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rio197 2012-05-26 01:45:42

Bright turn by Johansson

Interesting movie with quite an ending.The story begins with Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) starting outa career as a tennis instructor after he had enough with the tennisprofessional circuit. He meets Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) who is amember of the tennis club, and upon knowing Wilton's interest of operainvites him over to the family box at the opera house. There, Wiltongets introduced to the Hewett family and then later with Hewett'sfiancée Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson). Wilton gets very interested inRice and then things get difficult...A brilliant turn by Johansson, she really shone in her part. She wasradiant in this movie. One would expect good things to come from her inthe future. Not much could be said about Rhys-Meyers. He seemed ratherwooden.The supporting cast were rather brilliant. Emily Mortimer, Brian Coxand Penelope Wilton respectively as Tom Hewett's sister and the Hewettparents kept my interest in the story.The pacing didn't really pick up until just after the middle part ofthe film but it's still a memorable movie.My vote is 7 out of 10.

thepythia 2012-05-25 13:18:25

The Best Film of 2005

Many will claim to be disappointed that this is not "a Woody Allenmovie." Such is the remark of a lazy viewer. Nevertheless, it is a filmmade by a competent director who pointedly executes each element. Theactors, all typecast, establish themselves early on in their respectiveparts; and from the beginning, the ball is in motion. What is a tennisgame after all? A series of strokes that change the inertia of a ball.What is a match point? It's the play where the score is either reset todeuce, or upset making one player victorious. This one play is the thinthread between the end or another beginning.Chris (Rhys-Meyers) knows the rules of the tennis game and so he knowsthat every play in life rests in the hands of luck. And he is lucky,and arrogant enough to deem "lucky" substantial enough an identity.Nola (Johansson) is his pawn, and with a little luck, she is usable anddisposable. And the kind but wealthy British family that Chris hasinfiltrated are also unlucky enough to be used by this tennis pro.Even though Chris is an adulterer, he is not "a Woody Allen." In fact,Woody Allen, as a character, is nowhere to be found. And what followsfrom that understanding is a fantasy: a fantasy in which luck rules,and if the protagonist is lucky, he can have it all. He gets his lustand greed fulfilled and he lives happily ever after, if...This is not a Woody Allen movie, but Woody Allen has crafted a perfectfilm. The dialogue hits every note, the actors play their games witheach other, each with his or her own motivation toward a single prize,and the cinematography captures long and meaningful observations oftheir faces, thus their deepest thoughts and feelings. Watch Allen'sother non-Allen movies like "Another Woman" and ponder the similaritiesto his hero's work, the films of Ingmar Bergman. Consider that the bestwork of a filmmaker may be the one from which he or she is able toextract his or her own ego. Think about what it felt like to see yourfirst tennis match. Did you cringe in your seat wondering if the windmight blow luck in the other player's direction? Hats off to 2005 for aterrific year in cinema! However, if you are a learned intellectual,there is one film that will give you enough fuel for discussion over anentire glass of wine and this is it.

jadenzel 2012-05-25 00:04:07

180 degree turn.

Just saw this movie last night, and I have never been an overlyenthusiastic Woody Allen fan.Did not really know what to expect, but I do know Woody Allen more forhis comedies and love of New York. So what is he doing making a dramain the UK? It's hard to say.This movie started off as a drama full of infidelity and explores howmuch a man will risk to get what he wants. The main character, ChrisWilton, was annoying and totally compelling at the same time, and muchof the credit for that goes to Jonathan Rhys Meyer (you will rememberhim from Bend it Like Beckham as the coach). His performance made mewant to reach in and strangle him, and ask, "what the hell are youdoing?" His best friend is his wife's brother, his father-in-law issupportive, and has set him up with a great job, and even hismother-in-law loves him. Yet, he is willing to risk it all for a bit ofass (Scarlett Johansson's, to be exact).At times you want him to get caught having his affair, and yet, at thesame time, you empathize with his wife, Chloe, played by EmilyMortimer, and you don't want to see her get hurt.After about 3 quarters of the film, you start to believe that this isyet another of those movies where the main character heads towardself-destruction bringing down all those around him as well.Then the movie turns on its head in such a subtle way that you almostmiss it, and comes up with an ending that makes you uncomfortablycomfortable (when you see it, you will know what I mean).The first three quarters may seem slow, corny, unnerving, andunintentionally funny, but I found the ending was worth it.

