tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5755436474777813753..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Woody Allen is coming to TVBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84440847529868282702015-01-15T12:57:02.989-08:002015-01-15T12:57:02.989-08:00I think many comedians with few exceptions start t...I think many comedians with few exceptions start to appeal less to me as they become more famous because their world is less connected to any reality we inhabit. So their work becomes about the stress of being rich and famous.<br /><br />My personal exception to this is Seinfeld and Chris Rock because the former's observational and the latter's relationship humor bridges that divide.<br /><br />I appreciate that people like Allen's recent work (Match Point, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine) but I find that the people don't talk or act like real people but Allen's memories of real people when he socialized with them.<br /><br />And also personally, I think his dismissal of comedy as a form is why he will never produce a great drama. INTERIORS and SEPTEMBER and his other dramas involve dull ponderous people who are always serious and don't dare joke, which is not reality. There was more serious drama and effective character in CHEERS.<br /><br />And there are great laughs in GLEN GARRY GLEN ROSS and GOODFELLAS. I'd argue that Scorsese's best work makes me laugh more than Allen's at times.Stephen Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03670422634319094941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73416308026792805422015-01-15T11:32:41.805-08:002015-01-15T11:32:41.805-08:00Maybe every episode is just 22 minutes of him cash...Maybe every episode is just 22 minutes of him cashing checks? Y'know, most people don't cash checks anymore, so a camera would follow Woody around as he goes from bank to bank, maybe a couple of liquor stores, as he cashes checks and he converses with those around him (or awkwardly doesn't). This way, young people today could see what it's like to cash checks.<br />Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76295876999565577802015-01-15T08:06:12.814-08:002015-01-15T08:06:12.814-08:00Okay, explain something to me. Why are so many of...Okay, explain something to me. Why are so many of you assuming that the latest project from a man who has never made a sequel (in dozens of films) is going to be a sequel?<br /><br />Well, actually, I do have an explanation for that--none of you can actually come up with an original idea, but you are covering that by projecting your own inability onto the person you are making jokes about--but I suppose you could have some other reason. If so, please give it.Touch-and-go Bulletheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16363597614050344922015-01-15T04:41:10.306-08:002015-01-15T04:41:10.306-08:00"Hasn't made a good movie in years."..."Hasn't made a good movie in years." <br /><br />Really? Blue Jasmine (didn't someone win a best actress award), Midnight in Paris. Both were fairly brilliant films. <br /><br />"80 year old protagonist" I think the last time Woody was a romantic lead in any of his films was at least 12 years ago. <br /><br />Every time I come to ken's blog and the subject is either Woody Allen or anything that takes place in Manhattan, I always go Uh-oh. More east coast bashing. More woody allen bashing. <br /><br />Personally, I always find it a low point on this otherwise fine blog. It always seems like such transparent jealousy.billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64483893238182946802015-01-14T22:33:22.642-08:002015-01-14T22:33:22.642-08:00The only thing in "Shadows and Fog" that...The only thing in "Shadows and Fog" that made me laugh was the Julie Kavner scene. Let's hope his series involves her. Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50832359473253238792015-01-14T20:23:46.112-08:002015-01-14T20:23:46.112-08:00Jeez. Of course I know about so-called "jukeb...Jeez. Of course I know about so-called "jukebox musicals" where a plot is strung upon a bunch of songs that were pop hits of relatively recent vintage (heard on the radio, etc.) by the audience earlier in their lives. But <i>Bullets</i> was nothing of the kind - it was a period piece with much older songs, which might have worked if the story had been new to modern audiences (such as the Tony-winning <i>Crazy for You</i>, an adaptation of an old Gershwin brothers musical, on which <i>Bullets</i> director Susan Stroman had been the choreographer). But they tried to take the same approach while adapting a relatively recent nonmusical movie. None of those jukebox musicals was based on a movie; the few successful musical adaptations of movies have been those that featured really good <b>new</b> songs (e.g., <i>Hairspray</i>) or were musicals to begin with (<i>Victor/Victoria</i>, animated Disneys, etc.).gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20280189695704092502015-01-14T19:01:22.939-08:002015-01-14T19:01:22.939-08:00"But it was sheer hubris to think people woul..."But it was sheer hubris to think people would pay Broadway ticket prices for a new musical with no original music"<br /><br />A partial list:<br /><br />Contact<br /><br />Million Dollar Quartet<br /><br />Mama Mia!<br /><br />Motown: The Musical<br /><br />Jersey Boys<br /><br />Ain't Misbehavin<br /><br />Smokey Joe's Cafe<br /><br />We Will Rock You<br /><br />Movin' Out<br /><br />Rock of Ages<br /><br />American Idiot<br /><br />Beautiful:The Carole King MusicalDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01282017861110563132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34081162965091658972015-01-14T18:58:45.654-08:002015-01-14T18:58:45.654-08:00Wendy G- I cannot wait to watch Transparent on Ama...Wendy G- I cannot wait to watch Transparent on Amazon. My youngish daughter loves Maura and I had the good fortune to have attended Jeff Tambor`s plays when he performed at the Milwaukee Rep. I`ve followed his career since the early 70`s. And... I catch the CAPTCHA every time. Captcha Karma.mmryan314https://www.blogger.com/profile/03956737239500293977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52206862095418953252015-01-14T18:51:02.435-08:002015-01-14T18:51:02.435-08:00Gottacook, have you never heard of Mamma Mia!, Roc...Gottacook, have you never heard of Mamma Mia!, Rock of Ages or Jersey Boys ?Rob in Torontonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59895776116459719492015-01-14T16:39:55.407-08:002015-01-14T16:39:55.407-08:00That sounds just like AMAZING STORIES when that wa...That sounds just like AMAZING STORIES when that was announced in the early 80s.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02753360146107174303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68581093369732149162015-01-14T16:33:33.232-08:002015-01-14T16:33:33.232-08:00Alvy: I saw Shadows and Fog in the theater and yes...Alvy: I saw <i>Shadows and Fog</i> in the theater and yes, it was that bad. Obviously a fallow period for Allen, as he had to resort to adapting one of his plays from <i>Without Feathers</i> and it turned out about one-fiftieth as funny. <i>Another Woman</i> was at least thought-provoking, but then I also liked <i>Interiors</i> (more in 1978 than today, though).gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45027921440246339852015-01-14T16:08:28.743-08:002015-01-14T16:08:28.743-08:00"Shadows and Fog" wasn't that bad! ..."Shadows and Fog" wasn't that bad! How does a guy do "September," "Another Woman," "Alice" and "Shadows and Fog" in five years' time, and "Shadows and Fog" always gets picked as the lousy one?Alvy Stinkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51163151976177405662015-01-14T15:50:57.217-08:002015-01-14T15:50:57.217-08:00Yekmi: There are many things to dislike about Amaz...Yekmi: There are many things to dislike about Amazon, but the quality of the TV shows it has started to make is not one of them. TRANSPARENT is excellent by any standard. ALPHA House is at least very good.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46778102691802817932015-01-14T14:25:39.506-08:002015-01-14T14:25:39.506-08:00Woody,
Bring back the Orgasmatron.
