Here’s a quick rundown on 2 flicks still in theaters (Magic in the Moonlight and Lucy) and 2 on Netflix (Blood Ties and Blue Ruin):
Magic in the Moonlight – Woody Allen’s latest is a postcard pretty period-piece set on the sun-splashed French coast and countryside. Here a renowned magician (Colin Firth) travels to France at the behest of his friend to debunk an American spiritualist (Emma Stone). The whole film, like Emma Stone (luminously photographed in classic Allen fashion to play up her best features – that red hair, those blue eyes, that mischievous smile) is ridiculously good-looking and light on its feet. Stone soaks up the sun and Allen’s directorial affections, plumbing her plucky personality to its most glorious depths. Her performance, which takes on the allure of a subtle silent film starlet, is almost transcendent. The film, far from Allen’s greatest, is sill a pleasure to watch, and would’ve been forgettable if not for Stone’s classically styled star turn. Word on the street is she’s signed up for another Allen flick. Like her character, clever girl.
Bottom Line: Spin once. Watch out for Emma Stone’s next Woody.
