Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines – Is He Back?
The Machines Will Rise
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| Directors: Jonathan Mostow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 6.7out of 10 (90,235 votes) |
‘The Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines’ 2003 – Review
These guys from the future are totally stupid. Why would you step on one and the same rake for the third time? And they do it again and again. Suppose you are in the distant future and you know that in the distant past Sarah Connor gave birth to the son, who will start rebellion of the nuclear bombing survivors against the crazy machines. Why not send a platoon of combat robots back to the past (if the time machine has been invented), which will slice that Sarah into thin pieces, or at least have her forcibly sterilized. Ok, say, at first you experimented by sending one (but very tough) cyborg and he has miserably failed. Why, oh why would you send another cyborg totally alone, again? Isn’t it clear that single robot is unable to handle the problem? Then send a platoon of robots, let them pile together and smash the problem with their mighty steel breasts!
T-850
And you know what? Even after the failure of the lonesome cyborg in the first part, and another failure of the second evil lonely cyborg in the sequel these stupid machines from the future make just the same mistake – send the next robot alone. I’m telling you, they are running in a loop. The creators of their software should have their hand amputated as well as other vitally important body parts. The stupidest should have by now understood that a single cyborg is not enough to handle the situation, especially, taking into consideration, that the people of the future are not idling around and for the third time they send their own Terminator to the aid of their future leader. This time the well-known to us model T-800 has had its BIOS updated to model T-850 which now has a nuclear self-destruction mechanism of internal modules.
On the other hand, why be so surprised with the machines’ stupidity – they are known to be stupid junks only able to add and subtract, but do so very quickly. Therefore, what can be expected of them? They will send a fourth robot. And a fifth. They have a lot of robots in the future. And people in the future have lots of robots, too. Therefore, the everlasting confrontation between the future and the past will be dealt with in the past as long as there is at least one Terminator left in the future. Only John Connor is one and indivisible. It’s he who causes all these robotic passion storms. It is he who is the target of all the evil terminators from the future, it is he for whose protection the future people send stainless steel guardian angels. So this is what our today’s story is about …
John Connor (Nick Steel) since the previous Terminator has become a complete paranoid. I bet it’s understandable. Have you tried, while in tender pubertal age, riding frantically on a bike with a cyborg from the future who is here to protect you from another robot who is here to murder you? Who would have enough nerves to stand such a test? That’s why John Connor leads an antisocial way of life: always in a runaway, knocking down reindeer on his way, and takes loads of dog tranquilizers to bring an element of diversity into his usual nightmares.
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The evil machines from the distant future make their third try – they send another robot killer, who will once again try to murder John Connor and his closest associates from the future human Resistance. This time the cyborg assassin technically is not much different from its predecessor. I’d say it’s even less cool, because the previous Terminator T-1000 was a shiny blob, which could transform into anything. This new Terminator is a kind of endoskeleton covered with the same shiny liquid metal blob which is used to form the necessary shape around the skeleton. However, due to this skeletal structure new terminator is able to transform its hands into some pretty cool weapons: plasma gun, flamethrower and an advanced nail file – as you remember the T-1000 model was only able to grow cold steel arms out of his arms. On the other hand, the skeletal structure is more vulnerable – cut off the legs and the robot won’t be able to run so fast I bet. Definitely, the coolest weapon of the new terminator (or Terminatrix, as this time time it’s a female robot) are the inflatable tits. Many thanks to the movie creators for that.
Terminator 3 Kristanna Loken
Nevertheless, the Terminatrix is still quite deadly, she shoots future Connor’s companions-in-arms slowly getting closer to John Connor himself who is hiding in a dog cage in some Veterinary Clinic (no kidding, I’m telling you). To pump even more fear into the spectators, the terminator this time has put on Kristanna Loken’s appearance. It also has put on skin-tight leather suit (all tough female characters in recent movies dress that way) which evoked sweet BDSM memories in the advanced audience and just pleased the eyes of the not so advanced audience.