Roger Ebert 2012-05-24 04:29:08

Deserves to be ranked with Allen's Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Everyone Says I Love You.

Krystyna 2012-05-23 19:25:11

Riveting, intense, one of the year's best!

What begins as a slightly plodding morality play takes a dark turn midway through, as Match Point's Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Chris) social climbs his way up the ladder at dad-in-law's company. Well directed and mostly underacted, Match Point takes us through emotional twists and turns till its very surprising conclusion. Scarlett Johannson is excellent as an intensely sensual actress wannabe; an Oscar nomination is a probability. Some may find her histrionics a bit over-the-top but they were essential to the character.All in all, Woody Allen does a wonderful job of writing and directing a modern day Austen-like story. Easily his best since Annie Hall.

scarletminded 2012-05-23 06:06:42

Best Woody Allen movie in a long time...

This is one of the best movies Woody Allen has put out as of late. Iwasn't that big of fan of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but I got this filmfrom the library, because I liked one of the supporting actors in it.But I found out Jonathan Rhys Meyers was one of the leads and I likemuch of his work. I got this not expecting anything about the film,didn't know it was a thriller or anything like that. I was quitesurprised. It almost plays out like a romantic comedy at first, butthen takes a more sinister turn. Just when you think the once cop hashad his Twin Peaks Cooper moment, seeing things in what I think was adream, it turns again. I thought there might be even more turns, butthe ending was decent. It was a far cry from Woody Allen films that aremainly talking without much action. It is a very nice modern film noirand I would recommend it to people who like good acting and interestingstories with a bit of darkness thrown in their for good measure. And italso has a good deal of psychology and philosophy put in there as well.

sophiehelen 2012-05-19 11:25:23

Just bloody awful

I am a huge Woody Allen fan but this has to be his worst movie.The dialogue is leaden (click on the Quotes link - e.g. 'It would befitting if I were apprehended... and punished. At least there would besome small sign of justice - some small measure of hope for thepossibility of meaning.') and the acting generally poor. Leaving asidethe clichéd, unimaginative and inappropriate choice of locations, theoften amateurish-looking lighting and camera-work, the ridiculouslythin, hole-riddled and ill-researched plot, what does this film amountto? A re-hash of a not terribly original theme which was explored tomuch better effect in 'Crimes and Misdemeanors'.Woody is entitled to his failures. This is one of his biggest. Avoid.(NB: Over-enthusiastic hyphenation added by IMDb)

Peter Rainer 2012-05-18 18:41:00

The film is good enough that you don't feel the need for a few laughs to leaven the grimness.

