tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post4514104733723300169..comments2022-03-24T16:11:50.124-04:00Comments on The Man From Porlock: Past Imperfect (Midnight in Paris)Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-60797043166074701172012-02-11T23:43:51.298-05:002012-02-11T23:43:51.298-05:00Thanks, Matt. For the sake of splitting hairs down...Thanks, Matt. For the sake of splitting hairs down to the nub, I'd call the ending more hopeful than optimistic. I like that you consider it more mature than "Purple Rose" - many would probably say the opposite - but it's always tricky to put labels on Allen. His next movie could be downright bitter. I'm not sure that he ever truly evolves so much as shows different facets of his personality, the same facets he's had all along. Still, his tour of continental Europe seems to be doing him some good.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-66960866971978668572012-02-08T11:26:52.283-05:002012-02-08T11:26:52.283-05:00I finally got around to seeing the movie, so I was...I finally got around to seeing the movie, so I was finally able to read your review. Great stuff, and it articulated most of what I felt, though I think I felt it a tinge less enthusiastically. Forgive my auteurist slant to this comment, but this was one of the rare films where I felt that Allen really has matured a bit. Contrast Midnight in Paris to The Purple Rose of Cairo: in the earlier film, the heroine decides to stick with the real world and reject the fantasy, and she's punished for it. In the newer film, the hero rejects the fantasy and is rewarded for it. Both films are very, very good, and I think the gut punch of Purple Rose is more potent than the end of Paris, but it's rare for Allen to go for an unabashedly optimistic ending that feels earned and meant to be taken completely seriously. The fact that he uses his nostalgic fantasy to make peace with the complications of the present feels like a sort of culmination that has built up for years, after having spent so much time with Allen protagonists who are continually looking backward.<br /><br />So count me as one of those who totally bought into Wilson in the role. As you said, if Allen himself had played it, it might have curdled the effect. Allen is capable of moments of disarming sweetness, but Wilson's more genial, fragile persona fits this role (and the effect to which it's used) much better. It's also a just plain great performance. The scene where he silently decides to just go with it, coupled with that scene in front of the laundromat, show an actor in full possession of facial expression and body language.<br /><br />As you said, the biggest weakness of the film was wasting such great supporting actors on such one-dimensional parts as Inez's family. Though I laughed the hardest at that gag showing the fate of the private detective who took a wrong turn somewhere. Too bad it couldn't have been Sheen.Matt S.https://catecinem.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-44515188561509739932011-07-03T17:53:52.883-04:002011-07-03T17:53:52.883-04:00"The best Woody Allen movie in years!" s..."The best Woody Allen movie in years!" seems to be the response to every other Woody Allen movie these days. But the critics seemed to mean it this time, following a successful premiere at Cannes."<br /><br />Indeed Craig. This was also the critical position on VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, which seems to stand apart from recent Woodman releases. I gave MIDNIGHT a 3.5 of 5 rating, and like it well enough, especially the sensory elements like the rain falling on Paris streets. My main problem was the Owen Wilson character, who seemed much too bumbling to convince as a writer. (I know you bought him, and therein lies the different in opinion) The film was comparatively lightweight, and the humor was typically intermittant in a film that divides its focus. I do think I need to see it a second time to reach a firmer position, but oddly enough, the critically maligned WHATEVER WORKS was a better first view Woodman among recent films.<br /><br />But I know MIDNIGHT has received superlative reviews, so I'm sitting on the outside looking in. Beautifully written and persuasive essay here!Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-80471469383130944972011-07-03T11:25:52.389-04:002011-07-03T11:25:52.389-04:00Thanks, Adam. This is one of those movies where I&...Thanks, Adam. This is one of those movies where I'm torn between praising what's onscreen and lamenting what's off. As it stands, <i>Midnight in Paris</i> is a beautifully constructed comedy. Like you, though, I think it could have been a classic had Allen taken his political conceits one step further by having Inez's family and Michael Sheen engage with the historical figures. Historical illiteracy being the underlying point -- both in the movie and in reality -- I think it could have been really something.