Thank You For Smoking
With razor-sharp wit and superb acting, Thank You For Smoking is a pop culture masterpiece.
From the moment the movie begins, with the hilarious accompaniment of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette!" by Tex Williams and the Western Caravan, Jason Reitman (son of the Ivan Reitman of "Ghost Busters" and "Twins" fame) presents you with a hard-hitting piece of social commentary that's unlike anything that's been seen in years. Aaron Eckhart, playing the role of lobbyist Nick Naylor, is once again fulfilling the "likeable asshole" quality much like he did in the 1997 film In the Company of Men, and is just as outstanding in this film as he was in the aforementioned movie. The same holds true for Katie Holmes, who plays an exceptionally crafty news reporter, and gives such a convincing performance that she may very well have established herself as a credible Hollywood talent. What really made the movie work however was the relentless storyline, as Jason Reitman really made the most out of what was already a great platform in Christopher Buckley's novel. Also, the performances of William H. Macy, Rob Lowe, and most notably youngster Cameron Bright (who plays Nick Naylor's son Joey), make this film an incredibly fun yet smoldering ride from beginning to end.
Overall Rating: 92
Match Point
Woody Allen has enjoyed one of the most paradoxical careers in Hollywood. While attaining a core cult audience, Allen has garnered quite a lot of critical acclaim as well lately, despite having a number of ill-fated works for the past decade. The ideas behind every single Woody Allen movie is always good at least, and is more often than not brilliant, but the issue that has almost always plagued his movies is the transition from the paper to the big screen that's occasionally been lacking. Case in point would be Allen's last release Melinda & Melinda, which had its bright spots but was nowhere near what it could be, despite having a very thoughtful concept. With Match Point, Woody Allen has finally executed an idea from start to finish that is impeccably perfect. To make the movie all the more worthwhile, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson put out the best performances of their careers, as they continue to best each other not only in the plot of the story but also in their acting, it shows how far they were pushed by Allen's direction. The writing, as always, is remarkable, and the story effortlessly flows from being relaxed to seductive to intense to funny and all points in between. What Woody Allen has accomplished within Match Point, is a perfect slice of life where moral ambiguity is the norm and it's within those imperfections that an audience can find themselves wrapped up in the world of what would otherwise be a very disturbing story. While the Match Point experience is still definitely on grounds for being disturbing, it's difficult not to get attached to any particular one of the characters, or at the very least their particular stories, and that takes a true gift in filmmaking.
Overall Rating: 100
From the moment the movie begins, with the hilarious accompaniment of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette!" by Tex Williams and the Western Caravan, Jason Reitman (son of the Ivan Reitman of "Ghost Busters" and "Twins" fame) presents you with a hard-hitting piece of social commentary that's unlike anything that's been seen in years. Aaron Eckhart, playing the role of lobbyist Nick Naylor, is once again fulfilling the "likeable asshole" quality much like he did in the 1997 film In the Company of Men, and is just as outstanding in this film as he was in the aforementioned movie. The same holds true for Katie Holmes, who plays an exceptionally crafty news reporter, and gives such a convincing performance that she may very well have established herself as a credible Hollywood talent. What really made the movie work however was the relentless storyline, as Jason Reitman really made the most out of what was already a great platform in Christopher Buckley's novel. Also, the performances of William H. Macy, Rob Lowe, and most notably youngster Cameron Bright (who plays Nick Naylor's son Joey), make this film an incredibly fun yet smoldering ride from beginning to end.
Overall Rating: 92
Match Point
Steamy, seductive and absolutely brilliant.
Woody Allen has enjoyed one of the most paradoxical careers in Hollywood. While attaining a core cult audience, Allen has garnered quite a lot of critical acclaim as well lately, despite having a number of ill-fated works for the past decade. The ideas behind every single Woody Allen movie is always good at least, and is more often than not brilliant, but the issue that has almost always plagued his movies is the transition from the paper to the big screen that's occasionally been lacking. Case in point would be Allen's last release Melinda & Melinda, which had its bright spots but was nowhere near what it could be, despite having a very thoughtful concept. With Match Point, Woody Allen has finally executed an idea from start to finish that is impeccably perfect. To make the movie all the more worthwhile, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson put out the best performances of their careers, as they continue to best each other not only in the plot of the story but also in their acting, it shows how far they were pushed by Allen's direction. The writing, as always, is remarkable, and the story effortlessly flows from being relaxed to seductive to intense to funny and all points in between. What Woody Allen has accomplished within Match Point, is a perfect slice of life where moral ambiguity is the norm and it's within those imperfections that an audience can find themselves wrapped up in the world of what would otherwise be a very disturbing story. While the Match Point experience is still definitely on grounds for being disturbing, it's difficult not to get attached to any particular one of the characters, or at the very least their particular stories, and that takes a true gift in filmmaking.
Overall Rating: 100
1 comment:
I thought the Thank You For Smoking storyline itself was so so, trying to turn the character of Nick Naylor into some likeable villain-turn-hero with the patches incident and then the hearing, taking the senators on like he was fighting a cause. The kid too was a little overdone, somehow becoming a psych in training before he hit his teens. That said, I thought the writing of the dialogs was where it was at its best, and definitely enjoyed it nonetheless.
Match Point was good, though one thing that bugged me about it is the conversation in the kitchen he has at the end. I thought that was overdone and unnecessary, but I've heard it's Woody Allen's style to include such scenes. The other thing is I didn't so much like the acting of it, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers. You could carve a chair out of him.
Go see The Inside Man. You'll laugh at it probably, but it's kind of a cool story about what we do for personal gain, as well as the usual Spike Lee commentary on racism, now extending beyond black people.
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