Pajiba

1. Thank God, no Johannssen
2. What is with Woody Allen's obssession with England?
3. Is Farrell's accent passable?
4. I currently have nothing but hate for Sally Hawkins because of they way she portrayed Anne Eliot.

Good to know the movie was decent. I'll be seeing it for McGregor even though after "Match Point" I swore I'd never watch another Allen movie. Damn you, Ewan.

Allen is in England because he can make movies that the Hollywood people can't mess with.

However, I just don't find Allen's movies funny. I sit there and think, "Ah, that was a joke," but it doesn't make me laugh. The serious ones don't interest me either. I once saw an old tape of his early standup comedy and I didn't find it funny, either. Am I the only one?

BWeaves: okay, so there's not as much Hollywood control, but that could be true of a lot of places, why England? Why not Australia or The Netherlands or Thailand (after all he must be looking for a Soon Yi replacement soon since she's in her 20s now)?
And yeah, I never really got his stand-up routine either, but I'll see thing because I get an irrational kick out of Colin Farrell. I sort of love that in the middle of all the Hollywood earnestness, he unapologetically admits that he won't be in demand for ever and he's going to have fun with it while it lasts.

BWeaves, for straight-out comedy, look no further than Manhattan Murder Mystery, For Allen at his best, seek out Hannah and Her Sisters. Certainly some of his "earlier, funny" work isn't that funny and I'd agree that some of his serious films aren't that interesting (Alice, Interiors).

There's something to be said, though, especially in the age of Meet-the-Spartans-esque "parody" flicks, for some genuinely intelligent comedy - and a lot of Allen's movies have this in spades.

I can't tell from the review if the movie is good because it is enjoyable, good because at least it is not as bad as the last film Allen made, or good like a vitamin that you take because you should. Maybe a little of all of that?

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop hating Woody Allen. He is tragically UNFUNNY.

And I will never get over that he married his stepdaughter. Fucking disgusting.

I'll admit I haven't seen very many Allen movies...but the ones I have seen I liked. I'm always willing to give him a chance, especially since in an age of crappy movies and direct-to-video directors making "blockbuster" movies....he seems genuinely determined to make a decent product. And he always gets name actors and actresses in his movies.

ahhhh....the spring fresh feeling of a nice Annie Hall reference in the title. Nice.
"It's transplendent"
"Look there's god coming out of the men's room"

I am starting to get the feeling that I am the only person alive who actually enjoyed "Match Point" (despite Scarlett Johansson even!)

oh well, guess I will have to add it to my guilty pleasure films list...

John, I normally love your reviews, but are you kidding me? I saw Cassandra's Dream and wanted to stab someone less than 10 minutes in. This was one of the worst scripts I've ever encountered- it had all the subtility of Britney Spears' skirt length. I was honestly embarassed for Allen. The actors, for all that some did a reasonable job (Farrell, Hawkins...decidedly NOT McGregor), just couldn't rise above the material.

There were a few way-too-obvious Mike Leigh set-ups, too, which I guess is no surprise considering Allen has been ripping off Bergman and others for a few decades. Don't get me wrong, I generally tend to like his movies, but he really didn't get it right in London. Let's not even start on Match Point.

Paddy- Funny, I thought Sally Hawkins was fantastic as Anne Elliot! The production, however, was pretty dodgy- what the hell was all that Olympic sprinting through Bath at the end? The man who played Wentworth was delicious, though, I grant you...

I must agree with BWeaves and Boo, to an extent. There are a few Allen movies that I adore, but all too frequently, I get the joke. I understand the joke. The delivery is pretty good. But, well, I just don't laugh. And I'm talking about the comedies, not the dramas. I don't deny that the man has a gift for direction... I just don't find the same joy in his work that others do. Give me the Coen Brothers over Allen any day.

Hmmmmm, lemme see, directed by a pedophile who's past his prime, convoluted "no one gives a shit" plot, and.......... Colin Farrell.

Just try and hold me back...

Reesy: Not that I would ever want to send anyone away from Pajiba, but you'll really enjoy the debate over at the AustenBlog if you feel like jumping in. You'll be in the minority though since most of us agree with the poster who said Hawkins played Anne Elliot as if she were a guppy in a dress. Could you even sit through that cringe-inducing last kiss?

I liked Match Point too. And the fact that I'll eventually rent this movie is mostly due to that. And Ewan McGregor of course.

Woody Allen is to comedy what Lilly Allen is to comedy. He should have stopped his attempts about 10 years ago...at anything...drama or otherwise. But yeah, the guys is about as funny as a chapped nutsack.

Lucky I've never met him. There's only so many times I would be able to stomach him stammering through his thoughts before i would start shaking him violently. I wouldn't stop shaking him. I can't stop shaking him. He's so light. He's moving like a rag doll. Why can't I stop shaking him. I should probably stop shaking him. Everything is black. There's no sound. What just happened?

