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Woody Allen and Diane Keaton join forces again in this charming riff on such murder mystery classics as REAR WINDOW, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Allen and Keaton play Larry and Carol Lipton, a New York couple reevaluating their life together after their only son goes off to college. Carol thinks they have fallen into a boring life, but when one of their neighbors suddenly dies, Carol starts wondering if foul play was involved. Thrust further into the mystery by their friends Ted (Alan Alda) and Marcia (Anjelica Huston), the Liptons soon find themselves in the middle of murder and mayhem, with their relationship--as well as their lives--hanging in the balance. Seeing Allen and Keaton interact onscreen again, after a hiatus of several years, is a joy. The film moves at a fast pace, with Allen's trademark fabulous shots of New York landmarks. But the ending, which marvelously mimics the famous ending from Orson Welles's THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, is a tour de force that should not be missed.

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Casino Royale (40th Anniversary Edition)...

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Casino Royale (40th Anniversary Edition) [DVD]

This swinging spoof of Ian Fleming's spy hero features an aging James Bond (David Niven), reluctantly dragged out of retirement to chase down the evil crime clique called SMERSH. In order to confound the forces led by the villainous Le Chiffre (Orson Welles), the Secret Service enlists five other agents, also under the name "Bond," and all six converge on the titular casino. Meanwhile, Woody Allen, as the retiring secret agent's nephew, causes havoc at every turn. The gleefully chaotic product of five directors, numerous screenwriters, and the late 1960s in general, CASINO ROYALE revels in its psychedelic spy satire premise. The comedy features a legion of stars in roles both large and small: Niven, Welles, Allen, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, William Holden, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset, Deborah Kerr, and many more. (Apparently, Sellers and Welles despised each other, and Sellers would frequently not show up for his scenes.) Amid the wackiness, there are genuine moments of hilarity, making the film a surreal romp through Bond lore and the more eccentric aspects of 1960s pop culture.

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Antz [DVD]

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Antz [DVD]

A restless worker ant changes roles with a soldier ant in order to get the girl, who just happens to be a princess. The animation is breathtaking in this story of true love amid a totalitarian state.

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Scoop [DVD]

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Scoop [DVD]

In 2005, famed New York City filmmaker Woody Allen made MATCH POINT, a murder mystery set in London, starring Scarlett Johansson. Allen remains in London for the follow-up, the murder mystery SCOOP, again with Johansson, but this time he jumps in front of the camera as well. Woody plays Sid "Splendini" Waterman, a pathetic magician who somehow conjures up the ghost of Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), a recently deceased ace reporter who has been given a great scoop from beyond the grave. Strombel's spirit links onto young journalism student Sondra Pransky (Johansson), demanding that she get the story--and get it right. Pretending to be father and daughter, Sid and Sondra get into the good graces of Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), a wealthy British lord who just might be the Tarot Card Killer, a madman who has been terrifying London by brutally murdering prostitutes. Against her better judgment, Pransky starts falling for the charming playboy even as she gathers more and more evidence that points to him as the probable killer. Jackman and Johansson have an intoxicating on-screen romantic chemistry that is a terrific counterpoint to the manic energy she shares with Allen. While MATCH POINT was an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, the comedy-thriller SCOOP pays tribute to the master director's FRENZY and NOTORIOUS. Allen also manages to get one of his favorite characters--Death (Peter Mastin) into the film. The score includes works by Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Grieg as well as swinging numbers by Xavier Cugat and Lester Lanin.

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Antz (Signature Selection) [DVD]

Available at 15 stores

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Antz (Signature Selection) [DVD]

A restless worker ant changes roles with a soldier ant in order to get the girl, who just happens to be a princess. The animation is breathtaking in this story of true love amid a totalitarian state.

