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To be quite honest, I was kind of surprised that I picked this as my first official "Top Ten" for Tail Slate. I’m honestly not what could be considered a Woody Allen fan. That’s largely because I haven’t really liked most of his films from the last 20 years. I don’t celebrate his works.
I actually haven’t even seen most of the films he’s made in the last 15 years. I called it quits after the severely disappointing "Small Time Crooks", and completely gave up after watching the disappointing "Curse of the Jade Scorpion".
Okay, I did watch the dull "Hollywood Ending" at some point recently on cable, but that’s it, I swear.
But last week I did see one of them and it really struck a cord with me. I’d seen it several times before, but suddenly I realized just how much I enjoyed it. And I realized that there was a time in Allen’s career in which I think he was really brilliant. There are some really well crafted, imaginative and clever works in his IMDB listing.
The short, spectacled New Yorker actually had something there for a while.
So I decided to see if I actually could list ten of his films that I enjoyed. To my surprise, I had an easy time coming up with ten films. That list is what you’ll find below. If there is a common theme, it’s easily that these were among his more imaginative films. The ones that really had the most unique voice, at least that’s how I see them. So, without further jibber-jabber, my Top Ten Woody Allen films.
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1. Radio Days
Hands down my favorite of Woody Allen’s films, and probably something I’d include on a general Top Ten list of great films. This sentimental, clever story weaves together the coming age tale of a young boy growing up in Brooklyn and his family (all of whom live together), as well as the adventures of a radio starlet. Allen narrates the story wonderfully, making it perhaps one of the best uses of voice over in a film.
2. Sleeper
Easily one of the more bizarre of Allen’s early films, this science fiction comedy puts Allen’s sarcastic New Yorker into a future that is both silly and scary. He starts out as a relic treated with curiosity to a rebel hunted by police and ending with an elaborate kidnapping plot of a nose.
3. Annie Hall
Okay, the inclusion of Annie Hall is something of a gimmie. It is generally Allen’s most celebrated film in his early years, and it easily one of his best. I had to place it somewhere. And it’s got some of his best dialogue. His exchange with Christopher Walken cracks me up every time. But it’s Diane Keaton that really makes Hall work so beautifully, and their chemistry is undeniable.
4. Bananas
Although Annie Hall is the one people remember most, Allen and Keaton shared similar exchanges in this flick. Where Hall was more or less a romantic comedy, Bananas had elements of Allen’s more obscure humor. A tale of a his New Yorker getting caught up in a South American revolution, it’s the goofy humor of Allen’s that I enjoy the most. That’s probably why I really find nothing of interest in any of his newer works.
5. Broadway Danny Rose
This would be the first of four Woody Allen movies that I could say one reason I enjoy it so much is because it is in black and white. The lack of color adds and element to Allen’s films that really give them a touch of beauty. And again, this wonderfuly blends the straight Allen with the more silly, seen here perfectly with the scene that has mobsters sucking helium.
6. Manhattan Murder Mystery
This is only one of two Allen films from the 1990s you’ll find on this list, and the most recent (it was released in 1993). And it’s one where I can’t easily put my finger on why I like it. Maybe it’s because I like the chemistry between Allen and Keaton. The two bounced off one another perfectly, and their exchanges here really work. Plus the story is fun, with a sense of whimsical flair that really just seems to have been drained from his more recent efforts. I think perhaps that why I haven’t enjoyed most of his latest films, because his stories depend so on the actors and the chemistry, and it just hasn’t been there.
7. The Purple Rose of Cairo
I can’t help but love this film. The very concept, I think, is brilliant. A movie character comes off the screen in order to be with the woman who spends so much time watching his movie. And the execution is great, with Jeff Daniels and Mia Farrow delivering great performances. Again, it’s also black and white, which just adds to the style.
8. Zelig
This film and the one that follows it on this list are quite simply Woody Allen’s most inventive efforts. Zelig is a pseudo documentary about a fictional man whose cameleon-like ability is explored. The film is both bizarre and brilliant. Although the mock-u-mentary has become something of a tired subgenre these days, it was spawned by some clever concepts, and this was one of them.
9. What’s up, Tiger Lily?
The "directorial debut" of Woody Allen is a film he didn’t actually direct. Or really make, for that matter. Allen removed the dialogue from a cheesy Japanese action flick and altered the story, turning it into a odd comedy about the search for an egg salad recipe. The new dialogue is performed (mostly) but Allen himself, and for the most part it’s hilarious. I’m not quite sure I’ve actually sat through the entire film, but I’ve seen virtually everything in pieces. And I think that may well be the best way to view this, because while I find it fun, it’s not exactly easy to sit through from beginning to end.
10. Shadows and Fog
I had to mentioned this film for two reasons: 1) It’s in black and white, and has some great imagery; 2) It’s a fun story with a great collection of characters. However, it’s the final one on the list because it really sits on the fence between Allen’s more enjoyable early works, and his later, too-conversational pieces. The film has more good scenes than bad, but often gets sidetracked from the more enjoyable main story into scenes that bog it down. Not much, mind you, but enough to keep it at number 10.
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