Match Point (+)
This movie, which is doing extremely well at the box office, is enjoyable but a little disappointing.
What specifically attracted me to this film was the trailer and hype conveying that it is a break from the usual Woody Allen story of dysfunctional people on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in need of psychoanalysis.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), an Irish immigrant living in England, gives tennis lessons to the English gentry. Tom (Brian Cox) introduces Chris to his sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), whom this young, handsome, poor fellow eventually marries. Early on Chris becomes carnally drawn to Nola (Scarlett Johansson) and the adventures begin.
The sets involving the upper-class English lifestyle are beautiful, and the acting is excellent with the strange exception of Johansson. I have enjoyed her performances in prior movies, but she screams too much in this one for me. Although I was entertained, I found some of the adventures to be unbelievable, and I concluded that I prefer Allen’s stories about interesting and crazy New Yorkers who make the world go round. One of my movie companions, PA, also agreed with me saying that he preferred the neurotic plot of “Hannah and Her Sisters” over this one.
Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (-)
I was unsure of a second film to review this week. I thought of seeing “The Matador,” but the Post reviewer gave it only one star writing, “Pierce Brosnan plays a bitchy assassin whose one-liners, meant to be witty, are just vulgar.” It sounds interesting to me, and I should have seen it rather than “Sarah Silverman” which is the worst merde I have seen in years.
I like stand-up comedians, particularly Margaret Cho, who is not always at her best. I had never heard of Ms. Silverman who in this film delivers the worst material totally without mirth that I have heard in many years. Word about the movie had apparently spread there was only one other person in the audience other than me and A.S.
When I was leaving the theater, a young man stopped me and introduced himself as an employee at the Museum of the City of New York where an exhibit on my mayoralty is currently showing through March. He told me that attendance at the museum is currently up 49 percent from two years ago. Hopefully the exhibit on my administration contributed to that success. He was about to see “Sarah Silverman,” and I warned him, as I am warning you, to stay away. Go see another flick. He thanked me and said he would.
