Match Point
Synopsis – how to succeed in obsession without really trying.
Rating – oh yeah? oh no. oh well.
I am a sucker for Woody Allen films, particularly the relationship-oriented ones, going back to the “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” days. There was always something about how his characters related to each other that I found funny and sad at the same time. So I had hopes for this one (by the way, Woody himself is not in this film). But it felt like he took “neurotic 30-somethings in New York” and turned them into ”smug 20-somethings in London”. I understood what he was going for emotionally – the movie, like the main character, felt very flat and mechanical, just going through the motions. Okay, okay, I get it, but I didn’t really end up caring. Scarlett Johansson’s lips upstaged her for the most part. I had called it “Crimes and Misdemeanors meets Fawlty Towers,” but now I think that’s shooting a little too high on both counts.
Shopgirl
Synopsis – girl meets boy who needs change then meets man who won’t change.
Rating – aww, giggle, sniff, ooh
I haven’t been this involved in a film in ages. I watched it twice within 24 hours, and teared up both times. I take issue with the blurbs on the DVD cover, I would call it something much more meaningful than just a “romantic comedy,” although there is humor to be found in some of the situations. It was a beautiful movie to watch, with colors and lighting that help set a tone that runs from melancholy to hopeful and back again. Clare Danes is mesmerizing, Jason Schwartzman is... well, irresistable in a way, and Steve Martin is far from wild and crazy, and is actually a little (to me a lot) sad. Don’t expect a “Steve Martin movie.” And (although I hate saying this), if you liked “Lost in Translation” you will probably like this one. Rent it.
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