Entertainment Value: Movies I Saw This Week 8/5/13

(descriptions and information gathered from IMDB.  The opinions rendered below these, however, are mine. Using a 5 star rating system.)

Match Point ** 2005

At a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for a femme-fatal type who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Director/Writer

:

 Woody Allen, 

Stars:

 Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Goode, Emily Mortimer

This is an absolutely brilliantly written and executed pure bummer of a movie. The plot is basically a simplified Great Gatsby without nuance. I'm a lifelong fan of Woody Allen's, and I certainly can't fault his work here, but I also can't understand why he made this movie. 

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

** 1999

A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.

Director:

 Luc Besson, 

Writers:

 Andrew Birkin, Luc Besson, 

Stars:

 Rab Affleck, Stéphane Algoud, Milla Jovovich

This is certainly A story, but it's a strangely told one, with a rather cynical root. It presents Her as not a visionary, but just a mad girl. The strangeness is the odd humor amidst extreme and grotesque violence. At moments operatic and others hyper real. It's hard to know where to settle while watching. It's also hard and amazing to watch Milan Jovovich's screechy yet compelling performance. Finally, as you might imagine, the thing doesn't end well.