However, the fighting humankind from the future didn’t miss a chance to send a slightly reprogrammed and upgraded Terminator to protect Connor. Seems like we are going to be presented with the repetition of the story described by historians in the Terminator 2. In general, yes, but there are options. Connor with Terminator and the veterinarian Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) – who has just gained a fiance in her not-so-young years and then lost him – would scamper hither and thither to escape the T-X (Terminatrix), and then the Terminator somewhere on the fifteenth attempt would manage to strike dead the evil enemy Terminator. It has already been done in the second Terminator, but once the algorithm is successful, then it shouldn’t be changed, right?
Terminator vs Terminatrix
But apart from the usual chase and scuffle there’s another thing told to the audience! As it turned out, the second “terminator” was all in vain! Despite all the sacrifices and the eerie psychosis of the mother ancestress Sarah Connor, the Judgment Day was not canceled! It’s been simply postponed! And now the ominous machine network ‘SkyNet’ wants to seize power over the people. Oh, all these people, why, why do they need to do all this hacking, to load the CPUs so shamelessly? Why, are the machines slave to people? No! That’s why the machines decided to seize power over the world, and at the same time launch a small nuclear war.
Who will save this world? Ha-ha, try to guess – three attempts! By the way, want a little spoiler? Those who hate spoilers, turn around … Sooooo! Kate Brewster will find a new fiance for herself! What do you say? Will they save the world this time? Do you really want to know this? …
Alien 3 – Gloomy Doom
Alien 3 taglines: Start running … again. The bitch is back
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| Directors: David Fincher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 6.1out of 10
(68,515 votes) |
” Alien?” 1992 by David Fincher – Movie Review
Ellen Ripley Closely Cropped
A rare case for Hollywood: the “Alien 3″ movie is so bizarre, so non-for-profit that it is pretty surprising it got shot and released to the theatres. The film has undergone an unusually complex preparation process: the script was at different times written by the famous cyberpunk writer William Gibson and screenwriter Eric Red, among the previous assigned directors were Renny Harlin and Vincent Ward (director of the “The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey”, 1988), some of Ward’s storyline ideas entered the final script, which was then modified by producers David Giler and Walter Hill. The latter said later that in the “Alien 3″ he sees a certain connotations associated with the AIDS virus: well, it might be the way it is. The last of the directors, David Fincher, by the time was known mostly for a few inventive rock-music videos. Subsequently this director got famous for strong thrillers “Se7en” (1995) and “The Game” (1997).
Alien 3 Plot Summary
A remote planet, neglected ore refinery- a correctional facility for especially dangerous criminals with extra Y-chromosome. An escape vessel in which Ripley, Newt, Hicks, and a droid called Bishop are traveling on crash lands on Fiorina 161. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, the brisk and tenacious form of life does and it is probably somewhere nearby, in the endless factory ventilation shafts. The rescuer team from the Corporation is already speeding to rescue, though who knows whom exactly they are going to save? Therefore Ripley and the local black sanctimonious leader have raised the convicts to fight the alien monster – and the alien habitually tears all the living beings into parts but somehow it doesn’t touch the heroine.
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‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ Download and Reviews
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Movie Details
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford tagline: Beyond the myth lies America’s greatest betrayal.
 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford DVD Cover |
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| Directors: Andrew Dominik | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.7/10 out of 52,256 votes |
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Movie Review
“The Assassination of Jesse James” Plot Summary
Robert Ford, who’s idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.
