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Community => Entertainment => Topic started by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 15, 2006, 09:27:12 PM

Title: The Illusionist
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 15, 2006, 09:27:12 PM

So we saw it tonight and we both really liked it.  I didnt know what to expect exactly, but I came away pleasantly surprised.  Anyone else catch it?  I thought all the performances were really very intense and well done.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: iPPi on Friday, September 15, 2006, 11:24:54 PM

I want to see it, but it's only showing in like one theatre in the city and it's really out of the way for me.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, September 16, 2006, 07:25:03 AM

Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Oddly enough it was also playing in only 1 theatre in the whole city. In my mind this was Paul Giamatti's best performance!

I've added tthis movie to my top favourite movies mental list.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, September 16, 2006, 11:18:18 AM

Yaeh, I can't remember seeing Giamatti do anything this good.  He did an awesome job.  And Norton did a damn good job of just being moody as hell, intense when he needed to be.  But I kind of expected that as I think he's really good at what he does.  What surprised me most was Jessica Biel.  I always kind of thought she was an idiot (to me anyone on the cast of 7th Heaven pretty much has to be), but I thought she really did quite well.  Her role was simple, but she didn't ham it up or go overboard with it.  She played it like it ought to have been played, and I thought that was pretty commendable for a person that I've seen do some less-than-stellar work.  Maybe I'm being overly harsh, but I just never liked her much.  Either way, I thought she worked very well for this one.  She is a unique looking woman, so that combined with her good performance brought a nice little provocative edge.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, September 16, 2006, 12:05:11 PM

You know what I can't wait to see?  The Prestige.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, September 16, 2006, 03:15:55 PM

Yea I'm really looking forward to The Prestige as well.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: ender on Monday, September 18, 2006, 09:20:09 AM

I need to. I love the short story its best on, Steven Millhauser is an awesome writer. I guess I need to see this ... The Prestige looked more interesting to me though.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, December 31, 2006, 01:10:53 AM

Finally got a chance to see this movie.  Great movie overall; beautiful cinematography and art direction, but I prefer The Prestige over it. 

The twist ending kinda ruined the movie for me.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 31, 2006, 01:12:50 AM

Why?  I liked the twist.  I thought The Prestige was trying too hard, and was a little bit just... I dunno'... over the top for the sake of being over the top.  I definitely preferred The Illusionist of the two, though I thoroughly enjoyed both.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 31, 2006, 08:55:26 AM

Illusionist comes on DVD this Tues right??

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Antares on Tuesday, January 02, 2007, 10:43:52 PM

I remember someone telling me the Illusionist was awesome back when it was in theatres but never had a chance to check it out.  I'll have to grab the DVD and give it a look.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, January 13, 2007, 11:30:50 AM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Saturday, September 16, 2006, 11:18:18 AM

Yaeh, I can't remember seeing Giamatti do anything this good.  He did an awesome job.

Paul Giamatti, I think, is underrated.

He was very good in Sideways and excellent in American Splendor. Oh, yuh -- can't forget him in Cinderella Man, either.

This sure was a hell of a lot better than that slow-ass Lady In The Water snooze-fest. Another Shymalan film like The Village -- HORRID pacing, though I liked the story itself. Someone tell him to use the EDIT button....

Quote

And Norton did a damn good job of just being moody as hell, intense when he needed to be.  But I kind of expected that as I think he's really good at what he does.

Norton is awesome, as usual. He never seems to disappoint me, from Primal Fear to even The Score.

I still ain't seen American History X....I'm waiting for someone to kick me for that one...

For Norton, all I have to think of is how outstanding he was in that movie w/ Evan Rachel Wood where he played Harlan -- oh, what the hell was that name of that movie? That movie was great.
*does a Wikipedia check*
Oooh, right -- Down In The Valley!!! Great freakin' movie.

Quote

What surprised me most was Jessica Biel.  I always kind of thought she was an idiot (to me anyone on the cast of 7th Heaven pretty much has to be), but I thought she really did quite well.  Her role was simple, but she didn't ham it up or go overboard with it.  She played it like it ought to have been played, and I thought that was pretty commendable for a person that I've seen do some less-than-stellar work.  Maybe I'm being overly harsh, but I just never liked her much.  Either way, I thought she worked very well for this one.  She is a unique looking woman, so that combined with her good performance brought a nice little provocative edge.

