VHS comedy era comedy Hall of fame III (1977-1989)

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The trick is not minding
Annie Hall (1977)

I've never been much of a fan of Woody Allen, but I've seen a few of his movies over the past few months, and I think I'm starting to like his movies, (or maybe I'm just finally seeing some of his movies that are more my style). I thought this had kind of a strange style to it, but it was a cute movie with some funny scenes.

I love the scenes when they break the fourth wall, and we find out what's in their thoughts, especially the flashback scene with Woody Allen in his old classroom, the subtitles showing their thoughts while they're talking, and when the guy is annoying him on line at the movies.

This movie kind of has a similar feel to When Harry Met Sally, and there are even some similarities between the two movies. There's a scene in When Harry Met Sally when Sally wears an almost identical outfit as Annie Hall wears in this movie, including her hat. In this movie, we see Annie sing the song "It Had To Be You", which is also featured in When Harry Met Sally. And there's even a comment in both movies about writing your names in your books in case of a breakup. In this movie, Woody Allen says, "You put your name in all my books because you knew this day was coming.". In When Harry Met Sally, Harry says "Do me a favor, for your own good. Put your names in your books right now, before they get mixed up and you don't know whose is whose.". This being the earlier of the two movies, it shows that When Harry Met Sally was likely influenced by Annie Hall.

And just as an aside, I can totally relate to Annie in the spider scene. (And thank God that they didn't show the spider. ) Back in my college days, I once called a friend late at night to come over and kill a spider. He drove about 20 minutes in the pouring rain just to kill it.
I love Woody Allen and can’t wait to review this and When Harry met Sally to see the comparisons you mentioned.
It’s always a toss up between Annie Hall or Sunset Memories as which is his best film.
Also, Diane Keaton is absolutely beautiful in this. But for me, nothing tops her appearance, and performance, in Love and Death, another Allen film



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I love Woody Allen and can’t wait to review this and When Harry met Sally to see the comparisons you mentioned.
It’s always a toss up between Annie Hall or Sunset Memories as which is his best film.
Also, Diane Keaton is absolutely beautiful in this. But for me, nothing tops her appearance, and performance, in Love and Death, another Allen film

I haven't seen Stardust Memories or Love and Death yet, but I recently saw and liked Midnight in Paris, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Crimes and Misdemeanors. (I've been watching them as they air on TCM and other movie channels, so there's no specific order that I'm following.)
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The trick is not minding
I love Woody Allen and can’t wait to review this and When Harry met Sally to see the comparisons you mentioned.
It’s always a toss up between Annie Hall or Sunset Memories as which is his best film.
Also, Diane Keaton is absolutely beautiful in this. But for me, nothing tops her appearance, and performance, in Love and Death, another Allen film

I haven't seen Stardust Memories or Love and Death yet, but I recently saw and liked Midnight in Paris, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Crimes and Misdemeanors. (I've been watching them as they air on TCM and other movie channels, so there's no specific order that I'm following.)
Oh! I loved The a Purple Rose of Cairo haha!
That film made me laugh at the absurdity of it all. But in a good way, obviously!
Stardust Memories seems to divide his fans, you either hate it or love it. There seems little in between. I loved it when I first watched it 4 years ago. I should give it a rewatch sometime



Oh! I loved The a Purple Rose of Cairo haha!
That film made me laugh at the absurdity of it all. But in a good way, obviously!
Stardust Memories seems to divide his fans, you either hate it or love it. There seems little in between. I loved it when I first watched it 4 years ago. I should give it a rewatch sometime
Have you seen many of Woody Allen's latest films? Say like the ones he did in the last 10 years? Any thoughts on them?



The trick is not minding
Oh! I loved The a Purple Rose of Cairo haha!
That film made me laugh at the absurdity of it all. But in a good way, obviously!
Stardust Memories seems to divide his fans, you either hate it or love it. There seems little in between. I loved it when I first watched it 4 years ago. I should give it a rewatch sometime
Have you seen many of Woody Allen's latest films? Say like the ones he did in the last 10 years? Any thoughts on them?
Not in the last 5 or 6 years no, but I will admit his later work lacked the same quality as his earlier ones.



The trick is not minding
Not in the last 5 or 6 years no, but I will admit his later work lacked the same quality as his earlier ones.
I didn't like some of his latest films: Magic in the Moonlight, Café Society, But I did really enjoy: Wonder Wheel
Yeah, there’s a big gap in his films for me after 2010 or so. And it’s spotty in the 2000’s.
Watched almost all of his 70’s, 80’s and 90’s work. He puts out a high volume of films so it’s hard to keep up. Wonder Wheel and Cafe Society are two I’ve been meaning to catch up on soon, for sure.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
After Hours (1985)

This was the second time that I've seen this movie, and I'm still kind of undecided about how I feel about it. It's an interesting movie with some fun scenes, but it's just a bit too strange for my taste.

