strike-1995 Do you know what makes me laugh, hugo boss man of today adverts. This is not one of those.

Mark Turner Twilight Time continues with their release of the early to mid-period works of director Woody Allen with this film, released in 1971 and the third feature that he directed. Keeping with his prior effort Allen not only co-wrote the film but stars in it as well.Allen plays Fielding Mellish, a nebbish if there ever was one, who spends his days working for a company that has him testing various products that seem to do him more harm than good. He meets a young activist named Nancy (Louise Lasser) who knocks on his door to ask him to sign a petition. Rather than just sign it, he talks her into meeting him on a dinner date and they begin dating. Until she tells him she's not interested, longing for more of a leader like those fighting the revolutions in Latin America and parts ways with him.In an effort to prove her wrong and having already having made plans to go, Fielding travels to San Marco. While there he is recruited by Gen. Vargas in the hopes that he will join with the rebels. Vargas' plan is to kill him which would force the hand of the U.S. to get involved and help him when one of their citizens is killed. But in only the way Fielding can, he isn't killed and goes on to join the rebels fighting there. He trains alongside this group learning their ways in the way only Allen could learn which is mostly wrong and potentially doing himself more harm than good.Eventually the rebels win and their leader Esposito takes over. But his plans for the country are no better than those of his predecessor so the rebels force him out and place Fielding in charge, fake red Castro-style beard and all. Visiting the U.S. as the new president he is re-united with Lasser who doesn't recognize him. From there things tend to get more strange and yes, that is possible.The plot at the center of the film is very simple yet works. It provides the groundwork for Allen to lay out numerous one liners and jokes that make sense in the context of what is going on. That being said it is quite easy to see that this is an early film. His later movies went on to follow a similar pattern with his comedies but also develop more of a story as well. Many have noted that his fondness for Groucho Marx shines in his early comedies and the fast paced banter and one liners is a definite give away that this is so.While this isn't the best movie that Allen ever made it certainly isn't close to one of his worst either. Much of what you see here definitely sets it in the 70s and you can tell. Interesting to note is a short sequence that features a young unknown (and uncredited!) actor playing a hood that accosts Fielding on the subway by the name of Sylvester Stallone.Twilight Time is offering the film in blu-ray format with a 1080p transfer. Extras are very limited here featuring an isolated music track, the original theatrical trailer and writings by film historian Julie Kirgo. As with all of their titles it is limited to just 3,000 copies so if you want to insure you have a complete collection of Woody Allen films make sure you order one today.

gab-14712 As we near the end of 2017, one of the most prolific directors working today is Woody Allen. He directed a film every year since the early 1970's and at a ripe 80 years young, he is still going strong today. My review is for his second directorial effort, Bananas. No, this film is not about bananas although if you know Latin American history, the movie has a country resembling one from the Banana Republic. Actually, bananas is a slang word for "crazy." Truth be told, that is an apt description for this movie. The movie is totally bonkers, but in a good way. You learn right away that Woody Allen has a flair for dialogue. Not clichéd dialogue, but words that are different and that mean something. He is also a natural comedian, which helps him when it comes to his screenplays, directing, and acting.Coming off the Vietnam War and the troubles regarding the Banana Republic in Latin America, this kind of film was ripe for the taking and Allen seized his opportunity to make a satirical, over-the-top movie. The movie lambasts topics ranging from politics to relationships and it's really easy to find the humor in it. I really love how Allen does not take the film seriously. If the film became too serious, or bogged down in political correctness this film would have been a major disaster. Many of the jokes or scenes work, but not all of them do. The scene where Allen was showering with another man in his suit was distracting and not that funny. But the funny scenes outdo the other scenes in a great way. My favorite scene is after Allen's character marries a girl, Howard Cosell of all people delivered commentary on the first sexual encounter between the newlyweds as if it was a boxing match. My God, I loved that scene very much. For those of you who don't know, Howard Cosell was a commentator on ABC's very popular program, Wide World of Sports. From the scenes I mentioned to the mere fact that Allen's character becomes a dictator of a random, foreign country, it's clear Allen is embracing the over-the-top style of the movie.Woody Allen's second directorial effort is about some awkward man named Fielding Mellish (played by Allen himself) who is a consumer product tester. After his girlfriend Nancy (Louise Lassier) dumps him, he decides to travel to the fictional South American country of San Marcos to take a break from his current life. But he gets caught up in a revolution (a very similar look to the Cuban Revolution), and somehow becomes a dictator for San Marcos after the rebels overthrow the government. But now the American government and the FBI turn a keen eye on Mellish.The film is practically devoid of any big name stars. I would say the quick cameo by Howard Cosell brings the most star power to the film, and he's not even an actor. I'm not knocking on anybody in the film, but they just don't have the star power as of yet. In the case of Allen, that will change. But here we have an early example of what kind of auteur the man is. He knows his way with words and he can be a very funny guy. Case in point where he decides to go to a sub shop and order thousands of orders for his rebel camp. Just seeing people bring the food to the camp in wheelbarrows was priceless. Louise Lassier was married to Allen at the time of filming, and she does a decent job as the girl who is awkward in relationships and is in love with political rallies more than her boyfriend. If anyone is good at spotting cameos, keep an eye out for Sylvester Stallone. He plays one of the thugs on the subway.I thought Bananas was a very entertaining, well-written satire by Woody Allen. He certainly has a style you have to grow accustomed to and it's still hard for me to do that. I used to refuse to watch any of his works because his style turned me off, but I'm slowly warming up to his movies. I was able to enjoy this movie very much, but some jokes didn't land well as others did. Regardless, this is an effective movie from early in Woody Allen's career and despite some small flaws, I can easily recommend it.My Grade: B+

Hitchcoc While, in my younger day, I loved these movies, I see now how hit and miss they could be. Woody takes his shtick to a banana republic where there has been a revolution and uses every cliché about how unstable a government can be. He ends up on trial for his life, being confronted by a black woman claiming to be J. Edgar Hoover. Miss America also shows up. There is a consummation of a marriage with commentator (big at the time) Howard Cosell. Anyway, the story is nothing but an excuse for sight gags and silliness. Allen is often at his best in vignettes and this is full of them. As time passed, he became of the world's great directors, but it took time to get the whole package. Actually, when "Annie Hall" came along. See this for a lightweight bunch of laughs and realize that all this stuff is still going on in South and Central America.