Woody Allen is a four-time Academy Award winner who has proved incredibly prolific in his decades-long career, writing, directing, and oftentimes starring in nearly a film a year for over 50 years. But how many of those are classics? Let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to a string of critically acclaimed absurdist comedies, including “Bananas” (1971) and “Sleeper” (1973).
He established himself as an important filmmaker with the romantic...
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to a string of critically acclaimed absurdist comedies, including “Bananas” (1971) and “Sleeper” (1973).
He established himself as an important filmmaker with the romantic...
- 11/25/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Pamela Shamshiri rocked the design world as one of the four founding partners of Commune, eventually leaving to found Studio Shamshiri, alongside her brother Ramin, in 2016. Since founding, Studio Shamshiri has tackled projects around the globe, ranging from legacy homes to boutique hotels, with a strong, narrative-driven sensibility that seamlessly merges their love of the past with their profound understanding of the needs of modern life. They’ve designed everything from celebrity houses (for clients including Anne Hathaway) to the 67-room Maison de la Luz hotel, located in a historic 1908 building in New Orleans. The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Pamela to discuss the studio’s recently released and highly recommended monograph, Shamshiri: Interiors (Rizzoli).
Pamela Shamshiri
What prompted you to do a book at this time?
Shamshiri: Interiors is a celebration of the first wave of work we’ve completed as a studio since our founding in 2016. It felt...
Pamela Shamshiri
What prompted you to do a book at this time?
Shamshiri: Interiors is a celebration of the first wave of work we’ve completed as a studio since our founding in 2016. It felt...
- 11/21/2023
- by Abigail Stone
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Anne Perry, the prolific crime novelist, died at a Los Angeles hospital on Monday, her literary agent Meg Davis confirmed to the New York Times. Perry was 84.
Perry, who was born as Juliet Marion Hulme, served five years in prison after being convicted of murdering her best friend Pauline Parker’s mother Honorah Rieper alongside Parker when they were just teenagers in 1954. Perry was just 15 years old and Parker was 16 at the time.
In 1994, Perry’s past came to light when director Peter Jackson based his film “Heavenly Creatures” on Perry’s story. Perry was played by Kate Winslet, who was making her onscreen acting debut in the film. Melanie Lynskey starred as Parker. “Heavenly Creatures” would end up being nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
Kate Winslet, left, and Melanie Lynskey in “Heavenly Creatures.” (Miramax)
Perry’s first novel “The Cater Street Hangman,” was published in 1979. The crime novel is...
Perry, who was born as Juliet Marion Hulme, served five years in prison after being convicted of murdering her best friend Pauline Parker’s mother Honorah Rieper alongside Parker when they were just teenagers in 1954. Perry was just 15 years old and Parker was 16 at the time.
In 1994, Perry’s past came to light when director Peter Jackson based his film “Heavenly Creatures” on Perry’s story. Perry was played by Kate Winslet, who was making her onscreen acting debut in the film. Melanie Lynskey starred as Parker. “Heavenly Creatures” would end up being nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
Kate Winslet, left, and Melanie Lynskey in “Heavenly Creatures.” (Miramax)
Perry’s first novel “The Cater Street Hangman,” was published in 1979. The crime novel is...
- 4/14/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Diane Keaton has been starring in films for five decades, taking on iconic role after role. In her almost 60 films, she has worked with actors like Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Michael Douglas. The list goes on and on.
Keaton grew up in Highland Park, CA, and got the acting bug at age 6 when she saw her mother crowned Mrs. Highland Park. It was then that she knew she wanted to be a famous movie star.
Diane Keaton’s career Diane Keaton attends the Ralph Lauren SS23 Runway Show. I Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Keaton’s career began at age 19 when she moved to New York to study acting. Her first role was in Hair on Broadway. Soon after, she was working with Woody Allen on the stage and film versions of Play It Again, Sam. Her next role was in The Godfather.
Keaton grew up in Highland Park, CA, and got the acting bug at age 6 when she saw her mother crowned Mrs. Highland Park. It was then that she knew she wanted to be a famous movie star.
Diane Keaton’s career Diane Keaton attends the Ralph Lauren SS23 Runway Show. I Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Keaton’s career began at age 19 when she moved to New York to study acting. Her first role was in Hair on Broadway. Soon after, she was working with Woody Allen on the stage and film versions of Play It Again, Sam. Her next role was in The Godfather.
- 4/12/2023
- by Stacy Feintuch
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The legendary RZA joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)
Cut Throat City (2020)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Grease (1978)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020
The Devil You Know (2022)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Porky’s (1981)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Carmen Jones (1954)
An American In Paris (1951)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Is That Black Enough for You?!?...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)
Cut Throat City (2020)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Grease (1978)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020
The Devil You Know (2022)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Porky’s (1981)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Carmen Jones (1954)
An American In Paris (1951)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Is That Black Enough for You?!?...
- 2/14/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Our first episode back in the studio! Robert Weide discusses a few of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Mother Night (1996)
Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989)
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Mary Poppins (1964)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Patton (1970) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Mash (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Lenny...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Mother Night (1996)
Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989)
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Mary Poppins (1964)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Patton (1970) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Mash (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Lenny...
- 11/30/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
We all enjoy movies that, if we had to write a review, we’d pan. Mine range from ’60s musical “Bye Bye Birdie” to Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually,” which has become a family Christmas staple. (That scene between Laura Linney and Rodrigo Santoro? Awful.)
During my ’80s stint at Film Comment Magazine, we published several directors’ guilty pleasures, from Michael Powell to Stephen King, as well as John Waters’ list of high-end art films, which included both Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema” and Woody Allen’s “Interiors.”
The latest entry to my guilty pleasures list is Bronx-born playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme,” a sublimely over-the-top, candy-cane romance that makes no sense whatsoever. It’s possible to imagine that a canny mainstream Hollywood director like Norman Jewison could have transformed Shanley’s adaptation of his 2014 Tony-nominated play “Outside Mullingar” (written after he turned 60 and inspired by his family...
During my ’80s stint at Film Comment Magazine, we published several directors’ guilty pleasures, from Michael Powell to Stephen King, as well as John Waters’ list of high-end art films, which included both Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema” and Woody Allen’s “Interiors.”
The latest entry to my guilty pleasures list is Bronx-born playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme,” a sublimely over-the-top, candy-cane romance that makes no sense whatsoever. It’s possible to imagine that a canny mainstream Hollywood director like Norman Jewison could have transformed Shanley’s adaptation of his 2014 Tony-nominated play “Outside Mullingar” (written after he turned 60 and inspired by his family...