It was also a bit too hard to believe that everyone that Paul met seemed to somehow be connected to another person that he met that night. It's either an unbelievable coincidence, or a very small town.
This is going to be my third time seeing this. First time, I did not like it at all. Second time, eased up on the dislike, so I'll be curious to see where my third viewing will place it. Perhaps into the enjoyment range, which is where I had originally expected it to be on my first viewing.

Regarding how everyone knew everyone, I do see how it was kept to a very tight couple of blocks of the city and, like any neighborhood in the burbs or countryside, people know people in a tight radius of a couple of blocks in a city as well. And that's from experience so, hopefully that helps give a bit of light on that particular aspect.
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I didn't like some of his latest films: Magic in the Moonlight, Café Society, But I did really enjoy: Wonder Wheel
Yeah, there’s a big gap in his films for me after 2010 or so. And it’s spotty in the 2000’s.
Watched almost all of his 70’s, 80’s and 90’s work. He puts out a high volume of films so it’s hard to keep up. Wonder Wheel and Cafe Society are two I’ve been meaning to catch up on soon, for sure.
Irrational Man was pretty decent. And Magic in the Moonlight had an old time hollywood romance feel to it that I enjoyed.
My preferences have been for his all out comedies of the early seventies and late sixties like Take the Money and Run or, as previously mentioned, Love & Death, which I haven't seen for decades and really should try to see again.




After Hours

I just got through re-watching After Hours. I liked it before but this time I could really see just how well crafted Scorsese' comedy is.

I loved the title credits with the classical music score...That set the tone for what was to come and what a wild ride it was! The opening scene tells us that Paul is stuck in a boring job. Then at home we see he's even more bored and apparently has no life and nothing is going on....That's when his little adventure starts. He meets Rosanna Arquette in a cafe and likes her. I mean she does seem likable! When she leaves he gets her friends phone number only to find that his ink pen is out of ink. So right from the get-go we know he's both lonely and unlucky too! Little does he know he'll met a bunch of women, all who at first seem inviting, only to find they all make his evening a huge pain! This is clearly a movie that guys can relate to, it's easy imaging being in Paul's soggy shoes for the evening

My previous review:

After Hours (1985)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Joseph Minion
Cast: Griffin Dunne, Terri Garr, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom
Genre: Comedy Drama

Griffin Dunne was perfectly cast. He was both likable and interesting. I could relate to his character as the everyday guy just trying to make it through the night. He sure fit well into the quirky world of New York City after hours when a whole lot of crazy stuff befalls this poor guy!

All of the supporting cast was great, and this might be my favorite Rosanne Arquette movie. Can't say I've seen her in much though, Pulp Fiction mainly.

My favorite was Terri Garr. It was so funny when they first showed her, because instantly I noticed the 60s fashion style. I remember watching Terri on Late Night with David Letterman, Letterman had a crush on her and she was a regular on his show. A good guest too and always fun to watch her. I remember she often would talk about being a young adult in the 1960s. Also she'd talk about being in the 1968 movie Head which starred The Monkeys. So I got her character as soon as I seen her in that beehive hair do with that dress and those white go go boots. I mean damn she really looked like she belonged back in the 60s! Even funnier when back at her apartment she does her little dance and ask him if he likes The Monkeys? It just seemed like something Terri Garr would do.
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Broadcast News (1987)

I kinda liked it and was interest at first, but wholly crap was Holly Hunter annoying! Ugh, talk about a wrong casting choice. Broadcast News starts off as a would be savvy news room comedy drama, from the same writer that gave us the Mary Tyler Moore show. Only one problem...Holly Hunter! I read that this movie was specifically written with Debra Winger in mind to play the head of the news production team. She would've been good. I don't know what Holly was trying to do with her performance? I guess she was suppose to be high energy and driven to perfection. But she came off like some sort of nutcase who just drank way too much caffeine. I swear all I could do is watch to see how fidgety she was...and was she fidgety or what.

Then in the middle of the film it ends up loosing it's perspective as it tries to become a rom com. The romance part didn't work and didn't met the expectations of a more serious drama comedy about the troubles behind the evening news show.

Still I'm glad I seen it.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Regarding how everyone knew everyone, I do see how it was kept to a very tight couple of blocks of the city and, like any neighborhood in the burbs or countryside, people know people in a tight radius of a couple of blocks in a city as well. And that's from experience so, hopefully that helps give a bit of light on that particular aspect.

I don't know about in the city, but here on Long Island, we have neighbors who live in the same co-op, or even right next door, and we don't know them. It just seemed a bit too coincidental that everyone knew everyone else so well. But I guess that's just how it goes sometimes, especially in the movies.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

Broadcast News (1987)

I kinda liked it and was interest at first, but wholly crap was Holly Hunter annoying! Ugh, talk about a wrong casting choice. Broadcast News starts off as a would be savvy news room comedy drama, from the same writer that gave us the Mary Tyler Moore show. Only one problem...Holly Hunter! I read that this movie was specifically written with Debra Winger in mind to play the head of the news production team. She would've been good. I don't know what Holly was trying to do with her performance? I guess she was suppose to be high energy and driven to perfection. But she came off like some sort of nutcase who just drank way too much caffeine. I swear all I could do is watch to see how fidgety she was...and was she fidgety or what.

