Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent!

This time around, Donald and James are diving into Jeffrey (1995), Paul Rudnick’s adaptation of his own stage play — a gay romantic comedy that mixes humour, fear, and tenderness against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis. 

It was another thoughtful conversation where we went a bit off script and had a mini extended chat on our first expereinces with queer cinema - as such we wanted to highlight and also recommend:

Chuck & Buck

Philadelphia

I Love You Phillip Morris

But I'm A Cheerleader

Brokeback Mountain

Shortbus

Dallas Buyers Club

DICKS: THE MUSICAL 

*We will update the list above as we remember more we wanted to spotlight!

Suffice to say we would love for you guys to jump in and leave a comment in our 'comment section video' >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

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For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:

📌 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_(1995_film)

📌 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113464/

📌 Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeffrey

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A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to another episode of Not Woody Actually — where we go somewhat off the rails and discuss things even more loosely related to Woody Allen than our Adjacent series.

In this episode, Don takes a solo deep-dive into a long-overdue topic: Patrick McGilligan’s 2025 biography of Woody Allen, A Travesty of a Mockery of a Sham.

This is no light read — we’re talking 848 pages or 34 hours on Audible of dense, detailed Woody Allen history. But it might just be the most comprehensive biography of Allen ever written not by the man himself. Don lightly unpacks the book’s tone, structure, strengths, and shortcomings — and shares a few surprising insights along the way.

With help from our trusty AI Assistant, we introduce the author, explore the book’s critical reception, and — as a bonus — Don reveals how reading Sham led him to a rare, long-forgotten Woody Allen biography… which in turn became a side project that true fans will definitely appreciate.

We also want to apologize to those of you who’ve been waiting a while for this discussion. As mentioned in the intro, James and Don have been deep in conversation about the podcast’s future — and that made this the perfect moment to release this solo recording instead of another Adjacent episode.

We hope you enjoy this shorter-than-usual but long-awaited episode — and if you’ve read Sham or have thoughts of your own, we’d love to hear from you. Drop your comments in our special tracked comment section linked below.

Thanks, as always, for your continued support and patience. 😊

Full Interview with Patrick McGilligan on the Kingdom of Dreams Podcast

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For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:

📌 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_McGilligan_(biographer)

📌 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Woody-Allen-Legacy-Travesty-Mockery/dp/B0BSVR9C7W

📌 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/134283650-woody-allen

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A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back everybody to another instillment of Woody Adjacent!

this time we are switching things up a little and taking a Reddit Recommendation - particularly from the Woody Allen Subreddit, an awesome community if we do say so ourselves :)

As such, we’re diving into 2005’s The Squid and the Whale – a semi-autobiographical indie from writer-director Noah Baumbach - this movie explores the painful unraveling of a marriage and the lasting emotional effects on the two teenage sons caught up in the fallout.

With some really great performances across the board, this episode clearly contains two previous Woody Alumni in a film that blends dark humour with brutal honesty that definitely echoes some Woody Allen DNA - Let’s get into it!

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Director Interview Mentioned / Played in Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubckvIqxBW0

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For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:

📌 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squid_and_the_Whale

📌 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367089/

📌 Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/squid_and_the_whale

___________________________________________

A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast – it's Adjacent time once again!

In this episode, Don and James tackle Stranger Than Fiction (2006), a film that finds Will Ferrell dialing things down and getting existential. None of the usual Ferrell cowbells, screaming or streaking here. Just wristwatches, looming death, and tasty baked goods ahead.

Expect a few Woody comparisons from our witty assistant, some literary musing, and hopefully more laughs than Harold Crick gets in a week.

ALSO, James stumbles across a gem of a find for all the Woody Allen defence supporters!

Hope you enjoy this one – and remember, it’s all in the wristwatch. :P

Please check out the links below for the full cast, user reviews, ratings and info you may find interesting

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_than_Fiction_(2006_film)

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420223/?ref_=ttnw_ov_i

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stranger_than_fiction

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Other video discussed in this episode:

Proving Woody Allen is INNOCENT (New Investigation)

https://youtu.be/2UwB5Bh5pqE?si=kbqGfhrN_wrpcMfW

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We now have a Ko-Fi Page where you can make a ONE TIME Donation / Tip, we as always, highly appreciate your consideration and support - click here:  https://ko-fi.com/woodyretro

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A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for the continued support and info – check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com     &    https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO THIS OR ANY OTHER EPISODE USING OUR COMMENT SECTION VIDEO LINK HERE   >>>>>>>  https://bit.ly/warpcom

IF YOU LIKE THE SHOW, PLEASE CONSIDER BUYING US A COFFEE / GIVING US A TIP VIA OUR PATREON CAMPAIGN  >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always - we would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5 star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on - please find all our connected links below.   >>>   https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

We are sorry to say there will be no podcast episode for this month April 2025!

