The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

Rating:
Summary: HOKUM
Review: In Brief

Set in 1940's Jazz filled New York, Woody Allen stars as an ace insurance investigator named C W Briggs. A man who prides himself on his ability to crack any case finally meets his match when he himself becomes the crook under the hypnotic spell of an evil mastermind. Can he break the spell before its too late, or will the new efficiency expert (Helen Hunt) break him first - or is she under a spell too?

Review

This, like many of Allen's films are finding it harder and harder to get a distributor. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion in particular was made and released back last year and it is only now that it finally has reached our shores. So why is one of the greatest auteurs of the 20th Century being shunned? Well like any athlete in the Olympics, once you've won gold your judged on the standard of that championship win and not how well you have performed on the day, this is the same for Allen. An audience has a certain expectation about a Woody Allen picture, and unfortunately The Curse of the Jade Scorpion does not match up.

As always the wry sharp dialogue of Allen is spot on, and while the performance constructed by Aykroyd grated it fitted the persona of Briggs' shallow boss perfectly. Hunt was steamy, strong and as Allen's leading lady, you couldn't have asked for more. Yet the farcical nature of the narrative was as irritating as the music that indicated that this was a 'crazy' slamming door farcical moment. Most surprising of all was the amount of shots with the boom in view - one realises that it is the job of the projectionist to mask these but the fact that an auteur of Allen's standard allowed them to reach the final negative is shocking.

One of the greatest strengths in the film comes in the guise of the environment that has been created in making a believable 1940's New York City. The Rainbow Room party scene looks as if had been taken straight from the period. It isn't an overstated stylised forties, and this is to Allen, Santo Loquasto, and Suzanne McCabe's credit, people look normal, dressed down, simple forties style, the only glimpse of glamour coming through Charlize Theron's sassy Laura Kensington. While the jazz soundtrack had many a toe tapping in the audience, creating a beautiful sense in the mind of a dirty but sexy city. Indeed the dirty wallpaper & lighting in Briggs' apartment fascinated me as it was as brilliant statement of character as the acting itself.

The Verdict

This is essentially the work of a great man on autopilot - hopefully he will steer out of these nose dives in the future, as the novelty of Hollywood talent queuing up to work with him will wear thin. Only then we will be faced with the bare truth that there really isn't much to a film like this. It's harsh to look at something that is reasonable fair in such a manner, but judged he must be and we all know that he can do so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Jade is a jewel.
Review: Most of Allen's films since "Husbands and Wives" have been so personal that I often cringe when I watch them (and that's not to suggest that I have personal ailments of my own). I'm happy to say I found this movie cringe free and laugh lucrative.

Rating:
Summary: Another great Woddy Allen comedy flick
Review: A great Woody Allen comedy flick with surprise ending with a twist of humour!

Rating:
Summary: A hypnotist turns Woody Allen into a jewel thief
Review: "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is another nostalgic comedy from Woody Allen, in the tradition of "Radio Days" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo." What makes it different is that Allen's character, C. W. Briggs, is not the normal schlep we associate with such films. Actually, he is a seasoned investigator for an insurance company, who has just successfully recovered a stolen Picasso painting, despite the fact it is just a bunch of colored cubes. Unfortunately C.W. is old school and Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), the new efficiency expert in the office represents the future and the new thinking that is part of the 1940s. The two trade insults in the office, with the lady getting the better of it. When they are out with the rest of the office at a nightclub the pair are pulled up before the audience by a hypnotist, Voltan Polgar (David Ogden Stiers), who convinces the two that they are on their honeymoon by dazzling them with his Jade Scorpion. Of course, C.W. and Fitz do not remember any of this happening. More to the point, Voltan has planted triggers in the couple and not bothered to turn them off. After all, C.W. knows the security systems for all sort of house wherein there are all sorts of jewelry.

The key line in the film is when C.W. muses about what the situation would be like if he had to try and catch himself, because that is essentially the scenario for the rest of the film. Meanwhile Allen complicates this basic scenario. Fitz is having an affair with their boss, Chris Magruder (Dan Ackroyd) while C.W. has somehow caught the attention of spoiled little rich girl, Laura Kensington (Charlize Theron). Eventually C.W. is confronted with the evidence of his crimes, which, of course, comes as an unpleasant surprise. The office is divided over whether or not to believe the evidence and through it all the phone keeps ringing and a deep voice intones one of the mabic words. The end result is that "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is a trifle all things considered, but it still an amusing and enjoyable little film. There are certainly more one-liners in this film than your ordinary Woody Allen film, which is always pleasant enough.