- 12/13/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
We all enjoy movies that, if we had to write a review, we’d pan. Mine range from ’60s musical “Bye Bye Birdie” to Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually,” which has become a family Christmas staple. (That scene between Laura Linney and Rodrigo Santoro? Awful.)
During my ’80s stint at Film Comment Magazine, we published several directors’ guilty pleasures, from Michael Powell to Stephen King, as well as John Waters’ list of high-end art films, which included both Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema” and Woody Allen’s “Interiors.”
The latest entry to my guilty pleasures list is Bronx-born playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme,” a sublimely over-the-top, candy-cane romance that makes no sense whatsoever. It’s possible to imagine that a canny mainstream Hollywood director like Norman Jewison could have transformed Shanley’s adaptation of his 2014 Tony-nominated play “Outside Mullingar” (written after he turned 60 and inspired by his family...
During my ’80s stint at Film Comment Magazine, we published several directors’ guilty pleasures, from Michael Powell to Stephen King, as well as John Waters’ list of high-end art films, which included both Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema” and Woody Allen’s “Interiors.”
The latest entry to my guilty pleasures list is Bronx-born playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme,” a sublimely over-the-top, candy-cane romance that makes no sense whatsoever. It’s possible to imagine that a canny mainstream Hollywood director like Norman Jewison could have transformed Shanley’s adaptation of his 2014 Tony-nominated play “Outside Mullingar” (written after he turned 60 and inspired by his family...
- 12/13/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Actress Alex Essoe walks is through some of her favorite dream sequences.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Starry Eyes (2014)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)
Mandy (2018), as usual
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Death of Me (2020)
Life Dances On (1937)
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
I Love You, Alice B Toklas (1968)
Papillon (1973)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Conversation (1974)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Nashville (1975)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Shutter Island (2010)
The Exorcist III (1990)
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
Another Woman (1988)
Stardust Memories (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Interiors (1978)
Dumbo (1941)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fletch (1985)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Dreams (1990)
Ran (1985)
Homewrecker (2019)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Other Notable Items
Howard Hughes
Panos Cosmatos
The Haunting of Bly Manor TV series (2020)
Shelley Duvall
Tfh Guru Darren Lynn Bousman
The American Cinematheque
The New Beverly Theatre
Julien Duvivier
Jean Renoir
Jean-Luc Godard
François Truffaut
John Cassavetes...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Starry Eyes (2014)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)
Mandy (2018), as usual
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Death of Me (2020)
Life Dances On (1937)
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
I Love You, Alice B Toklas (1968)
Papillon (1973)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Conversation (1974)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Nashville (1975)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Shutter Island (2010)
The Exorcist III (1990)
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
Another Woman (1988)
Stardust Memories (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Interiors (1978)
Dumbo (1941)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fletch (1985)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Dreams (1990)
Ran (1985)
Homewrecker (2019)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Other Notable Items
Howard Hughes
Panos Cosmatos
The Haunting of Bly Manor TV series (2020)
Shelley Duvall
Tfh Guru Darren Lynn Bousman
The American Cinematheque
The New Beverly Theatre
Julien Duvivier
Jean Renoir
Jean-Luc Godard
François Truffaut
John Cassavetes...
- 10/20/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSFor Vogue France, portraits of a stylish Jean-Luc Godard in his Swiss home by Hedi Slimane. The full program for the 2020 Venice Film Festival, now revealed, includes films from Lav Diaz, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Ann Hui, and Chloé Zhao. This year's impressive jury (selected in light of travel restrictions) will include Cate Blanchett, Christian Petzold, Joanna Hogg, and Cristi Puiu. Recommended VIEWINGPresented by the Maysles Documentary Center, "After Civilization" is a series featuring documentaries that "employ speculative techniques to reckon with ecological crisis and the ongoing material violences of dispossession." The films, from John Akomfrah's Afrofuturist essay film The Last Angel of History to Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil's Inaate/Se/ [it shines a certain way. to a certain place/it flies. falls./], are available for free until August 15. Madrid-based La Casa Encendida also has an ongoing screening series, entitled "Some Letters Make the Night Last a Moment Longer.
- 7/31/2020
- MUBI
Joel Schumacher, the outspoken and shameless American filmmaker whose often flamboyant productions have become cult classics, died Monday morning at the age of 80. He passed away peacefully after a year-long battle with cancer, Schumacher’s representatives confirmed to IndieWire. His last efforts behind the camera were directing two episodes of the Netflix series “House of Cards” in 2013, though he’d since continued to regale with his unfiltered stories of Hollywood lore, most recently in a 2019 profile of the filmmaker in New York Magazine.
Born in New York City, Schumacher studied at Parsons New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology — an education that informed his dazzling visual style as a filmmaker — before moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. His earliest credits in Hollywood included as costume designer on “Play It as It Lays” and Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” and “Interiors,” and as screenwriter of cult favorites “Sparkle,...
Born in New York City, Schumacher studied at Parsons New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology — an education that informed his dazzling visual style as a filmmaker — before moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. His earliest credits in Hollywood included as costume designer on “Play It as It Lays” and Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” and “Interiors,” and as screenwriter of cult favorites “Sparkle,...
- 6/22/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Joel Schumacher, the outspoken and shameless American filmmaker whose often flamboyant productions have become cult classics, died Monday morning at the age of 80. He passed away peacefully after a year-long battle with cancer, Schumacher’s representatives confirmed to IndieWire. His last efforts behind the camera were directing two episodes of the Netflix series “House of Cards” in 2013, though he’d since continued to regale with his unfiltered stories of Hollywood lore, most recently in a 2019 profile of the filmmaker in New York Magazine.
Born in New York City, Schumacher studied at Parsons New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology — an education that informed his dazzling visual style as a filmmaker — before moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. His earliest credits in Hollywood included as costume designer on “Play It as It Lays” and Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” and “Interiors,” and as screenwriter of cult favorites “Sparkle,...
Born in New York City, Schumacher studied at Parsons New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology — an education that informed his dazzling visual style as a filmmaker — before moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. His earliest credits in Hollywood included as costume designer on “Play It as It Lays” and Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” and “Interiors,” and as screenwriter of cult favorites “Sparkle,...
- 6/22/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Joel Schumacher, who directed some two dozen films including Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Brat Pack pics St. Elmo’s Fire and The Lost Boys along with Falling Down and John Grisham adaptations The Client and A Time to Kill, died today. He was 80.
His publicists at ID PR said he had a yearlong battle with cancer.