While we, Don and James are out of town this month, we didn’t want to leave you completely hanging - so here’s a short update episode to keep things warm until we return next month in May.

In this bite-sized instillment, we discuss the curious and quietly revealed news of Woody Allen’s first-ever novel, What’s with Baum?, slated for release on September 23, 2025, and published by Post Hill Press.

The book centers on Asher Baum, a middle-aged Jewish journalist wrestling with anxiety, a fading career, and tangled family dynamics — a premise that feels like classic Woody territory.

We do wonder if this is a pivot away from filmmaking moving forward as allen slows down on the movie releases, honestly we are seriously wondering if is this book release even real.. or have WE BEEN DUPED BY Ai? :P

Well... as we all try to figure this out, you will of course, find the Amazon link to the book page below.

🎙️ Donald and James will return next month for a full Woody Allen Adjacent episode discussing Stranger Than Fiction (2006), starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emma Thompson.

As always, thanks for your support — and if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave a comment or rating, and check out our Linktree for all the ways to connect.

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A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent!

Following up on our discussion of Miller’s Girl, we turn our attention to 2024’s Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and—somewhat unexpectedly—Antonio Banderas.

On the surface, this seemed like a fittingly ‘balanced’ follow-up to Miller’s Girl, but as it turns out… both films manage to disappoint - just in very different ways :P

Let’s get into it!

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Director Interview Mentioned / Played in Podcast:

https://youtu.be/uU6s9Xz90no?si=lmoO_2Z6wHgFnMOD

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For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:

📌 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babygirl

📌 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30057084/

📌 Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/babygirl_2024

___________________________________________

A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent!

MASSIVE SHOUTOUT TO SUSAN C WHO GAVE SUCH A GENEROUS DONATION THIS MONTH - THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION SUSAN :)

On this episode, our dastardly co-host James has made his film of choice this month to be Miller’s Girl (2024), a film that sparked plenty of discussion and controversy upon its release. In the last episode Don actually mentioned the movie in passing and now here we are ... about to dig into this so called midfield of uncomfortable proportion's 

The question is.. was this so called SHOCKING MESS simply overblown.. does it really deserve the hate it has been getting, is the writer / director just CONFUSED

To Love it, to hate it, or to feel somewhere in between, this was definitely another fun discussion here on Woody Allen Adjacent!

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Director Interview Mentioned / Played in Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0hz-mY4B1Y

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For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:

📌 Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller%27s_Girl

📌 IMDb:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8310486/

📌 Rotten Tomatoes:  https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/millers_girl

___________________________________________

A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info - check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent—the first one of 2025!

First of all, thank you for rocking with us for another year. We GREATLY appreciate our lovely listeners, loyal subscribers, and thoughtful supporters!

For those who don’t know, in Woody Allen Adjacent, our podcast hosts work their way through films they like to compare and contrast with Woody Allen’s filmography and/or writing style.

Recently, Donald has charged the AI Assistant of the show to dig even deeper and generate a wider list of interesting Adjacent movies—some of which may feel a little ‘out of the norm,’ so to speak.

As we rotate our turns for Adjacent every month, we’re slowly working our way through a fascinating list of films. We’ve already covered quite a few at this point, some obvious, some not so.

For the AI’s turn this month, it has chosen Claudine (1974), a touching romantic dramedy starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. Set in Harlem, Claudine offers a heartfelt yet sharp critique of the welfare system, family dynamics, and love in a time of financial struggle. While it arrived during the height of the Blaxploitation era, Claudine took a more grounded and human approach, telling a personal and deeply affecting story.

Incidentally, Claudine has a loose connection to Woody Allen via James Earl Jones, who later starred in The Comedians (1974), a film featuring Richard Burton, who worked with Woody Allen in Stardust Memories (1980)—a bit of trivia for those who like to make those six degrees of separation-style links!

So, join us for this deep dive into a film that may not be an obvious Woody Adjacent pick but certainly deserves its place in the discussion.

- Links Mentioned in This Episode -

THE MANIC EXPRESSION MOVIE TEASER TRAILER - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Dl4-FDzq8

Please check out the links below for the full cast, user reviews, ratings, and any additional information you may find interesting:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudine_(film)

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071334/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/claudine

A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for their continued support and info—check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com & https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT on this or any other episode using our comment section video link here >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom

If you like the show, please consider buying us a coffee / giving us a tip via our Patreon campaign >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always! We would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5-star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on. Please find all our connected links below: https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent - the last one of 2024, in fact!

First of all, thank you for rocking with us for another year. We GREATLY appreciate our lovely listeners, loyal subscribers, and thoughtful supporters!

For those who don’t know, in Woody Allen Adjacent our podcast hosts work they way thought films they like to compare and contrast to Woody Allens filmography and or writing style.