Roland E. Zwick 2012-05-18 12:30:09

engrossing tale of adultery and obsession

In "Match Point," Woody Allen, caught in one of his more "serious"moods, takes a simple tale about marital infidelity and turns it intosomething complex and fascinating. Although he leaves a trail of cluesimplying that this is to be another of his homages to FyodorDostoevsky, the film really turns out to be Allen's own version ofTheodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" (albeit set in England,perhaps to throw us off the scent). The parallels between the two worksare not perfect, of course - in fact they often seem to beintentionally inverted - but they are close enough to make us wonder ifAllen did, indeed, do it all on purpose.Jonathan Rhys-Meyers plays Chris Wilton, a down-on-his-luck socialclimber who marries into wealth but longs for the passion he finds withanother woman. Chris is a professional tennis player who decides toleave the circuit when he realizes he hasn't the skill to compete withthe real pros. Taking a job as an instructor at a posh, highlyexclusive tennis club, Chris finds himself wining and dining with therich and famous after one of his pupils, Tom Hewett, takes a liking tohim and introduces Chris to his snooty but accepting family. Chrisbegins to date Tom's warmhearted sister, Chloe, but he is reallysmitten by an aspiring American actress, Nola, who just happens to beTom's fiancé. Chris makes the mistake of marrying Chloe before Tom andNola call off their engagement and go their separate ways. The factthat Nola is free but he is not doesn't deter Chris from pursing anaffair with the woman who provides all the passion and excitement hisloving but boring wife cannot. But Chris soon discovers that carryingon an affair can result in a life filled with secrecy, lies, guilt andself-loathing. And when the going gets to be just a bit too much forour hero to handle…well, there's always that "final solution" lurkingin the wings, as many an earlier adulterer has discovered to hiseverlasting regret."Match Point" starts off very slowly and seems at first as if it willbe just another tale of adultery and unrequited love. Yet, Allen reallyknows how to draw us into Chris' predicament, so that, by about halfwayinto the film, we feel as enmeshed in his seemingly irreconcilabledilemma as he himself is. Torn between the wealth and position he hasas Chloe's husband and the love he feels for the relativelyimpoverished Nola, Chris is frozen into a state of paralyzingindecisiveness, his every waking moment a tormenting hell of fear andgathering dread as he keeps waiting in breathless anticipation for thatother shoe to drop. It isn't until the "other woman" becomes more of aburden than his clinging wife that Chris can finally launch intoaction. This turnabout in the screenplay might strike many in theaudience as arbitrary and implausible and there is certainly a case tobe made for that. But if you can go with the flow, you will bedelighted by all the little ironies Allen throws at us in the finalstages of the story, which help to underline the filmmaker's thesisthat, for all the efforts we make to control our lives, The FickleFinger of Fate - or in this case a tennis ball precariously balancingon the top of a net trying to figure out which way to fall - always hasthe final word.Allen has written dialogue that is incisive, intelligent and literate,and the performances he's drawn from the likes of Rhys-Meyers, Goode,Emily Mortimer, Scarlett Johannson and Penelope Wilton are superb downto the tiniest detail. Allen keeps his camera tightly focused on hischaracters, rarely pulling away from them much beyond a middledistance, keeping us firmly locked in the near-claustrophobic drama.Here is a movie that demands patience at the beginning but that reallysneaks up on you the longer you watch it.Guided by the hands of a master, "Match Point" is one of Allen's finestfilms in years.

2012-05-18 01:26:01

Whatever the film might have in its favor...

...and that includes its dazzling stars and brilliant director/writer, there's one thing I can't get past. In the scenes where Chris, the supposed tennis pro, is on court, his playing is mediocre at best - he's not good even by teaching pro standards, so he certainly isn't convincing as a former tour player who, according to his friend from the tennis tour, could have conceivably beaten any of the top players in the world. Even the tennis-related dialogue seems lifted from a Thirties film set at a country club; the chats about "top seeds" aren't believable to anyone who has any familiarity with the pro tennis world. For Heaven's sake, at the start of the film Chris even mispronounces the name of Greg Rusedski, who is a former Top 5 player from England! I can't believe someone didn't catch that. Oh, well - I suppose I should just be pleased that tennis was the focal point of a major film...and "Match Point" is certainly vastly superior to the hackneyed "Wimbledon".