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New York Stories [DVD]

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New York Stories [DVD]

NEW YORK STORIES comprises three short films set in New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen. Scorsese directs "Life Lessons," in which painter Nick Nolte plays an abstract painter trying to save his relationship with Rosanna Arquette. Francis Ford Coppola directs "Life Without Zoe," which stars Heather McComb as a young schoolgirl who lives alone at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel while her parents (Talia Shire and Giancarlo Giannini) globetrot around the world. Precocious Zoe is lovingly watched over by her butler, Hector (Don Novello), until her parents return home one day with a surprising announcement. Sofia Coppola co-wrote the script with her father. The final segment is "Oedipus Wrecks," a classic Woody Allen piece about a Jewish nebbish who is a bit of a momma's boy.

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A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy [DVD]

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A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy [DVD]

Woody Allen's delightful farce deals with the misadventures of three couples who spend the weekend together in the country. They all seem to end up in love with the wrong person.

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Don't Drink the Water [DVD]

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Don't Drink the Water [DVD]

The Hollanders, a family of Americans on vacation in Eastern Europe during the 1960s, get into trouble after Walter (director Allen) takes a photo of a sunset near a sensitive military area. The family is forced to hide out in the American embassy, unfortunately in the hands of the ambassador's incompetent son. A remake of Allen's 1960s play, made for television.

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Radio Days [DVD]

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Radio Days [DVD]

RADIO DAYS is Woody Allen's charming, nostalgic, very funny love letter to growing up in 1940s Brooklyn during the golden age of radio. The setting is the close-knit working-class neighborhood of Rockaway, New York, where a warm, crazy, sprawling Jewish family lives, sharing their happiness as well as their disappointments. The youngest member of the family, Joe (Seth Green, of television's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), dreams of the glamour and excitement of Manhattan conjured up by the radio programs he and his family listen raptly to each night. Presented in a tapestry of interlocking vignettes, RADIO DAYS weaves tales of everyday family life with glimpses of the glittering--and not so glittering--world of established and aspiring radio celebrities. Allen makes the radio the film's central figure, taking its place as communicator to the world, existing almost as another member of the family. Allen and director of photography Carlo DiPalma capture the look and feel of the time marvelously, and the music is a joy to listen to. The result is a comic, bittersweet, kaleidoscopic look at a long-gone New York that is one of writer-director Woody Allen's most fully realized--and most enjoyable--films.

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Sleeper

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Sleeper

The sci-fi satire SLEEPER is often hailed as the best of Woody Allen's early comedies, which relied mostly on slapstick and quick verbal asides, but still had more than their share of comic intelligence. SLEEPER tells the tale of Miles Monroe (Allen), who is accidentally cryogenically frozen following a minor operation. Released 200 years later, in 2173, Miles blunders his way through a bizarre future, featuring plenty of props and situations for Allen to mine for laughs. Eventually he meets vapid, hedonistic "poet" Luna Schlosser (Diane Keaton), with whom he eventually joins a rebel group opposed to the oppressive government. As in his earlier BANANAS and LOVE AND DEATH, Allen's character stumbles into a revolutionary plot, revealing the anti-authoritarianism that will appear again and again in his films. Loosely based on H.G. Wells' novel WHEN THE SLEEPER WAKES, the film features a strong parodic bent, particularly of the type of science fiction that was being written and filmed when it was made in 1973. Oppressive, faceless governments and the technological dominance over human life (altering even the most fundamental natural actions, such as sex) are the main tropes Allen skewers, as well as playing off the futuristic production design of films like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and THX-1138. However, SLEEPER was still considered a strong work of science fiction, winning both the prestigious Hugo and Nebula Awards, which are given to the finest works in the genre.

