Woody Allen's "Match Point"

[Chris Messineo]

I saw "Match Point" last night and thought it was phenomenal.

I have always been a Woody Allen fan, and this is honestly the first movie of his I have ever seen that didn't feel like a Woody Allen film.

It plays like classic Film Noir. Scarlet Johannson looks like she stepped out of a Hitchcock film.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Chris

[The Machinist]

Yea I have not heard a bad thing. I need to force myself to go see it. The bad taste of Melinda and Melinda is still in my mouth though....

[surf]

the trailer is not as good as I was waiting for

[Chris Messineo]

I can't say whether anyone will like it or not. But, don't let the fact that you do or don't like Woody Allen films keep you away. I still find it hard to believe he did this one, as there is nothing typical about it.

Chris

[Blaine]

Overly simplistic but...

I find there are two camps with Woody Allen, those that love him and those that hate him. I've tried to like him but just can't seem to warm up to him. To me he is about the most annoying person on screen I can think of. The only movie I remotely liked was "Play It Again, Sam". I could be wrong but it seems that Woody plays better to the East Coast life experiences.

Please don't get me wrong, everyone has their own tastes and they are neither right nor wrong. Woody's fans are passionate as are those that don't like his material.

This all leads up to my question. Is this a movie that will overcome my bias against him?

[The Machinist]

I could be wrong but it seems that Woody plays better to the East Coast life experiences.

That's a good point. You might even go so far as to just say New York City.

[Chris Messineo]

If you could magically see this movie without knowing who made it, you would never guess it was a Woody Allen film,.

Chris

[Blaine]

If you could magically see this movie without knowing who made it, you would never guess it was a Woody Allen film,.

Chris

Okay, that's kinda what I was interested in hearing. I'm willing to give it a try, particularly since you've also said it plays like classic film noir AND the reference to Hitchcock.

(But does he star in it, too?)

[surf]

but I think I will watch the film as soon as I can. I am not a Woody Allen fan, but I like it+I am Scarlett J. "fan" :)

[The Machinist]

But does he star in it, too

No. Maybe a cameo though. Nothing listed on IMDB.

[Chris Messineo]

Woody is not in it at all.

Scarlett is, and I get all warm and fuzzy just thinking about her scenes. :)

Chris

[Filmjunkie677]

I've never like Allen, but now I might just give this a shot.

[TheMacB]

i am a huge woody allen fan but felt this film was pretty weak. interesting plot but the dialogue was just not up to snuff. very cheesy lines/moments. i really hate it when i'm watching a movie and it sounds like lines that somebody is writing. overall i give it 3 out of 5 stars. great plot/great photography but weak dialogue and mediocre acting.

[Shaun Patrick]

I saw this on Monday and really enjoyed it overall.

Am I the only one who thinks Scarlett Johanssen is quite possibly one of the worst actresses working today? Yes, she is very beautiful but she is godawful in Match Point (and in Lost in Translation, Ghost World, etc.). She has no range and her delivery of lines is so stilted/awkward. Thankfully Match Point concentrates on Jonathan Rhys Myers' character and not hers.

Anyway, I don't know if Match Point is quite the return to form for Woody Allen that everyone is saying it is...but it was still a pretty damn fine film.

[uhrgl]

I liked it better than Crash ;)

I think if the sex scenes with Scarlett were racheted up a little bit, this would have been a classic. Woodrow, if you can't release those things with frontal, I would like a naked silhouette or something.

[The Machinist]

Wait?

Scarlet has lines in those movies?? Can't listen....too beautiful...

[uhrgl]

She is a major piece of ass. She hosted SNL this weekend and I was hoping she would pop out.

On a director's tip, does anyone else think her face is best in profile? If you can draw your attention up, that is.

[The Machinist]

She is 1 of 2 women in the world with the ability to reduce me to the cognizance of a Neanderthal. Nothing but monosyllabic grunts and other activity best suited to the monkey cage at the zoo.

[GenJerDan]

Loved her in Home Alone 3.

[Draccan]

I must say that I am biased as a huge Woody Allen fan. I have 35+ of his movies on dvd. And I have not seen MATCH POINT yet as it is not up here in Denmark before April this year. Quite annoying as my friends in Paris have been able to see it for a long time.

But from the previews it looks awesome. The mood and atmosphere, but also the cinematography. It has a very stylish, modern look I would not expect of Woody at all. I think it is awesome a man of 70 years who has become synonymous with New York has the guts to leave that city he celebrated in dozens of films and start afresh in London. Not many cinematographers can reinvent themselves like that.
He said he is tired of the conditions he has to work under in USA, the commercial forces driving out the creative spirits.

I hope it is as interesting and fresh as it looks.

Interestingly though, Woody has a unique setup as a cinematographer. He has a contract that gives him the right to make one film pr. year. His films only cost like 6-12M$ pr film. And he normally spends like three months writing them and three months filming. So the latter part of the year he can relax when finished with the editing.

Unlike the other poster in this thread I believe MELINDA AND MELINDA is a work of genius. It dissects the idea of comedy and tragedy in art and yet shows by the ending scene how life is too short and can end like this... :thumbup: (a quick snap with the finger)..

My only gripes with the film is the apparant over-acting of that Farrel dude. It is too forced even for a comedy. He is trying to much to be Woody and has probably been directed in that manner by the real Woody, so he can't really be blamed..
But the film is quite a powerful statement.

All the best,
L.

[Draccan]

I forgot to say.... Scarlett :kiss: is .... *censured* ... She is really *censured*.. I wish I could *censured* ... What a *censured*.... Really!

But of course she is hot.. She is half Danish :thumbsup:


... happy weekend people...

[The Machinist]

Hell yes... Danish women are gorgeous. I've been dating one for 5 years....:thumbsup:

[uhrgl]

Interestingly though, Woody has a unique setup as a cinematographer.

Think you mean "as a director." Woody has worked with more than a few cinematographers over the years.
Remi Adefarasin shot Match Point and he's shooting Woody's next film Scoop too.

[Draccan]

Think you mean "as a director." Woody has worked with more than a few cinematographers over the years.
Remi Adefarasin shot Match Point and he's shooting Woody's next film Scoop too.



Yea... of course director and I am aware of his different cinematographers over the years... But somehow the style has always been very similar and low key, but this recent film looks - to me at least - to be quite a leap (good or bad) from his previous work...

If only my country was not so slow with all the independent and smaller films...

Well come April come.... At least I have a snow storm to brag about... :undecided

[Tony D'Amato]

I saw this today and I was shocked, I thought that I would see a drama/comedy or someting like Anything Else or what it 's namn was the one with Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci. But wow it was ...I don't really know but I know I liked it, and I didn't expect that it whould end like it did.

[Draccan]

Oh man ................ April is so far away...... :angry:

[Josh_Boelter]

I saw this last night and loved it. You'd never know Woody Allen wrote and directed it unless you were looking for the hints (such as characters reading Dostoyevsky). It's really a great film even if you're not a Woody Allen fan. I actually used to not be able to stand him or his films. I grew up in the Midwest with a solidly WASP middle class suuburban background. Since then I've lived in big cities, travelled to Europe, lived on the West coast, gotten more into painting and other art; and I've become a huge Woody Allen fan. That said, you might like this flick even if you don't normally care for him.

Personally, I'm more partial to Emily Mortimer than Scarlettt, but that's just me.

Cheers,

Josh