Schumacher was revered as one of Hollywood’s great storytellers. He had enormous charm and wit and could walk onto a tense set and instantly change everyone’s mood. It was magic chemistry.
His credits also include the 1980s pics D.C. Cab and The Incredible Shrinking Woman. He also helmed The Phantom of the Opera, Flatliners, Flawless, 8Mm Phone Booth, Trespass and most recently two 2013 episodes of Netflix’s House of Cards.
Notable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2020: Photo Gallery
The native New Yorker also wrote the 1976 low-budget comedy Car Wash and the...
His publicists at ID PR said he had a yearlong battle with cancer.
Schumacher was revered as one of Hollywood’s great storytellers. He had enormous charm and wit and could walk onto a tense set and instantly change everyone’s mood. It was magic chemistry.
His credits also include the 1980s pics D.C. Cab and The Incredible Shrinking Woman. He also helmed The Phantom of the Opera, Flatliners, Flawless, 8Mm Phone Booth, Trespass and most recently two 2013 episodes of Netflix’s House of Cards.
Notable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2020: Photo Gallery
The native New Yorker also wrote the 1976 low-budget comedy Car Wash and the...
- 6/22/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Barcroft Studios has been bought by Future in a £23.5 million ($30.1 million) deal. The U.K.-based production outfit specializes in factual fare for channels and platforms, and its own branded channels on the likes of YouTube. Future is a U.K.-listed print and online publishing and events business.
Sam Barcroft will stay on as CEO at the production company that he founded in 2003. Barcroft has a track record of developing content for digital platforms that has then been worked up for traditional linear channels. Its shows include Netflix’s “Amazing Interiors,” as well as “Hooked on the Look” and “Beast Buddies.”
After the Future deal closes, it will continue to develop and produce series for its own channels and third parties, and will also create original content for Future’s brands, which include TechRadar, PC Gamer, MusicRadar, Space.com, Android Central, Real Homes, and Total Film.
The sale is expected to be...
Sam Barcroft will stay on as CEO at the production company that he founded in 2003. Barcroft has a track record of developing content for digital platforms that has then been worked up for traditional linear channels. Its shows include Netflix’s “Amazing Interiors,” as well as “Hooked on the Look” and “Beast Buddies.”
After the Future deal closes, it will continue to develop and produce series for its own channels and third parties, and will also create original content for Future’s brands, which include TechRadar, PC Gamer, MusicRadar, Space.com, Android Central, Real Homes, and Total Film.
The sale is expected to be...
- 11/15/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Why so serious? While some filmmakers get their start making cheaply made B-movies or horror films, there’s a new crop of directors emerging who previously cut their teeth making classic comedies. And while most haven’t abandoned their sense of humor entirely, they’ve finally been recognized at both the box office and awards circuit by veering into prestige pictures. The latest example is Todd Phillips, the director of “Joker,” which as the darkly disturbed origin story of the iconic Batman villain is no laughing matter. Here are some other directors who have re-emerged as more than just funny men.
Preston Sturges – Comedy Classic: “The Lady Eve”/Dramatic Turn: “Sullivan’s Travels”
Preston Sturges, one of the signature directors of Old Hollywood, would likely still be admired today based solely on the success of his screwball comedies like “The Great McGinty” and “The Lady Eve.” But he took a...
Preston Sturges – Comedy Classic: “The Lady Eve”/Dramatic Turn: “Sullivan’s Travels”
Preston Sturges, one of the signature directors of Old Hollywood, would likely still be admired today based solely on the success of his screwball comedies like “The Great McGinty” and “The Lady Eve.” But he took a...
- 10/2/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Woody Allen celebrates his 83rd birthday on December 1, 2018. The four-time Academy Award winner has proved incredibly prolific in his decades-long career, writing, directing, and oftentimes starring in nearly a film a year for almost 50 years. But how many of those are classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to...
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to...
- 12/1/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Best Picture and Best Director matched up almost completely at the Oscars during the 1970s, with one notable exception in 1972 when Bob Fosse won Best Director for “Cabaret” while “The Godfather” won Best Picture. This was a decade of sweeps for many of the films that won Best Picture, and their respective directors were rightfully rewarded for bringing all the technical elements together into one cohesive narrative. But which Best Director Oscar winner of the 1970s is your favorite? Look back on each winner and vote in our poll below.
Franklin J. Schaffner, “Patton” (1970) — Schaffner was the first Best Director winner of the 1970s for “Patton,” his epic George S. Patton biopic. He was not nominated for any other Oscars, though he did collect three Primetime Emmys for multiple projects in the ’50s and ’60s.
SEEMilos Forman (‘Amadeus’) voted top Best Director Oscar winner of 1980s, as orchestrated by you [Poll Results]
William Friedkin,...
Franklin J. Schaffner, “Patton” (1970) — Schaffner was the first Best Director winner of the 1970s for “Patton,” his epic George S. Patton biopic. He was not nominated for any other Oscars, though he did collect three Primetime Emmys for multiple projects in the ’50s and ’60s.
SEEMilos Forman (‘Amadeus’) voted top Best Director Oscar winner of 1980s, as orchestrated by you [Poll Results]
William Friedkin,...
- 7/2/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
The Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners of the 1980s include both well-known leading ladies and beloved veteran actresses. The decade saw stars like Jessica Lange, Geena Davis and Anjelica Huston earn their Oscars, joining Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Linda Hunt, Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, who have all had solid careers since their wins. The decade also has two winning actresses that have since died, Maureen Stapleton and Peggy Ashcroft, though their performances will not be forgotten.
Who is your favorite Best Supporting Actress winner of the 1980s? Look back on each and vote in our poll below.
Mary Steenburgen, “Melvin and Howard” (1980) — The decade started off with Steenburgen winning her Oscar for “Melvin and Howard,” about Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat), who claimed to be the heir of Howard Hughes‘ fortune. Steenburgen plays Lynda, Melvin’s wife who takes up stripping and is frustrated by Melvin’s behavior. This...
Who is your favorite Best Supporting Actress winner of the 1980s? Look back on each and vote in our poll below.
Mary Steenburgen, “Melvin and Howard” (1980) — The decade started off with Steenburgen winning her Oscar for “Melvin and Howard,” about Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat), who claimed to be the heir of Howard Hughes‘ fortune. Steenburgen plays Lynda, Melvin’s wife who takes up stripping and is frustrated by Melvin’s behavior. This...
- 3/25/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
The 1980s saw several legendary dames winning Best Actress at the Oscars, including academy favorites like Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep. The entire decade was a good one for women dominating their films, like Sissy Spacek, Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Geraldine Page, Cher and Jodie Foster. The ’80s also set records that still stand today, with Marlee Matlin being the youngest Best Actress winner at age 21 and Jessica Tandy being the oldest winner at 80.