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Casino Royale (Widescreen) [DVD]

Available at 6 stores

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Casino Royale (Widescreen) [DVD]

This swinging spoof of Ian Fleming's spy hero features an aging James Bond (David Niven), reluctantly dragged out of retirement to chase down the evil crime clique called SMERSH. In order to confound the forces led by the villainous Le Chiffre (Orson Welles), the Secret Service enlists five other agents, also under the name "Bond," and all six converge on the titular casino. Meanwhile, Woody Allen, as the retiring secret agent's nephew, causes havoc at every turn. The gleefully chaotic product of five directors, numerous screenwriters, and the late 1960s in general, CASINO ROYALE revels in its psychedelic spy satire premise. The comedy features a legion of stars in roles both large and small: Niven, Welles, Allen, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, William Holden, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset, Deborah Kerr, and many more. (Apparently, Sellers and Welles despised each other, and Sellers would frequently not show up for his scenes.) Amid the wackiness, there are genuine moments of hilarity, making the film a surreal romp through Bond lore and the more eccentric aspects of 1960s pop culture.

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Antz (DTS) [DVD]

Available at 4 stores

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Antz (DTS) [DVD]

A restless worker ant changes roles with a soldier ant in order to get the girl, who just happens to be a princess. The animation is breathtaking in this story of true love amid a totalitarian state.

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$2

Broadway Danny Rose [DVD]

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Broadway Danny Rose [DVD]

A lovable schlub of a Broadway agent struggles to revive the sagging careers of of his motley clients. His misguided efforts to get a fading lounge singer's career back on track land him right in the middle of a gangland battle.

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The Purple Rose of Cairo [DVD]

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The Purple Rose of Cairo [DVD]

The film that Woody Allen has said is his favorite of all that he's made, THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO unites the competing tendencies in his work towards realism (be it comic, as in ANNIE HALL, or dramatic, as in INTERIORS) and comedic fantasy (such as SLEEPER or BANANAS). Cecilia (Mia Farrow) lives in New Jersey during the Great Depression, which appropriately describes her mood: she works a dead-end job as a waitress that supports her and her abusive, deadbeat husband Monk (Danny Aiello). Her only release is at the cinema, where she repeatedly goes to see a trite romantic adventure called "The Purple Rose of Cairo." But when Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels), the lead character of the film, steps off the screen and falls in love with her, Cecilia has to deal with the disjoint between her own life and the glamorous world on the screen. Although the film begins realistically--there is close attention paid to period setting and costuming--the conceit of a film character emerging from the screen is one Allen would rarely use except in his outright comedies. However, THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO blends dramatic and fish-out-of-water comedic situations to explore the disparity between the real world and fantasy. What is really at issue in the film is the positive psychological effects of the fantasies of the traditional film world. The film is the product of a true film lover, and stands as Allen's defense of the entertainments often derided by critics and other filmmakers of his stature. He received an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay.

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Small Time Crooks [DVD]

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Small Time Crooks [DVD]

Woody Allen returns to his slapstick days with this comic romp, which centers on a small-time hood, Ray Winkler, who just can't catch a break. It's as if Virgil Starkwell (Allen's hysterically incompetent criminal mastermind from TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN) has finally gotten out of prison and is still up to his old scheming. Against his wife Frenchy's (Tracey Ullman) better judgment, Ray puts together a ragtag group of misfits, including a scene-stealing Elaine May, and immerses them in a crazy plot to rob a bank. But everything gets upended when their front, a cookie store, takes off, thrusting the Winklers into the upper echelons of New York's high society. SMALL TIME CROOKS looks like no other Allen film; gone are the black-and-white shades of Manhattan, replaced instead by the ridiculously loud shirts Ray wears and the perfectly garish furniture and artwork Frenchy accumulates. Even the Allen soundtrack, usually exclusively jazz, big band, and Dixieland standards, features "Tequila" by the Champs as an underlying theme. What stands out most of all, however, is the offbeat, charming relationship between Ray and Frenchy, two ne'er-do-wells who get to spend a little time at the top.

