ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Mark Turner In 1980 director/writer/actor Woody Allen had been making hit comedies for several years. With the success of films like SLEEPER, LOVE AND DEATH and ANNIE HALL he was the critic's darling. But he felt unfulfilled and turned his back on comedies for more insightful dramatic fare. While ANNIE HALL had slightly turned in that direction he followed that with INTERIORS a near total drama that didn't do well. The next year he came out with MANHATTAN garnering praise once more as he melded drama and comedy. Then he made STARDUST MEMORIES.Allen had admitted more than once that he was influenced by director Ingmar Bergman. Scenes in LOVE AND DEATH often reminded critics of Bergman's films. But here he was using much of the style that Bergman used to tell a more personal story. STARDUST is perhaps one of Allen's most autobiographical films.He stars as director Sandy Bates, a fan favorite for the comedy films he's made in the past who now wants to direct more serious pictures. He wants to make films that explore the meaning of life and how we fit into the scheme of things. But the studios are reluctant to let him move in that direction. They want to insert humor into his work in an effort to bank on his past successes.Bates is convinced to attend a film festival where they will be honoring him for his past achievements. While there the fans continue to push him towards the comedies they are used to and they as well as numerous friends he runs into try to monopolize his time and attentions. Still he finds time to reminisce about his life and reflect on what he's accomplished.While there he also reflects on the loves he's had over the years. Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling) continues to haunt him, appearing in his mind at various times. A troubled woman she represents his past. At the festival he meets and is attracted to Daisy (Jessica Harper) even though she's there with a pompous college professor Jack (John Rothman). But before that romance can be set in motion Bates' current girlfriend Isobel (Marie-Christine Barrault) arrives unexpectedly at the festival.A combination of fantasies, dreams and reality mix to swirl around in the head of Bates as he tries to figure out his place in life. Mixed with the weekend of festival activities and adoring fans as well as friends he's known for years he stirs the pot and by the end of the film may or may not have come to terms with his life.As with the reality of Allen at the time the film delves into his own personal issues of leaving behind more blatant comedy in an effort to make more serious films. There was an effort to force him back to that mold which he broke from. The end result was a career where he was capable and able to make both kinds of films with more success than those who didn't seem to have faith in him expected.Allen's love life was also part and parcel with his role here. He'd had more than one muse in various women, most of whom had become his leading ladies as well. That struggle with what to do not only with his work but his personal life is a major issue discussed in the film as well.When I first saw this film I loved it. Watching it now it remains one of his better films though many might not recall it. Hopefully more will discover it and realize there is a more complex mind at work than the simple joke writer so many have thought Allen is.Perhaps my favorite scene in the movie though involves an alien spaceship that lands and a group of aliens who talk to him. It turns out they are fans of his earlier films. One goes so far as to tell him he should go back to making funny movies.Twilight Time is releasing this film in their standard beautiful style with a gorgeous edition in the clearest black and white cinematography seen. Extras are sparse here with just an isolated score track and the original theatrical trailer. As with all their films this one is limited to just 3,000 copies so pick one up if you're a fan.

leonblackwood Review: This film felt more like a series of sketches than a whole movie. The storyline is all over the place and I didn't have a clue what was going on most of the time, but I understood the main concept which was that the popular filmmaker is fed up with the critics questioning his work and his love life is a right mess. Basically, it's your usual Woody Allen movie, were he uses every chance to get his leg over. As this movie was made in the early 80's, I can actually imagine Woody Allen's life being like it is in the movie, with the paparazzi constantly on his tale, fans asking for autograph and many beautiful women on his tale but it eventually leads to him losing the plot. He eventually becomes tired of making funny movies and I have actually witnessed this after watching a lot of his movies. He seems to sway from comedy to drama through his career so he obviously had this problem in his real life. Anyway, the film is funny in parts but the storyline is sketchy. Watchable! Round-Up: After watching a few of Woody Allen's movies, I'm beginning to see a pattern with the box office takings, which isn't that great. He only started to make serious money when he decided to stick to writing and directing, which must have been a tough decision because he seems to be the main character in most of his earlier projects. He still adds some of his warped sense of his humour to his latter scripts, but he doesn't have that million words per minute, annoying humour, which I saw in some of the scenes in this movie. At the end of the day, this is a watchable movie which is better than some of his latter projects, but I'm still struggling to understand the mind behind his work.Budget: $10million Worldwide Gross: $10.3millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there Woody Allen movies about a popular director who is going through a nervous breakdown because of the pressure of being a comedy genius and his constant problems with relationships. 5/10

TheLittleSongbird While not for me one of Woody Allen's greatest films, Stardust Memories is along with Interiors one of his most under-estimated as well as one of his cleverest and most personal. It does ramble on a little too much sometimes and it does end on a strange note. But while one can understand why people would not like it- maybe they found the more biting and satirical moments hard to take (I think it was made very clear what Allen was trying to do)- Stardust Memories from a personal point of view was a great film from Allen and film in general and didn't deserve the hate it got at the time. The black and white and the photography do look gorgeous. The script is a great mix of truly biting satire, hilariously acerbic comedy and touching drama structured tightly and well blended, the dialogue being some of Allen's smartest and most thought-provoking. Stardust Memories pays homage to Fellini and 8 1/2, like Allen did in Interiors with Bergman, as can be seen in the more dream-like parts, very wittily done and photographed sumptuously. The story is not that hard to follow and while paced deliberately it still draws you in due to the homages, satire, how character relationships are explored and the situations depicted. The characters are as ever with Woody Allen are neurotic but also very real, Allen's character is not "likeable" but what he thinks of his fans and critics and how they treat him is something that can be related to. Allen directs assuredly and gives a very good performance as well, while Charlotte Rampling is indeed breathtaking and believable with Allen chemistry-wise. Jessica Harper underplays affectingly, in fact all of the acting is great. Look out for the brief appearance of Sharon Stone. Overall, a technically beautiful, smartly written and excellently played film, not a personal favourite from Allen but Stardust Memories is great and deserving of more credit. 9/10 Bethany Cox

thegreatshonen Alright so every great artist takes some inspiration from the colleagues in their field in modern times. And clearly u can tell throughout Woody Allen's work the inspiration he receives from European directors, Fellini and Bergman. But in this movie he hits u over the head with 8 1/2 directed by Federico Fellini, and unlike Hannah and Her sisters, which was largely inspired by Fanny and Alexander directed by Ingmar Bergman, his tribute falls short of worthy. Woody Allen is a Dissatisfied Director who agrees to spend a weekend at a film festival honoring his movies. He's swarmed by fans trying to tell him story ideas, asking for autographs and telling him how much they like his earlier works. Throughout the weekend, He meets and falls in love with different women too. Like I said earlier, this film feels a lot like a dream or a fantasy in parts like 8 1/2. It also feels like Woody is saying to his fans to back off after his previous movie was criticized. I think the story is great and the cinematography fits well in black and white. Te acting also works with the story but no performance is special. And the music is typical Woody Allen jazz.Overall above average movie but fails to be a great tribute to Federico Fellini, and 8 1/2.6/10