So which Best Actress winner from the ’80s is your favorite? Look back on each of their performances and vote in our poll below.
Sissy Spacek, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1980) — The ’80s began with Spacek earning her Oscar for playing country music star Loretta Lynn in the biopic “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Spacek earned a previous nomination for “Carrie” (1976) and four subsequent nominations, for: “Missing” (1982), “The River” (1984), “Crimes of the Heart” (1986) and “In the Bedroom” (2001).
SEE...
So which Best Actress winner from the ’80s is your favorite? Look back on each of their performances and vote in our poll below.
Sissy Spacek, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1980) — The ’80s began with Spacek earning her Oscar for playing country music star Loretta Lynn in the biopic “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Spacek earned a previous nomination for “Carrie” (1976) and four subsequent nominations, for: “Missing” (1982), “The River” (1984), “Crimes of the Heart” (1986) and “In the Bedroom” (2001).
SEE...
- 3/20/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
This article marks Part 2 of the 21-part Gold Derby series analyzing Meryl Streep at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at Meryl Streep’s nominations, the performances that competed with her, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the contenders.
In 1978, Meryl Streep, already renowned for her work on the New York stage, grabbed the attention of moviegoers across the country with her Oscar-nominated turn in the Best Picture champ “The Deer Hunter.” That year, however, would seem minor in comparison to what was on the horizon in 1979.
Streep was about to work with three of the decade’s hottest directors – Woody Allen, at his most in-demand after “Annie Hall” (1977) and “Interiors” (1978); Robert Benton, whose “The Late Show” (1977) was a big hit; and Jerry Schatzberg, who won critical acclaim with “The Panic in Needle Park” (1971) and “Scarecrow” (1973).
The resulting trio of Allen’s “Manhattan,” Benton’s “Kramer vs.
In 1978, Meryl Streep, already renowned for her work on the New York stage, grabbed the attention of moviegoers across the country with her Oscar-nominated turn in the Best Picture champ “The Deer Hunter.” That year, however, would seem minor in comparison to what was on the horizon in 1979.
Streep was about to work with three of the decade’s hottest directors – Woody Allen, at his most in-demand after “Annie Hall” (1977) and “Interiors” (1978); Robert Benton, whose “The Late Show” (1977) was a big hit; and Jerry Schatzberg, who won critical acclaim with “The Panic in Needle Park” (1971) and “Scarecrow” (1973).
The resulting trio of Allen’s “Manhattan,” Benton’s “Kramer vs.
- 1/30/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
This article marks Part 1 of the 21-part Gold Derby series analyzing Meryl Streep at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at Meryl Streep’s nominations, the performances that competed with her, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the contenders.
Prior to 1978, Meryl Streep was best-known for her acclaimed New York stage work. She made five Broadway appearances between 1975 and 1977, including a turn in “A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton” (1976) that brought Streep her first – and to date, only – Tony Award nomination. Her sole big screen appearance was a small, albeit memorable, turn opposite Jane Fonda in “Julia” (1977).
Streep’s name recognition increased significantly in 1978. First, there was her much-heralded performance in the epic NBC miniseries “Holocaust” that resulted in an Emmy Award. It was her second-ever appearance in a feature film, however – and in a Best Picture Academy Awards winner, no...
Prior to 1978, Meryl Streep was best-known for her acclaimed New York stage work. She made five Broadway appearances between 1975 and 1977, including a turn in “A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton” (1976) that brought Streep her first – and to date, only – Tony Award nomination. Her sole big screen appearance was a small, albeit memorable, turn opposite Jane Fonda in “Julia” (1977).
Streep’s name recognition increased significantly in 1978. First, there was her much-heralded performance in the epic NBC miniseries “Holocaust” that resulted in an Emmy Award. It was her second-ever appearance in a feature film, however – and in a Best Picture Academy Awards winner, no...
- 1/29/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
In this week’s edition of Canon Of Film, we take a look at one of Woody Allen‘s most popular films, ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’. For the story behind the genesis of the Canon, you can click here.
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Director/Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Part dark tragedy, part dark comedy, or is it all comedy? It’s certainly all dark to say the least. Considered by almost everybody as one of Woody Allen’s very best films (although I’m not sure Woody would agree), ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’, wasn’t his first dramatic film, that was the Ingmar Bergman-esque ‘Interiors,’ and it certainly wasn’t his last comedy, yet it clearly represents the moment in Allen’s career when he started to abandon comedy in favor of drama and tragedy. Well, maybe “abandon,” is the wrong word, but he certainly began to lose interest in comedy around here.
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Director/Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Part dark tragedy, part dark comedy, or is it all comedy? It’s certainly all dark to say the least. Considered by almost everybody as one of Woody Allen’s very best films (although I’m not sure Woody would agree), ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’, wasn’t his first dramatic film, that was the Ingmar Bergman-esque ‘Interiors,’ and it certainly wasn’t his last comedy, yet it clearly represents the moment in Allen’s career when he started to abandon comedy in favor of drama and tragedy. Well, maybe “abandon,” is the wrong word, but he certainly began to lose interest in comedy around here.
- 11/14/2017
- by David Baruffi
- Age of the Nerd
Any list of the greatest foreign directors currently working today has to include Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The directors first rose to prominence in the mid 1990s with efforts like “The Promise” and “Rosetta,” and they’ve continued to excel in the 21st century with titles such as “The Kid With A Bike” and “Two Days One Night,” which earned Marion Cotillard a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Read MoreThe Dardenne Brothers’ Next Film Will Be a Terrorism Drama
The directors will be back in U.S. theaters with the release of “The Unknown Girl” on September 8, which is a long time coming considering the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. While you continue to wait for their new movie, the brothers have provided their definitive list of 79 movies from the 20th century that you must see. La Cinetek published the list in full and is hosting many...
Read MoreThe Dardenne Brothers’ Next Film Will Be a Terrorism Drama
The directors will be back in U.S. theaters with the release of “The Unknown Girl” on September 8, which is a long time coming considering the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. While you continue to wait for their new movie, the brothers have provided their definitive list of 79 movies from the 20th century that you must see. La Cinetek published the list in full and is hosting many...
