Magical Movies
About a month ago or so (shortly after it opened, if not opening weekend) DH and I went to see The Illusionist. It was somewhat on a whim. We were dining in the general vacinity and were done earlier than we expected and decided to see if there were any movies that were starting soon that we wanted to see and we lucked out.
I’m a big fan of Edward Norton and this movie did not disappoint. It was full of clever illusions and engineering feats. It was refreshing to see Jessica Beal in a role that required more than looking good in a bikini and being able to pull it off. Of course Paul Giamatti did a great job in his supporting role as Chief Inspector as well.
I know DH was glad that they more or less stuck to Germanic accents which was appropriate since it was set in Austria. There is some blood and violence and of course a bit of romance and if I’m remembering correctly some sex. But it was all pretty tastefully employed and not overdone. The twist at the end is very interesting. I had it figured out fairly early on with this one, but others didn’t fit all the pieces together until near the end. It is definitely worth watching if you like a plots with some twists and enjoy period films. I don’t want to give away too much though!
On Sunday night we took in the other movie revolving around magicians, The Prestige. It too was good. I love watching Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale and have been a fan of Michale Caine for a long time as well.
This movie was more complex. The beginning especially was confusing and you only get hints scattered throughout to wipe away at that confusion. Again it had good acting and nice period costumes and fun illusions to take in. The engineering feats of the illusions in this one were even more astounding from the mechanical sense. Overall, the plot had more meat to it than The Illusionist. DH and talked well past our bedtime last night about aspects of it. I wouldn’t even think too long if I were invited to see it in the theater again as I’m sure there were many hits and clues I missed in the confusion. It is one I will certainly want to watch again on video.
DH picked up on the twist to this one earlier than I did. I found that kind of interesting since I figured out The Illusionist first. Perhaps he was trying harder with The Prestige because of the early confusion?
I don’t really want to say much about The Prestige except to tell you to go see it. It was great!
If you are intriqued by magicians and want to see both movies, I’d probably recommend you space their viewing out. A month between the two was nice, more time probably would have been even more beneficial. Also, you may wish to watch The Illusionist first since it isn’t quite as complex. It might pale too much in comparison to The Prestige if watched after it or in too close proximity to it.
