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Reviews
The White Countess (2005)
Witless Piece of Film-making
From the esteemed team of Merchant-Ivory comes this witless piece of film-making, a sad denouement to its legacy of several quality, beautifully-crafted films produced over the past two decades.
How could any film with such a wealth of talent comprised of some of the greatest actors in the English-speaking world end up as little more than a B movie with a senseless plot, characters that are only partially drawn and a script with atrocious dialogue is a mystery to me? Lynne Redgrave overacts to the point of embarrassment. Natasha Richardson whines and bemoans her lot in life completely unconvincingly and Ralph Fiennes merely mumbles unmemorable lines with yawing boredom.
The audience is expected to believe the unbelievable. That in the midst of the Japanaese invasion of Shangahi a blind man (Mr. Finnes) can not only find his way about the streets but also everyone he is looking for as he is battered and jostled about first one way and then another by thousands of people fleeing for their lives is simply too preposterous to believe.
The production values which in past Merchant-Ivory films played such a critical role in establishing and confirming time and place are simply dreadful.I can only assume that this film had a budget of $1.99.
This is a film is search of itself let alone an audience and not even worthy of a life on DVD!
Match Point (2005)
Superb Film-Making
"MatchPoint" is film-making at its best. This is the triumphant return of Woody Allen to the forefront of America's best film directors after a drought of inferior films lasting several years. Smartly-paced, excellent script, beautiful art direction (London has never looked better) and wonderfully performed by a superb cast, this is Allen's finest film achievement in over twenty years.This ranks amongst Allen's top films (Manhattan, Interiors, Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters).When watching it there is not a scintilla of evidence that this is a film by Woody Allen but there is abundant evidence that this is a film by a master filmmaker.For its genre, they don't make films better than this!
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Hired hand has an adulterous affair with the wife of a gas station owner who collaborate to murder him.
Just about the finest noir you will ever experience.Lana Turner is superb and gives her finest performance as the frustrated wife of an older husband who falls in love with the hired hand played by John Garfield.A well-scripted,well-directed and superbly-acted tale of deceit, adultery,lying and murder which must surely rank as one of the best 100 U.S. films ever made.Not to be missed or ommited from any film library.