There are so many great films in Woody Allen's catalogue that it is difficult to just give you five at a time. Here are five more films that dig a little deeper into his off-beat humor, that feature a little bit more of how his brain works, and a few dramas that amp up the stakes. This does not mean, in any way, that any films not mentioned yet are lesser-Woody Allen films. I just haven't gotten to them yet, but I will. Please enjoy these if you have the time, and if you watch them and hate them, then let me know that too. I'm always interested to see other people's reactions to them.
1. Sleeper (1973)- This is one of Woody's earlier movies and was a part of his comedic career which was slapstick and didn't have any of the high-brow elitism that turns a lot of people away from his later work. Sleeper is a movie about a health-food store owner who is cryogenically frozen and then revived in the future to help start a revolution. He narrowly escapes and accidentally enlists the company of a poet played by Diane Keaton and most of the movie is about his bumbling adventure in the futuristic world. This is comedy at its finest and simplest. Rating: B+
2. Love and Death (1975)- No matter what anyone says, this is one of the greatest of Mr. Allen's films. It is basically 82 minutes of Woody's thoughts on (you guessed it!) love and death. Word on the street is that this film is Woody's favorite and it's not a big surprise why. This is the beginning of his super heady forays into the films where he injects his films with his intellectual neurosis. Some people are turned off by this, but I think it makes the films some of the most interesting ones ever made.
Rating: A-
3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)- This Oscar-winning drama is undoubtedly one of the best sibling films ever made. Period. The films follows three sisters and their inner-circles and the complications that arise when their lives take very different trajectories. The film has a perfect cast and showcases two of Woody's favorite leading ladies (Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest). It is also, most likely, the best performance Woody ever turned in as the hypochondriacal ex-husband of Carrie Fischer's character. The film also stars the ever-classic Max Von Sydow and Barbara Hershey with ovation-worthy performances.
Rating: A
4. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)- I've sold a lot of my DVD collection over the past couple years, but I can't seem to part with this beauty of a film. Mighty Aphrodite features a star-turning role for Mira Sorvino as Linda Ash the “working girl” and mother of Woody Allen's adopted child. The real magic, I think, of this movie is the way that Woody works in the story of Oedipus and his use of the chorus from the classic play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles to comment and showcase the tragic elements of this incredibly funny and heart-warming movie. This is one of Woody's most enjoyable films, in my opinion, and the scene where he and Helena Bonham Carter (as his ethically questionable wife) are trying to come up with a baby name is classic Woody Allen!
Rating: A-
5. Match Point (2005)- This is another one of the late-career efforts that features Scarlett Johannson and is set in the gorgeous city of London. The story, however, is not so gorgeous as it takes his typically hilarious crime-solver films and explores the dark side with a chilling authenticity. I will not beat around the bush here, I did not really enjoy this film like a lot of his others because of the Hitchcock-ian eeriness that takes center stage, but it is an incredible film in terms of bringing Woody back to the front line of making great films and digging into his cerebellum and coming out with something that marries his wonderful, nebbish sensibilities and the characteristics of his favorite classics.
Rating: B+
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