The Best of Woody Allen — The Awards Connection

It was not until sometime in high school that I sat down and finally watched a Woody Allen picture. (Turner Classic Movies had for years already been a staple of my TV-watching schedule but never, for whatever inexplicable reason, did I happen to catch an Allen film there.) That first Allen film happened to be his 1993 release, Manhattan Murder Mystery, which brilliantly paired him back with Diane Keaton - for the first time since 1979's Manhattan. I did not expect to laugh myself so silly and I still, having since then seen nearly every single Allen film, consider Manhattan Murder Mystery among his funniest and most underappreciated pictures.

Over the years, I did play a ton of catch-up on the Allen filmography and, at this point, three of his films grace my list of the top 50 films of all-time - Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors. It's a trio of pictures I absolutely must watch at least once a year.

So, in honor of his birthday today, I am delighted to present this list of my 10 favorite films of one of my all-time favorite filmmakers...