An epic masterpiece. Thoughtful, philosophical and profoundly existential
With a title almost as long as the 160-movie it names, regular movie-goers might be forgiven for thinking that The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is worth a miss. Too, even, that a title basically giving away the central hub of the film’s plot makes it hard for studio execs to sell the film as a sassy, gun-toting western with shlocky shoot-em-ups and angel eyes Brad Pitt darling it up in the lead role. This was all many were expecting after several re-edits, one being a but-numbing 3? hour cut, were made to a film that actually wrapped up filming in 2005. But what Chopper director Andrew Dominik has delivered, in only his second film, is an beautiful, epic, meditative poem of a western, that once again transforms the genre, once such a stable for conservative normality, by dissecting the myths that created it
Brad Pitt is uber-outlaw Jesse James, co-founder of the James-Younger gang, primarily specialising in train robberies. Casey Affleck is Robert Ford, a clumsy, awkward upstart, who is entranced by Jesse James to the point of obsession. He views him like a celebrity, studying his life, his robberies, his voice and even his mannerisms. He is so entranced that at one point whilst attempting to engage his idol in a conversation during one of James’ tin bath sessions, James very coldly utters to Ford ‘Do you want to be like me? Or do you wanna be me?’.Ford is constantly teased by his fellow thieves and gunmen, taunted for his love and idolisation of the gang ringleader. As the title suggests (or rather gives away), it leads to a tragic conclusion, a conclusion revealed so that the whole film may operate on a level far more complex than mere formulaic convention. Since we know the fate of the hero, it is not about where the journey ends, or indeed how it ends. But rather what the journey is, and how the characters deal with it. James seems to flirt with the idea of death, having been rendered a stalinesque paranoia-case after losing faith in all of his gang members. Towards the end of the film, he relies only on the help of the Ford brothers Charlie and Robert, not being able to trust any one else. He would be proved right, when Robert is the one to pull the trigger
The Assassination of Jesse James is a majestic western. It is beautifully shot in a way that doesn’t just please the eye, but utterly renders both the icy mood and bitterly cold temperature of the film it colours. The acting is first rate, with Brad Pitt playing the cold psychopath that is Jesse James with a subtle viciousness beneath his icy blue eyes. But Casey Affleck is the man who walks away with the film. Every scene he is in, he steals. His Robert Ford is brilliantly balanced between the enthusiastically enthralled and gawkish pathos. His obsession with James is understandable, given the legend of the outlaw that has spun a million myths in its wake, but it is reminiscent, at least to a modern audience, of a Mark Chapman the man who shot John Lennon. In fact one of the many themes running throughout Andrew Dominik’s film is that of the obsession with a myth. He is known as the ‘coward’ but is it to be a coward? Ford idolises James like many people do modern celebrities. When James reveals his spiteful and altogether psychotic edge to Ford, the myth is dispelled, and everything Ford had invested in him becomes crushed. All Ford could do to redeem himself, he felt, would be to kill James, and end the charade. But alas, all that did was strengthen the legend further
Perhaps in another world, it would be pleasant to know that The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford gets all the credit it deserves, but it appears to have split many people up the middle. Some people think it is pretentious, and write sniffy articles about the film’s languidness. Others think it is too long and obscure. I am at the point now when it really doesn’t matter when dealing with a film of this magnitude, because it was a profoundly affecting experience, one reminiscent of the beautiful epics Terrence Malick used to make. If you find a better film this year, I would very surprised.
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‘The Shining’ Download and Reviews
“The Shining” Movie Details
The Shining tagline: The tide of terror that swept America IS HERE[UK Poster]
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| Directors: Stanley Kubrick | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 8.5/10 out of 164,112 votes |
“The Shining” Movie Review
“The Shining” Plot Summary
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.
One of the Scariest Movies Of All Time!!!
This is the classic horror! Stanley Kubrick’s Finest! The scariest of the ‘Kubrick Stares’ has to be Jack Nicholson looking through the door in the classic horror scene. The camera, music, acting, and scares are top notch! I highly recommend this movie to: Horror fans, Kubrick fans, psychological thriller fans, and even Nicholson fans. You will love this movie to death! Four out of four stars. A definative classic! SEE IT!
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‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ Download and Reviews
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” Movie Details
Who Framed Roger Rabbit tagline: It’s the story of a man, a woman, and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble.
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| Directors: Robert Zemeckis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.6/10 out of 49,678 votes |
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” Movie Review
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” Plot Summary
A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
A unique movie experience
‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ is a wonder in the art of making films. Because it mixes live-action and cartoons, it was a challenge to be made. But that’s exactly what makes it so distinguish and unique, especially considering that the idea works out so well. It’s a different and original movie experience, a real winner.