2012-05-15 08:53:07

Clever, very clever, with a nice surprise ending

This has one of the neatest bits of stage business you are likely to ever see in a movie. Keep your eye the ball (or ring) as it hits the net, or perhaps a railing. Whether it falls forward or backward can make all the difference in the world.I can't believe that tennis players say the same thing that poker players say: "I'd rather be lucky than good." Poker players say that because there is a significant element of chance involved in any given hand; and besides they already think they're good. It is the other guy who is lucky.Jonathan Rhys-Meyers stars as Chris Wilton, a poor Irish boy on the make. He is handsome, charming, smart, and a very good tennis player who is candid about not quite being good enough against the very best. He gets a job teaching tennis at an exclusive English club and quickly meets and charms a very rich student (Matthew Goode as Tom Hewitt) who has a sister (Chole, played by Emily Mortimer) who finds him irresistible. Well, how lucky can you get? Complication: Scarlett (the sexiest woman on earth, at one time, anyway, according to some magazine) Johansson playing Nola Rice, who is seriously dating the very eligible Tom Hewitt. (You could say she's on the make as well.) She's an American would-be actress who can't quite wow them at the auditions in London. She is sitting pretty however because if she marries Tom she will be set for life.I could go on, but the plot is so delicious that I don't want to spoil it for you. It's a variation on the venerable theme of rake's progress, employing in an interesting way the old adage, "The man who marries for money earns it." I have only one criticism of this especially well directed effort from the redoubtable Mr. Allen: you could have done without that cheesy ghost or hallucination scene near the end, involving sweet lips Scarlett and her neighbor.See this for Woody Allen, who is just as smooth with this upscale noir/Hitchcockian thriller as he is with his renowned comedic and satirical efforts. And to think the guy will be 75 in December.[Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.]Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!: The Best Movie Reviews of Dennis Littrell in Categories with Lists, Quizzes and More!

2012-05-14 14:08:47

Mostly disappointing and a little disgusting

I do not normally review movies although I watch probably close to a hundred films every year and have done so for decades. I have enjoyed many many Woody Allen films from his earliest comedies on thru his later dramas.Match Point, at least on initial viewing, does nothing for his resume. To be sure, there are some great moments in the film. I feel the early flirtatious conversations between Johannson and Meyers are almost classic. In some ways, I would compare them with the conversations between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest. Their conversations are obvertly sexual without being the least bit profane or vulgar. They are adult in the best sense of that word. The acting and the writing of these scenes are perfect and only add to the disappointment of the rest of the film.My first negative point is the character played by Emily Mortimer. Mortimer fails to convince me that her character would be as bland and clueless as she seems to be. Since I think of Mortimer as being a reliable actress I tend to blame the script in part for this failure.But the first real sin of the film is its utter predictability. I turned to my wife after Meyers and Johannson renewed their affair and predicted the rest of the film. (Spoiler alert- read no further if you have not seen the film and still give a hoot about the so-called "twist"). I did not foresee, however, the murder of the landlady. That combined with the murder of Johannson's character is the origin of the "disgusting" in my title (the second real sin of the film). These are not the actions of an existentialist. Existentialists are, on the whole, if you actually read them, a rather responsible lot. The murders might be the actions of a nihilist or a sad, weak coward. Or the type of guy who would leave his long time partner for a much much younger woman.I guess what I am saying is that in many ways this film is a good metaphor for Allen himself. Very smart at times, very glossy but with no real moral center at all. It makes me sad to say this after all these years but my reaction to the next Woody Allen film will be indifference.

