1. The Directing Machine

G!

A 'directing machine', as
One critic once termed this
Filmmaker, Woody Allen is
A director you needn't look
Twice to recognize at half a
Glance. His trademark titles
Against black screen, use of
Jazz in soundtrack, and ever
Talkative characters are
Endlessly consistent in the
Almost annual stream of
Pictures he makes, made even
More marvelous considering
that he is nearly 80. Out of
Allen's 40 something films I've
Seen only 13; I suppose due
To his distinctiveness no Woody
Allen film is ever an awful
Film, but many are mediocre,
And those ones I have not
Seen. Some others I have
Not seen because despite
Their high reputations, they
Are not available from the
Library, and it sucks, because
I know that Zelig, Broadway
Danny Rose, and his early
Flicks are quite respected
Among the critics. Nonetheless
I have seen Annie Hall, Hannah
And Her Sisters, and Manhattan
All at a time when Woody's
Humor and satire sadly eluded
Me. I'd say Sleeper was the
First of his flicks I enjoyed
immensely, and hope someday
He'll make another sci-fi comedy
Because Sleeper was pure
Gold. Then there are the latest
ones: Match Point, Midnight in
Paris, Vicki Christina Barcelona
And Blue Jasmine, witty talkative
Flicks set in the present period
But owe their due to his earlier
Masterpieces, which include
Interiors, Husbands and Wives,
Crimes and Misdemeanors, and
Bullets Over Broadway, enjoyably
Pessimistic and deliciously dark
Fares showcasing the brutal
Failings of human beings in the
Most empathetic light. I had set
Out to write about things I
Enjoyed specifically in his
Flicks but that has come
To naught. Alas, if you the
Reader haven't seen much
Of Woody Allen, try these
Titles, and you may discover
How one neurotic wimp has
Made all the things that
Depress us into something
We can laugh and giggle
About, and that is where
The genius of Woody lies.