Just seen: Cassandra's Dream

Woody Allen may one day beat his icon Ingmar Bergman in the quantity game. The number of works Mr. Allen releases is steadily increasing. The regularity of the additions is quite astonishing. The star availability is enviable. Very soon, if not already, Kevin Bacon needs to start worry about Mr. Allen's better suitability for the Game of Six Degrees.
The movie itself is definitely a very old MGM film noir slightly updated for the new century. What's remained is very good: fast pace, chatty dialogues, straightforward arcs (or straight lines) for all characters, some memorable acting, occasionally suspenseful music. What's left out is the cinematography (no glorious black and white, no shadows - just bleak colors and forgetable scenery; memorable acting by all cast members, no matter how small they are - that has been replaced by star cast trying to be good boys and girls for Uncle Woody in straightjackets of Allen's script.
On the surface, the movie is not any different from, say, Manhattan Murder Mystery, where similarly small story played out by a very small cast. I think, the dialogues are now less punchy, less memorable, less engaging. I may have changed too. I may now expecting much from Woody Allen who does not have to make every movie a chef d'oeuvre.