- 8/7/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
When Diane Keaton accepted the 45th AFI Life Achievement Award from Woody Allen in Hollywood Thursday night, it was the end of one of the more memorable AFI tributes. And as one actress after another explained why Keaton was such a significant role model — from Oscar-winners Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon (Keaton-directed TV movie “Wildflower”) and Meryl Streep (“Marvin’s Room”) to Rachel McAdams (“The Family Stone”) and comedienne Lisa Kudrow (“Hanging Up”) — it struck me that all actresses should pay attention to why Keaton is so admired and emulated.
Here are some wise lessons to be learned from the star of “Play It Again Sam,” “The First Wives Club,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Shoot the Moon,” and HBO’s “The Young Pope.”
1. Stay single.
Keaton launched her Hollywood career with the day-long wedding scene in “The Godfather,” at the end of which she and fellow theater outsider Al Pacino proceeded to get royally drunk.
Here are some wise lessons to be learned from the star of “Play It Again Sam,” “The First Wives Club,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Shoot the Moon,” and HBO’s “The Young Pope.”
1. Stay single.
Keaton launched her Hollywood career with the day-long wedding scene in “The Godfather,” at the end of which she and fellow theater outsider Al Pacino proceeded to get royally drunk.
- 6/9/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
When Diane Keaton accepted the 45th AFI Life Achievement Award from Woody Allen in Hollywood Thursday night, it was the end of one of the more memorable AFI tributes. And as one actress after another explained why Keaton was such a significant role model — from Oscar-winners Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon (Keaton-directed TV movie “Wildflower”) and Meryl Streep (“Marvin’s Room”) to Rachel McAdams (“The Family Stone”) and comedienne Lisa Kudrow (“Hanging Up”) — it struck me that all actresses should pay attention to why Keaton is so admired and emulated.
Here are some wise lessons to be learned from the star of “Play It Again Sam,” “The First Wives Club,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Shoot the Moon,” and HBO’s “The Young Pope.”
1. Stay single.
Keaton launched her Hollywood career with the day-long wedding scene in “The Godfather,” at the end of which she and fellow theater outsider Al Pacino proceeded to get royally drunk.
Here are some wise lessons to be learned from the star of “Play It Again Sam,” “The First Wives Club,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Shoot the Moon,” and HBO’s “The Young Pope.”
1. Stay single.
Keaton launched her Hollywood career with the day-long wedding scene in “The Godfather,” at the end of which she and fellow theater outsider Al Pacino proceeded to get royally drunk.
- 6/9/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“A Long Day’S Journey Into A Little Night Silence”
By Raymond Benson
Woody’s Allen’s first dramatic feature film, Interiors, released in 1978 on the heels of his hugely successful and Oscar-winning masterpiece, Annie Hall, was met with praise by some and head-scratching by others. Most critics, however, acknowledged that the picture was a step the artist needed to take in his evolution as a filmmaker.
Prior to Annie Hall, Allen’s films were zany comedies—the “early funny ones,” as facetiously described in a later work, Stardust Memories. Beginning with Annie, Allen made a quantum leap forward in originality, confidence, and stylistic maturity. He reinvented the romantic comedy. In many ways, Annie Hall is a movie with a European sensibility. It could be argued that Allen’s body of work post-Annie resembles the kind of material made by a director like, say, Francois Truffaut—small, well-written, intimate gems about people,...
By Raymond Benson
Woody’s Allen’s first dramatic feature film, Interiors, released in 1978 on the heels of his hugely successful and Oscar-winning masterpiece, Annie Hall, was met with praise by some and head-scratching by others. Most critics, however, acknowledged that the picture was a step the artist needed to take in his evolution as a filmmaker.
Prior to Annie Hall, Allen’s films were zany comedies—the “early funny ones,” as facetiously described in a later work, Stardust Memories. Beginning with Annie, Allen made a quantum leap forward in originality, confidence, and stylistic maturity. He reinvented the romantic comedy. In many ways, Annie Hall is a movie with a European sensibility. It could be argued that Allen’s body of work post-Annie resembles the kind of material made by a director like, say, Francois Truffaut—small, well-written, intimate gems about people,...
- 3/14/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
35 years ago, the actress sang the body electric.
The handful of actresses I associate with motherhood include ’80s movie and TV staples Dee Wallace, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Joanna Kerns, Judith Light, and Meredith Baxter. They were the ones that comforted me when I was a kid. But when it comes to images of grandmothers, only one woman comes to mind: Maureen Stapleton.
On January 17, 1982, Stapleton was only 55 years old. She had three Academy Award nominations under her belt and was about to receive her fourth. She would win that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the end of March for her performance as Emma Goldman in Reds. But on this particular night, she was on television in the title role of The Electric Grandmother.
The Emmy-nominated NBC special, part of the network’s Peacock Theatre, was co-written by Ray Bradbury based on his 1962 Twilight Zone episode “I Sing the Body Electric,” the...
The handful of actresses I associate with motherhood include ’80s movie and TV staples Dee Wallace, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Joanna Kerns, Judith Light, and Meredith Baxter. They were the ones that comforted me when I was a kid. But when it comes to images of grandmothers, only one woman comes to mind: Maureen Stapleton.
On January 17, 1982, Stapleton was only 55 years old. She had three Academy Award nominations under her belt and was about to receive her fourth. She would win that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the end of March for her performance as Emma Goldman in Reds. But on this particular night, she was on television in the title role of The Electric Grandmother.
The Emmy-nominated NBC special, part of the network’s Peacock Theatre, was co-written by Ray Bradbury based on his 1962 Twilight Zone episode “I Sing the Body Electric,” the...
- 1/17/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
“Allen’S 9-1/2”
By Raymond Benson
If one facetiously counted the number of films Woody Allen made beginning in 1969 and throughout the 70s, there would be eight that he wrote and directed (seven of which he also starred in), plus a movie that he only wrote and starred in—Play It Again, Sam, for which I’ll count as 1/2, making Stardust Memories number 9-1/2. Appropriately, this film seems to intentionally pay homage to Federico Fellini’s own masterwork, 8-1/2 (1963), which was about a filmmaker who didn’t know what movie he wanted to shoot next. Stardust Memories, released in 1980 after the huge successes of Annie Hall and Manhattan (with critically-acclaimed Interiors in-between), is also about a filmmaker in search of the picture he wants to make.
It wasn’t well-received at the time. I recall leaving the theater in anger. How could Woody be so contemptuous of his audience? It was as if his character,...
