Annie Hall Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Finally got to watch this after buying it in January. I thought the BD looked terrific. Still one of my two favorite Woody Allen movies, and I'll second the "wonderful evening" with Annie Hall comment.

I did notice the subtitle glitch, but it really only lasts a split second, and doesn't ruin the experience of the movie.

Sam,

What is your second favorite Woody Allen movie?
My favorites are Take The Money and Run, Bananas and
Annie Hall.

In fact, I like most all his films prior to Manhattan. I know
it's sacrilegious to not like Manhattan, but I was more
interested in his comedic ability over artistic.

Ha. Same here. I recognize Manhattan as being a pretty great film, but it's those first ... okay, wait a minute, it's:

Take the Money and Run
Bananas
Everything...About Sex
Sleeper
Love and Death
Annie Hall

that are the cream of the comedic crop, and will always = Woody Allen to me. And yes, I do like many of his others. But these are the canon.

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/318050/annie-hall-blu-ray-review#post_3921681
Sam,

What is your second favorite Woody Allen movie?
My favorites are Take The Money and Run, Bananas and
Annie Hall.

In fact, I like most all his films prior to Manhattan. I know
it's sacrilegious to not like Manhattan, but I was more
interested in his comedic ability over artistic.

Click to expand...

I think "Manhattan" is an overrated bore. It's the first sign of Full of Himself Woody. Rather than make fun of pretensions, he embraces them - a theme that unfortunately would dominate a lot of his later work...

So the two of you liked his early, funny films?
Manhattan has fantastic cinematography, it is the most visually stunning movie from Woody Allen and to my knowledge the only movie that he shot in scope.

Colin Jacobson said:

I think "Manhattan" is an overrated bore.  It's the first sign of Full of Himself Woody.  Rather than make fun of pretensions, he embraces them - a theme that unfortunately would dominate a lot of his later work...

Click to expand...

Interiors came before Manhattan (I think they are both great).

OliverK said:

/t/318050/annie-hall-blu-ray-review/30#post_3921840
Interiors came before Manhattan (I think they are both great).

Click to expand...

Correct, but to me, "Manhattan" was the clearer indication that he'd changed. "Interiors" was more of an experiment - Woody as Bergman - but "Manhattan" found him back in more traditional comedic fare. Sure, it leaned toward drama in some ways, but it was more "Annie Hall" than "Interiors".

I think it was the first time he took himself so seriously in a comedic setting - that's why it was more of a "jump the shark" moment to me...

I was such a huge fan of Woody's early years that
when I first saw Manhattan as a teen, all I kept
thinking was, "when is this film going to get funny?"

I don't think it ever did.

This is what makes horse racing. I think Manhattan is VERY funny. It's not slapstick like his early films, but the dialogue is very witty (especially Woody's and Diane's characters.) Certainly a comedy in the Annie Hall vein, and nowhere near a drama like Interiors. It's far and away my favorite Allen film all around considering the script, performances, photogrpahy and score.

Some of my favorite lines:

Isaac: I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics

Isaac: I got a kid. He's being raised by two women at the moment.
Mary: Oh, y'know, I think that works. They made some studies, I read in one of the psychoanalytic quarterlies. You don't need a male, I mean, two mothers are absolutely fine.
Isaac: Really? Because I always feel very few people survive one mother.

Mary: Don't psychoanalyze me. I pay a doctor for that.
Isaac: Hey, you call that guy that you talk to a doctor? I mean, you don't get suspicious when your analyst calls you at home at three in the morning and weeps into the telephone?

Colin Jacobson said:

Actually, I'm not wild about the totally comedic flicks like "Bananas" - they're hit or miss.  "Love and Death" and "Annie Hall" are Woody's best 70s films, IMO.
I like 80s fare like "Radio Days", "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Purple Rose", and Woody still makes the occasional good movie, though he puts out a lot more junk than good these days...

Click to expand...

I was quoting a line from Stardust Memories where a woman approaches him and tells Allen that she liked his early funny films
It has been a long time since I saw them but Purple Rose never worked for me. To me the 80ies was the last decade though where Woody consistently made an effort. He started taking things easier in the 90ies and in the new millenium even more so.
Still I enjoy most of his films to some degree and therefore I am happy he is putting out a movie every year like clockwork.

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/318050/annie-hall-blu-ray-review#post_3921681
Sam,

What is your second favorite Woody Allen movie?
My favorites are Take The Money and Run, Bananas and
Annie Hall.

In fact, I like most all his films prior to Manhattan. I know
it's sacrilegious to not like Manhattan, but I was more
interested in his comedic ability over artistic.

Click to expand...

Play It Again, Sam and Annie Hall are my favorites. Of course, Play It wasn't directed by Woody (he wrote it) , but it's still one of my favorites -- maybe because I share that obsession with Casablanca.

Annie Hall I saw in the theater when I was 11. Of course I didn't get it, and my mother yelled at my older brother for even suggesting I see it. As as kid, I had to see this movie that beat Star Wars at the 1978 Oscars. But there's a lot to love in AH, and I think it's a brilliant script with Oscar-worthy performances. One of the best movies of the 70s, a decade full of great movies.

I also love Take The Money and Run, Radio Days, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors. The latter two aren't full of laughs (Hannah has its moments), but are really good films. Bananas and Sleeper I need to see again soon. Manhattan was never a favorite, although it's a good film.

I have to add Play It Again, Sam to my list above. Almost did so when I wrote it last night. but I was being a purist since he didn't direct it, and that's silly. It's essential Woody and rates right up there with his own original films.

I was very very fortunate to have been introduced to both Casablanca and Play It Again, Sam, in a double feature (and in that order), probably around 1973, having no idea then what either had in store for me. I'll never forget that day.

I can't narrow it down to just two. These are what I'd consider Woody's 10 best (in chronological order):
Take The Money And Run
Annie Hall
Interiors
Manhattan
The Purple Rose Of Cairo
Crimes And Misdemeanors
Mighty Aphrodite
Everyone Says I Love You
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I've found it unusual that two of Allen's "Mia" films - Shadows and Fog and Another Woman - grew on me with multiple views. I didn't care much for them when I first saw them, but after getting the DVDs and watching them several times over a number of years, I really have grown very fond of them. Others like Radio Days, Zelig, Crimes and Misdemeanors, I loved from the start. After Deconstructing Harry, though, I found I didn't much care for the films he was making. I have liked (but not loved) Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, so the wonderful mixture of charm and emotional heft I felt with Midnight in Paris took me completely by surprise.

Egads! I still haven't gotten around to watching my copy yet.
Think I'll see about remedying that (w/ the missus) this afternoon during my "lunch break".
No time to compile my Allen faves now -- I'm probably not as much of an Allen-phile as most of y'all anyway. Maybe later...
Cheers!
_Man_