On Reading My Own Album Reviews chapter 1.

Here's the Woody Allen case: Woody goes to Europe to make a string of movies mostly slated by the film critics for reasons such as 'not enough Woody in them', 'what does he know about English culture or Barcelona', and he should go back to New York and do what he does best. Woody's stock goes down critically (while a new generation who did not get Annie Hall do get Vicky Christina Barcelona).

Now Allen has gone back to New York (at least for this one film), he has found an old script on which he worked in the 1970's (his golden period) and has done a funny, twisted New York comedy which tackles with his beloved question: what's the point in life when we all die in the end? Classic Woody.

I watched Whatever Works in a cinema called Angelica in SoHo (on Mercer and 18 West Houston). It was a humid and overheated day in last August. I laughed with the responsive and explosive audience–popcorn was kicked and spilled and a man kept commenting loudly to the characters on the screen. We had fun and felt good about Woody's return and his recent victory over American Apparel.

But what do the film critics who hated Allen's European adventures say this time around? Well, they have reversed into 'we preferred his European films'. Plain and clear if not contradictory.
Tomorrow I will discuss the Finnish album reviews so far for Better Than Wages.

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