LOL!

That's a really underrated film.

For what it's worth, my top five Woody (for today, anyway):

1) Hannah and Her Sisters 2) Husbands and Wives 3) Deconstructing Harry 4) Play It Again Sam 5) Anything Else (okay, Annie Hall was too obvious, so give this a chance and be pleasantly surprised)

It strikes me as odd that nobody seems to mention 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' in their top-N list of Woody Allen films, when it's probably the best movie ever made concerning the subject of guilt and remorse and how they can control your life.

Max von Sydows monologue in Hannah and her sisters is bloody brilliant. The one about Jesus coming down to see everything that's been going on in his name and never ceasing to throw up.....

Man, I'm a huge Woody Allen nerd....

Maybe I should clarify that "Anything Else" is actually a film title and not intended to mean simply "anything else," although "anything else" wouldn't be a bad choice either when it comes to Woody Allen films . . .

oh man! now i want to watch that movie!! i better add it to the list!

I second that about Crimes and Misdemeanors. That is his most accomplished film, mixing seamlessly comedy and tragedy.

The two parallel stories are convincing and it is lovingly amoral. Even good jokes about suicide.

As to Deconstructing Harry, it would be great if you could post an extract with the Hell scene with Billy Crystal as the Devil.

I would also like to add that in Crimes and Misdemeanors the family scene where the atheist sister and the orthodox religious brother is funny as well as possibly a good introduction to disbelief if you think you know someone who is rethinking his superstition.

i think i've had that exact conversation more than once. very funny, thanks normbot:)

the juxtoposition of jewish idiom ("may god strike me down..." with the deeper convictions of the speaker (i paraphrase from laziness-" life is random. you wanna blame me for that too?) has been fodder for more great comedy moments than i would care to enumerate.

just wondering, norm, do you remember, as i do, woody allens' old stand up routines? my parents had a couple of albums, one a double that i remember, that were abloutely hysterical and influential on young "mr. lowercase" here. :)

and did you ever read "the whore of mensa" from the collection "without feathers"? if not, do not hesitate. i'm sure it's available on line.

laughter is the most enjoyable tool for enlightenment i know of. and thanks, as always.

If you haven't seen the entire scene, you really should check it out. Kirstie Alley's finest moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqT7G3pwxR0

These are equally hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pt8Nk95Yfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pt8Nk95Yfk

I think one of my very favorite exchanges in a Woody Allen movie though, is in Everyone Says I Love you... If you remember, Alan Alda's kids was a notorious conservative and then he passed out and they took him to the hospital and they said that he'd actually had a blockage, preventing blood to flow properly to his brain for the last year, so if he'd been exhibiting any bizarre behaviour then that might be the problem. What's hilarious is that he turned back into a reasonable human being after having a complete flow of oxygen restored to his brain.....

that was funny.

Man, did any of you guys see Match Point? That was good.... Manhattan was rad, too.

There really isn't a Woody Allen movie I don't like....

Kirstie Alley should have got an oscar for that scene alone. It's the peak of her career performances Woody Allen on the other part - his shtick became very tiresome a long long time before this movie.

and did you ever read "the whore of mensa" from the collection "without feathers"? if not, do not hesitate.

I don't recall the standup routines, but have read all of his essays, though it's been quite awhile ago. "The Whote of Mensa" was a favorite but I liked the correspondence chess game even more. I don't recall the exact title or which collections it's in.

Not Woody, but Lucky Louie is great for philosophy and laffs too.

Origin of everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?search=&mode=related&v=l56b60FT1iw

God is dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YLUmNcR7Io