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Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 9:32 pm Posts: 31614 Location: Garbage Dump
All right, it must be done. Ranking time:
Masterpiece: 1. Hannah and Her Sisters 2. Radio Days
Great: 3. Crimes and Misdemeanors 4. Love and Death 5. Blue Jasmine
Very Good: 6. Midnight in Paris 7. Sleeper 8. Mighty Aphrodite 9. Manhattan 10. Annie Hall
Good: 11. Shadows and Fog 12. Cassandra's Dream 13. Scoop 14. Sweet and Lowdown 15. Zelig 16. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* 17. Hollywood Ending
Decent: 18. The Purple Rose of Cairo 19. Broadway Danny Rose 20. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy 21. Deconstructing Harry 22. Bananas 23. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion 24. Bullets Over Broadway 25. Manhattan Murder Mystery 26. Oedipus Wrecks (sequence from New York Stories)
Mediocre: 27. Take the Money and Run 28. Small Time Crooks 29. To Rome with Love 30. Celebrity
Poor: 31. Whatever Works 32. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger 33. Husbands and Wives
Bad: 34. Stardust Memories 35. Match Point
Terrible: 36. Magic in the Moonlight 37. Melinda and Melinda 38. Another Woman
Made this list for a friend a few years ago. Blue Jasmine, which came out since then, is excellent. That one with Rome in the title was so-so. Even his mediocre movies are pretty good. There are a few stinkers, but you have to admire a guy who has written and directed a movie a year for something like 40 years. No one else is anywhere close to this.
Best of the Best Play it Again, Sam Love and Death Annie Hall Manhattan Crimes and Misdemeanors Husbands and Wives Manhattan Murder Mystery Bullets Over Broadway Mighty Aphrodite Deconstructing Harry Match Point
Great Broadway Danny Rose The Purple Rose of Cairo Hannah and Her Sisters Celebrity Small Time Crooks The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Hollywood Ending Midnight in Paris
Good Take the Money and Run Bananas Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex Sleeper Stardust Memories A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy Zelig Radio Days Alice Sweet and Lowdown Anything Else Scoop Vicky Christina Barcelona Whatever Works You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Avoid Interiors September Another Woman Shadows and Fog Everyone Says I Love You Cassandra’s Dream Melinda and Melinda
I'm a pretty big fan of Everyone Says I Love You. Far from his best, but I would never put it in the 'avoid' category. I'd also put Midnight in Paris and Vicky Christina Barcelona in the best of the best category. Otherwise, baller list, pry.
He tried to make a "serious" film and it just didn't work for me. He's made some (semi) serious films that I really like. This one just doesn't suit my taste. I think "Shadows and Fog" is the only WA film I'd call unwatchable. I think I tried twice and failed both times. Maybe I should give Interiors another spin. It's been a while.
durdencommatyler wrote:
I'm a pretty big fan of Everyone Says I Love You. Far from his best, but I would never put it in the 'avoid' category. I'd also put Midnight in Paris and Vicky Christina Barcelona in the best of the best category. Otherwise, baller list, pry.
Thanks, mang. If I were making this list today, I'd probably bump Midnight in Paris up to the top category. It's such a wonderful film. Vicky Christina doesn't do a lot for me. I liked Match Point and even Scoop better in the Scar-Jo trilogy. Everyone Says is another attempt at something (a musical) that just doesn't do it for me. When WA tries to do "genre" flicks, he either hits it out of the park or fails miserably. Everyone Says has an awesome cast. Give me the movie minus the songs and I'm all over it. His best films are light and dark comedies. Some of his dramas are outstanding, but the best ones usually have comedic elements. Think of the Alan Alda character/plotline in Crimes and Misdemeanors.
For you fans out there, what would you call his most underrated films? For me, they include Hollywood Ending, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Curse of the Jade Scorpion, and Small Time Crooks. Most of his 70s and 80s movies are (rightfully) lauded, but almost everything he did in the 90s was top shelf (and gets shit on). He's been spottier in recent years, but Blue Jasmine and Midnight in Paris show a filmmaker who continues to work at the height of his powers.
I liked Blue Jasmine, but more for the performances than anything else. I don't think it touches his top tier. But it floats toward the top of his middle tier, for sure.
I'm glad you liked it. It was one of those that was split among my group of friends.
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