Woody Allens finest hour (and a half)

For anyone who's ever hated himself, and wondered why ... watch Annie Hall.

Let's face it, regardless of flaws and inconsistencies, it's worth watching pretty much any Woody Allen movie just for the few classic one-liners that are bound to be in there. With Woody playing basically himself here, he delves into past loves, metaphysics and lobsters with more of those classic lines than you can shake a stick at.

Although I think generally Woody is infinitely more talented as a stand-up comedian than as a filmmaker, I admit that I do have something of a soft spot for 'Annie Hall'. Mostly it's just the sheer simplicity of the storyline that just allows Woody to go ahead and revel in his trademark self-deprecative, depressive humour -- constantly self-referencing, coming out with witty remarks and amusing sketches as only he can. Also, it's just so INVENTIVE. You get a real sense of a director who is simply improvising, almost like watching Woody himself on stage in front of a live audience. It's a quality that very few of his movies I've seen have possessed, and that's why I think this is easily his best work.