elpanoptico 2012-05-14 13:39:23

Leap of faith for Woody

I remember when people say in the past that appreciable films likeAnother Woman or September were the worst of all the Woody Allen opus.No one could mirroring in the future a really waste of celluloid likeMatch Point. I only could ask how such a GREAT director like Woodycould fill 124 loooong minutes of such insipidity, come on, i believeit's the longest film he has directed (as i could remember, he neverneed more than hour and a half to make precision jewelery mechanismfilms like Zelig or Purple Rose) In an effort of revamp his cinematicskills, Allen goes to the European continent, but, mmm, this can'tsolve anything if you have a so boring story and such a pair of watereddown protagonists . Disguised like a Patricia Highsmith study of humanbehaviour, Woody tries very hard to take a distant and cool approach toan adultery and crime story, but the things that could work well in,for example, a Claude Chabrol mystery film, (i mean, the distantapproach, a detailed story telling and slow character development) i'msorry to say, by no means works in this new tedious and frustratingAllen film. When he did one of his greatest works, Crimes andMisdemeanors, he really was successful doing a DARK and nihilist tale,with a philosophical twist, and a tragicomic resonance. Woody was theking, working in his territory. That film was masterful and, by theway, has a great cast. Now, more than 16 years after,this resonance isnever achieved, and Match Point only looks like a pale approach toCrimes and Misdemeanors. The actors, well, Scarlett could lookgorgeous, but always,in all his films, is a bored girl thatdemonstrates so good his boredom, that i never get hooked really withher acting skills,and makes me feel like her, bored to death... andRhys Meyers was a real handicap to see him trying painfully doing hisbest during almost the looong 124 minutes... Really hope that Woodycould do best in his next (but, oh, no,i fear if Scarlett is in it)With a leap of faith, maybe Woody could do again a masterful piece likethe classic Purple Rose, after all those lousy and horrible last films,to close his great career (like his beloved Bergman that after a stringof film flops in the 70's make at least his great Fanny and Alexander)I don't know, but only we need a leap of faith...

Jeffrey M. Anderson 2012-05-14 03:29:29

The new Match Point reveals [Allen] back at the height of his powers, firing on all cylinders and displaying a confidence and control not seen since before the Soon-Yi scandal.

gonewilde 2012-05-13 10:59:25

Match Point movie review

Woody Allen's new film Match Point has received a lot of praise andaccolades. Most of them are deserved. Most assuredly some of them arenot.The movie is the story of the young protagonist, Chris, played byJonathan Rhys-Myers coming into a world of privilege and circumstanceafter befriending Tom played by Matthew Goode. Chris begins to dateMatthew's sister, Chloe, played by Emily Mortimer and is ushered intothe family business. All goes well until he meets Tom's sultry fiancée,Nola, played by Scarlett Johansson. And that's all I'll say in directrespect to the plot.In general, the acting quality leaves something to be desired, thoughsome of the actors give stellar performances. Emily Mortimer gives anamazing performance as the vulnerable and sympathetic Chloe. MatthewGoode also does a great job as the clueless brother, unaware of thestorm brewing below the sanguine exterior of Chris. Unfortunately, thefilm's two biggest stars Rhys-Myers and Johansson, though emphaticallybeautiful and pleasing to the eye, give robotic performances. Both areunconvincing, delivering the dialogue which, at times, seems justbarely memorized before shooting.The film is a little slow to start. The dialogue is not immediatelyengaging, but what the film lacks in performance is more than made upfor in the writing of the screenplay and the cinematography. The filmis visually striking from the opening shot. The interiors and exteriorsand sumptuous and exquisite.And the screenplay is perhaps one of Allen's best, existentiallybrooding on the role of luck versus hard work in life. The film isessentially a meditation on which plays the greater role. The drama isheavily influenced by opera with its dramatic themes and plots. Themajority of the score is primarily derived from various operas, whichhelps to enliven the performances when they are a little lacking. Theoperatic quality also influences the characters and tone of the drama.From the first opening notes, you know that this isn't light fare.The movie moves along at a steady pace and takes its time to unwind. Atpoints, it seems that the movie is merely going through the necessarymotions to move the plot along, but these moments are sporadic andshort. The tension builds to the very end and just when you think it isover, it's not. The ultimate conclusion left me breathless and(literally) applauding Allen's cunning in creating a movie that glossesover current fixations and taps into more ancient dramas: infidelity,power, the lengths one will go to secure their position and privilege,and the consequences of our actions.I highly recommend this film for anyone interested in quality cinema. Ihope that Allen receives at least a Golden Globe, if not an actualOscar. I am aware of his reasons for using two of today's hottest starswho end up giving only mediocre performances--he wants money andrecognition. Who doesn't? Hopefully, next time he can convince hisactors to give better performances or just hire better actors, who justmight not be as famous.

