Short Story Proposal

This currently untitled story is about an 18 year old writer named Madison. Madison has never ever finished a project, but he is convinced his next idea, a sci-fi look at the Darfur crisis, will be his big breakthrough. His friend James attempts to write it with him but is too involved with school and his girlfriend Kelsey to really be of much help to Madison . The story focuses on the pressure put on Madison to write his great story when his generation is only known for getting low test scores and being less creative than any other generation preceding it. The story will follow Madison until the end of his production that he simply labels "Darfuture". Madison will learn whats really important about writing, once he stops trying to write his magnum opus and starts living his life away from characters he creates for his movies.

Noir Top Ten List

10. Main focus is always on the "underbelly"
9. Murder is almost always involved
8. Excess of Alcohol
7. There is a lot of misinterpretations that fuel characters actions
6. Women commonly seduce the main character
5. There is never any "cut and dry" case
4. The hero of the story is usually deeper than you would see in most films
3. All the characters seem largely isolated before the story begins
2. If there is a woman, her past must be troubled.
1. It always takes place in the city(seriously, think about it)

Annotated Outline for Woody Allen Auteur Paper

Personality On Display: Woody Allen

Introduction/Auteur Review/Thesis Statement(2-3 paragraphs but all encompass into similar subject):

When Woody Allen makes a film, you feel his personality in every frame. Woody Allen is not an auteur in the way that you can find several director signatures throughout his films (though there are a few) but in the way you can feel his persona almost like a spirit hanging over the film. This takes auteur theory into a much more thoughtful and deeper state than I had originally anticipated

Sleeper(the exception to the rule) (1 paragraph)

Sleeper is exceptionally different from most of the Woody Allen films I watched. It is more of a Mel Brooks/Benny Hill style comedy with jazz tribute to the silent film era. What is indeed present though is Woody Allen riffing on 70s popular culture in his usual neurotic demeanor. The film is largely a kind of strange social commentary on the 70s and kind of a fantasy world of Woody Allen. It is notable that in the most offbeat and unrealistic of all the Woody Allen movies I watched it is the only one where he ends up with the girl in the end.

Annie Hall (Perfection) (1 paragraph, possibly 2 if I get really excited)
Annie Hall is what I would consider the framework for Allen's best films. It seems that the movies relationship is fictional but the life and aspects of Alvy Singer who is played by Woody Allen, are very autobiographical. Several times throughout Annie Hall, Woody Allen breaks the fourth wall(where the audiences sits outside the films world and watches) and speaks directly to the audience about his problems. His personality is most evident here because he is talking to us directly.

Manhattan (1 paragraph)
The opening dialouge of Manhattan is reminiscent of Annie Hall as Woody Allen speaks of his love for a city that appears to be losing its luster. The film itself is presented in black and white as if to add a more old timey feel. It makes me think of old movies that take place in Manhattan and how people who had never seen the city itself back in the black and white era recognized it in that color. This is Woody's love note to Manhattan. It also has the possibility of foreshadowing some relationships in Woodys actual life. (Ending up with a 17 year old?)

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1 paragraph)
A look at the darker side of Woody Allen. Crimes and Misdemeanors is a mixture of two stories. One about a successful man who is brought to call upon murder of his mistress, and the other about a failing director who falls in love while working on a documentary about his brother in law. While the side about the failed director is the usual Woody Allen plot where nothing turns out right, its contrast to the dead serious story of murder and cheating. This would become another framework that is delved into further in Match Point.

Match Point (1 paragraph)
This was the only film I watched that didn't have Woody Allen himself in a starring role. His presence was still felt as we are exposed to relationships, betrayal, and murder. We still see it all come together based around an opening monologue and its continuing reference of luck (like in the game of tennis) throughout the movie. Here we have no common Woody story but his focus on the inner workings of the human mind and complicated relationships is unmistakable.

Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
Woody Allen is one of the most personal directors of our time. He brings his personality into his films so much that they become unmistakable. He may not have many signatures, but that is irrelevent. After watching several of his movies, you feel like you know him personally.

Match Point, it could go to either side.

