Amazon.com video review:
Starting with 1971's Bananas, Woody Allen's second film as
director,
this set of eight movies includes all of Allen's work as a director up to
1980, when he wrestled with his own popularity in the Fellini-esque
Stardust Memories, showcasing the distinctive arc of a filmmaker who
moved from lighthearted movies to more serious fare that still remains
breathtaking after 20 years. In between those two movies, there are
wonderful trips of comedy, tragedy and romance to be had. Everything You
Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask is a hilarious
set of vignettes based on the popular instructional manual, the most
notable a segment featuring Gene Wilder's infatuation with a female sheep.
The futuristic Sleeper and the underrated Love and Death
showcase Allen at his funniest, especially the latter, which tackles the
weighty subjects of Russian novels and Bergman films with adroit parody.
Allen's Oscar-winning Annie Hall is one of the most joyous (and
melancholy) romances ever made, with a star-making turn by Diane Keaton and
a witty screenplay (cowritten with Marshall Brickman) that remains one of
Allen's best. Allen did a 180 with the Bergman-esque Interiors, a
sometimes stilted drama that nonetheless presaged the dysfunctional-family
drama of films like Ordinary People and featured outstanding
performances by Geraldine Page and Mary Beth Hurt, as well as unparalleled
cinematography by Gordon Willis. The last two films in the set--the
romantic Manhattan and the acidic Stardust Memories--are
both gorgeously shot in black and white and represent Allen at the peak of
his creative powers, as he wrestles with the meaning of life in terms of
both love and art, albeit from different perspectives. Indispensable to any
film fan, this boxed set represents nothing less than a landmark of
American cinema. --Mark Englehart
Amazon.com video review:
A collection of vignettes, loosely based on the book by Dr. David
Rueben,
written and directed by Woody Allen, Everything contains some very
funny
moments. It's easy to forget that the cerebral Allen excelled at the type
of broad, Catskill, dirty jokes and visual gags that run amok here. It's
also remarkable how dirty this 1972 movie really was--bestiality, exposure,
perversion, and S&M get their moments to shine. The Woody Allen here, who
appears in many of the sketches, is a portent of the seedy old Allen of
Deconstructing Harry. Although the final bit,
which takes place inside a man's body during a very hot date, is hilarious,
most of Everything feels like the screen adaptation of a '70s
bathroom
joke book. Still, a must for Allen fans. --Keith Simanton
