Exploring Woody Allen

This friday (on May 20), Midnight in Paris will be released in the United States. It is written and directed by Woody Allen.

You can't understand Woody Allen films unless you understand the catalog of Woody Allen films. That establishes the context of his movies. You see, Woody Allen, in my opinion, is a hit or miss director. But, the guy has been making movies for over thirty years. They range from disturbing garbage, mediocre, average, all the way to brilliant cinema art.

If you discuss any Woody Allen film, you're opening a can of worms, of sorts. Everyone has a strong opinion about Allen. He's a polarizing guy. He's got a long list of ex-wives. He's had a lurid personal life that includes a scandalous marriage to Soon-Yi Previn, who was almost his step-daughter.

This weird moral controversy seems to spill into his films, as well. That's because Woody Allen seems to have so much creative control in all his films. He basically writes, directs, and produces all of them with seemingly no interference from major studios. He seems to have positioned himself as an independent art filmmaker, rather than a mainstream studio filmmaker, thus relinquishing more control to him. This is why his films are hit or miss. It's because he has so much control, in my opinion. And now, in no particular order:

The ones I love:

1. Annie Hall

2. Match Point

3. Scoop

4. Crimes and Misdemeanors

5. Vicky Christina Barcelona

6. Mighty Aphrodite

7. Radio Days

8. Manhattan Murder Mystery

9. Interiors

10. Hollywood Ending

11. Manhattan

The ones I absolutely hated:

1. Melinda and Melinda

2. Don't Drink the Water (the absolute worst of all)

3. Celebrity

4. Hannah and Her Sisters

5. Deconstructing Harry

6. Cassandra's Dream

The ones that fall in the middle, just so-so:

1. Small Time Crooks

2. Manhattan Murder Mystery

3. The Purple Rose of Cairo

4. Husbands and Wives

5. Bullets Over Broadway

6. Broadway Danny Rose

I haven't seen any other films Allen has made, but I plan to get to them. If you haven't discovered this writer / director/ actor, I suggest you start with Annie Hall. It is a cutting edge movie that pioneered the modern romantic comedy. It's full of wit, humor, and innovation. It's also a good example of Woody Allen's version of himself: the neurotic, bumbling, self-conscious leading man.