Rating: 
Summary: Interesting.
Review: I thought that this film was different compared to the other films that Aleen has made. The directing was similar and the dating and hitting on pretty women was also like what we have seen in many of his other films. The story is well written much like most of his others but the story is original. I liked the idea that people were being used to do illegal tasks without even knowing it. The movie also contains some quick-on-the-draw comedy from Allen that is very reminiscent to every other role that he has done. The DVD is not filled/loaded with extras because of the film's lack to earn a substantial amount of money at the box office. Dreamworks' DVD's are no longer packed with interesting add-ons and in this case it is somewhat of a shame.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Woody's best work...but enjoyable
Review: For years upon years, Woody Allen always manages to find a way to comedically entertain his audiences while not only Directing, but also starring in all of his films. After watching "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", I will stay say that Woody Allen has not made a bad movie yet. "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" stars Helen Hunt (Always glamorous on screen), Dan Ackroyd, and the always humorous Woddy Allen. Woody Allen plays the part of a strung out detective, while Helen Hunt plays the part of a well-to-do woman aspiring to be the top detective. These two despise each other from day one, and eventually go on the being hypnotized. The two are assigned words in this hypnotic state, "Constantanopel" and "Natagascar". When directed at the two, these words can make the two love or hate each other. As the plot continues, we find that the hypnotizer is calling Woody Allen up on the phone, hypnotizing him, and making his rob rich households. If you would like to see how everything works out, go see the movie, I don't want to give anymore of the film away. Woody Allen, to tell you the truth, makes this movie what it is, not because of his usual one-liners, but this time because of his facial expressions. When he is under hypnosis, they are absolutely hysterical! Just looking at his face as it droops down into a dream state, watching him lurch around like a zombie. It's to die for! Woody Allen has that look to him that can always make me laugh, not matter how bad of a day i'm having. The patheticness of it all! Helen Hunt does an excellent job as her character. One of the demands upon this part was managing to come around to hating Woody Allen, and she does a great job at it. When Ms. Hunt wants to be mean, she has the potential to! This is a much different role from the rest of her films. It is a role that demanded self-centeredness, a switch from other roles she has done. The music adds to this film also, as it does in every Woody Allen film. Two songs are repeated, including "Sophisticated Lady", a modern day Jazz standard to say the least. The music adds to the truely comedic tone to this film. One cannot dissect this movie, all I have to say is that if you are a Woody Allen fan, just take my word for it and watch this film. It is a fun, cute and sexy movie that you shouldnt be afraid even to take your younger teens to see.
Rating:
Summary: Woody's Bob Hope Movie!
Review: The first time I saw "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion " in the theatre I disliked it.At the time it seemed over talky and had a claustrophobic feel to it. Woody looked way off on this one.I felt bad because usually I'm a huuuge Woody fan! But the second time I saw the film on DVD, it was a totally different experience. I found this movie to be the perfect companion for the small screen.It just works in this medium."The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is Woody's homage to all those old 1940's Bob Hope movies. You know the ones where Bob is one way or another a cowardly private eye constantly getting into danger and falling in with pretty girls who are usually smarter then he is.Think "My Favorite Blonde".In this 40's period film, Woody plays an investigator for an insurance firm who is constantly at verbal odds with the company's acerbic, efficiancy expert named Betty Ann Fitzgerald (well played by Helen Hunt).One night at a company party, in a night club,the pair are brought on stage and hypnotized for the amusement of the audience.All is well, until we later find out that Voltan,the hypnotist, is an evil crook. He has never released the two from their hypnotic suggestion and goes on to use them to steal Jewels from the wealthy clients of the insurance company.This slight plot, which easily could have been lifted from an 1940s short serial,is really an excuse for Allen and Hunt to go at each other with a series of hilarious exchanges and fights that remind me of verbal sparring matches in movies such as "The Front Page" and "Women of the Year". Allen and Hunt are backed by an excellent supporting cast that include stand out performances from Dan Aykroyd, Charlize Theron, Wallace Shawn, Elizabeth Berkley and David Ogden Stiers as the evil Voltan.One of the most wonderful features of this film is it's 1940s retro look and feeling.The cinematography and art direction are amazing!It is a really beautiful looking film, which also accuratly gets it's historical period.You feel like your watching an original, old technicolor movie, that would appear on the 'Late Show'at 2am.This is hardly one of the most important movies to come from the Woody Allen film cannon ("Manhattan, "Annie Hall", Hannah & Her Sisters"), but I will reccomend it to anyone, who wants an evening of old fashion, light-weight, fun entertainment on the small screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Constantinople! Madagascar!
Review: Why do I like this movie? Well, first of all, I like Woody Allen. I think he's smart and enjoy his type of humor. Second, I loved how it paid homage to authors like Damon Runyon, who wrote about the whole universe of NY gangsters and gumshoes and helped coin expressions such as "monkey business" and "to croak".
The dialogue is snappy, and the jokes are hillarious. Allen and Hunt aren't an obvious match, but they work together well. Both are jaded and sarcastic, but also vulnerable and sensitive characters.
The story is simple, and really quite sweet. It is a joy to watch because there is something very idealistic and innocent about it.
