Magic in the Moonlight (2014)

Although on the thin side, this romantic comedy set in 1928 turns out to be one of writer-director Woody Allen's better latter-day films. Colin Firth plays a British illusionist who performs successfully throughout the world under the guise of a Chinaman from the mystical Orient; he's, however, an unbeliever in the spiritual world, and is therefore curious to meet the houseguest of a wealthy American family vacationing on the Riviera, a surprisingly intuitive lass who claims to be an actual psychic. Firth's doubtful magician, an atheist who is amusingly brought to his knees in prayer after falling in love with telepathic Emma Stone, stands in for Woody Allen but doesn't do a Woody impersonation (a relief). Still, there's no magic between Firth and Stone as a movie-couple (they don't match up well), and the gaggle of comedic supporting characters bustling about the lush location haven't anything funny to do or say. Ultimately a benign film, but one that entertains in patches...and it's always enjoyable listening to Allen's dialogue, especially when his alter-ego continually weighs both sides of a situation without ever giving up his pessimistic nature. **1/2 from ****

Magic In The Moonlight(2014) Starring: Emma Stone, Colin Firth, Hamish Linklater, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Erica Leerhsen, Eileen Atkins, Simon McBurney, and Catherine McCormack Directed By: Woody Allen Review Hello Kiddies your pal the Cupid Critic here, with a magical romantic comedy from Alvy himself Woody Allen with my future wife Emma Stone and Colin Firth. Chinese conjure Wei Ling Soo is the most celebrated magician of his age, but few know that he is the persona of Stanley Crawford(Colin Firth) a grouchy and arrogant Englishmen with a sky-high opinion of himself and an aversion to phony spiritualists' claims. Persuaded by his friend Howard Burkan(Simon McBurney) Stanley goes on a mission to the Cote D' Azur mansion of the Cateledge family: mother Grace(Jackie Weaver) son Brice(Hamish Linklater) and daughter Caroline((Erica Leershin). He presents himself as a businessman named Stanley Taplinger in order to debunk young clairvoyant Sophie Baker(Emma Stone) who is staying there with her mother(Marica Gay Harden). Sophie arrived ate Cateledge villa invitation of Grace, who is conceived that Sophie can contact her late husband, and once there, attracted the attention of Brice, who has fallen head over heels for her. The film was that of a novelty I like the way it is, the way it feels, I would just be listening to Colin Firth and think to myself I hope he doesn't debunk her. It would go on with many scenes with him and stone and when they were on screen I adored it. It's goal here is to supply that the world is a mystery and I believe it is. In the opening of the picture you see Stanley's Wei Ling Soo performance which he believes is all a set of trickery, he believes in science and prefers to analyze and Debunk those worship God and see's life as cruel, short and un-meaningful. The direction from Woody Allen is taking with that same approach he took with Blue Jasmine where he tried to direct a picture about a sad and non pessimistic character who views life as one tragedy after another and I hope he keeps making films with characters like those I sometimes feel life is that way. Magic in The Moonlight doesn't have that magical touch as some of Mr. Allen's other pictures it brings in an interesting story of wit and charm with the ordains of sadness in life, I give Magic in The Moonlight a three out of five.

A decent and droll comedy of manners about a skeptic (Colin Firth) investigating and falling in love with a spiritualist (Emma Stone) during a summer of the French Riviera in the 1920s.The first decades of the century were a time when magic was in the air. Chung Ling Soo, a fake Oriental, was performing magic tricks on the state to much applause. Little girls took photos of tiny fairies in their gardens. A spiritualist movement swept up Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, anxious to reach the son who had been killed in the war, and Harry Houdini, anxious to demystify the whole business. The chief cause of all this confusion was probably Charles Darwin, Esq., who had all but removed God's influence over the human condition. Surely there must be more to life than just -- THIS! The most interesting and amusing part of the movie is the first half, in which Emma Stone seems to actually come up with visions that she couldn't have known anything about. At first, Firth is full of dismissive quips that are often funny in a British way. George Sanders could have pulled them off, and maybe William Powell.But Firth is converted and then an on-and-off romance begins with everyone filled with hope and doubt, a familiar template. Firth still has his bon mots and they're still amusing.In fact, Firth in his tweedy outfits delivers throughout. Emma Stone is a pretty, pale, slender slyph who resembles Mia Farrow with gigantic blue eyes. Eileen Atkins is the elderly aunt. She's damned near perfect in the role. She and Firth, just the two of them, would make the film worth watching.I'm not sure I'd want to watch it for the evocative location shooting. What with the limpid pools, the drooping willows, the varicolored flowers, the benign sunshine, and Emma Stone's rufous tresses, I'd be whisked away to a pre-Raphaelite place I would regret ever having left.This most closely resembles Allen's earlier "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," but it's funnier and more pointed. It still pits the intellect against the heart, and there are earnest discussions of what it's all about, but except for the mid-film split it holds together better. Woody Allen hasn't made a truly successful film in more than a decade, but this one is pretty good.

This film is despicable. The films MESSAGE needs to be unmasked, not Emma Stone's character. (Pardon me while I roll up my sleeves and rant.) Anybody who groups faith and religion with cheap stage tricks and fraud is morally backwards and lacks a backbone. Bunch of idiots... Woody Allen is an absolute dunce. If society has degraded to this junk, we do have a problem. Can anyone create a clean, decent movie anymore? Oh, this film is clever. Gently this film beguiles the audience into comparing faith with disappearing elephants and prayers with séances, insinuating that faith in God is nothing more than the effects of a frenzied mind, that it's a form of pleasant self-deception, the "opiate of the people" as Marx called it. This film is nothing more than one of Sophie's tricks, deceitful, full of angles with a hollow core.