Match Point is a romantic drama(that becomes a thriller) and does not actually have Woody Allen appear at all in the film. But thats not to say his presence is completely lost, you still recognize the way Woody writes a story and constructs characters(plus the opening credits even use the same font...) Woody Allen has been quoted calling Match Point "his best film" and while I am not sure I agree with that statement, I do feel that it is his most tightly put together and consistent film. Everything feels perfectly constructed, The luck monologues are some of the best examples of his writing in my opinion. I also admire the acting skill of Jonathan-Rhys-Meyers who portrays tennis player Chris Wilton. After dropping out of the professional circuit Chris gets a job at a country club in London where through a series of events meets Chloe (Emily Mortimer) they fall deeply in love and begin a relationship, but things are not so simple, Chris also meets Nola (Scarlett Johanson) his brother in laws fiance who he shares great passion with. The movie focuses on several years as Chris's career rises as does his marriage to Chloe, although after a break up and trip home to america, Nola returns to London and continues her affair with Chris. Chris goes through a Crimes and Misdemeanors-like dilemna of walking the fine balance of lust and love he loses almost all rational though leading to a violent and chilling conclusion. The fact that Chris gets away with his crime is based on pure luck, a series of events that leaves him just like Judah in Crimes and Misdemeanors except for one big difference. Chris still retains the emotions of what he has done, the movie concludes with the birth of his son by Chloe, Chris should be happy but he just stares coldly and hurtfully into the nice view of London in his lofty apartment. The movie ends with Chris's brother in law speaking of his newborn son "Who cares if he is great, I just hope that he's lucky". Woody Allen also said that while Match Point was his best film, it was purely on accident. I guess in his mind, he just got lucky.

The Law of Allen: Crimes and Misdemeanors

It seems as if Crimes and Misdemeanors stories at first don't really combine very well and just seem thrown together randomly. One story is about a very successful ophthalmologist named Judah(Martin Landau) who in trying to protect his career and marriage has his mistress killed after she threatens to reveal herself to his family, he lives with the guilt in his heart after committing this crime and it changes his life. The other story is about a small time filmmaker Cliff(Woody Allen) who's marriage is on the rocks, his brother in law is a producer and a pompous ass named Lester (Alan Alda) who wants Cliff to direct a documentary on him for a series. While shooting the documentary Cliff falls in love with producer Halley(Mia Farrow) and the usual Woody Allen likes girl, girl likes Woody Allen, girl makes sad but realistic choice leaving Woody sad and alone. Strangely enough watching this film, I felt it was the most mature work I have seen from Woody Allen as well as his funniest. While all the serious parts were wonderful (Landau was really amazing) I couldn't help but fall over laughing when Cliff's sister confides in him about her rather raunchy and embarrassing sexual escapades with a near stranger. This is the first Woody Allen film I have watched where the focus isn't entirely on him. But his presence is always felt. There is a scene where Judah visits his childhood home and experiences an Annie Hall - like flashback to a dinner table conversation about Judaism. Judah just as Alvy does several times in Annie Hall interacts with the flashback and receives advice from his relatives. This is all very evident of Woody's personality and style being in every scene of the film. The two stories and how they play off of each other show very well in the final scene where Judah has apparently gotten over his grief while Cliff still believes that they will be punished for there "Crimes and Misdemeanors" its a very good look on the opposite ends of the spectrum and how human nature forces us to act in these situations. Punished, unpunished we all commit a crime, but as the film states, we hope future generations never have to do what we do. Be it murder, or cheating on your wife. Crimes and Misdemeanors.

A Full View of Manhattan

Everyone has a place they are in love with. Woody Allen clearly loves New York, you can tell in the opening shots and monologue of Manhattan when Woody playing Isaac Davis talks about his city changing for the worse. As in most Woody Allen films it feels as if Woody himself is simply expressing his own opinion through his dialouge. Once again Woody plays a neurotic and talkative character who is in confusing relationships. Manhattan is about Isaac Davis and two women; Tracy the 17 year old high school senior that Isaac is dating at the beginning of the movie and Mary, Isaac's best friend's mistress who is an intellectual writer who seems to overthink a lot. Isaac isn't really sure about what direction he should go with his love life and when he finally makes his decision to be with Mary, her sudden change of heart leaves him alone and unsure of what he should do. All the meanwhile Isaac's lesbian ex wife Jill (Meryl Streep) is writing a tell all book on their relationship that doesn't really do much to help his image. Manhattan is a good movie, visually its amazing. Shot entirely in black and white with several uses of silhouettes the film feels very much like a window into another world. The dialouge is similar to all of Woody Allens films, fast paced and smart. The main problem I have with Manhattan is that it brings up the storyline of the tell all book and barely goes into it, these scenes were some of my favorite in the movie, it could of been an entirely seperate movie I think, there just wasn't enough to satisfy me. It was kind of hard to watch the ending where Isaac goes back to Tracy. Knowing how Woody Allen will turn out its just generally unsettling to watch him end up with an 18 year old girl at the end of the movie. Although the ending is justified seeing as Isaac had really nowhere else to turn and just wanted to go somewhere where he felt raw happiness. I guess it was just about Woodys point of view on the situation, his paticular view was of Manhattan.

Possible Signatures:

Ending Credits the same as the other films I have watched

Characters often not in the center of the shot to portray a more realistic view

Use of certain theme throughout (Sleeper: Silent film comedy, Annie Hall: Fourth wall breakdown, Manhattan: Silhouttes)