Cassandra's Dream (2007)

CASSANDRA'S DREAM OFFERS SNORES

I love Woody Allen movies. I am perhaps one of the few that does with the exception of the main stream world of critics who fawn all over any and everything he does. Such is the case with this film that many have found wonderful.

The story takes place in Britain and revolves around two brothers. Ian (Ewan McGregor) is a young man who wants better for himself. At present he is stuck running his father's restaurant while his father recovers. His sights are set higher than this though, planning with a new friend to invest money in a real estate deal in California.

Terry (Collin Farrell) on the other hand is content with life in his home town. Always on the lookout for more money, Terry has a severe gambling problem. When he wins, he wins big, but then he turns around and sends it all back as well as more than he can afford to pay back.

The brothers work hard and do their best, always wishing for better. When both find themselves in need of substantial cash, their prayers are answered with the arrival of their uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson). Howard is a success, having made tons of money in the states as a doctor. They know he can afford to help them, the question is will he?

After a reunion at dinner, the boys get their chance alone with Howard. They put forth their question of cash and he replies with an offer for them. It seems he has gotten himself into some trouble with his books and business practices and needs them to do him a favor in return for his giving them the money they need. He needs them to kill someone.

The movie revolves around this issue from there on out. The brothers, intensely loyal to one another, banter about the prospects of doing this deed but suffering from it morally. While Ian wants to go for it, Terry has doubts and concerns, mostly involving guilt. But go for it they do and afterwards nothing will ever be the same.

Reading what I've written, this actually sounds like a good movie. Too bad that it involves far too much dialogue and characters that for me seemed like cardboard cutouts as opposed to real people. The talking is nonstop and repeats the same things over and over and over again. This doesn't yield insight, it merely makes the clock continue ticking for a lengthier film. Also, the fact that two brothers raised together could have such differing viewpoints on life and guilt rang false with me.

Worst of all was I never found myself caring for either of these brothers. One seemed a ruthless enough that he thought only of himself. The other was a milquetoast who whimpered about too much and took no responsibility for his own actions. To feel no sympathy for either made this film more an endurance than a pleasure to watch.

In Woody Allen's film STARDUST MEMORIES he had aliens show up on Earth wanting to speak with his character, a film director. The film was somewhat auto-biographical in this case. The main thing that the aliens wanted him to know was that they didn't like his dramas. They thought he was better when he was funny. Amazing how I find myself agreeing with aliens, albeit fictional ones.
June 27, 2008

Love Woody, Colin and Ewan, however...

I would never miss a Woody Allen film. Or one with Colin Farrell or Ewan McGregor for that matter. Perhaps even more than Colin or Ewan, I'm a Tom Wilkinson fan (he's fabulous here, as a Fagan-uncle). I thoroughly enjoyed everyone - even the "minor" characters (especially the father and Ewan's self-centered actress-girlfriend). However, the film ended too abruptly, without finesse. It was so beautifully, artfully arranged (an Allen gift) with exquisite interiors, gardens, great clothes and cars, not to mention perfect visual directing, but by the end it was "You don't say?" Did Woody run out of film? I needed some lingering mystery, a character twist, or a cool Scotland Yard detective dueling with Wilkinson or the brother who turned out to be different from what we thought. The theme was obvious: greed and stupidity can get you in a whole lot of trouble. Sadly, it lacked a well-turned final act to bring it in as a great film. But I must say, Colin Farrell acquitted himself well as the dim brother with a conscience. My favorite line: "I don't want to kill anybody!" spoken like a scared little boy being put up to steal the cookies. June 24, 2008

The Brothers McSullen

Woody Allen's latest release is another one of his cold, crisp British-set thrillers like "Match Point."

But this one mostly feels like scraps and discarded scenes from that somewhat overrated but still far better film.

Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor play cash-poor brothers who agree to commit a murder in exchange for the needed funds.

Think everything works out for them?

Think crime pays?

Think again.

This is a handsome piece (photography courtesy of Vilmos Zsigmond) and there are some sequences with genuine suspense.

But the brothers are such wide-eyed simps, and their characters so hastily sketched, it's hard to care much about either of them. Aside from their drinking, smoking and shagging, they almost seem to have skipped off the cover of a Hardy Boys adventure. They can barely handle the initial prospect of murder in a rational way, much less its aftermath.

Allen's often-effective tendency toward simplified, expositional dialogue this time mostly underscores the lethargic plot, and his often-returned-to-themes (the effect a crime has on an assailant; the divide between rich and poor members of the same family) don't advance as much as they have in previous efforts, specifically "Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Philip Glass' railroad locomotive of a score calls attention to itself, and to the fact that Allen is better off sticking with his habit of selecting pre-recorded music for his soundtracks.

While certainly not a waste of 110 minutes, "Cassandra" doesn't come across like it should and it seems even less assured when considered against the similarly-themed, similarly-plotted "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" released only a few months earlier. June 22, 2008

after this I'll always love a woody allen movie

A fantastic movie, two brothers having completely opposite characters, colin the younger brother with conscious, a suspense movie that Suspense builds as the pair attempt to carry it out which i enjoy very much with a sad ending, colin was so brilliant & so amazing. This was my first time seeing a Woody Allen movie & i'm glad i did because i loved & enjoyed the movie so much, my vote would be 5 / 5 & i recommend this beautiful movie to every one , enjoy it. June 9, 2008

Moral Dilemmas

In Woody Allen's latest suspense film, we see the drama played out against a backdrop of family struggles, mostly financial. Two English lower-class brothers, with big dreams, gaze longingly upon a future they cannot quite grasp; their rich uncle, to whom they reach out for help, promises to assist. But they must do the unthinkable...commit murder to help their uncle escape a certain prison term if the target, a whistle-blower, speaks out to the authorities.

Suspense builds as the pair attempt to carry out the deed...almost failing, as their efforts seem ill-timed on more than one occasion. But then it is done.

Now, living with the consequences, especially since they apparently "get away with it", turns out to be more difficult than they had anticipated. Especially for the one brother, whose drinking and depression lead him to the brink.

And then a twist of fate steers the brothers to a dire and tragic end.

This thriller is somewhat less compelling than "Match Point", but is worth the viewer's time and engagement. June 7, 2008

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