pyrocitor 2012-05-12 18:41:20

Relentlessly gripping from start to finish

After a slew of less than successful films, it seemed that Woody Allen,who it seemed at one point could never fail, had lost his touch, becometoo dated and formulaic to appeal to modern day audiences. Wiselyenough, Allen seems to have realized the best way to stay fresh andinteresting is an abrupt change of pace, of base of operations, ofgenre and of style. The most noticeable difference in Allen's latest,'Match Point' is the fact that he forgoes his usual NYC setting,replacing it instead with upper crust English society. Also, gone isthe light comedic tone and neurotic lead characters who seem only ashallow echo of Allen himself - here we have very different personasspouting significantly different lines than those we are used tohearing in an Allen film. Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a fallen from grace ex tennispro who marries into wealth to raise his social standing. With abeautiful and enthusiastic wife (Emily Mortimer), her very Britishbrother who Chris instructed in tennis and introduced him to the family(Matthew Goode) and more importantly, their very rich and generousfather (Brian Cox) who lands Chris a high ranking position in hisbusiness firm, it seemed that Chris had gone from virtually nothing toeverything he could ever want in a nauseatingly short time. But Chris'stable and very successful life is rapidly brought to a staggering haltwhen he is introduced to American actress Nola Rice (ScarlettJohansson) who he instantly falls for, despite her being engaged to hisfuture brother-in-law. Complications ensue as Chris and Nola try todecide whether their affections for each other would be worthcompromising their very secure lives for each other. Although the main feel of the story may be different territory forAllen, the underlying profundity of the narrative is still there. Allthroughout the story, we as an audience find ourselves forced toconfront the issue "is passion more desirable than stability?" andlikely applying it to our own lives as well. Allen's script isexcellent, making so much more out of what could have been a verycheesy and unoriginal story, with numerous great lines only touching onbeing pretentious at times, but this is largely masked by the twoexcellent leads and great supporting cast. Performances are excellent across the board, especially from the twoleads, who are the main focus of the show, and are easy capable enoughof maintaining our interest. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is excellent in thelead as Chris, the ex-tennis pro who grows bored and unhappy with hisunnervingly stable life - he really brings Chris' conflicting emotionsto play in a truly compelling fashion. Scarlett Johansson is also greatas Nola Rice, the unsuccessful actress who also finds herself temptedto choose passion over stability in her life. Despite common sentimentsthat she was only cast due to her looks, Johansson gives a very strongperformance, though it's true that her absolutely stunning beauty is ahighlight of the show. There is also excellent support from EmilyMortimer as Chris' wife, who is very nice though not terriblyinteresting with her constant desire to get pregnant, the very BritishMatthew Goode as Nola's fiancée, and Brian Cox as Chris' very richfather in law, who essentially secures him a position in life. Coxavoids stereotyping by underplaying the feigned kindness with a streakof intimidation, and his performance is superb - as are everyoneelse's. In fact, the only real downside of casting is the horrendouslystereotypical British police officer, who comes across as hilarious atone of the most crucial and not intended to be funny parts of themovie. Allen has created a truly excellent piece of work here, as Match Pointis relentlessly gripping from start to finish. Despite its seeminglysimple storyline, we as an audience still manage to be taken aback byeach twist of the story, and the ending is nothing less than genuinelysurprising, as well as very satisfactory for having not taken the easyway out in storytelling terms. Intrigued? You'll just have to see MatchPoint for yourself... chances are you won't be disappointed. -8/10

Movieguy_blogs_com 2012-05-12 03:33:41

It is not a comedy and it does not take place in New York, but it is really good.