By Raymond Benson
If one facetiously counted the number of films Woody Allen made beginning in 1969 and throughout the 70s, there would be eight that he wrote and directed (seven of which he also starred in), plus a movie that he only wrote and starred in—Play It Again, Sam, for which I’ll count as 1/2, making Stardust Memories number 9-1/2. Appropriately, this film seems to intentionally pay homage to Federico Fellini’s own masterwork, 8-1/2 (1963), which was about a filmmaker who didn’t know what movie he wanted to shoot next. Stardust Memories, released in 1980 after the huge successes of Annie Hall and Manhattan (with critically-acclaimed Interiors in-between), is also about a filmmaker in search of the picture he wants to make.
It wasn’t well-received at the time. I recall leaving the theater in anger. How could Woody be so contemptuous of his audience? It was as if his character,...
- 1/5/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Variety Amber Heard donates her entire divorce settlement from Johnny Depp to charity
Pajiba ... she also apparently passed on receiving residuals from his movies
Monkey See funny talk about the new Ben-Hur and the long shadow of its 1959 Best Picture predecessor
Kenneth in the (212) alerts us to a new webseries on Woody Allen movies. 10 things about Interiors this time
Olympic play, Nate Parker controversy, and Donald Trump as movie critic after the jump...
Pajiba ... she also apparently passed on receiving residuals from his movies
Monkey See funny talk about the new Ben-Hur and the long shadow of its 1959 Best Picture predecessor
Kenneth in the (212) alerts us to a new webseries on Woody Allen movies. 10 things about Interiors this time
Olympic play, Nate Parker controversy, and Donald Trump as movie critic after the jump...
- 8/19/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
This Friday, Café Society, the latest release from writer/director/comic godhead Woody Allen, waltzes into theaters — the 47th feature Allen has directed over a career spanning 50 years. (Yes, we're counting New York Stories.) He's had box-office successes and outright bombs, Oscar-winning masterpieces and critically panned duds. But regardless of his movies' receptions (and the reoccurring rumors about his personal life), he's managed to pump out a film a year with impressive regularity. Some key elements have stayed the same — once a jazz clarinet slinks onto the soundtrack, audiences know exactly who they're dealing with.
- 7/13/2016
- Rollingstone.com
This Friday, Café Society, the latest release from writer/director/comic godhead Woody Allen, waltzes into theaters — the 47th feature Allen has directed over a career spanning 50 years. (Yes, we're counting New York Stories.) He's had box-office successes and outright bombs, Oscar-winning masterpieces and critically panned duds. But regardless of his movies' receptions (and the reoccurring rumors about his personal life), he's managed to pump out a film a year with impressive regularity. Some key elements have stayed the same — once a jazz clarinet slinks onto the soundtrack, audiences know exactly who they're dealing with.
- 7/13/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Eric here with thinking about the past 40 years of Oscars Best Director category.
This past Saturday, director Michael Cimino passed away at age 77. Cimino won the Best Director Oscar for 1978’s The Deer Hunter, beating Woody Allen (Interiors), Hal Ashby (Coming Home), Warren Beatty and Buck Henry (Heaven Can Wait), and Alan Parker (Midnight Express). While those five actual films are of varying quality, the names behind them are all heavyweights and it was formidable company.
The Deer Hunter was a divisive film upon its release and remains so today (praised for its leisurely-paced first half and its capture of inexpressive male friendship; criticized for the Russian Roulette melodrama and its depiction of the Vietnamese). With The Deer Hunter, Cimino aimed to make something epic and classically Greek in its storytelling, and watching the film you can actually feel his young talent. Cimino next famously (infamously?) went on to direct 1980’s Heaven’s Gate,...
This past Saturday, director Michael Cimino passed away at age 77. Cimino won the Best Director Oscar for 1978’s The Deer Hunter, beating Woody Allen (Interiors), Hal Ashby (Coming Home), Warren Beatty and Buck Henry (Heaven Can Wait), and Alan Parker (Midnight Express). While those five actual films are of varying quality, the names behind them are all heavyweights and it was formidable company.
The Deer Hunter was a divisive film upon its release and remains so today (praised for its leisurely-paced first half and its capture of inexpressive male friendship; criticized for the Russian Roulette melodrama and its depiction of the Vietnamese). With The Deer Hunter, Cimino aimed to make something epic and classically Greek in its storytelling, and watching the film you can actually feel his young talent. Cimino next famously (infamously?) went on to direct 1980’s Heaven’s Gate,...
- 7/6/2016
- by Eric Blume
- FilmExperience
Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston play a pair of friends locked in a dysfunctional relationship poisoned by resentment
Alex Ross Perry’s Queen of Earth drags the fingernails of its emotional pain down the blackboard. The atmosphere crackles with resentment: this film is exclusively and rather bafflingly populated by people who dislike each other intensely – even, or especially, people who are supposed to like each other.
It is a pungent chamber piece, starring Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston, shot almost entirely in closeup, about two women locked in a dysfunctional friendship that has long ago been poisoned by competitive envy and resentment. Like Perry’s previous movie, Listen Up Philip, this is a film about unbearably entitled people, and once again there are Woody Allen influences, but no comedy now. This is the world of Interiors and the late-70s Allen’s interface with Bergman.
Continue reading...
Alex Ross Perry’s Queen of Earth drags the fingernails of its emotional pain down the blackboard. The atmosphere crackles with resentment: this film is exclusively and rather bafflingly populated by people who dislike each other intensely – even, or especially, people who are supposed to like each other.
It is a pungent chamber piece, starring Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston, shot almost entirely in closeup, about two women locked in a dysfunctional friendship that has long ago been poisoned by competitive envy and resentment. Like Perry’s previous movie, Listen Up Philip, this is a film about unbearably entitled people, and once again there are Woody Allen influences, but no comedy now. This is the world of Interiors and the late-70s Allen’s interface with Bergman.
Continue reading...
- 6/30/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Nobody has ever won a Golden Globe for directing the year after losing here and then going on to win at the Oscars. Will Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who contends for “The Revenant,” be able to do what even Woody Allen could not? -Break- Subscribe to Gold Derby Breaking News Alerts & Experts’ Latest Oscar Predictions In 1977 Allen was nominated for four Golden Globes for “Annie Hall”: Best Comedy/Musical Picture, Comedy/Musical Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. He did not have a great night losing all four races and having to find solace in Diane Keaton winning Best Comedy/Musical Actress. A couple of months later he would have a great night at the Oscars when “Annie Hall” won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (as well as a trophy for Keaton). In 1978 Allen returned to the Globes with “Interiors.” However, he lost Best Director to Michael Cimino...