Thank you.Woody,<br /><br />Bring back the Orgasmatron.<br /><br />Thank you.emilynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36401411441563867912015-01-14T11:57:16.743-08:002015-01-14T11:57:16.743-08:00Since he says he doesn't have any good ideas f...Since he says he doesn't have any good ideas for the series, here are a few concepts:<br /><br />“Play It Again, Sam”:<br />A shy young television fan is coached in the art of seducing women by the ghost of Sam Malone.<br /><br />“Granny Hall”:<br />Diane Keaton plays a wacky Midwestern WASP who has become the guardian of her 12 grandchildren, all of whom are bespectacled, neurotic nerds.<br /><br />“Manhattan”:<br />A reality competition in which the world’s best bartenders vie to make the tastiest mixed drink.<br /><br />“Blue Jasmine”:<br />A neurotic New Yorker is annoyed when he orders the “Blue Jasmine” vase for his beautiful WASPy girlfriend, but receives the “Green Jasmine” model instead. Many humorous misunderstandings ensue between him and Amazon’s customer-service department.<br />Ben K.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59313506709963599752015-01-14T11:19:44.253-08:002015-01-14T11:19:44.253-08:00Didn't Amazon used to be the place where you c...Didn't Amazon used to be the place where you could get stuff waaaaaay cheaper than almost any other place? Ordered a few things off them for the first time in a couple of years, what with the shipping charges and stuff, it would have been cheaper for me to drive the 30 miles to get what I needed. Now I know where all my money is going...for them to make crappy "TV" shows. Waiting for them to announce that if you spend X amount of money you can get a shot as a "special guest star" on one of their shows.YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62050282354408985332015-01-14T10:41:56.986-08:002015-01-14T10:41:56.986-08:00For some reason I recall Doonesbury's update o...For some reason I recall Doonesbury's update on 60s rock icon Jerry Thudpucker: He was very excited about getting into ringtones.DBensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9297900915958843602015-01-14T10:17:12.449-08:002015-01-14T10:17:12.449-08:0070? That's a typo alright, the leading man is ...70? That's a typo alright, the leading man is 79! (However, the leading lady is still 20.)<br /><br />Let's be honest, after studying Allen and his work fairly extensively, I feel we can be pretty certain it will have an argument at its core that all life is horrible, and everyone is miserable all of the time (except for those few "moments" he talks about in Manhattan). But the argument will go over most viewer's heads simply because they, and everyone they know, aren't as cold and miserable as Allen. In fact, very few people are.<br /><br />Allen has always gone where the work is. When the money dried up in the US, he found it in London. When that dried up, Spain. Luckily those trips managed to revitalise his career, and the money came back in the US... I wonder if it's dried up again, and that's why he's taken this Amazon deal?<br /><br />Still, one a good day, he certainly knows how to write good stories with strong characters. The question is if we really need another LOUIE on the air... but with fewer jokes?Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22644229669818465882015-01-14T09:39:07.978-08:002015-01-14T09:39:07.978-08:00maybe he'll write a show for cosby.maybe he'll write a show for cosby.normadesmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17325110017442011627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71196548611623652672015-01-14T08:58:27.383-08:002015-01-14T08:58:27.383-08:00Hey Ken, You have such brilliant comic insight int...Hey Ken, You have such brilliant comic insight into the entertainment world's bullshit. Why the hell don't you develop an Episodes type show for, say, Amazon or Paypal? Seriously! <br />The premise could be about an ex-comedy writer who now has a blog and one of the reader comments gives him the idea to do this show skewering Hollywood. He gets the deal but the the Paypal execs don't like all the jokes about them...blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52064257544956998292015-01-14T08:56:44.922-08:002015-01-14T08:56:44.922-08:00The two Amazon shows I've watched, Alpha House...The two Amazon shows I've watched, Alpha House and Mozart in the Jungle, have both been really solid, enjoyable shows.Chris Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47728506563780556072015-01-14T08:48:41.817-08:002015-01-14T08:48:41.817-08:00Scorsese has said that he wanted to make a film in...Scorsese has said that he wanted to make a film in every genre. I wish he'd do an Amazon series. Kate Coehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07053201400454163801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50407967178754302902015-01-14T08:20:42.371-08:002015-01-14T08:20:42.371-08:00Observation: If the "musical" Bullets ov...Observation: If the "musical" <i>Bullets over Broadway</i> had succeeded, we wouldn't be hearing about any Allen/Amazon deal. (But it was sheer hubris to think people would pay Broadway ticket prices for a new musical with no original music.) <br /><br />Prediction: Diane Keaton will guest-direct an episode.<br /><br />Hope: "The Kugelmass Episode" will be adapted. I'd love to see the verb <i>tener</i> chasing Kugelmass at the end.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69385381594707933202015-01-14T08:10:21.161-08:002015-01-14T08:10:21.161-08:00I was more excited about John Goodman doing a seri...I was more excited about John Goodman doing a series for them. This seems unnecessarily desperate on Amazon's part.Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73324014073300922912015-01-14T07:55:14.012-08:002015-01-14T07:55:14.012-08:00There's no garbage here because they turn it i...There's no garbage here because they turn it into television shows."<br /><br />Woody Allen, "Annie Hall"Scooter Schechtmannoreply@blogger.com