News Bits! Our round up of Woody Allen bits from around the web. This is the 101st edition!
Judy Davis has returned to Australia to direct Faith Healer for the Melbourne Theatre Company. In a new interview with ABC, she spoke about her role in Allen’s Husbands And Wives, and how she was embarrassed by it. The Woody Allen bits start at 6:28, but the whole thing is great.
More Australian actresses in theatre who worked with Allen. Cate Blanchett and (the completely brilliant) Richard Roxburgh are starring in The Present. In a new interview with CUNY, she talked about working with Allen on Blue Jasmine. Around 23 minutes in.
Tony Roberts spoke to WNYC on the 40 year anniversary of Annie Hall. Roberts recently appeared at a New York screening, and talked about working on the classic film.
The Los Angeles Times caught up with Samantha Morton, who is starring in the new series Harlots. They discussed many roles Morton has played to date, including her breakout role for Allen in Sweet And Lowdown.
“It was a real kind of joy to find this person with Woody Allen — his vision of Hattie and what he wanted for her and what we discovered together. She was funny and she was sweet and she was earnest. I had played all these angry young women who were abused, and this was the first time I got to do anything like that. I felt very proud that I got to play Hattie in a way that I hoped made [Woody] happy.”
Don’t know about you, but we cried a river when we saw the short sequel to Love Actually that aired as part of British TV fundraising extravaganza Comic Relief. The film is a classic, and in a new interview with EW, director Richard Curtis talked about the influence, including Allen.
“I was such a great fan of Pulp Fiction, Robert Altman’s films, Woody Allen’s films, those movies with multiple story lines that crisscross each other.”
Curtis is a legend in our eyes, we love everything he does. The original Love Actually has a several actors who have worked with Allen – Colin Firth (Magic In The Moonlight), Liam Neeson (Husbands And Wives), Hugh Grant (Small Time Crooks) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Melinda And Melinda).
Go and check out Comic Relief to find out more about the great cause.
Fabio Armiliato had a crucial role in To Rome With Love – the opera singer who could only sing in the shower. Of course, he is an opera singer in real life, and he recently spoke to WQZR about his experience with Allen.
“Woody Allen gave me this opportunity, with the gift of a role so ingenious that it immediately became a cult—the tenor who sings under the shower! Woody Allen loves opera and I, thanks to this part and my debut on the big screen, have received great unanimous responses from the public and critics and I am grateful to Woody for having given me this opportunity.”
Last Man Standing is a new book about comic legend Mort Sahl, still going at age 89. He was a profound influence on Allen, and Allen has contributed a quote to the book, written by James Curtis.
https://twitter.com/mortsahlsays/status/838792550001467392/photo/1
The book is out in May. You can pre-order on Amazon.
We are just right now binging Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and loving it, despite it’s odd title. It stars Rachel Bloom, who created the show, and emerging as an auteur in the TV world. She’s Jewish, and Forward asked her about Jewish humor that have influenced her.
“Mel Brooks, Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers — and Woody Allen. You know, before everything, I really identified with [Allen’s] work.”
Woody Allen’s classic Manhattan recently played in select cinemas in a new 4K print. Some publications have written fresh reviews, including Slant Magazine and the Village Voice.
We just love Legends Revealed, and the writer Brian Cronin. He’s a pop culture encyclopaedia, constantly unearthing and debunking rumors and heresay in his columns. So doubly cool for us when he took his gaze to the Woody Allen comic strip – Inside Woody Allen – by Stuart Hample. Find out more about it at his column.
Like everyone else, we love David Fincher, and turns out he loves Woody Allen. In a list of his favourite films, he’s chosen one that often gets lost in the shuffle – Zelig.
https://twitter.com/RealEOC/status/838457650866192384
Indiewire included Allen in their list of Filmmakers influenced by Luis Buñuel. Indeed, Allen has referred to Buñuel in several films, but notably had him as a character in Midnight In Paris.
Cinemaretro reviewed Interiors, newly out on Blu-Ray. FrameRated reviewed September.
Film podcast Celluloid Junkies recently took a look at Allen’s Hannah And Her Sisters. A nice lengthy conversation, well worth checking out.
Fan art!
https://twitter.com/LG2_offical/status/839347805244239872
https://twitter.com/RivkyGee/status/839437585692901376
https://twitter.com/AlexAzopardo/status/839936582224392194
Based on Café Society
And Magic In the Moonlight
Not quite done. Gotta tackle the background. #MagicInTheMoonlight #ColinFirth #EmmaStone #WoodyAllen #Movie #Love pic.twitter.com/w4OfXK391Z
— Jen Street (@jenstreet) March 12, 2017
Check out all the previous News Bits!