- 1/4/2016
- Gold Derby
A striking 180 degree turn that demonstrates a sharp versatility and impressive command of multiple forms, filmmaker Alex Ross Perry’s latest effort, “Queen Of Earth,” is a mysterious and moody examination of complex personal dynamics, co-dependency, poisoned perceptions, and the fragile, thin line between friendship and hateship. A marked departure from his last effort, the talky, caustically funny “Listen Up Philip,” Perry’s fourth feature-length effort is a chilly and claustrophobic chamber drama akin to works of Ingmar Bergman, but with paranoid psychodrama notes worthy of Roman Polanski. It’s like Woody Allen following up the amusing “Annie Hall” with the cold and distancing “Interiors.” But the movie’s emotional turbulence, resentful hostilities, and considerations of privilege, self-absorption, and narcissism are also pure Alex Ross Perry. Set completely within the confines of an idyllic lake house upstate, the film centers on the quickly curdling friendship between two...
- 8/27/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Two Lovers is playing on Mubi in the Us through September 15.Little Odessa (1994), The Yards (2000), We Own the Night (2007), The Immigrant (2013): Written and directed by James Gray, these four films are occupied by characters living extraordinary lives. Yet despite their depiction of an exceptional existence—covering cold-blooded killers, cunning gangsters, ruthless hit men, and the perilous plight of early 20th century immigrants—Gray's cinematic worlds are consistently unassuming and relatable. No matter how high the drama or how dire the circumstances, there is a palpable attention to detail, in character and setting, which attains a surprising level of modest believability. Two Lovers (2009), his fourth feature film, likewise achieves this authenticity, but it is also something of an exemption to his body of work. Anchored by Joaquin Phoenix as Leonard Kraditor, in what was the actor's third straight film...
- 8/16/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
Early on in Irrational Man, Woody Allen’s latest half-narcotized attempt to dramatically grapple with a philosophically tinged moral crisis, a fellow academic tells Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix), “I loved your essay on situational ethics.” Abe, being a newly appointed professor/radical free thinker to the philosophy department of a picturesque Rhode Island college and himself awash in career disillusionment and an existential dilemma involving writer’s block, smiles and nods appreciatively and noncommittally. However, the audience may consider the Big Theme bell well and truly rung. Allen, who would never be so satisfied with a single easy proclamation of achievement, pads the first half of the movie with apparently awe-inspired compliments from fellow professors, administrators and students directed toward Abe’s prodigious intellect—his reputation doth well precede him, and he knows it. And you can bet that every classroom scene will be occasion to name-drop the heavy hitters-- Kant!
- 7/16/2015
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
The end of the '70s was a transitional time for Woody Allen. After making a name as the master of goofy comedies and satires, he gravitated towards drama at the end of the decade. “Annie Hall” and especially “Manhattan” contained many insightful dramatic moments, even though they were categorized as romantic comedies. Sandwiched in between those two films was the uber-drama “Interiors," Allen’s fittingly dour tribute to his idol Ingmar Bergman. During a rare 30-minute interview filmed as part of a 1979 French TV documentary titled "Question de Temps: Une Heure Avec Woody Allen," unearthed by Eyes on Cinema, Allen’s uncertainty and confusion about where his career will go during the '80s becomes very obvious. Bear in mind that while he gave the interview, Allen was preparing to begin production on "Stardust Memories," his homage to Federico Fellini’s "8 1/2," as well as a film about his recent...
- 3/26/2015
- by Oktay Ege Kozak
- The Playlist
Oscar 2015 winners (photo: Chris Pratt during Oscar 2015 rehearsals) The complete list of Oscar 2015 winners and nominees can be found below. See also: Oscar 2015 presenters and performers. Now, a little Oscar 2015 trivia. If you know a bit about the history of the Academy Awards, you'll have noticed several little curiosities about this year's nominations. For instance, there are quite a few first-time nominees in the acting and directing categories. In fact, nine of the nominated actors and three of the nominated directors are Oscar newcomers. Here's the list in the acting categories: Eddie Redmayne. Michael Keaton. Steve Carell. Benedict Cumberbatch. Felicity Jones. Rosamund Pike. J.K. Simmons. Emma Stone. Patricia Arquette. The three directors are: Morten Tyldum. Richard Linklater. Wes Anderson. Oscar 2015 comebacks Oscar 2015 also marks the Academy Awards' "comeback" of several performers and directors last nominated years ago. Marion Cotillard and Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress Oscars for, respectively, Olivier Dahan...
- 2/22/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
In conjunction with the Museum of Moving Image’s first ever cinematographer-centric retrospective, Reverse Shot has produced a small tribute to Gordon Willis’ work on Woody Allen’s Interiors. Staging their own recreations of the film’s many portraits, editors Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert examine how Willis’ lighting contributes to the emotional interiority of Diane Keaton’s character, Renata. By casting her in shadows for the majority of the film, Willis reinforces her isolation. It’s an important consideration of how cinematography can not only set the external tone of a film, but also play a necessary role in the characterization of its inhabitants.
- 2/20/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In conjunction with the Museum of Moving Image’s first ever cinematographer-centric retrospective, Reverse Shot has produced a small tribute to Gordon Willis’ work on Woody Allen’s Interiors. Staging their own recreations of the film’s many portraits, editors Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert examine how Willis’ lighting contributes to the emotional interiority of Diane Keaton’s character, Renata. By casting her in shadows for the majority of the film, Willis reinforces her isolation. It’s an important consideration of how cinematography can not only set the external tone of a film, but also play a necessary role in the characterization of its inhabitants.
- 2/20/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A striking 180 that demonstrates a sharp versatility and impressive command of multiple forms, filmmaker Alex Ross Perry’s latest effort, “Queen Of Earth,” is a mysterious and moody examination of complex personal dynamics, co-dependency, poisoned perceptions, and the fragile, thin line between friendship and hateship. A sharp departure from his last effort, the talky, caustically funny “Listen Up Philip,” Perry’s fourth feature-length effort is a chilly and claustrophobic chamber drama akin to works of Ingmar Bergman, but with paranoid psychodrama notes worthy of Roman Polanski. It’s like Woody Allen following up the amusing “Annie Hall” with the cold and distancing “Interiors.” But the movie’s emotional turbulence, resentful hostilities, and considerations of privilege, self-absorption, and narcissism are also pure Alex Ross Perry. Set completely within the confines of an idyllic lake house upstate, the film centers on the quickly curdling friendship between two women. Deep in...