<br /><br />I see Sheen's character as a throwback to <i>Annie Hall</i>: physically, he resembles Tony Roberts; intellectually, he's like the twit in the movie line yammering about Marshall McLuhan. It would have been priceless to see him debate Hemingway about the facts of his own life: "No, sorry, you're wrong about that..."Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-78368045366695214892011-07-03T02:01:17.320-04:002011-07-03T02:01:17.320-04:00We're definitely in agreement on this one, Cra...We're definitely in agreement on this one, Craig. An enjoyable movie, possibly even a return to form for Allen, with so much fun stuff happening that it's impossible to dismiss. I have to admit I haven't been all that attracted to the movies Allen's been releasing in the last five years: they've all sounded the same to me. I did manage to see <i>Whatever Works</i> back in '08, which I liked but wasn't too enthusiastic about (Ryan Kelly's fierce attack on it opened me up to some of its weakness); and somehow I never got around to seeing <i>You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger</i> because it sounded like more of the same. This movie was very pleasant though -- even if it's not quite on the level of brilliance of something as recent as <i>Match Point</i>.<br /><br />Actually, there were times during this movie when I wondered if it *was* going to be some kind of comedy masterpiece, because it's such an entertaining flick from beginning to end. I guess I eventually soured a little on it when I realized Allen was up to his old tricks again in a few departments. The Tea Party gags had me rollicking in my seat until I realized that Gil's parents-in-law were basically supposed to be the <i>bad, bad, bad</i> Republicans; as much as Allen and I agree on politics, it seems cheap of him to fall on such a simplistic worldview. Same goes for McAdams' Inez: she's like the epitome of every woman who's ever made Allen's life hell (methinks he had Mia Farrow in mind when writing that character). Michael Sheen did pretty well with his part, although the arguments between him and Gil felt to me like Allen recycling the "pseudointellectualism" debates between himself and Diane Keaton from <i>Manhattan</i>. So, there were parts of the movie that made me wish Allen would consider adopting new kinds of targets in his films, since he's pretty much exhausted those other three by now.<br /><br />What kept the movie fresh for me, though, was how he allowed that midnight world to come so vividly alive. It's like what James Cameron did with Pandora, only with a (much) smaller budget: he creates a universe to put his audience in for a little while. I almost wish the entire movie had been Gil stuck in the midnight world for one whole night, a la <i>After Hours</i>. But the Dali, Fitzgerald and Hemingway gags were all joyful, as was the Bunuel gag... although I must confess I got my Bunuel movies confused: I thought Gil was suggesting to Bunuel the premise for <i>Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie</i>. When I realized he was actually talking about <i>Exterminating Angel</i>, I had to kick myself.<br /><br />Also, speaking of <i>Manhattan</i>, it's pronounced Vincent Van "Gah" ;)Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-45109715792949425282011-06-25T21:33:05.211-04:002011-06-25T21:33:05.211-04:00Jason:
1. Never thought of comparing "Midnig...Jason:<br /><br />1. Never thought of comparing "Midnight" with "Certified," but you're right, it would be a good double-bill. (I'd put "Midnight" last, for the same reason you always want vanilla after chocolate on your ice cream cone.)<br /><br />2. It's my favorite movie poster of the year, a real eye-catcher. Even if Van Gogh isn't actually in the movie.<br /><br />3. This may be the first time I've ever enjoyed Kathy Bates in anything.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-8750979165302402011-06-22T20:15:29.273-04:002011-06-22T20:15:29.273-04:00Faring marginally better, despite the relative tha...<em>Faring marginally better, despite the relative thanklessness of his role, is Michael Sheen, unrecognizable as a buff, bearded know-it-all whose vanity Inez finds irresistibly attractive. It might have been fun sending him back in time too, so he could quarrel with historical figures about the facts of their own lives.</em><br /><br />Oh, that would have been spectacular! Sheen is terrific. Steals every scene he's in, even when his best lines were spoiled by the trailer.<br /><br />Other thoughts ...<br /><br />* I hope to put this into some kind of ramblings piece of scattered thoughts, but <em>Midnight in Paris</em> would make for a nice double-feature with <em>Certified Copy</em>, as both films explore reality and fantasy and the value of truth.<br /><br />* The film this reminded me of is <em>Deconstructing Harry</em>, which might remain my favorite latter-day Allen film. Like that film, I found this simply yet smartly playful.