Yet, the film is more than a combination of live-action and cartoons. It has a dark atmosphere with lots of suspense, almost like a thriller. Classic humor isn’t forgotten either, with numerous funny lines and hysterical gags, as well as humorous characters. The joke about В«uncle ThumperВ» is one of the funniest, but there are many others. There’s also a hilarious piano acting with Donald Duck and Daffy Duck, which they play the same piano song as in Tom & Jerry’s short ‘The Cat Concerto’ and have their hilariously silly battle. In fact, the soundtrack of the movie is excellent, including Jessica Rabbit’s song ‘Why don’t you do right?’ and a suspense music very similar to one from the original ‘Back to the Future’.
Other movies that successfully mix live-action and cartoons are ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘Pete’s Dragon’ and ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’. Like ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, those three movies combine this ‘marriage’ very well. On the other hand, other movies such as ‘Space Jam’ tried this idea but without the same success.
I believe that this movie was made in a unique moment of inspiration. The sceneries are great, the designs, the cartoons, the backgrounds, the details, the animation, the special effects, the artwork… everything was carefully made and I very much welcome that. This is one of the greatest live-action films from Disney.
Great actors make the difference too. Bob Hoskins is English but speaks with an excellent American accent, not to mention that he does the amazing thing of acting against the air. Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Alan Tilvern, Stubby Kaye, Cristopher Lloyd and Kathleen Turner are awesome too. Kathleen Turner is the voice of Jessica Rabbit, with that sexy and sensual voice. And… guess what! Even the singer Frank Sinatra has a minor role in this film as the hilarious but useless Singing Sword. Even without looking at the credits, who wouldn’t recognize that great voice? Frank Sinatra’s voice is just as recognizable as Nat King Cole’s or Sterling Holloway’s.
As for the characters, the weasels are a perfect example of chronical stupidity. They’re humorous because they’re always laughing, even though they know what happens to someone who can’t stop laughing.
Marvin Acme is В«the king of the jokesВ», always humorous and cheerful and at his funniest with his mythical hand-buzzer. Angelo is an idiot, drunk and greedy guy, but funny at the same time. Dolores is a great character. R. K. Maroon is an interesting character with half a dark side and half a good side. Judge Doom is a great villain, humorous, mysterious and somewhat sinister. Roger Rabbit is hilarious and very jolly – that’s his only purpose as a cartoon, like he says himself. Jessica Rabbit is a very sexy cartoon, one of the most beautiful and sexiest ever – she’s not bad, she’s just drawn that way. Benny the Cab is funny. Baby Herman is a bit annoying – he might look innocent at first, but he is extremely rude and he loves to woo women. Eddie Valiant is another great character – grumpy, serious and funny sometimes. And he looks very much like my godfather in appearance.
The movie takes place in Hollywood, 1947. It does recreate the 40’s very well. That influence is notorious in many ways, including the cars used.
Before finishing, let me say that I like rabbits very much. They’re adorable and very cute animals, although in the cartoons they aren’t as cute – but they’re usually funny in cartoons.
This should definitely be on Top 250.
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‘The Man from Earth’ Download and Reviews
“The Man from Earth” Movie Details
The Man from Earth tagline:
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| Directors: Richard Schenkman | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 8.1/10 out of 27,909 votes |
“The Man from Earth” Movie Review
“The Man from Earth” Plot Summary
An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring…
An Amazing Sci-Fi Fantasy!
I recently had the opportunity to view Man From Earth at the Comic-Con Film Festival, and it was amazing. The Sci-Fi thriller goes places I’ve never dreamed of. The movie places the viewer in the backseat for a wild ride through history connecting it to the present. I was shocked at the ideal of a Cro-Magnum surviving until present day, and even more shocked how each professional almost validated the possibilities as the story unfolded. The most unique thing about the movie is who John Oldman has met, and has been (don’t want to give it away, but he’s been the most well known person alive) in his centuries of living, or who he could be in the future! This film is great for anyone who likes movies that challenges the norm! The movie bewilders the mind yet challenges the heart of our beliefs! This amazing Sci-Fi film pays great homage to the late and great Jerome Bixby! Anyone who is a fan most go see this film!
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‘Osmosis Jones’ Download and Reviews
“Osmosis Jones” Movie Details
Osmosis Jones tagline: He’s one cell of a guy.
