Nobody Asked Me But Were These Two Movies Necessary?

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger: Woody Allen's latest and possibly his worst. Some reviewers have said the laughs are there and actually liked this mess. I barely chuckled. A group of lightly connected miserable people who are searching for happiness but the more they struggle the more miserable they become. Anthony Hopkins is misused and is showing his age. More important Woody Allen seems to be forgetting his roots. He is a crazy type of comedian and should forget about being an artist and return to being funny. Allen peaked with Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hanna and Her Sisters and except for a rare work hasn't turned out anything of that magnitude although he is trying. This latest one rambles so much it appeared that he didn't know how to end it so he just did. His followers apparently think this was artistic. I know he couldn't do anything else so he let it die a peaceful death. If you do meet a tall dark stranger run for your life or you will be bored to death.


Stone: Robert De Nero, Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich is a movie that tries so hard to be artistic that it becomes boring. Ed Norton brings out the best in Robert De Nero who actually does some fine acting instead of just mailing it in as he has done over the past few years. However there is no action to speak of just talk, talk and more talk with gratuitous sex thrown in. Milla Jovovich is a beautiful young lady with not too much acting ability but plenty of sex appeal and I guess the Director had no other choice but to use that. There isn't a lot of these scenes but what there is is graphic without furthering the theme of the picture. What it sought to accomplish could have been done with less openly lewd scenes. What comes to mind is A Man And And A Woman a great French film of some thirtyfive years ago. Rent it and enjoy and feel how great artists from actors to the Director further the plot using sex without being overly graphic and you shall see what I mean. Getting back to Stone, Milla Jovovich is beautiful but De Nero isn't and at his age I'd rather not see him in these scenes unless of course it is entirely necessary, which as I said, I don't think it was necessary. Without giving too much away, another weakness of the film is its predictability and there is no resolution. Another attempt at being artistic that fails. Maybe, if you insist on going, it would be wise to have a few drinks before so you can be stoned as you view Stone, it could lead to enjoying it!