Match Point

2005. Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton

The best Woody Allen film in years - sixteen years to be exact. Match Point returns Allen to the highs of his more serious masterpieces Manhattan and Crimes and Misdemeanors. Woody does not appear in the movie and thankfully neither does a Woody impersonator (like John Cusack in Bullets Over Broadway or Kenneth Branagh in Celebrity). Also not appearing is New York - Woody sets his film in England and we hear, for what may be the first time, Woody dialogue in British accents. All of this should let you know that we are in a place Woody hasn't ventured in quite awhile if at all.

The story revolves around a former tennis star who becomes involved with the daughter of a wealthy family and almost simultaneously develops an unhealthy obsession with her brother's fiance. Things sink deeper into complication and deception. The performances are uniformly excellent, with Scarlett Johannson leaving little doubt that she is one of the premier actors of her generation. The dialogue is superb. I was leery of the direction it started to take near the end as I was very much reminded of a previous Allen triumph, but the way it follows through took away my reservations. Match Point is an enthralling, passionate film that is easily one of 2005's best.

My grade: A

My top ten of 2005 has been updated to include Match Point at number four.

Happiness

1998. Written and directed by Todd Solondz. Starring Jane Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker, Camryn Manheim, Cynthia Stevenson, Ben Gazzara, Jon Lovitz.

I loved Happiness when I first saw it and added it to my dvd collection. Looking back at it for the first time in several years, it has lost a little for me. I am very glad to have seen it, but I probably won't revisit it again. What is most stunning about the film is the audacity of the subject matter as it tackles some subjects, especially pedophilia, that don't come near most movies. And it tackles them with observation instead of outright disgust - this is not to say it condones the actions but Solondz is interested in the character, not just creating an easy villain. The other reason to watch is the two best performances. Dylan Baker, as the father who can't keep his hands off of his son's friends, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as an awkward pervert who makes obscene phone calls, are both terrific. The script has some very good stuff in it, but the tone of the film is fairly uneven. The performances range from the highs of Baker and Hoffman to some real mediocre contributions (Lara Flynn Boyle). It is well worth seeing, but once is probably enough.

My grade: B+

More to come

Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged. I haven't watched a lot lately, but do have some things to post about. I just finished Match Point and loved it. It will make my top ten with ease. I watched Happiness again for the first time in a long time and am in the middle of the Redux version of Apocalypse Now, which I haven't seen since I saw it in the theatre a few years back - bloody brilliant, of course: whichever version you prefer. I'm in the mood to write now, but the morning will come way too early and it is already too late. So bear with me.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

1984. Animated. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Written by Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H Hewitt. English dubbing includes the voices of Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, Uma Thurman, Chris Sarandon, and Shia LaBeouf.

Yep, another stunner by Miyazaki. I understand this to be his second film as a director but the start of his critical and commercial success in Japan. It follows an impressive lead character. Nausicaa is a strong, independent, and thoughtful princess of a peaceful valley that becomes the target of both neighbors and nature in a battle to survive. There is such amazing imagination in this film. We see things like the giant warrior or the herds of ohmus and they are not only things we had never imagined but animated so creatively and effectively. The dialogue can be a little forced as it struggles a little too much to make very good points about the violence we do to each other and our planet. Miyazaki is, I'm now confident saying, not only the greatest director of animation past or present but one of film's greatest directors period. I'd rank Nausicaa slightly below Castle in the Sky, but you can't go wrong with any of these.

My grade: A

Castle in the Sky

1986. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. English dubbing features the voices of James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, and Mark Hamill.

The only thing wrong with watching a bunch of Hayao Miyazaki films in a short span (as I am in the middle of now) is that when you blog your review, you have to try to come up with new ways to describe how amazing the animation is. Castle in the Sky was made in 1986, though it didn't get an American release until after Spirited Away's success in 2002. It is another visual delight. The two lead characters are enchanting, adventurous children whose paths cross in the search for a mysterious castle in the sky that has been long rumored about but seldom believed. The pirate captain (who is also the mother of several of her crew members) is a little over-the-top (and that might be generous), especially as performed by Leachman in the English dubbed version. The story is clever, fun, and exciting with beautiful animation. I wouldn't rank it as high as Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but it is still terrrific.

My grade: A