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Befade
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:19 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 3784 Location: AZ
I saw it when it came out. (I read the book, too.) What impressed me the most was Ginnifer Goodwin. I've always liked her on Big Love.....but she was loveable in this: just the right mix of naivete' and earnestness. Justin Long was very watchable too.

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Marj
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 5:07 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 10497 Location: Manhattan
There was a book!!
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yambu
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:55 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 6441 Location: SF Bay Area
On the recommendation of my six-year old grandson, who is train-goofy right now, we watched "Inside Grand Central Station" (netflix) last night. It's produced by Nat'l Geographic, and I would tell any NYer to see it. It's terrific! I really would like to visit Grand Central this July, to see it for myself, and to take photos for the grandkids.
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Joe Vitus
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:59 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 14498 Location: Houston
Trying to watch Match Point, but it is sooo bad. Woody Allen is the worst dramatic writer ever. Comedy is one thing, he has a natural gift for funny lines, and the genre is stylized anyway. Even in comedy-dramas he gets by, or used to. But in soley dramatic movies, he grinds though that terrible exposition, with people going through "casual" introductory dialogue that's so unbelievably arch. You can feel the creaking of gears not turned since the days of the three-act "well constructed play" (which as Shaw pointed out, was never well constructed). Without the inside knowledge of Manhattan to give a sense of reality to his movies, there's no semblence of reality at all. Wooden dialogue, wooden performances. Maybe his stage name should be Wooden Allen.

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marantzo
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:48 pm Reply with quote
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Match Point was very good.
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billyweeds
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:44 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City
marantzo wrote:
Match Point was very good.


I'm in the middle. I thought it was well made for the most part (though Johansson's performance was only so-so IMO), but the plot was so very similar to

SPOILER ALERT (in white)

A Place in the Sun (or Dreiser's An American Tragedy)

END SPOILER

that I thought it approached plagiarism.
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Syd
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:47 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 12929 Location: Norman, Oklahoma
I enjoyed it. Thought Johannsen was miscast. Usually I like her.

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Joe Vitus
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:33 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 14498 Location: Houston
The creaking old play...er recent Woody Allen movie opens with a thesis statement. Yuck.

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Befade
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:43 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 3784 Location: AZ
Woody Allen was on Fresh Air yesterday talking about it: Whatever Works. It actually sounds good. He wrote it in the 70's for Zero Mostel.........but now Larry David plays the part of a rich, brilliant, misanthrope who falls for a woman 40 years younger..........

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lshap
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:26 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 4248 Location: Montreal
I loved Match Point. Above and beyond his obvious comedic skills, Allen's best work always included a thesis, a philosophical "What-if?" overlaying the story. Match Point took a simple question, "Would you rather be good or lucky?", and spun a really clever story out of it. Needless to say then, I loved the opening thesis statement, which set up what I thought was a brilliant ending.

My only issue was (SPOILERS):
Allen's fascination with grisly murders as solutions to sexual problems. It made perfect sense in Crimes and Misdemeanors, but felt like an intellectual cheat in this film. But it was so entertaining and authentic in every other way I just didn't care.
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Joe Vitus
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:58 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 14498 Location: Houston
It was mechanical and lifeless. So were the characters. I didn't believe in a single one of them.

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lshap
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:55 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 4248 Location: Montreal
Are you leaving those two poor adjectives - "mechanical" and "lifeless" - out in the cold with nothing to support them?
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gromit
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:01 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 9016 Location: Shanghai
marantzo wrote:
Quote:
But I'll probably toss it on anyway, as soon as I wrap up the end of Il Grido, which is probably the best Antonioni I've seen. Don't usually care much for his films.


Il Grido was a powerful experience for me. ... And Robert Ryan, what a performance he gave.

It's hard to compare Il Grido with Antonioni works later in his career. They have the same grim look at life but are done in a more removed way. I like Antonioni's stuff.


It's Steve Cochran in the lead. And he's quite good, able to shift gears well. Also it's nice to see Alida Valli again, although it's a medium-sized part at most.

I didn't care much for Ant's mid-career run of Red Desert - Blow Up - Zabriskie Point - Profession Reporter.

I don't think I've seen the earlier La Notte. And I also have Chung Kuo (aka China), but haven't watched it yet.

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Marj
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:09 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 10497 Location: Manhattan
Gromit -- See La Notte. I think you'll find it worth your while.
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Marj
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:12 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 10497 Location: Manhattan
PS. Joe -- I'd love to get into this Match Point discussion with you but I'd need to see it again. Mainly to see your concerns with it. I thought it was very good.

I'll see if I can find my copy of it over the weekend.
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