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Zelig [DVD]

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Zelig [DVD]

Perhaps the most unique film of his career, Woody Allen's ZELIG not only stands as a technical triumph for a director not often associated with the technological aspect of filmmaking, but also utilizes a documentary aesthetic that Allen has not often used before or since. One of the first major mockumentaries produced (it was released a year before THIS IS SPINAL TAP), ZELIG combines voice-over, footage both historical and faux-historical, and staged interviews with famous intellectuals to tell the story of Leonard Zelig (Allen), the "Chameleon Man" of the 1920s and '30s who has since been largely forgotten. Zelig creates a media sensation when he is discovered, for he seems to have the unique ability to transform himself to fit in with whomever he finds himself--when encountering Greeks, he becomes Greek; surrounded by fat men, he becomes heftier. But his condition leaves him open to exploitation, and the only person who believes in him is ambitious psychologist Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow). Technologically the film is a marvel, especially when the production history is taken into account. Allen wanted the film to appear genuinely from the period, and the footage shot was reportedly captured on equipment used during the 1920s. Even more astonishing is the manner in which Allen and other cast members were smoothly integrated into old photographs and film footage, some with distinguished historical figures, years before the advent of seamless digital techniques and over a decade before a similar strategy was used in FORREST GUMP. The setting and the aim for verisimilitude allow Allen to explore one of the most serious themes of his career: the assimilation of Jews and other immigrant groups into American culture, although the subject is still tempered by his intelligent verbal wit (for example, the voiceover explains: "As a boy, Leonard Zelig is frequently bullied by anti-Semites. His parents, who never take his part and blame him for everything, side with the anti-Semites"). Allen sees this desire for assimilation as a necessary part of cultural inclusion, but recognizes its dangers, as being a "Chameleon Man" seems only one step away from outright fascism.

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Stardust Memories [DVD]

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Stardust Memories [DVD]

Marking perhaps his first public consideration of himself as an artist, Woody Allen's STARDUST MEMORIES is also a bold narrative exercise that recalls the European cinema that Allen admires. Allen stars as Sandy Bates, a celebrated filmmaker who travels to a weekend retrospective of his films. There, he is assaulted by his fans and critics, and can only find refuge in the companionship of his friend's wife Daisy (Jessica Harper of SUSPIRIA fame), and in his memories of an intense relationship with beautiful but insane Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling). As the weekend continues, he struggles with his feelings of inadequacy, haunted by the repeated comment "I liked your earlier, funny films better." The most obvious point of reference for the film, as many have pointed out, is Fellini's 8 1/2: both deal with filmmakers questioning their own purpose and path, both combine comedy and pathos, and Allen's use of black and white cinematography and scenes of absurdity seem lifted almost directly from Fellini's film. Allen's examination of his career employs a nearly plotless structure, driven more by character and theme, with a rather daring temporal editing structure that causes his memories of the past to flow neatly into the present. It differs from his later films that deal with similar thematic material, such as the caustic DECONSTRUCTING HARRY and CELEBRITY, in that Allen seems to place equal blame on both himself and those he feels expect too much from him. STARDUST MEMORIES is truly unique, a film made by an artist on the edge of a divide in his career and considering if his actions are worthwhile or even legitimate. Although it may not be for everyone, for anyone with even a passing interest in Allen it must be seen.

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Love and Death [DVD]

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Love and Death [DVD]

The bridge between Woody Allen's early slapstick satires and his later romantic comedies and dramas, LOVE AND DEATH is also a broad parody of his numerous influences. The film tells the tale of Boris Grushenko (the filmmaker himself), a cowardly Russian who miraculously survives the Napoleonic Wars only to discover that his heroism does nothing to advance his romantic prospects with his philosophical cousin Sonia (Diane Keaton). Her convoluted reasoning dictates that the pair of them must attempt to assassinate the French dictator, a proposal Boris agrees to in the hopes that he will finally win Sonia's love through the act. The contrast between Sonia's analytical mind and Boris's lustful one provides Allen with numerous opportunities to joke about gender differences, but it is the multiple parodies of both literature and film that drive LOVE AND DEATH's comedic narrative. The most obvious target in the film is Russian literature: many jokes are built around the blend of fatalistic philosophy, historical narratives, and complex familial and character relationships that characterize novels by such authors as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy (the most obvious source for the film being his WAR AND PEACE). However, the filmmakers that have influenced Allen are also parodied; themes and even shots are taken directly from the work of Ingmar Bergman and Sergei Eisenstein. The musical score is assembled from compositions by Prokofiev, who wrote the scores for Eisenstein's later sound films, which were also heavily affected by Russian literature and history. Finally, the quick-witted, under-the-radar verbal hijinks in the film (like in other Allen films) bear the mark of the Marx Brothers, perhaps the most famous Jewish comedians aside from Allen himself. Although LOVE AND DEATH is not among the most well-known of Allen's comedies, there are few films that lay bare the influences of a master filmmaker as readily as this.

