Cheap New York Stories (DVD) (Woody Allen) (Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola) Price

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Customer Reviews of New York Stories

Two out of three ain't bad.
This trilogy of N.Y.C. vignettes opens with a brilliant examination of an artist. Martin Scorceses' "Life Lessons" explores the brutal intensity of the creative process. Nick Nolte is compelling as the narcissistic Doby Lyons, a painter who's productivity is dependent upon turbulent relationships with women. Rosanna Arquette brilliantly portrays Lyons' assistant, a young woman struggling to find her own identity in the N.Y.C. art community. As always, Scorceses delivers intense imagery and a powerful soundtrack. This short film is more than worth the video's purchase price. By contrast, Francis Ford Coppola's "Life Without Zoe" is a poor adaptation of Kay Longworth's children's classic, "Eloise." Eloise is a child of privledge who lives in the Plaza under the supervision of her Nanny. The story is charming because Ms. Longworth retains the child's innocence. Mr. Coppola fails at this task; Zoe is a nauseating, self-concious, precocious, snob. I would strongly advise viewers to fast forward over "Zoe." Any merit the film has is overshadowed by the objectionable child. Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" meets the high expectations one has for the director. It is clever and funny though not very new. A strong "B". Like N.Y.C., one must take the good along with some bad in this movie; it is well worth it.

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One good segment, and it's NOT the Scorsese one
The previous reviews wildly over-rate Life Lessons, theScorsese segment. As a student film, it would be promising - thestory is effectively told and the acting is good - but there are also some serious flaws. Steve Buscemi's supposedly hip, successful comedian is astonishingly unfunny - his success must be down to his trick with the lightbulb. The attempt to make the artist's sub-Pollock working techniques interesting by plastering loud music all over them doesn't come off. The Nick Nolte character hardly develops and fulfills all the worst stereotypes of the artistic temperament.The middle segment isn't worth discussing. I don't know what Coppola was thinking. So why the 5-star review? Oedipus Wrecks, the Woody Allen segment, is very, very funny and will be appreciated by anyone who has ever had parents. IN particular, just thinking about the scene where his domineering mother visits the office makes me laugh. It also lacks the usual Woody foible of having very young women throwing themselves at his character. Buy this and you can use the first hour or so to record a couple of episodes of Seinfeld or something.

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They are all good, but...
I cast my vote Woody's way. I just love the interaction between the over-the-top characters, wonderfully portrayed by Allen, Julie Kavner, and yes, Mia is good too -- can't always say that...

The real gem here is one of the final performances by Mae Questel, who once upon a time played "Betty Boop." Soon after this performance she began to decline due to Alzheimers.

This is the zany, neurotic fun that made Allen's early comedies my favorite part of his opus. Once upon a time when I was a teacher, I used "Oedipus Wrecks" with my students as a "visual short story." I had them write the ending of the story before they saw it. We had great fun with it.

Second I'd vote for Coppola's "Life Without Zoe" based, again, on the performances, especially Heather McComb's debut. She hasn't done much of note since, but I really enjoyed her here.

Scorsese's "Life Lessons" felt flat to me, despite Nolte and Arquette, both of whom I usually really like. It seemed talky and more like some of Allen's later work. There is a germ of a good idea here -- sexual obsession versus art and getting on with one's life, but I felt the film just didn't deliver.