ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

HotToastyRag Three short films are strung together in New York Stories. The first is Martin Scorsese's "Life Lessons", written by Richard Price, and starring Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette. Nick is a tortured artist, and has a passionate but strange relationship with Rosanna, his assistant. This vignette is a little weird, but if you're into art and emotional, volatile relationships, you might like it.The second is Francis Ford Coppola's "Life without Zoe", co-written by him and Sofia Coppola. Talia Shire plays an incompetent mother to Heather McComb, who's spoiled, rich, and pretty much only serves to annoy the audience. In general, I don't like Sofia Coppola's work, but if you do, you might appreciate this directionless piece.Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" concludes New York Stories. It's equally as weird as the previous two vignettes; a man who hates his mother wishes she would disappear and then she does. Look for Mia Farrow, Julie Kavner, Mae Questel, Larry David, and Woody himself in the cast. If you liked Woody's Magic in the Moonlight or The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, you'll probably think this vignette is cute.

gridoon2018 This three-part anthology film opens with a bang: Martin Scorsese's "Life Lessons" is a dynamically directed drama that works primarily on a sensory level, much like Nick Nolte's abstract painting; Nolte and Arquette give terrific performances, and Scorsese's selection of music is so on-target that it's possible to forever link some of these songs in your mind with this short film. Finally, kudos to Scorsese for discovering and introducing to the world the very beautiful Brigitte Bako! I'd rate it ***1/2 out of 4.Francis Ford Coppola's "Life Without Zoe" has maintained, through the years, the reputation of being a dud....and unfortunately it lives down to that reputation. It seems to be an exercise in pointlessness - and plotlessness. But it does some have some bright spots: newcomer Heather McComb is cute and talented, and Carole Bouquet looks positively heavenly in a 10-second cameo as a princess. I'd rate it *1/2 out of 4.Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" (great title, by the way) is possibly his purest comedy - and his funniest film - in a over a decade. Apart from some killer one-liners, Woody acts a lot with his face here - his grin while his mother is being subjected to the magic trick, for example, says a thousand words. He even goes as far as using old-deaf-lady jokes - but they are very funny! The only problem with this segment is that it runs just a tad too long. I'd rate it *** out of 4.

Petri Pelkonen New York Stories (1989) consists of three shorts with the central theme being New York City.It's directors are Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen.From that trio you could expect something better, but the result is very mediocre.The first story is Scorsese's Life Lessons, loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Gambler.It tells about the relationship between a painter called Lionel Dobie and Paulette, his apprentice and former lover.The second story is Life Without Zoë by Coppola.It's about a rich schoolgirl.Allen's story is Oedipus Wrecks.It tells about a Jewish New York lawyer, who has problems with his mother.She doesn't like her son's fiancé Lisa, and the mother starts hovering above the city and telling embarrassing stories of her son.The actor list looks great.Nick Nolte is Lionel.Rosanna Arquette plays Paulette.Steve Buscemi is Gregory Stark.Illeana Douglas is Paulette's Friend.Deborah Harry is Girl at Blind Alley.Heather McComb is Zoë.Giancarlo Giannini is her father and Talia Shire the mother.Holly Marie Combs is Costume Party Guest.Adrien Brody appears in his first film role as Mel.Woody Allen is Sheldon.Mia Farrow is Lisa.Mae Questel plays the mother.Julie Kavner portrays Treva.Larry David is Theater Manager.Kirsten Dunst is Lisa's Daughter.Mike Starr is Hardhat.From the three I liked Scorsese's the best.Nick Nolte's performance was intense.I also liked Allen's work.The magic show scene was funny, after which the mother disappeared.Coppola's was the weakest of the three.This is worth seeing, even though I expected something better.

Michael Neumann It's exciting to find three high profile filmmakers working in a short story format, but (perhaps not surprisingly) this unique anthology adds up to something less than the sum of its parts. Because of the talent involved it's difficult to avoid playing the comparison/contrast game, which would make Martin Scorsese's 'Life Lessons' the most impressive segment, in large part because of Nick Nolte's dynamic portrayal of a burned-out bohemian artist in trend-setting SoHo. Scorsese's direction is no more stylish than the efforts of his companions, but there's more substance in this one episode than in both others combined. Francis Ford Coppola's 'Life Without Zoë' is a fizzy, uptown urban fairy tale told from the point of view of a precocious, sophisticated 12-year old heiress, and Woody Allen's amusing, typically neurotic 'Oedipus Wrecks' is reminiscent of one of his New Yorker essays, perhaps better suited to the printed page. Taken altogether, the trilogy is a diverting throwaway effort by three directors whose talents far outshine the material each is working with.