Mr. Movie reviews: “Match Point”

If you love movies, there is one thing that you always love about Woody Allen films. Is it the comedy, no it hasn’t been comedy for years, it is production value. Mr. Allen has supplanted Merchant Ivory as having the most warm realistic set pieces on celluloid. His narratives move through well appointed rooms, accurately sized apartments, and fully realized offices. All of this depicted in interesting not flat ways.

“Match Point” is a difficult film to watch. The hero is a bounder, Chris, that makes good with being attractive and keeping his mouth shut. We as viewers do not like him, and instinctively root against him. Yet the other characters in the film love him, he seems to excel in the office. You watch this character harder and harder trying to discern his charm over the other characters. Chris seems flat, his ingratiating moves seem so hapless that you emotionally reach out and fill out the other characters. It’s a masterful stroke of creating empathy in the audience. One that I am sure is not entirely welcome by most viewers.

Inducing that kind of empathy reminds me of something I once heard about Polanski directing “Repulsion,” Roman puts a bit of action in a room. He then directs Gilbert Taylor, The Director of Cinematography, to move the camera so the action is blocked by the doorway. When Taylor watches the movie with an audience, he sees all the people crane their necks, unconsciously trying to peer in to the room.

“Match Point,” kind of has a chumpy ending, a little comedy to make up for the emotional distress. It’s not really bad at all for what is some ways a re-tread of Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Mr. Movie reviews: “Underworld II: Evolution”

Mrs. Movie loves vampire films, so I went and saw this POS. Is it a bad sign when your cheering for the good guy to die. The first one was interesting for some of it’s production design, but this time around we’ve seen it and it’s all as tired as the plot device that ends the life of the really bad vampire.
I would surmise the plot but it barely makes sense. Vampires and werewolves come from the same immortal family. Two brothers, one is bitten by vampire the other Werewolf. These two are old school and uncivilized, and apparently despite being more powerful than the new breed, they have been held prisoner for eight centuries or so. This isn’t the plot this is the setup, unfortunately it’s explained three quarters of the way through the film.
I’m sure there is requisite violence for 13 year old boys. Which this film is squarely aimed at.