Then in the middle of the film it ends up loosing it's perspective as it tries to become a rom com. The romance part didn't work and didn't met the expectations of a more serious drama comedy about the troubles behind the evening news show.

Still I'm glad I seen it.

I thought Holly Hunter was adorable in Broadcast News.





The Blues Brothers

The story of Jake and Elwood and their efforts to save their former orphanage. It's a "mission from God". I've seen this once before and my opinion hasn't changed.

The problem with cult movies is either you buy what they're selling or you don't. Unfortunately, as it relates to the Blues Brothers, I'm not buying. There are moments I enjoyed, the sit down with the Nun, the final chase and the music, but everything in between, which is pretty much all Dan and John, is just kind of dull. I often wonder how much of the Jon Belushi love is based off of what might have been over what is. His Bluto in Animal House stole every scene he was in but other than that...I don't get it.

There are two scenes that made me chuckle a little: the previously mentioned Nun scene and the Ray Charles cameo but for a comedy that's too few and far between. Even though I'm not a fan it is one of those movies that I think everyone should see at least once (similar to Rocky Horror). You might just love it.



The Blues Brothers

I often wonder how much of the John Belushi love is based off of what might have been over what is. His Bluto in Animal House stole every scene he was in but other than that...I don't get it...
To be honest I kind of thought the same thing while watching the movie. Loved the movie, but to me Dan Aykroyd was much more of the draw. Then again I'm a fan of Aykroyds.



I love Woody Allen and can’t wait to review this and When Harry met Sally to see the comparisons you mentioned.
It’s always a toss up between Annie Hall or Sunset Memories as which is his best film.
Also, Diane Keaton is absolutely beautiful in this. But for me, nothing tops her appearance, and performance, in Love and Death, another Allen film
All good films that you mentioned.

Annie Hall
was somewhat of a landmark film, although my personal preference has always been Manhattan. Rather unique first rate cinematography in this love letter to NYC.

IMO Hannah and Her Sisters has been one of his best. Near perfect acting and writing.

~Doc




Broadcast News (1987)

I kinda liked it and was interest at first, but wholly crap was Holly Hunter annoying! Ugh, talk about a wrong casting choice. Broadcast News starts off as a would be savvy news room comedy drama, from the same writer that gave us the Mary Tyler Moore show. Only one problem...Holly Hunter! I read that this movie was specifically written with Debra Winger in mind to play the head of the news production team. She would've been good. I don't know what Holly was trying to do with her performance? I guess she was suppose to be high energy and driven to perfection. But she came off like some sort of nutcase who just drank way too much caffeine. I swear all I could do is watch to see how fidgety she was...and was she fidgety or what.

Then in the middle of the film it ends up loosing it's perspective as it tries to become a rom com. The romance part didn't work and didn't met the expectations of a more serious drama comedy about the troubles behind the evening news show.

Still I'm glad I seen it.
Wow, I didn't find Holly Hunter annoying at all... maybe I'll have to watch it again but I really liked her performance!
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Greatly surprised by how much I liked this movie! I thought it would be campy and cheesy 80s "comedy.".... well, actually it was campy and cheesy, but in a good way. The movie knew it was goofy, and it played along with clever dialogue and some hilarious laughs. Steve Martin was good but not the best I've seen him, but the other two stars were great! The story line was full of fun twists and turns, until our final reveal (even if you could sniff it coming from a mile away, come on, how is not great). A movie that's not "great" but any definition of the word, but I still love it all the same.

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When Harry Met Sally...

aka the sappy lovey-dovey version of Annie Hall.

All right, fine, it was good. Didn't love it but it was a solid film with some really funny moments. And about that... I didn't actually think it was all that funny in general. Isn't it more of a drama-romance than a comedy? Well, anyways, I've never really liked Billy Crystal all that much and he was up to his usual shtick in this movie, which is fine at first, and then gets old.

So this movie gets compared to Annie Hall a lot but I think that movie did it a lot better. First of all, Diane Keaton is much better than Meg Ryan. Keaton is so great for Annie. Woody Allen's shtick is also much better than Crystal's, but that's just me. Some people hate Allen's self-loathing depressive maniac style, but I think it's hilarious and I love it. Annie Hall also takes more risks with its storytelling, it's non-linear and includes a lot of cool new tricks with the camera and the screen (subtitles, animation, etc.)

Oops. This has turned into a second review of Annie Hall. I just don't have much to say about When Harry Met Sally....... but I liked it, don't get me wrong. Very solid film.

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