I admit to being a devoted Woody Allen fan. I could not possibly care less about what he does in his personal life, his films are incomparable. The good ones anyway.
Here, Paste magazine has listed its opinion of Allen's top ten. The article goes into a deeper explanation, but here are the listed ten:
10) Sweet and Lowdown
9) Match Point
8) Love and Death
7) Vicky Cristina Barcelona
6) Bullets over Broadway
5) Crimes and Misdemeanors
4) The Purple Rose of Cairo
3) Annie Hall
2) Hannah and Her Sisters
1) Manhattan
Before I go into my thoughts on the list above, I should preface this by noting that I have a very clear bias for his films with Diane Keaton, and against his films with Mia Farrow. I always have. Which is why I would immediately strike The Purple Rose of Cairo from the list, and in its place insert Play it Again, Sam.
That said, I'm extremely pleased to see Manhattan at number one, a place which is typically occupied by one of the two that precede it. It had always been one of my favorites, but last semester in my Aesthetics of Cinema class, I had to dissect it (specifically the cinematography) for a ten-page paper and I discovered that it really and truly has to be his best film. It's exquisite. And I would admittedly place Annie Hall ahead of Hannah and Her Sisters, though I suppose it doesn't really matter any.
I don't know if any of you are Woody Allen fans or would have an opinion, but I'd love to hear it.
