Woody Allen’s “Asian” Problem

By Jennifer Tang

Hollywood has rarely offered Asians opportunities to be anything other than karate heroes, geishas, wartime prostitutes, or sinister "yellow peril" villains. [10 October 2008]

A Guide to the Lesser Woody Allen Films

By Michael Buening

The Film Forum has programmed a full-scale Woody Allen retrospective titled "Essentially Woody" featuring all the movies you've already seen. So, Buening provides a brief guide to all the Woody Allen films you didn't know existed. [21 December 2006]

Whatever Works

By Cynthia Fuchs

Whatever Works, a reported reworking of a 30-year-old script, is overtly old. [19 June 2009]

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

By Cynthia Fuchs

Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) is the figure least obviously dictated by the Woody Allen template. And for that, you are eternally grateful. [15 August 2008]

Cassandra’s Dream

By Cynthia Fuchs

The first few minutes of Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream are not bad. [18 January 2008]

Scoop (2006)

By Kevin Wong

Allen once channeled Bergman in Interiors and Fellini in Stardust Memories, but in Scoop, he commits a more self-indulgent crime, paying tribute to his own works. [28 July 2006]

Scoop (2006)

By Cynthia Fuchs

If Scoop has a theme, submerged beneath its poor plotting, clumsy editing, and reductive characterizations, deception might be it.

Match Point (2005)

By Cynthia Fuchs

Chris is fond of Enrico Caruso, whose voice 'expresses everything that's tragic about life,' one of these Allenish aphorisms that's probably true but just sounds trite. [4 January 2006]

Melinda and Melinda (2005)

By Cynthia Fuchs

In Melinda and Melinda, full of women struggling to make their desires known to men who suppose they know what women want and mean, the women are infinitely less regular and more interesting. [25 October 2005]

Melinda and Melinda (2005)

By Cynthia Fuchs

Hobie rejiggers his life in order to make himself look 'available' for Melinda, the joke being that the Allen character is never actually available, but rather, needy, fervent, and clumsily scheming. [18 March 2005]

Anything Else (2003)

By Jesse Hassenger

The idea of Woody Allen teaching high school English is a funny idea, and Anything Else leaves it at that: a funny idea. [25 September 2003]

Hollywood Ending (2002)

By Cynthia Fuchs

The reinvention of Hollywood Ending is not the film, but the 66-year-old Allen as self-promoter. [2 May 2002]

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

By Cynthia Fuchs

In his latest film, Woody Allen moves in slow motion. Actually, the whole of The Curse of the Jade Scorpion appears to be creaking and shuffling, like it's been made by zombies. [24 August 2001]

Small Time Crooks

By Lucas Hilderbrand

Allen’s best work achieved greatness by being more than funny —by revealing or capturing something more substantive about human relationships. With Small Time Crooks, the substance comes from the unexpected satire of class differences that gets at something truer than a mere fish-out-of-water story.

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

By Josh Jones

Even though Sean Penn brings a phenomenally hysterical freshness to Emmett Ray (and he played a similarly mustachioed maniac in Hurly Burly, without the artistic genius), Sweet and Lowdown is familiar ground for Woody Allen, replete with his usual themes.

Mixed Media: Whatever Works dir. Woody Allen (video clips)

Mixed Media: “Whatever Works” directed by Woody Allen (stills / trailer)

Short Ends and Leader: ‘Barcelona’ Betrays Allen’s Stifled Storytelling

Vicky Christina Barcelona is really nothing more than rich people bitching. Now where exactly is the fun in that? [15 August 2008]

Short Ends and Leader: Goodbye, Woody

Backstage at the Oscars: ‘Milk’ screenwriter speaks out [23 February 2009]

Woody weird? His new star begs to differ [21 August 2008]

Javier Bardem, living the impossible life [15 August 2008]

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is in big demand [31 January 2008]

Colin Farrell plays against type in new Woody Allen movie [14 January 2008]