In 'Match Point' Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Alexander and Bend It LikeBeckham) plays Chris Wilton, a former tennis pro who wants more out oflife. He seems to be on the right path. He finds a rich girl to marry,who (as well as her family) adores him. His father-in-law gives him agood job with lots of opportunity. Chris seems to have it made. Thatis, until he meets his brother-in-laws fiancée (Scarlett Johansson).Will he risk everything for a woman that rocks his world? This movie isa little different than what we have seen recently from Woody Allen(writer/director). It is not a comedy and it does not take place in NewYork, but it is really good. Without ruining the ending, it embodiesWilton's view on life and probably Allen's as well. That is, luck has alot to do with it. If you see this movie, you will know what I mean.I like the performances of both Scarlett Johansson and Emily Mortimer(Formula 51 and Lovely & Amazing). Mortimer is truly brilliant asWilton's wife, I think she is really underrated.

gordonavenue 2012-05-11 23:55:53

Shockingly BAD - don't even think of seeing this one!!

where do i begin??.. wooden acting, trite superficial script,simplistic metaphor, and the clichéd caricature of how an Americanwould view England. this film is an absolute stinker. and i'm not theonly one to hold this view - a packed Saturday night house at theupscale Chelsea Cinema howled repeatedly with the laughter of derision.post screening foyer conversations agreed that Allen had missed hismark here, and had delivered a barely recognisable imitation of Londonand its inhabitants. few come out of this film with credit. ScarlettJohansson can't act but shows us she sure can shout - in scene afterscene after scene. Bless. I guess that must have been her doing"angry". Mortimer, Cox and Wilton are cardboard cut outs, so 2dimensional are their characters. On the plus side, Rupert Penry-Jonesand James Nesbitt both managed their cameos with style and credibility.Go home Woody and leave English drama to the likes of Julian Fellowesand "Separate Lies".

child-of-charoulla 2012-05-07 21:23:48

One of the best films of the year!

Having just come out of the movie theater I am ready to declare thatthis is one of the best films of the year. Shot in London, theatmosphere feels very different than that set up in the rest of hisfilms - even Melinda and Melinda, a very recent film and a personalfavourite of mine - feels to have belonged to a different director.This was slightly off-putting for me in the beginning but as the filmprogressed I realised that Woody Allen has reached the point where hecan produce any kind of masterpiece even if that means unbalancing thenotion of what has been perceived and eagerly acclaimed as his "style".The dialogue is excellent for once more, the plot ingeniously conceivedand developed. The theme of crime and punishment along with that ofluck and its relation to life are both persistent throughout the film.A lot of wisdom and a lot of opera that helps build the tension. AWoody Allen at his best!

Rogue-32 2012-05-07 05:33:20

The Woodman Goes Out On A Limb

I'm a huge follower of Woody's work, from the very beginning (even gotto meet him in his Play It Again Sam Broadway dressing room in NYC along time back). Some of his movies are disappointing, but most of themhave delighted me, even the more serious ones, like Interiors and C&M.This one is a real departure of sorts, not necessarily in the subjectmatter but rather in the execution. Gone are the nauseating jumpycamera moves from Husbands & Wives (which I liked nonetheless, what canI tell ya), gone are the snappy one-liners, gone is the jazzysoundtrack, gone is his beloved New York City. Instead, we get slow,subtle panning shots, arch dialogue with hardly any obvious humor tothem, an opera soundtrack, and London, of all places. It works, though,this noir-ish concoction; it lures you in, sweeps you along and then itturns the screws in a most surprising way, leaving the viewer - thisviewer, anyway - entirely jaw-dropped.This is a thought-provoking work that no doubt has precipitated manyphilosophical discussions, and for that alone it's a winner. Not quiteperfect, however - some of the dialog feels a little phony, the operagets a little bit much in places, and some of the plot points are a tadheavy-handed. I forgive Woody for this. The Big Question is (aside fromthe question of karma): can his leading character in the moviegenuinely forgive himself for what he does, in the name of 'survival'?