I'm sorry, I really am, it took me forever to finally get to see this movie, I waited for it for a long time, but seriously, I'm sorry but it sucks. I study movies and all sorts of things connected to them, and this looks like a very juvenile attempt that should appear on you tube rather than be made into a film. I love Amber Benson, and I love the story, but you can glance at this and within the first few minutes understand what's wrong. As(or at least wishfully hoping that I could be) a director I present the failures in this movie as the poster children for the fact that not everyone can and should be a director. Somebody compared this to Clerks and really, you should shut your mouth and go watch it again, because lots can be said about Clerks but not that it's a poor attempt. First off: this movie, because of its many dialogues and the general speaking, needed a good director that could have avoided making it look like filmed theater. It did not have that, and the result is that it looks like neither Amber nor James can act in the slightest, which is something far far from the truth. Secondly, what can't be corrected while filming can be eventually saved while editing,and that didn't happen. The timing is completely off, and it dwells on what should have passed unnoticed. Third, most of what I said can be considered style, but it's not. You can kinda see the style, but it needs to be refined and once again I'm sorry but you can clearly see Amber is not a director. What I hate is that the idea is good, the script also is very good, and for the first few times I saw this movie I let it convince me and bring me in. But when after knowing the story by heart I was able to step out a bit and stop condoning the errors and it was just then that I finally noticed that this movie is a mere 3 out of a potential 10... And it makes me sad to say this, but really... I wish Amber would have given it to a director, her performance would have been 100 times better and the film also. Sorry.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Illusionist
(2006)
Made my night
13 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Tonight was one of those night I had gone to the movies just because I wanted to, no specific title in mind. I get there, and The Illusionist, which I had heard nothing about except that it had been compared to The Prestige, as they were both about magic. I went not knowing what to expect, and for most of the movie, the plot seemed very linear and although it had many good parts, it was nothing amazing. And then (SPOILER ALERT)the ending started. At first I didn't understand what was going on, what the the Orange tree business meant. And then as the images started to flow, I started to understand. I'm majoring in movie directing, and I have an insight in some of the most used tricks in the business, and I usually catch on pretty fast. But here, the director was so good at hot and cold showers, I swallowed everything... line, hook, everything. He tells time and time again in the movie that it's all fake, it's a trick, it's nothing but that. And in the meantime he convinces you that you are witnessing real magic, that he's a sorcerer instead of a magician. But the trick is what the director pulls on the audience. When the titles started rolling nobody got up to leave. And I mean NOBODY. I was happy all the way to the car. Just glad to have been made a fool of, because really isn't that why we all go to the movies? To believe?
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