Publisher's Synopsis
Collection of Woody Allen films. 'Bullets Over Broadway' (1994) stars Jim Broadbent and John Cusack. Set in New York in the 1920s, the film follows intellectual playwright David Shayne (Cusack) as he struggles to find a backer for his latest project; that is, until he runs into mobster Nicky Valenti (Joe Viterelli), who sees Shayne's play as the ideal vehicle for his dizzy, shrill-voiced mistress Olive (Jennifer Tilly). As the rehearsals begin, Shayne is further hampered by precious actresses and hammy actors choking on their lines. Events take a more dangerous turn when Olive's hired protector Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) starts contributing his own lines to the play, and takes violent exception to their poor onstage delivery. 'Celebrity' (1997) is Allen's critical look at the world of modern day celebrity, starring Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis. As journalist Lee Simon (Branagh) breaks up with his school-teacher wife Robin (Davis), he embarks on an odyssey into the world of the rich and famous. Moving with celebrated actresses, beautiful supermodels, and unruly film stars, Lee meets some of the most glamorous people alive. Meanwhile, Robin finds a celebrity lifestyle of her own as she takes an unlikely path to TV stardom. In 'Deconstructing Harry' (1997) Allen stars as Harry Block, a renowned novelist with a habit of using those around him as inspiration for the characters in his books. Just as he is to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the college that expelled him, he suffers with the dreaded writer's block and risks losing his girlfriend, Fay (Elisabeth Shue), to rival writer and old friend Larry (Billy Crystal). The film's latter half, Harry's existential roadtrip, is a tragicomedy homage to Ingmar Bergman's 'Wild Strawberries' (1957), as Harry's fictional characters come alive to challenge him. Allen's musical comedy 'Everyone Says I Love You' (1997) features a number of classic songs from the shows, sung by cast members not known for their vocal talents. DJ (Natasha Lyonne) narrates the story of her extended New York family: her mother, Steffi (Goldie Hawn), a campaigner for liberal causes, and second husband Bob (Alan Alda); Steffi's first husband Joe (Allen), who is attempting to date the neurotic Von (Julia Roberts); DJ's half-sister Skylar (Drew Barrymore), who is dating Holden (Edward Norton); and half-brother Scott (Lukas Haas), a hostile conservative. In 'Mighty Aphrodite' (1995), when he discovers that his adopted child is a prodigy, Lenny (Allen) resolves to find out where the talent comes from and tracks down the child's real mother, Linda (Mira Sorvino), who turns out to be a prostitute and porn actress. Meanwhile, Lenny's wife Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) is considering an affair with a business associate, but Lenny's attempts to help the struggling Linda blind him to this crisis in his own marriage. In 'Small Time Crooks' (2000), Ray (Allen), a hustler who dreams of the big time, leases an old restaurant under which he and his friends aim to tunnel up to a nearby bank. With Ray's wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman)'s help with the cover story of the cookie-based restaurant, he sets a plan in motion to rob the neighbouring bank. When the scheme fails and they debate what to do next, Frenchy reveals that the cookie business has been extremely successful and made them very rich. Will their new-found fortune change the humble crooks' outlook on life or will they retain their plebeian place in society? 'Sweet and Lowdown' (1999) is a biographical study of fictional 1930s jazz guitarist and inveterate womaniser Emmet Ray (Sean Penn). Wandering the New Jersey seafront, Emmet meets mute laundress Hattie (Samantha Morton) and the two of them begin an affair. Together they travel to Hollywood and pursue brief screen careers, but Emmet's wandering eye makes the possibility of any lasting relationship unlikely, and before long he meets and falls for bohemian writer Blanche (Uma Thurman). 'Wild Man Blues' is a documentary from 1997 directed by Barbara Kopple which takes a look at Allen's musical talents.