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Bill Nuvo Inner circle 3094 Posts or 2742 Posts |
Joshua, I liked you review of Fairytale: A true story. I totally agree with it.
Another movie that is interesting in magical terms is FX. |
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Gilgamesh_The_Librarian Elite user 408 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-12-17 15:30, Cameron Francis wrote: Ah but was it 3 bad men ? It felt to me that one of the characters was just a hostage to furtune in terms of what his partner did. Being careful not to spoil this in case anybody hasn't seen it. Although I can't believe that anybody would have used such a solution,the bird cage stunt was also a real indication to lay audiences about how the secret to an effect could be way outside their expectations. Makes me look at Blackstones vanishing bird cage illusion in a whole new light !!! Anyway for me The Prstige is much the better of these films. |
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Payne Inner circle Seattle 4571 Posts |
The group of magicians that I went to see the Prestige with all hated it and thought the Illusionist the better picture of the two. We all agreed that we really wanted to see a movie about Tesla (Bowie was brilliant in this role) instead of the two loser magicians and all their inept bickering and personal issues. The film makers forgot the first rule of storytelling. You Harv to care about at least one of the characters. By the end of this film you were happy that both of them were dead and you could at last go home and watch The Illusionist to get the bad taste of this movie out of your mouth.
I kept hoping they'd drop the pathetic charade of playing their idiotic interpretation of turn of the century magicians and get down to doing a Batman Wolverine crossover adventure flick which would have been a lot better than this snoozer of a motion (less) picture.
"America's Foremost Satirical Magician" -- Jeff McBride.
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mark2004 Loyal user UK 215 Posts |
I loved the comedy "Magicians" starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841027/ See my comments here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......art=0#25 It's a British film so the Americans here might not have had a chance to see it. I know it's available on DVD over here but I guess it might not be so easy to get in the 'states. |
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JustinVisible Elite user South Jersey/Philadelphia Areas 453 Posts |
Mark2004,
I just saw that movie the other night. It was on the Independent Film Channel(IFC). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny and respectful at the same time,as you previously mentioned. Everyone else, if you get the opportunity, check this one out. It is kind of dry and satirical but definitely worth your hour and a half. Cheers, Justin
"If they laugh, it's funny..."
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
1. "Magicians" is very funny.
2. Anthony Hopkins is a magician in "Magic," as well as a ventriloquist. 3. Nobody is a "much better" actor than Edward Norton.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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BillyTheSquid Veteran user My bamboo hut's supported on 331 Posts |
I vote for Mitchell & Webb in Magicians! I watched it on recommendation of a mate of mine, having watched The Illusionist / The Prestige on his recommendation too.
I don't like the guys normally (Peep show is a shiloh pitt if you ask me). There are plenty of in-jokes in there if you know what you're looking for. I loved the bit where a guy called Lenny isn't allowed to move through to the next round despite the number of votes for him "This isn't Sweeden Lenny, this is North Korea!" made me crease, as did the beard reference for a certain famous UK mentalist with a new series out presently. It's not going to be everyone's cuppa, but I thought it was a bit of a "no brain" entertainment. Cheers, Matt |
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johnstu Regular user London 161 Posts |
I hated The Prestige. My brother gave it to me for Christmas on Blu-Ray, he looked rather apologetic when we finished watching it. It wasn't his fault.
It's not just the use of made up terms, though that is virtually unforgivable seeing as a little research would have yeilded great results. It would have been just as easy to craft a story around real terms, and attach genuinely poetic meaning to them as opposed to the pointless posturing of the terms used. It just seemed incredibly lazy, like the sum total of the researh was to hear that early stage magicians were fiercly competitive and that Nikolai Tesla was a bit odd. Then there's the plot; one big cop-out. The ending had the mixed, and one would usually assume mutually exclusive, misfortunes of being both stupidly far fetched and rather obvious. Terrible, terrible movie. Quite possibly the worst film I've ever seen, and I've seen all seven Police Academy movies. I've also seen the Illusionist. That was good. |
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Woland Special user 680 Posts |
(Re)visiting an old thread . . . Whether on the basis of previously reading about these two films here or not, I purchased both The Illusionist and The Prestige recently, and watched them both this past week.
I enjoyed them both very much. On first viewing, however, I'd have to agree with those who found The Prestige more compelling. It is a movie where people actually die and remain dead, and their deaths are unredeeming. In that sense it is not a fairy tale -- although The Prestige involves "real" magic, and "The Illusionist" is therefore more "realistic." "The Prestige" is not a happy story on any level. I also thought that the fin de siecle atmosphere of London was more convincing than that of Vienna; it seems that the producers of The Illusionist did not have the budget to hire enough extras to populate the city. And Jessica Biel was --perhaps surprisingly-- more appealing than Scarlett Johansson. David Bowie looked a lot like Nikola Tesla, and any movie that features that true wizard's Colorado laboratory gets my approval. Woland |
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gdw Inner circle 4884 Posts |
I'm sorry, but The Prestige was a FANTASTIC film.
The Illusionist was just a lazy film. The only people I've ever heard take issue with it were magicians. Even from a magic perspective I vastly preferred it. I particularly loved that they did NOT fake the magic like The Illusionist, well, with the exception of the sci-f/fantasy part, but that was meant to be more real magic than real life magic.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
I won't forget you Robert. |
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-30 18:56, LobowolfXXX wrote: Word. |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Personally, although I enjoyed both THE PRESTIGE and THE ILLUSIONIST, I agree that THE PRESTIGE was a far more interesting and innovative film. Bowie's portrayal of Tesla was brilliant.
My all time favorite, though, is NIGHTMARE ALLEY. Good thoughts, Bob |
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Woland Special user 680 Posts |
Yes, the mentalism is very well portrayed in NIGHTMARE ALLEY. What a truly scary film . . .
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gdw Inner circle 4884 Posts |
A lot of The Prestige came from the book, obviously, though the movie is very similar, it is also very different.
Kinda like how Apocalypse Now is quite different than Heart of Darkness, it is very much the same story. Probably not the best comparison as The Prestige movie is set in the same time and place, and, like I said, same story as the book, though it still is very different.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
I won't forget you Robert. |
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Woland Special user 680 Posts |
Not familiar with the book. I thought FFC captured at least part of The Heart very well. Dennis Hopper's performance superbly updated and adapted the character of Harlequin, the Russian trader. On the other hand, the truly shocking scene at the end of the book is omitted. But it would have been great to watch Martin Sheen's countenance as he explained to Mrs. Kurtz just how much the Colonel loved her, and how much he talked about his commitment to her and their children and their country before he died. That is to me the real "heart of darkness."
W/ |
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ringmaster Inner circle Memphis, Down in Dixie 1974 Posts |
"Charlie Chan on Treasure Island" easily the most entertaining.
One of the last living 10-in-one performers. I wanted to be in show business the worst way, and that was it.
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Another vote for magicians, written by David Britland and Andy Nyman among others, with a cameo by Pat Page.
The whole movie can be seen for free here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841027/
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Woland Special user 680 Posts |
Gee, landmark, thanks for the link! That is a great movie . . . hilarious! And the portrayal of the world of stage magic seems right on the mark . . . which is not surprising, considering the authors.
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markmiller Special user 731 Posts |
Penn & Teller Invisible Thread, best magic movie ever. I also like Shade for the sleight-of hand.
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
The "Magicians" that I was lauding is: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0188045/
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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