 | “Woody Allen is back” – how many times do we need to hear this? Never again please! For Allen has been has been directing, on average, one film per year for four decades and this continues the recent fine work of ‘Midnight in Paris’, ‘To Rome With Love’ and ‘Blue Jasmine’. |
| “Woody Allen is back” – how many times do we need to hear this? Never again please! For Allen has been has been directing, on average, one film per year for four decades and this continues the recent fine work of ‘Midnight in Paris’, ‘To Rome With Love’ and ‘Blue Jasmine’. The year is 1928. British stage magician and egotist Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) is in the midst of a European tour when approached to either confirm or deny the credentials of would-be clairvoyant Sophie Baker (Emma Stone). Based on the classic clash between what is real and what isn't, Allen keeps you guessing as to the mystery of Sophie's ‘powers’. Stone is as charming as ever as the wide-eyed, luminous clairvoyant Sophie, whose displays of telepathy and contacting the dead are indeed engaging, while the chemistry Stone shares with Firth is wonderful to watch as they just battle out in a war of beliefs. | Allen is a master of the droll one-liner and here in this pleasant and meandering tale he balances this with stunningly beautiful cinematography by Darius Khondji and clever (yet long) dialogue exchanges. The attention to detail in the costume, music and mannerisms of the Jazz Age as a quaint, charming and simpler time are all spot on with the wonderful French Riviera locations making this an easy watch. Magic in the Moonlight is a charming and witty romantic comedy… |