Deconstructing Woody  Allen onscreen and under the microscope
Allan Konigsberg, a.k.a. Woody Allen, has managed to be hip—in
his rumpled, nerdish fashion—for nearly half a century now, a
tricky feat he couldn't have managed without making some
compromises. His most slavishly devoted fans (and—confession
time—I count myself among them) often rank him among the artiest
and most intellectual of modern filmmakers, and we're somehow
caught off-guard each time he takes one of his sporadic dips in
the mainstream, co-starring in some awful comedy with Bette
Midler, directing a TV movie, giving voice to a cartoon ant,
etc.   His "directorial" debut, 1966's What's Up, Tiger Lily?
was the spiritual godfather of Mystery Science Theater 3000,
consisting of a bad Japanese spy movie with Allen's dialogue
dubbed over it. While delightful, it was such a disposable
project that some Allen filmographies skip it altogether and
begin with 1969's Take the Money and Run, a laugh-'til-you-wake-
the-neighbors crime mockumentary. Alle