or two directors every few days and supply a tally of the movies of theirs that I've seen, and a little bit of what I think of them.  I've left off many, what most people would claim to be, premiere directors...those that may have revolutionized film in one way or another.  I've done this for a simple reason; I haven't seen many of their films.  Directors like Akira Kurowsawa, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Bunuel, Francois Truffaut and so on.  I've seen a few of their films, but the majority of the movies I watch are mainstream, American-made, stretching mostly from the 1970's to today.  So have a look, agree or disagree, and enjoy...

WOODY ALLEN
Birth Name: Allen Stewart Konigsberg
Birth Date: Dec. 1, 1935
Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York
Features Directed: 43 and counting
Features I've Seen: 38 (88%)

Woody Allen got his start as a comedy writer for the likes of The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show and Sid Caesar Specials.  This was in the mid-1950's, at the beginnings of television.  In 1961 he turned his attention to stand-up comedy where he invented his neurotic, nervous but intellectual persona that has served him so well through the years.  He soon began writing plays, his first success being Don't Drink The Water which ran on Broadway in 1966.  From this came the opportunity to write movie scripts - and the rest is history.  Allen has been nominated for a total of 21 Academy Awards throughout his illustrious career; 14 for screenwriting, 6 for directing and 1 for acting.  He has won 3 times.  As far as I can tell, his movies have garnered a total of 46 Academy Award nominations.  His style has changed through the years, starting off more slapstick comedy, turning to more intellectual comedies, reaching out to some high drama and back again.  But one thing that remains constant in his films is the feeling of the viewer eavesdropping on a character's life.  It's as if we are the proverbial fly-on-the-wall, listening in on big secrets and feelings.  Somehow, Allen has consistently gotten the best out of his actors, showing some on a level that may have not been noticed before.  He is easily the most prolific filmmaker of our time, rarely missing a year without releasing a new film.  What follows is a list of Woody Allen's movies I've seen, listed in three different categories, chronologically (imdb.com score in brackets):

MUST SEE
Bananas - 1971 (7.1): Woody's talent of slapstick scenes begins with this film.
Sleeper - 1973 (7.3):  Hilarious futuristic comedy
Love And Death - 1975 (7.7):  Rarely seen or talked about, but one of my faves!
Annie Hall - 1977 (8.2): What many consider to be Allen's masterpiece, originally written as a drama!
Manhattan - 1979 (8.1):  What I consider to be Allen's masterpiece...can watch it over and over again.
Zelig - 1983 (7.7): Brilliant idea, great photography, and funny.
The Purple Rose Of Cairo - 1985 (7.7): Another great idea, beautifully played by Mia Farrow.
Hannah And Her Sisters - 1986 (7.9): Phenomenal ensemble acting
Crimes And Misdemeanors - 1989 (8.0): Brilliant mix of comedy and drama.
Husbands And Wives - 1992 (7.4): Some more phenomenal ensemble acting.
Bullets Over Broadway - 1994 (7.5)
Match Point - 2005 (7.8):  Woody goes to London, and scores big!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - 2008 (7.3):  Definitely all about Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.


NICE TO SEE
Take The Money And Run - 1969 (7.2): The first intro to Woody's neurotic, nebbish.
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex - 1972 (6.8)
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy - 1982 (6.6)
Broadway Danny Rose - 1984 (7.4)
Radio Days - 1987 (7.5): A great love story to the past.
Another Woman - 1988 (7.3):  Gena Rowlands is AMAZING!
New York Stories (Oedipus Wrecks) - 1989 (6.2)
Alice - 1990 (6.5):  Woody's take on Alice In Wonderland
Manhattan Murder Mystery - 1993 (7.3): A lot of fun.
Mighty Aphrodite - 1995 (7.0):  The Greek chorus makes this film worth watching.
Deconstructing Harry - 1997 (7.3):  Robin Williams was great.
The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion - 2001 (6.7)
Melinda And Melinda - 2004 (6.5): Will Ferrell does alright, but its all about Chiwetel Ejiofor!
Scoop - 2006 (6.7)
Cassandra's Dream - 2007 (6.8):  Better than it looks, and great performances.
Whatever Works - 2009 (7.2):  Larry David does a great impression of Woody.
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger - 2010 (6.4)


NO NEED TO SEE
What's Up, Tiger Lily? - 1966 (6.1): An over-dub of a Japanese film, the joke went on too long.
Stardust Memories - 1980 (7.2): Allen's nod to Fellini's 8 1/2...I didn't like it.
September - 1987 (6.5):  A Bergman-esque tale that I found waaaaaay too slow
Everyone Says I Love You - 1996 (6.8):  A Woody Allen musical...I didn't enjoy.
Celebrity - 1998 (6.2):  Seemed to go nowhere.
Small Time Crooks - 2000 (6.5):  Probably my least favourite Woody Allen film.
Hollywood Ending - 2002 (6.4)
Anything Else - 2003 (6.3): Another one I never need to see again!

Ok, so that's it for Woody.  More directors to follow...stay tuned...