Magic In The Moonlight (2014)

Magic In the Moonlight (2014)

Much has been said of the variable quality of his output over the last decade or so, but even after nearly five decades in the business, when Woody Allen hits his stride he can still knock it out of the park. So after the sublime Blue Jasmine last year expectations were always going to be high for the follow up, and with that in mind Magic In The Moonlight is sadly a bit of a disappointment.

The story follows Colin Firth's Stanley Crawford, alias Wei Ling Soo, a world renowned magical artist and debunker of mystical bunkum, as he is recruited to out the young Sophie (Emma Stone), a naif-like clairvoyant, as a fraud. The more he gets to know her the more bewildered he is by her apparent powers, and a third act romantic tangle naturally rears it's head.

There's plenty here to enjoy, littered with many recognisable Allen-isms (obsession with magic, that trademark razor wit, a middle aged chap falling for a much younger woman), it has the potential to be classic Allen, but in the end it falls quite a long way short of the mark.

That's not to say it's a complete write-off; even off form, as he sadly is here, Allen still delivers plenty of great humour and effective observation on the human condition, but it just doesn't seem to amount to much in the end.

Recruiting a great cast (they must be queueing up to work with him), they all do the best with the lines they're given and for the most part it all holds together fairly well, if a little too breezily.
Firth and Stone are both fine and charismatic as the leads, although the rushed script leads to some fairly clunky line readings, and as a result most of the big moments utterly fail to convince. And although he settles in eventually, Colin Firth's abrasive (and often unlikeable) Stanley takes far too long to get used to thanks to an excess of expositional dialogue that renders many scenes unwieldy and even dull.

On the plus side the film looks beautiful thanks to sterling work by cinematographer Darius Khondji (who has photographed most of Allen's recent European output). The idealised 1920's southern French setting is beautifully realised, every shot shimmering with a golden sunshine glow, the period costumes twinkling from the screen. This is how last years Great Gatsby should have looked.

In the end then, it's an entertaining enough diversion offering a few good smirks and some decent work by the cast; but by stretching the premise too thinly it comes across as more of an under-developed half film with more potential than it can fulfil. Fingers crossed for the next one.

2/5

Pride (2014)

Pride (2014)

Much like Brassed Off or The Full Monty, Pride is one of those true-life comedy-dramas that the British film industry seem to do so well. Set in the forlorn working class industrial ruins that were the days of Thatcherite Britain, the film follows the unlikely alliance formed between the population of a small Welsh mining village and a motley crew of gay and lesbian activists from London during the height of the 1984 Miners' Strike. Friendships and human connections are formed due to the similarities in the way they have been oppressed by the media and conservatives.

Directed with vitality and genuine heart by theatre alum Matthew Warchus, (who directed the recent Matilda adaptation and will soon succeed Kevin Spacey as artistic director at the Old Vic), Pride provides a razor sharp balance between funny, sad and affecting.

Much of the success must also be attributed to writer Stephen Beresford, whose punchy script juggles a number of narrative threads and finds humour in areas that may not seem obvious, while offering smaller genuinely intimate moments for the varied cast. The humour may often be broad, but the characters are all given a natural depth and humanity that gives them an endearing quality and renders the inevitable defrosting of the relationships all the more heart-warming.

And what a cast it is, an impressive roster of British (and American) talent, with Bill Nighy, Paddy Considine and Imelda Staunton all shining as Welsh Union members, while Fay Marsay, Dominic West, and Ben Schnetzer stand out as members of the LGSM. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, with the Jessica Gunning standing out as the pro-active and lovely Sian and George MacKay as the innocent and wide eyed young Joe, who is thrust into this world almost by accident and through whose eyes we experience the story.

As the bonds are formed and strengthened, the real backbone of the film becomes apparent, mostly casting aside the politics in favour of a focus on the value of friendships and finding a sense of belonging and unity; of shared interests and the similarities we all share. Amongst all the laughter it's hard not to become a tad misty eyed, particularly as the film reaches its natural and touching denouement.

Warm and endearing from start to finish, Pride is one of the better British comedies of recent years thanks to a sharp script and a uniformly excellent cast. And while the issues in the film may on the surface seem very much of their time, there is still a pertinence to present day events, particularly in how two apparently wildly dissimilar groups or communities may find a common ground and unity if only they just bothered to try.

Oh, and it has a cracking soundtrack.

* * * * *


Review originally written for York Nouse