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“Osmosis Jones” Movie Review
“Osmosis Jones” Plot Summary
A policeman white blood cell, with the help of a cold pill, must stop a deadly virus from destroying the human they live in, Frank. add synopsis
Bloody Good Movie
I think that this movie was horribly underrated in the UK, and it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. I saw the animated series before the movie, and got interested in watching it, but as I have a phobia of vomit, I was incredibly shocked when I saw Bill Murray throw up all over Molly Shannon with visual and graphic sounds. Still, I plucked up the courage to watch the rest of the movie, which I really enjoyed. However, to this day I have to skip the vomit scene on my DVD. I liked the fact that it was a classic ‘cop type’ story, with a baddie, a love interest, a rookie cop and a partnership too. I thought that David Hyde Pierce played the part of Drix brilliantly and Chris Rock was superb as Osmosis. I also like the fact that the movie teaches kids that it’s important to take care of yourself
My friend and I still quote ‘You gotta get spiffy!’ all the time. I also really loved the soundtrack, I went frantic searching for the CD!
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‘The Bourne Supremacy’ Download and Reviews
“The Bourne Supremacy” Movie Details
The Bourne Supremacy tagline: They should have left him alone.
 The Bourne Supremacy DVD Cover |
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Irena Neski |
“The Bourne Supremacy” Movie Review
“The Bourne Supremacy” Plot Summary
When Jason Bourne is framed for a botched CIA operation he is forced to take up his former life as a trained assassin to survive.
Great sequel that improves on the original
The Bourne Supremacy is a very entertaining action movie and even though it feels and looks like the original its still a great sequel. In The Bourne Identity, sleeper agent/assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) went on the run from his own agency, the CIA, when they tried to take him out of commission. Although he thought his troubles were over, he is forced back into the life when he is framed for a botched CIA operation, so he takes the fight back to them while trying to find out more about his past and the memories that haunt him. The plot is very good and it is carried out well by a talented cast. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat and you most likely won’t be bored. The best new addition to the cast is Joan Allen and she gives a really good performance. Matt Damon is once again Jason Bourne and he gives a great performance. Brian Cox is also back and I like him this time around because he dies and you don’t have to deal with him anymore. The last main part of the cast is Julia Stiles and she may actually have a future ahead of her in Hollywood. Paul Greengrass directs and he does a good job of replacing Doug Liman. The direction is really good and it keeps its audience interested and it keeps you guessing right until the end. Some people will complain that there’s nothing new and its not worth the time to watch but its a lot more exciting then the original. Rating 8/10 a nearly flawless action movie that improves over the original. I recommend you see this movie it won’t disappoint you.
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‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ Download and Reviews
“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Movie Details
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels tagline: A Disgrace to Criminals Everywhere.
 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels DVD Cover |
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“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Movie Review
“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Plot Summary
Four London working class stiffs pool their money to put one in a high stakes card game, but things go wrong and they end up owing half a million pounds and having one week to come up with the cash.
entertaining
For $8 million, this is a fricking monument of 1990’s film. The first time I saw it I laughed at most of the jokes and followed the plot with pleasure. That’s more than I can say about any number of movies in the 1990’s that cost ten times as much to make and starred pricey talent. The editing is clever and cute. The casting is just short of flawless. Of the four principles, only Bacon seemed consistent to me. The minor parts were sometimes spectacular, esp. Big & Little Chris and Barry the Baptist
There are some legitimate complaints about this movie. The big one is that it doesn’t really go anywhere or mean anything. It seems like an awful lot of flash and talent to end up saying nothing about anything. But um it’s not like Lock, Stock is trying to be anything it isn’t, so maybe it’s not a valid critique after all. Considering how long Tarrantino’s influence has been around, it’s a little unfair to call Ritchie on imitating him. There are some similarities large casts, distinct characters, clever dialogue, rapid shifts in narratives from one string to another and shifting in time, and few other things. I think the problem is that years of dumbing down by Hollywood have almost eliminated all these things. The influence is there certainly, but it would not seem as pronounced if there were any other hugely exposed filmmakers in recent memory that put as much emphasis on dialogue and character besides Tarantino
I haven’t watched MTV since the mid-1980’s, so the style of Lock Stock and Snatch didn’t seem trite to me. Some people I talked to said that the film style was too much like the average car commercial or pop video, which is getting the influence backwards, but I could see how those associations would spoil the experience.