My opinion on Woody Allen can be summed up by Homer watching Garrison Keillor (spelling, I know), and asking why everyone is laughing.

Plus, I can't handle the stammering...

And yeah, the stepdaughter thing is a touch freaky. Except replace "touch" with "horribly fucking weird".

Thank you, Boo.

I too enjoyed Match Point. Well, I enjoyed it up to the point when it just. wouldn't. end.

I've seen very few of Allen's movies, but I'm a sucker for Colin so will likely see this (and In Bruges).

I didn't see this movie. My raccoon had hepatitis.

BWeaves- I didn't like any of the movies he's actually in. I liked Match Point because it was eye candy.

Speaking of eye candy- I will be seeing this. Mee-yow.

I'm not much of a Woody Allen fan. I have enjoyed a few of his films. But you know good and damn well you had me at Ewan McGregor. I watched three bad Star Wars sequels for this man. And The Island (shudder).

I almost saw this movie last weekend without knowing anything about it. Thank Jebus I didn't because I can't fucking stand Woody Allen. His continued relevance baffles me.
I gotta go call my buddy and thank her for needing to return something leading us to miss the showing.

Wow. So many idiots congregating in one spot. Unbelievable.

Woody Allen is not only the funniest human being ever, but one of the most important artistic creators of all time. Right up there with Shakespeare.

And here's a tidbit which has to be repeated ad nauseam for the benefit of the countless morons the internet ceaselessly spews up - Woody Allen didn't marry his stepdaughter. He and Mia Farrow were never married; in fact, they never lived together. He was never a father figure to Soon-Yi.

Bethy - a lot of people enjoyed Match Point. It got great reviews, did excellent business around the world, then cleaned up on DVD.

Though I'll admit his older stuff is great, Match Point is a damn good movie. It's intense, haunting and just so thrilling.

I'll jump on the Woody Allen love train. Back in the day when he was making his comedies, he was a God. You look at movies like Bananas, Love and Death, Take the Money and Run, and Sleepers, and you can see how much he influenced the comedy genre.

His dramtic work is more hit and miss with me, but I almost always enjoy his lighter fare - even Curse of the Jade Scorpian which he says is his worst movie he ever made.

Posted by: Fielding at January 29, 2008 9:22 PM

I'll just ignore your ad-hominem attacks on people you never met just because they don't share your admiration for a man who started fucking with a minor that was under his mate's care. (Does that about cover it?)

Anyway, most on here agree that Mr. Allen was on his game during the Bananas/Sleeper(not only a comedy but also a Science Fiction Classic)/Manhattan era. But, perversions of his dirty old self aside, the man has been putting out sub-standard work for decades now.
Did you ever see Scenes From a Mall, maaaaan, did that suck.

Count me among those who love Woody Allen movies: Stardust Memories and The Purple Rose of Cairo are two of my favorites among the rest that everyone touts. But I really haven't enjoyed anything he's done in the last 10 years (at least). Every few years the critics wet themselves over a movie that's his "return to form" or "best in years," and I'm always left disappointed. "Match Point" was an inferior remake of his own "Crimes and Misdemeanors," a brilliant film. Anyone who saw "Crimes" knew exactly what would happen in "Match Point." So I don't think I can get it up to be disappointed once again. And the fact that it stars Ewan McGregor . . . I really don't understand the appeal AT ALL.

I can understand people not buying into Woody's style but for the most part I dig it.

It is possible to appreciate the art and loathe the artist. No, I wouldn't introduce my daughter to Woody or Roman Polanski, but I can enjoy (most of) what they do. For example, I think Malkovich is a great actor but I think he is kind of a dick.

People that can't separate the art from the artist are missing opportunities.

Hey Fielding-a-ling,

I second what BarbadoSlim said. Fuck you very much.

how can you be a neurotic jewish new yorker and not love woody? it's like grandpa made a movie.

Woody's back with a good (at least) decent film, thank god, no ScarJo to mess it all up and distract us from the focal theme of his films. That was damn annoying in 2006, both Match Point and that other movie he did (see, I even forgot the name because it was so bad) really were not any good. I saw them because I love him and find his movies pretty funny.

Fielding: your characterization of WA as a comic genius is apt as is your description of his precise relationship to Soon Yi. That said, none of that negates how fucking creepy it is that WA ended up marrying Soon Yi. He wasn't just dating Mia Farrow - they had a biological child together and two adopted children together. Surely, there was blending among the Previn/Allen children, even if Mia and Woody never formally dwelled together. He may have fallen short of being a "father figure", but that doesn't mean the whole thing wasn't too close for comfort.

Not to mention the 35-year age difference.