Woody Allen - do you agree?

[MrFungus420]

I am a fan of his movies generally speaking. He has a new one out called ' You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger'...his obsession with death etc..

"One must have one's delusions to live. If you look at life too honestly and too clearly life does become unbearable because it's a pretty grim enterprise," Allen says.

"This is my prospective and has always been my prospective on life - I have a very grim, pessimistic view of it.

"I do feel that it is a grim, painful, nightmarish, meaningless experience and that the only way that you can be happy is if you tell yourself some lies and deceive yourself."

Do you agree?

Pretty much.

Unfortunately, I don't have the delusions. Life in general is meaningless. My life in particular is shit. There is nothing that I look forward to. My only goal at this point is to live longer than my mother so that she doesn't have to deal with her son's death.

[rachelbean]

Woody Allen is a uniquely insightful, funny and creative person. Even his worst films - and he has made a few stinkers - contain moments of sublime genius. Above all, he has never been ashamed of his intelligence and never paid lip-service to any common denominator nor respected any sacred cows.

His obsession with death and mortality is long-standing and well documented. Basically, he recognises, as do all honest atheists, that he has nothing but a short vacation in this life in which to make his mark. From my point of view, of course he is right. But then again, considering myself an honest atheist too, I would say that, wouldn't I?

I guess I'm the only one who is gonna agree with XC on this one. But uh...yeah, what he said

One of my favorite bits of dialogue (from Love and Death):

The question is have I learned anything about life. Only that human being are divided into mind and body. The mind embraces all the nobler aspirations, like poetry and philosophy, but the body has all the fun. The important thing, I think, is not to be bitter... if it turns out that there IS a God, I don't think that He's evil. I think that the worst you can say about Him is that basically He's an underachiever. After all, there are worse things in life than death. If you've ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman, you know what I'm talking about. The key is, to not think of death as an end, but as more of a very effective way to cut down on your expenses. Regarding love, heh, what can you say? It's not the quantity of your sexual relations that counts. It's the quality. On the other hand if the quantity drops below once every eight months, I would definitely look into. Well, that's about it for me folks. Goodbye.

[MrFungus420]

Anyone else feel uplifted?

No. Not in the least.

I don't see anything about it that should or could be uplifting.

[amused]

He investigates this theme a little bit in A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy with some mystical allusions to the unseen world. It's also a light-hearted bit of Allen for those who might want to try him again.

[Cunt]

Anyone else feel uplifted?

No. Not in the least.

I don't see anything about it that should or could be uplifting.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to explain it better...

I just read it again. For me, something about the hopelessness of it all inspires me.

No matter what we do, how hard we work, how good a job we do at living life, no-one is going to give a fuck in a few hundred years. All our most brilliant contributions will be buried in obscurity - at best.

Some folks have done stuff anyway, like the Hoover Dam, or dedicating themselves to the care of a loved one, or fighting to death for their homeland.

Fucking beautiful. Truly awe-inspiring. To me, all the more so because I think most people know.

[mistermack]

I've never found Woody Allen funny or witty. But plenty of people do. I think he's one of those that appeals to suggestible people. They are told he's brilliant, and jump on the bandwagon.
It's like a lot of modern art, it relies on the herd instinct.
.

[colubridae]

I like his asides. Like Bob Hope's.

When chased by a giant boob "where are you going?"

Allen "I'm going to get my catcher's mit. We're all boys in my family"

[orpheus]

I've never found Woody Allen funny or witty. But plenty of people do. I think he's one of those that appeals to suggestible people. They are told he's brilliant, and jump on the bandwagon.
It's like a lot of modern art, it relies on the herd instinct.
.

That's a rather sweeping statement. I love a lot of modern art. And there's a lot I don't like at all. I like a lot of Allen's films. Others I don't like. My opinions have nothing to do with the reputation of the artist. And certainly nothing whatsoever to do with herd instinct.

If I wanted to be really naughty, I'd point out that I've heard your comment (or words to that effect) from many, many people who seem to have a chip on their shoulder about this, and who jump on their own bandwagon allowing them to feel superior to those who may thoughtfully and genuinely like modern art (or modern music, literature, or, in this case, Woody Allen).

[mistermack]

That's a rather sweeping statement. I love a lot of modern art. And there's a lot I don't like at all. I like a lot of Allen's films. Others I don't like. My opinions have nothing to do with the reputation of the artist. And certainly nothing whatsoever to do with herd instinct.

If I wanted to be really naughty, I'd point out that I've heard your comment (or words to that effect) from many, many people who seem to have a chip on their shoulder about this, and who jump on their own bandwagon allowing them to feel superior to those who may thoughtfully and genuinely like modern art (or modern music, literature, or, in this case, Woody Allen).

I don't think you're reacting to what I wrote, but what you think I meant.
I wrote "I think he's one of those that appeals to suggestible people."
I didn't write that you have to be suggestible to like his stuff.
When it comes to modern art, it's obvious that suggestion plays a huge role in it's appreciation. It's just so constant and drip-drip that you don't notice it happening, you just experience the result.
Get "Doctor Who" to take some modern art back to the seventeenth century, and show it to the 'art experts'.
They would die laughing. Even Van Gough's work was considered rubbish, till someone claimed it was genius. Then everyone else jumped onto the bandwagon.
Even the greatest expert ever on the work of Van Gough often declared that it was worthless.
But suddenly we are all convinced it's genius. Suggestion or what?
.

[hiyymer]

I am a fan of his movies generally speaking. He has a new one out called ' You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger'...his obsession with death etc..

"One must have one's delusions to live. If you look at life too honestly and too clearly life does become unbearable because it's a pretty grim enterprise," Allen says.

"This is my prospective and has always been my prospective on life - I have a very grim, pessimistic view of it.

"I do feel that it is a grim, painful, nightmarish, meaningless experience and that the only way that you can be happy is if you tell yourself some lies and deceive yourself."

Do you agree?

Not really. I like Woody Allen. I went to see "whatever works" last year and rolled on the floor. Hilarious. But he is a way-over-the-top intellectual. Life is a great ride. Sometimes thinking too much spoils it.

[Ex~]

I like Woody Allen. I went to see "whatever works" last year and rolled on the floor. Hilarious. But he is a way-over-the-top intellectual. Life is a great ride. Sometimes thinking too much spoils it.

That's pretty much EXACTLY the moral of "Whatever Works" .

[rachelbean]

I like Woody Allen. I went to see "whatever works" last year and rolled on the floor. Hilarious. But he is a way-over-the-top intellectual. Life is a great ride. Sometimes thinking too much spoils it.

That's pretty much EXACTLY the moral of "Whatever Works" .

I was gonna say this

[Coito ergo sum]

[buschmaster]

...

[gooseboy]

people used to be more personable, friendly, accomodating to each other, community-oriented, family oriented.

They did? When was this exactly?