Take it for what it is- an homage to a genre with great acting, directing and dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Where There's Woody, There's Hope
Review: Woody Allen has never made any bones about the fact that his major comedic influence has been Bob Hope. Since the beginning of his now 30-plus years as a director/ actor, Hope's signature persona, delivery and style have been stamped all over Allen's various comic roles. Now in "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", which seems to be nothing less than a homage of sorts to many of Hope's classic comedies from the 40's to early-50's, Woody revels in the opportunity to play that falsely vain, wise-cracking coward that was Hope's unique contribution to screen comedy. In this cleverly plotted and always entertaining film. Allen casts himself as a crack(and of course, wise-cracking) insurance fraud investigator who takes an instant dislike to a new, attractive female efficiency expert(Helen Hunt) -her feelings toward Allen are mutual - she can barely utter a sentence without insulting him, or questioning his capabilities, morality and indispensibility to the company. However, in the world of Woody Allen, the romantic, you can be assured that this reciprocal animosity is but the prelude to a kiss. In this outing, as in so many of Allen's films there has been a paper-thin line between love & hate. The plot takes a delicious turn when both Allen and Hunt unwittingly come under the control of a nefarious hypnotist-entertainer(David Ogden Steirs), who uses first Allen, then Hunt. to pull off a series of jewelry heists. This leads to the amusing spectacle of Allen, the ace detective, trying to solve crimes of which he himself is guilty. The hypnotist's devilish scheme also ironically leads to Allen and Hunt realizing they are in love and made for each other. Throw in Dan Ackroyd as the married boss having a convenient affair with Hunt, while all the while stringing her along with endless promises that he intends to divorce his wife; Charlene Thirzon as a Veronica Lake-type temptress, and striking set design, dialogue, gorgeous photography and atmospherics which so effectively evoke the 1940's, and you have a treat for not only the funny bone,but also the senses. And, oh, those wise-cracks! One in particular bears repeating: One of Allen's colleagues remarks of a young lovely, "She's got a body that won't quit!" To which Woody replies, "Quit!? It won't even take a 5-minute coffee break!!" "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion"is yet another treat from one of the true geniuses of American cinema -in loving tribute to Bob Hope, a cinema funny man for the ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Running Allen gags are getting tired and a little creepy
Review: Woody Allen is one of our most prolific directors, averaging about a movie a year for over thirty years. His audience in the last decade has dwindled down to a cult following. I think that this has less to do with the fact that his movies typically revolve around his own neuroses and phobias than the plain truth that his work just isn't as good as it used to be. His last really great one was Broadway Danny Rose back in 1994. Since then, they have ranged from merely good to mediocre. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, unfortunately, is in the latter category. Before I go further, let me say that Allen's legacy is already assured, since at least a dozen of his movies are classics. Manhattan, Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Hannah and her Sisters are some of them. Hopefully, Allen has a few more gems still to come. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion takes place in 1940, one of Allen's favorite time periods. He plays C.W. Biggs, an insurance investigator. He's had a lot of success over the years, but currently he's having a problem with the company's new efficiency expert, Betty Ann (Helen Hunt). They just don't like each other, which here in romantic comedy land means they will wind up falling in love. When they attend a company party at a nightclub, they get hypnotized by Voltan (David Ogden Stiers), the club's star attraction. What they don't realize is that they are now in Voltan's power. He plans to use them to rob wealthy people of their very expensive jewelry. They won't know they are doing this, and Biggs, the investigator, unwittingly winds up on the trail of himself.
Allen also writes the scripts for his movies, and here he has produced one of the weaker ones. The lines just don't have the zing we expect of him. There are also some continuity problems. After Biggs and Betty Ann carry out Voltan's heists, they are not suppose to remember anything from the time he calls until they wake up. Several times, though, they also don't remember events from before Voltan's calls. This is a minor point, but one expects more from Allen. There has been a running joke in many Allen movies involving beautiful women's being attracted to his short, skinny characters. Here the woman is the wonderful Charlize Theron, who plays a wealthy, weird heiress. Ms. Theron is 28. Allen is 66. The joke isn't funny anymore because Allen's age now makes it more than a little creepy, even though we know he is probably parodying himself. Longevity may run in Allen's family, but maturity apparently does not, which may be the reason his movies have had such trouble moving onto the next plateau. Technically, the movie is fine. I've always loved Allen's use of old songs in all his works. In real life, he's also a good jazz musician. The photography and the set decoration are first rate. The color is muted, and it looks like we really are back in 1940. If only the story and the jokes had been as well done.
Rating:
Summary: Weak and getting weaker
Review: This and the recent Small Time Crooks should pretty conclusively demonstrate that there's no point asking Woody to return to his comic past. At this stage in his career he simply can't. I'm tempted to think that Soon-Yi had a hand in writing Curse of the Jade Scorpion, if only because the whole thing has the feel of forced revisitation of old material. "Hey, Woody, let's work on this old script idea I found in your scrapbook." Still, nice soundtrack. (By the way, Helen Hunt's performance is simply revolting. The women in Deconstructing Harry were more sympathetic.)
Rating: 
Summary: The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion
Review: This movies' acting/plot are as bad as Mr. Allen's selfmirth,
And as my stomach turned I turned it off half-way and cursed. Bad acting - Bad Bad BAD dialog - Good plot. No substance - just fluff... POOF!
Rating:
Summary: How about a soundtrack CD?
Review: If movies are supposed to be entertaining then this is a great movie. When I rent a movie I usually watch it once. But The Curse of the Jade Scorpion I have watched four times and it's not due back until Friday so I'll watch it again tomorrow.
Plus, the music is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD
Review: I really liked this comical movie. I think it had many laughs, and so did the rest of theater I was in.
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