Recently, Donald has charged the AI Assistant of the show to dig even deeper and generate an additional wider list of interesting Adjacent movies some maybe we may find 'out of the norm' so to speak. 

As we rotate our turns for adjacent every month we’re slowly working our way through a very interesting list of films. We’ve already done more than a bunch at this point in time, some obvious, some not so.

Fittingly, for the Ai’s turn this month, it has chosen Spike Jonze’s film - Her (2013) - a well celebrated, Oscar winning, romantic drama, where Artificial Intelligence is at the core of the love story.

In this timely episode James and Donald dive into Her, exploring its poignant themes of love, loneliness, and technology in a near futuristic world that actually feels more relevant than ever.

We have standout performances by Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and taking a look back now, we find a surprisingly well star studded supporting cast

Incidentally, the main leads here, do have ties to Woody Allen (Match Point, Irrational Man) and as a extra tid-bit of trivia, some people may not know, the original Ai voice that was replaced - Samantha Morton - is another Woody Allen alumni (Sweet and Lowdown)

With Joaquin Phoenix already in the spotlight earlier this year due to the Joker 2 box office disaster, we took 5 or so minutes to talk about that situation :P

Reality can be just as intriguing as fiction as this movie is drawing parallels to the ever-growing influence of advanced AI platforms like Character AI, in fact we even highlight a riveting mini YouTube documentary that showcases just how close we’ve come to living out the reality of Her: The Rise and Fall of Character Ai

So lets wrap up this year with this thoughtful discussion blending cinema, technology, and humanity, as we consider whether Her is still science fiction - or if we’re already living it.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and happy new year 2025!

 - Links Mentioned in this Episode -

The Rise and Fall of Character Ai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynqAB9K4icg

The Real Reason Samantha Morton Was Replaced In ‘HER’ (2013)

https://www.thelist.com/428711/the-real-reason-samantha-mortons-voice-was-replaced-in-her/

My Complicated Feelings For ‘HER’ (2013) by Passion of the Nerd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMJcbigcDJU

Please check out the links below for the full cast, user reviews, ratings and info you may find interesting

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_(film)

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/her

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A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for the continued support and info – check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com     &    https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO THIS OR ANY OTHER EPISODE USING OUR COMMENT SECTION VIDEO LINK HERE   >>>>>>>  https://bit.ly/warpcom

IF YOU LIKE THE SHOW, PLEASE CONSIDER BUYING US A COFFEE / GIVING US A TIP VIA OUR PATREON CAMPAIGN  >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always - we would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5 star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on - please find all our connected links below.   >>>   https://linktr.ee/woodyretro

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent!

On this adjacent episode we take a reddit recommendation for a movie that looks and sounds very much like films Woody has made in the past.. in fact, this may very well be a 'homage' to such Woody Allen movies: Manhattan and or Annie Hall!

However... upon watching..  it became clear to us this might just be one of the most disappointing, perplexing and just poor adjacent type films we have ever seen, putting adjacent aside, its generally a terrible film in the genre of romantic comedies  

We are by no means film experts but as fans of the genre that have seen and discussed MANY films of this ilk, its quite astounding to see just how bad this one was to watch.

We don't believe we have been this critical since our very first adjacent discussion on Lous CK's 'I Love You Daddy'

Let us give praise where it is due thought - props to Scott Miller who was Director of Photography, the visual presentation is actually decent....

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS MASTERPIECE BY COMMENTING IN OUR COMMENT SECTION LINK  >  https://bit.ly/warpcom

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Anyhoo, here are the links we mentioned in the opening news section of the show!

- https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/17/rebecca-hall-i-regret-apologising-for-working-with-woody-allen

By The Way Woody Allen Is Innocent Documentary Update (Video)

https://youtu.be/WH_LtT0JT54?si=C-S6v6Jrh4eWYDQA

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Please check out the links below for the full cast, user reviews, ratings and info you may find interesting

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Romance

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2608324/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manhattan_romance

_________________________________________

A VERY Special Thanks to The Woody Allen Pages Website & The Woody Allen Subreddit for the continued support and info – check them out for the latest from the Woody Allen Fan Community!!

https://www.woodyallenpages.com     &    https://www.reddit.com/r/woodyallen

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO THIS OR ANY OTHER EPISODE USING OUR COMMENT SECTION VIDEO LINK HERE   >>>>>>>  https://bit.ly/warpcom

IF YOU LIKE THE SHOW, PLEASE CONSIDER BUYING US A COFFEE / GIVING US A TIP VIA OUR PATREON CAMPAIGN  >>> https://www.patreon.com/woodyretro

Thanks for listening as always - we would also LOVE a review on iTunes or a 5 star rating via Spotify or whichever podcast platform you are listening on - please find all our connected links below.   >>>   https://linktr.ee/woodyretro