- 2/8/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Everyone knows Woody Allen. At least, everyone thinks they know Woody Allen. His plumage is easily identifiable: horn-rimmed glasses, baggy suit, wispy hair, kvetching demeanor, ironic sense of humor, acute fear of death. As is his habitat: New York City, though recently he has flown as far afield as London, Barcelona, and Paris. His likes are well known: Bergman, Dostoevsky, New Orleans jazz. So too his dislikes: spiders, cars, nature, Wagner records, the entire city of Los Angeles. Whether or not these traits represent the true Allen, who’s to say? It is impossible to tell, with Allen, where cinema ends and life begins, an obfuscation he readily encourages. In the late nineteen-seventies, disillusioned with the comedic success he’d found making such films as Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), and Annie Hall (1977), he turned for darker territory with Stardust Memories (1980), a film in which, none too surprisingly, he plays a...
- 1/24/2015
- by Graham Daseler
- The Moving Arts Journal
StreamFix fills you in on the essential viewing options on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Crackle. Here's what the web is serving up for your binge-viewing needs. We begin with a Netflix cornucopia of Woody Allen offerings. Netflix "Interiors" Woody Allen goes dark and deep in this Bergmanesque family drama from '78. Geraldine Page plays an interior designer who is basically the most depressed single figure you will ever see on the silver screen. Think about being an interior designer in '78; you can only choose beige or gray wall coverings. You understand her dourness. Diane Keaton and Mary Beth Hurt play her grim daughters, and Maureen Stapleton rules in a small role. "Manhattan" Never forget that Meryl Streep once seemed destined to play icy roles forever. In "Manhattan" she plays a lesbian who used to be in a relationship with Woody Allen. She is bitter and bad-ass here, so be sure to catch that.
- 10/14/2014
- by Louis VIrtel
- Hitfix
Could Joan Rivers have had the same career as Woody Allen? It might seem an odd question if you only know Rivers from her talk show omnipresence and her work on E!, but there was a time when she had a chance to break into film the same way some of her comic peers were, and I can't help but wonder what would have happened if "Rabbit Test" had worked. When she broke through as a comic in the mid-'60s, she already had a fully-formed comic voice. She was from New York, and there was an edge to her work from the very start. She had an attitude about aesthetic beauty, about celebrity, about women in culture. She was one of those comics who straddled an older tradition of comedy, based on careful joke structure and a sort of surface level engagement and a newer tradition, in which taboos...
- 9/4/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Telluride is over, Toronto is on its way, awards buzz is growing and the fight is on for Oscar hopefuls. It’s just another fall in the film world.
Since opening the 71st Venice Film Festival and making its North American premiere at Telluride, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman has affirmed its place in the Oscar race with rave reviews both overseas and here in the States.
Bennett Miller has made two feature films — Moneyball (2011) and Capote (2005) — that received Oscar nominations for best picture and premiered at one of the fall festivals, Moneyball in Toronto and Capote at Telluride. His third feature Foxcatcher made its American debut at Telluride to high praise, echoing the sentiments from Cannes.
These are just a few of the fall premieres vying for an Oscar nomination, but what about the movies that have made their theatrical debut before September? Sundance takes places in January,...
Managing Editor
Telluride is over, Toronto is on its way, awards buzz is growing and the fight is on for Oscar hopefuls. It’s just another fall in the film world.
Since opening the 71st Venice Film Festival and making its North American premiere at Telluride, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman has affirmed its place in the Oscar race with rave reviews both overseas and here in the States.
Bennett Miller has made two feature films — Moneyball (2011) and Capote (2005) — that received Oscar nominations for best picture and premiered at one of the fall festivals, Moneyball in Toronto and Capote at Telluride. His third feature Foxcatcher made its American debut at Telluride to high praise, echoing the sentiments from Cannes.
These are just a few of the fall premieres vying for an Oscar nomination, but what about the movies that have made their theatrical debut before September? Sundance takes places in January,...
- 9/2/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Gordon Willis, who helped define the look of 70s cinema and worked closely with Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Alan Pakula, died on Sunday at 82. As the Dp on iconic 70s films such as "Klute," "The Parallax View" and "All the President's Men," as well as "The Godfather," Willis created a heightened sense of tension. Later in the decade, with Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan," Willis helped to cement the iconography of New York City on film. He also worked with Allen on "Interiors," "Zelig," "Stardust Memories," "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," "Broadway Danny Rose" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo." Read More: 5 Tips from Master Cinematographer Gordon Willis"Gordon Willis is a major influence for me and many cinematographers of my generation," Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji told Indiewire. "But the modernity of his work will influence as much the generations of filmmakers to come.
- 5/19/2014
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Gordon Willis, one of cinema's most influential eyes and visual masters who defined the work of an entire generation of filmmakers, passed away over the weekend at the age of 82. But his body of work will forever inspire filmmakers. The most remarkable thing about Willis' filmography is that it's only 37 films long. However, the highlights are utterly remarkable: Alan J. Pakula's "Klute" and "All The President's Men"; Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" trilogy; eight films with Woody Allen including "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," "Interiors" and "Zelig," and Hal Ashby's "The Landlord" are just some of the movies that will play on Willis' sizzle reel. And they all show the versatility that made the cinematographer one of the best the medium has ever seen. From the cool control of "Klute" to the shrouded, nearly majestic darkness of "The Godfather" to the beautifully black-and-white "Manhattan," Willis' greatest gift was in...
- 5/19/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Gordon Willis, the acclaimed cinematographer behind the Godfather trilogy and such Woody Allen films as Annie Hall, Manhattan, Broadway Danny Rose and Zelig, died Sunday of complications from cancer at his home in North Falmouth, Mass., his son Gordon Willis Jr. said. He was 82. Willis' credits also include six features with director Alan J. Pakula -- including Klute (1971), The Parallax View (1974), All the President's Men (1976) and Comes a Horseman (1978) -- as well as The Paper Chase (1973) and The Drowning Pool (1975) and Allen's Interiors (1978), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and Stardust Memories (1980). Willis received Academy Award nominations for Zelig and The Godfather: Part
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- 5/19/2014
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Meryl Streep breaks Oscar record: Oscar 2014 nominations (photo: Meryl Streep in ‘August: Osage County’) The 2014 Oscar nominations were announced earlier today at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Thor: The Dark World and Snow White and the Huntsman actor Chris Hemsworth — whose Rush was completely shut out — made the announcements, including that of Best Actress contender Meryl Streep, in the running for her performance in John Wells’ August: Osage County. Streep’s competitors are her Doubt and Julie & Julia co-star Amy Adams for David O. Russell’s American Hustle, Sandra Bullock for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, Judi Dench for Stephen Frears’ Philomena, and likely winner Cate Blanchett for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. (Emma Thompson’s absence from the Best Actress roster — for her performance in John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks — was quite a surprise.
- 1/16/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
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