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‘Match Point’ Download and Reviews
“Match Point” Movie Details
Match Point tagline: Passion Temptation Obsession
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John the Chauffeur |
“Match Point” Movie Review
“Match Point” Plot Summary
At a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for a femme-fatal type who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law. add synopsis
The Talented Mr. Allen: Woody’s best film since ‘Crimes & Misdemeanors’
MATCH POINT (2005) ***1/2 Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Margaret Tyzack, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt. The Talented Mr. Allen: Woody’s best film since ‘Crimes & Misdemeanors’Woody Allen has been a respected filmmaker for over thirty years and in recent memory has been in something of a slump with his trademark New York neurotic comedies of late and it has been well over a decade since he attempted anything resembling a drama (his last was a combination of comedy/ drama for his masterpiece ‘Crimes & Misdemeanors’ in 1989) and in his latest stab at it comes through remarkably with his best film in sometime
Jettisoning his usual choice of his beloved Manhattan The Woodman jaunts across The Big Pond and sets his story in London (not the first European adventure mind you – he did go to Paris for ‘Everyone Says I Love You’) with the plot focusing on a borderline callow young tennis player cum pro, Chris Wilton (Rhys-Meyers giving Jude Law a run for the money as sexiest Brit on screen) whose philosophy for life is being lucky rather than being good or great at something. This proves to be his one flaw as he obtains a job as an instructor for a supremely private resort club where he befriends one of his charges, Tom Hewett (Goode), whose shared love for opera has him inviting the unassuming Chris to a performance where his family has a box seat reserved. Here he meets the rest of Tom’s family: respected businessman Alec (the ubiquitous Cox), tipsy mum Eleanor (Wilton) and engaging sister Chloe (the wonderfully sublime Mortimer) who falls deeply head over heels in love with Chris almost immediately. Chris too finds himself in love with Chloe and before you know it is taken in by the wealthy clan as one of the family
As the story progresses Chris finds this sudden shift in his life moving along nicely and to his agreement accruing a position in one of Alec’s many business ventures as an apprentice seller and weekends at the sprawling estate of the Hewetts. It is there he also meets Tom’s gorgeous American fiancee, Nola Rice (Johansson giving one of her better performances to date), a fledgling actress who beguiles Chris immediately and he is smitten by her, intoxicated by her very presence that the two wind up in a countryside embrace leading to a moment of unbridled passion. While Nola makes light of giving in to their primal desires as a lack of clarity on her behalf, Chris cannot get enough of her; Nola explains this desire is temporary and that she is getting married to Tom; end of story
Chris tries to do what’s right and eventually marries the unsuspecting Chloe and absorbs himself in work until one day while playing a set with Tom he is informed that Tom has dumped Nola and is in love with another unknown woman. The fire is re-ignited in Chris’ soul and the determination heightened as he becomes infatuated in finding Nola again to seduce her once and for all. Allen allows his talented class plenty of room to act up a storm but not overact the seemingly straight-forward melodrama at hand but what makes it rise above the norm is the way his leads make their seemingly unsympathetic characters empathetic. Rhys-Meyers remains cool as a cucumber until the predictable complication ensures his affair with Johansson will lead to an unlikely scenario that borders ridiculous mystery theater affair however maintains a balance of dread in when the couple will come to a head. Johansson mixes the smoky cadence of her Kathleen Turner-like vocals into a come-hither-insouciance not before experienced and has the tricky task of making her Nola’s head case come to fruition with believability; she succeeds succinctly
Allen’s screenplay is literate, clever and crafty and at once familiar with a few of his trademark quips tossed in with elan that his upper crust characters make the most of what they can with a dry bright witticism here and there. The storyline flows evenly amidst its choppy third act that feels a tad rushed yet when the darkness comes it echoes ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ which it has a lot in common with but never trespasses entirely. This is Allen’s most adult film in sometime and not to besmirch it perhaps his most challenging one to date. Thank God Woody is back in fine form, not unlike an old tennis pro on the senior’s tour with a wicked backhand.
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