<br /><br />* What do we think of the poster? I swing between loving it and thinking it's lame.<br /><br />* To anyone reading: When's the last time you've enjoyed Kathy Bates in anything? <br /><br />* I'd love a sequel of Hemingway hanging out with Sheen's character. Just that for 90 minutes.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-7496212515007520332011-06-19T12:43:34.379-04:002011-06-19T12:43:34.379-04:00Follow-up thought: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, et al ar...Follow-up thought: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, et al are so much on the verge of extinction in our comic-book culture that I'm not sure <i>any</i> mention of them wouldn't come across as highbrow flattery or pandering. What I liked about "Midnight in Paris" is that Gil ultimately rejects his initial wish-fulfillment fantasy and opts to live in the present, albeit on his own terms. Rejection may not even be the right word; more like he <i>absorbs</i> the lessons of the past, rather than let the past absorb him.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-36695426235008554792011-06-19T10:18:04.330-04:002011-06-19T10:18:04.330-04:00I can understand distrusting that pleasure, consid...I can understand distrusting that pleasure, considering how little Woody has given it over the last several years. I was bothered by how Allen used McAdams, or didn't use her, but frankly relieved that he sent the family packing. I was bracing for one of his pessimistic endings, that Gil's trapped and there's nothing he can do about it, so the fact he went another way struck me as less flattery than just a simple gift. Much like the entire movie.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-51239939357002276122011-06-19T09:56:04.198-04:002011-06-19T09:56:04.198-04:00Nice analysis, Craig. I too enjoyed Midnight in P...Nice analysis, Craig. I too enjoyed <i>Midnight in Paris</i> last weekend, but I soon found myself distrusting that pleasure, in part because Allen seemed to be so calculating in the way the movie flatters its liberal writer-wannabe audience. The long <i>Manhattan</i>esque start struck me as a picture postcard tourist promotion of the city, and I was bothered by the way the storyline ultimately dismisses Rachel McAdams (as if part of the pleasure of latter-day Woody Allen's work lay in his ability to discard highly talented actors). You saw more than I did in Owen Wilson, who comes across as a particularly cuddly puppy dog protagonist. In general, there's too much wish-fulfillment in Allen's vision of such a bunch of sweet accepting high Modernists.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-19361065093857555602011-06-13T20:35:22.012-04:002011-06-13T20:35:22.012-04:00Thanks, Hokahey. Woody's been doing that to hi...Thanks, Hokahey. Woody's been doing that to his leading men for years, or at least since he stopped being his own leading man. The choices for the "Woody Allen movie" actor seem to be as follows: A) do a Woody imitation (like Kenneth Branaugh in "Celebrity"); or B) try to create your own character and voice (like Michael Caine in "Hannah and Her Sisters"). Owen Wilson wisely goes for option B, and it worked for me because I bought him as a writer. Part of that had to do with the link to Eli Cash; and part of it is because he has been a screenwriter himself.<br /><br />Wilson also betters Allen in one crucial aspect: He's more believable as a wide-eyed romantic. Had Woody played this role twenty years ago he'd have been too jaded; the delicate fantasy would have curdled. Wilson still has enough of a twinkle in his eyes to sell the fantasy, yet there's some pain behind that twinkle. Here's where it becomes difficult to separate the actor from the character, but I found the struggle to not let that pain consume him very touching.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-44097379035703216182011-06-13T12:00:54.126-04:002011-06-13T12:00:54.126-04:00Craig - Well written. Your review actually makes m...Craig - Well written. Your review actually makes me like the film more than I did. I love Paris, Owen Wilson, and many of the writers and artists who appear in Gil's time trips, so there was a lot to enjoy here. I loved the portrayal of Hemingway, who speaks in his own written prose. Very clever! (Gertrude Stein was dull and very blandly performed, however.) <br /><br />On the negative side, I found myself getting irritated with Allen's style of getting his main character, and others, to act and sound like himself. Why not just let Wilson find his own delivery? For me, that broke up Gil's character; I felt too often like I was watching Woody Allen. But your review has reminded me of some of the film's nuances and how the ending is a triumph for Gil.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.com