Biel's best performance was definitely in The Illuisionist.

I forget what her role was in Elizabethtown, though.....she was in that, as well -- I liked that movie, BTW.

The Illuisionist was pretty good, BTW....

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: scottws on Monday, January 15, 2007, 10:18:40 PM

Saw The Illusionist a few hours ago.  I found it quite good.  I don't really know what to say exactly.  The parts were all very well-acted and it was a pretty good story.  I really liked the whole intrigue aspect.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: nickclone on Wednesday, January 24, 2007, 09:23:56 PM

I have this movie but I haven't seen it, I don't even know what its about. Should I keep my expectations low?

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: angrykeebler on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 10:32:46 AM

I just saw this and enjoyed it very much. Maybe I missed something but theres one part I didn't "get".

(click to show/hide)

How did Eisenheim do that illusion with the "ghosts"? Especially with the kid walking down the aisle and guy who put his hand right through him?

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: iPPi on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 12:43:12 PM

(click to show/hide)

It's never explained how he did most of his tricks.  One would assume that the projector that the inspector viewed is actually what he used, but possibly something more advanced.

I believe that all the tricks are indeed illusions and that Eisenheim is not doing 'real' magic.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: angrykeebler on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 12:57:20 PM

Quote from: iPPi on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 12:43:12 PM

(click to show/hide)

It's never explained how he did most of his tricks.  One would assume that the projector that the inspector viewed is actually what he used, but possibly something more advanced.

I believe that all the tricks are indeed illusions and that Eisenheim is not doing 'real' magic.

(click to show/hide)

Well, the orange tree is explained at the end but not the "ghosts". It seems unlikely that a projector was used especially with that last show

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 08:21:01 PM

I never got that impression.  I think they just didn't explain the trick.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: MysterD on Friday, January 26, 2007, 05:18:48 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 08:21:01 PM

I never got that impression.  I think they just didn't explain the trick.

That's what I got out of it.

(click to show/hide)

The "Orange Tree" book, to me, symbolized that everything Eisenheim did was a trick/illusion -- hence the title, "The Illusionist".

Here's a thought...maybe the "Orange Tree" book is part of the foundation for the actual (Fake) "Ghost" trick he did w/ Biel????

Didn't the "Orange Tree" book itself, once it was opened, looked like it had mirrors all over the place???? Maybe Eisen did a similar thing to pull off the trick w/ the (Fake) "Ghost?"

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 09:46:58 PM

You know where The Prestige went wrong?  The ending.  I think they had some excellent opportunities to do something a lot more meaningful, but didn't.   

I still really enjoyed it though.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: ender on Saturday, February 03, 2007, 09:13:42 AM

I finally saw it. Having seen The Prestige twice, I was let down. The Prestige, under close examination worked its way completely toward the "twist" ending if that's what you want to call it. In fact, the entire ending is set up in the first scenes of the film. I felt like the Illusionist used way too much "flashback" at the end instead of carrying it out over the course of the film like The Prestige did. Also, I had read the short story this movie was based on a few years and knew the ending, so that could be part of it also. I thought it was a decent film, but the acting style and film style to me was much too "stately" in that traditional period film since.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, February 03, 2007, 10:41:30 AM

I preferred The Illusionist.  It was a nice, simple story, and while The Prestige tried its hardest to be all amazing and blockbustery, I never really felt all that much for any of the characters.  And the ending, while very cool and twisted, felt a little bit like it was trying too hard.  The Illusionist was just a nicer movie.  It didn't strike me as pretentious or overly concerned with itself, whereas The Prestige felt like both of those things in a lot of circumstances.  I guess what I'm trying to say is The Illusionist felt like a nice story, The Prestige felt like a Hollywood movie.  I prefer the story.

Title: Re: The Illusionist
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, February 03, 2007, 05:40:42 PM

I preferred The Prestige as well.  The Illusionist was enjoyable, but the ending twist was somewhat disappointing to me for the same reasons ender.