The Illusionist
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The last quarter of 2006 brought in 2 films very close to heart. The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both period films centered on the industry (and art) of magic and illusions. Unfortunately by reasons I do not know, The Illusionist never reached Philippine cinemas. The Prestige would have to be one of the best films I’ve seen for 2006 next only to The Devil Wears Prada. However, after watching The Illusionist last night, I’d have to move The Prestige a notch lower on the ranks.
While some reviews said The Illusionist has similar plots to The Prestige, I’ll have to disagree. The Illusionist is a love story through and through. The Prestige is The Count of Monte Cristo done with theatrics, smokes and mirrors. I’m guessing The Illusionist must have had a great twist in the end for viewers that are not as analytical as me when it comes to producing films. Maybe it’s just that I have too many plot twist experiences that I now know what the writers were thinking. Nonetheless, it’s a lovely artistic film.
The only thing I did not agree to was the use of CG to enhance the effects and illusions presented in the movie. The special effects used on The Prestige were minimal that the tricks performed were more realistic (the illusions could be done in real life) while The Illusionist felt the need to raise the bar to illusions performed during the Victorian period. Well, even on our time the effects presented on The Illusionist might still be impossible to accomplish.
Hmm, I think there’s a hidden agenda on Hollywood and Las Vegas to promote the magic and illusions industry. Lately, magic has been reduced (or minimized) to street magic level with the likes of Blaine, Criss Angel and Derren Brown and perhaps the stage illusions were not selling as much.
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The last quarter of 2006 brought in 2 films very close to heart. The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both period films centered on the industry (and art) of magic and illusions. Unfortunately by reasons I do not know, The Illusionist never reached Philippine cinemas. The Prestige would have to be one of the best films I’ve seen for 2006 next only to The Devil Wears Prada. However, after watching The Illusionist last night, I’d have to move The Prestige a notch lower on the ranks.
While some reviews said The Illusionist has similar plots to The Prestige, I’ll have to disagree. The Illusionist is a love story through and through. The Prestige is The Count of Monte Cristo done with theatrics, smokes and mirrors. I’m guessing The Illusionist must have had a great twist in the end for viewers that are not as analytical as me when it comes to producing films. Maybe it’s just that I have too many plot twist experiences that I now know what the writers were thinking. Nonetheless, it’s a lovely artistic film.
The only thing I did not agree to was the use of CG to enhance the effects and illusions presented in the movie. The special effects used on The Prestige were minimal that the tricks performed were more realistic (the illusions could be done in real life) while The Illusionist felt the need to raise the bar to illusions performed during the Victorian period. Well, even on our time the effects presented on The Illusionist might still be impossible to accomplish.
Hmm, I think there’s a hidden agenda on Hollywood and Las Vegas to promote the magic and illusions industry. Lately, magic has been reduced (or minimized) to street magic level with the likes of Blaine, Criss Angel and Derren Brown and perhaps the stage illusions were not selling as much.
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