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Annie Hall (Checkpoint; Sensormatic; Wid...

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Annie Hall (Checkpoint; Sensormatic; Widescreen) [DVD]

Often considered the crown jewel in a highly acclaimed and prolific film career, ANNIE HALL is Woody Allen's only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This recognition, however, is not what makes the film significant. ANNIE HALL marks the beginning of the second phase of Allen's career as a filmmaker, abandoning the slapstick of SLEEPER and BANANAS for more thoughtful comedies (and eventually dramas) that explored human relationships and psychology. Allen's capacity as a creative filmmaker had also grown with the film, as he utilized creative subtitles, split screens, and animation, as well as evincing a sophisticated understanding of the potential of editing and camera movement for comic effect--consider the cutaway to Allen's character Alvy Singer, as seen through the eyes of "Grammy Hall" during the dinner sequence, or shortly afterward the slow pan to Alvy in the passenger seat of a car driven by Annie's unhinged brother Duane. The film is a brutally honest assessment of the prospects of a relationship between two very different people. Allen's Alvy is (like the filmmaker himself) an introverted, neurotic intellectual and a complete mismatch for Diane Keaton's vivacious, flaky Annie Hall. Although the romance is undoubtedly the center of the film, it affords Allen the opportunity to contrast his beloved New York culture with that of the Midwest, where Annie comes from, and Los Angeles, which tempts Annie with the possibility of fame and success as a singer. The city of New York itself plays an important part for the first time in an Allen film, with a great deal of location shooting that serves to highlight the city's character and atmosphere. Finally, the many comedic cameos peppered through the film--from Truman Capote to Paul Simon to media theorist Marshall McLuhan--pay tribute to the deserved reputation that Allen had gained for himself.

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Play It Again, Sam (Sensormatic) [DVD]

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Play It Again, Sam (Sensormatic) [DVD]

Woody Allen's play makes a successful leap to the big screen in this hilarious romp, directed by Herbert Ross (THE SUNSHINE BOYS, STEEL MAGNOLIAS). Allen has never been better as Allan Felix, a neurotic New York film critic who has just broken up with his wife, Nancy (Susan Anspach). This devastating event has caused him to spiral into a deep depression and look for solace in the classic movies that he loves, particularly the romantic saga CASABLANCA. Allan begins to have conversations with the fantasy ghost of his film idol, Humphrey Bogart (Jerry Lacy), who gives him advice on romance and masculinity. Worried about their insecure friend, Linda and Dick (Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts) spark Allan into action, which leads to a series of disastrously funny blind dates in which Allan tries, but fails, to be as cool as Bogie. Allan's love life is clearly going nowhere, until his quest for romance unexpectedly leads him into the arms of Linda. With PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM, Allen's comedic talents are on full display. One-liners, neurotic pathos, and keen observations are all unleashed in a boundless frenzy, rarely giving viewers a chance to breathe before the next laugh. Keaton and Roberts prove to be the perfect partners-in-crime for Allen, both actors having that undeniably charming blend of sweetness and absurdity. A tribute to two of Allen's favorite topics--cinema and romance--PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM is another classic contribution to the Allen oeuvre.

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