The costumes and sets make for a superb period piece, enhanced by the cinematography of Zhao Fei. Helen Hunt makes for a pretty good antagonist for Woody, who has never had a female lead deliver lines with such assuredness and venom, which may well explain why she is given such a great run of insults to hurl throughout the film. Allen gets as much mileage out of the hypnotism idea as possible without rendering the situation absurd. As always, the supporting cast assembled by Allen is superb, including Wallace Shawn, Elizabeth Berkley, and Brian Markinson, and the film is scored with classic jazz and pop songs of the period. Not a great film, but a nice little one, which is good enough in these times.

Rating:
Summary: WEAK WOODY
Review: Even mediocre Woody Allen movies are still fun and full of great one-liners. And this frothy film certainly has plenty of good lines, and the major plot device (that Allen's insurance investigator has been hypnotized into burglarizing houses, and then he's assigned to investigate the cases, not knowing he's the guilty party) is fun.

However, this is the movie where I FINALLY had enough of Woody Allen hooking up with much younger and attractive women. I've put up with it for years, but he and Helen Hunt generate ABSOLUTELY no heat, and Allen looks quite distasteful pairing with her (and also briefly with Charlize Theron...yeah, right!!). It was, simply, offensive. I was embarrased for her, and could only shake my head about him.

So, an otherwise light but fun movie was, for me, almost fatally marred by their jarring pairing. The set and costume designs are excellent, as always, the music is Allen's usual selection of great, jaunty jazz and the performances are fun, with everyone working off the same page as far as their tone. So, if you're a big Allen fan, I'd say you should see it. If you aren't a big Allen fan, or haven't really experienced him before, STAY AWAY. (For a good example of the light, fun, silly side of ALLEN, check out MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY if you want to see him in the movie, or BULLETS OVER BROADWAY if you can live without him.)

Rating:
Summary: Middle Allen
Review: This one falls somewhere in the middle of Woody's pictures, which would put it in the top 1/4 of most other directors. I enjoyed it a lot more than the critics would have allowed, they seemed to pick on the age difference between him and the Helen Hunt character. Actually, they were nicely matched in the film - nobody was hiding anybody's age - and I could really see them together (as opposed to the Hunt/Gibson matchup in What Women Want). All-in-all a good flick to pop in the machine and escape with for 90 minutes.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it, really enjoyed.
Review: I do not possess a profound knowledge of Allen's filmography. I've watched only BULLETS OVER BROADWAY and DESCONSTRUCTING HARRY. And, now, this one.

I enjoyed it a lot. Allen is a great actor, the words do not stop coming from his mouth. Helen Hunt tried her best, but it did not work.

The plot is ok, innovative, it pays homage to old films.

I enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Woody gets woodener.
Review: Time for Mr. Allen to move aside, I'm afraid. This film is an embarrassment for all but his most dedicated fans. Deconstructing Harry was brilliant. He should have quit when he was ahead.

Rating:
Summary: One for the Fans and thats not a bad thing
Review: Woody has never been the sort of film maker to pull in the huge crowds, and he never really tried to impress anyone but his fans, and any one of his true fans should be delighted with this small comic gem. So this wont win over any those people who say "I hate all of woody Allen's Movies" without ever really seeing any of them.

This is a simple story set in and around an insurance company where Woody works. One evening on works outing Woody and Helen Hunt, who plays an office worker that woody cant stand both get put under a spell by a magician and are forced to commit crimes, that they have to investigate not knowing that they are the thief's.

Woody's character in this picture is slightly different to that in his other movies like Annie Hall as I believe he intended the roll to go to a different actor (someone like Tom Hanks or Dustin Hoffman he said in one interview) and I think this comes across in his performance, not that he's bad in the roll, not by any means, its just nice to see him play something different, all be it only a little different.

I chuckled my way through this movies short running time and even though it not Woody Allen funniest or most profound movie I loved every moment of it. Its well cast and written and makes a great double bill with Shadows and Fog.

Rating:
Summary: Major misstep from Woody Allen
Review: This is simply a bad movie -- plenty of other top-notch Woody Allen movies though...