The Illusionist

[posterboy]

I just got back from a VIP sneak preview of The Illusionist, starring Edward Norton and that guy from Sideways, the short chubby one. Anyways, the movie was great...one of the best I've seen in a while in theatres. Edward Norton as usual is amazing...as is the guy from Sideways. Jessica Biel sucks, but she's not a major player, so thats good.

You should definitely check it out, I'm not sure when it hits theatres though.

 

[SirChadwick]

Awesome movie! Saw the screening last night and it's probably the best movie I've seen in 5 yrs. Completely intriguing and a great twist of an ending.

 

[toekramp]

i'm psyched!

 

[EngenZerO]

im looking foward to this

 

[archiloco]

was wondering about this movie, cuz jessica biel did suck even in the previews, good thing she is not that involved in movie, i guess she will be something good to look at in moments.

 

[loup garou]

I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

 

[krunchykrome]

Hmm, havent seen the commercial for the preview yet. I like Edward Norton though.

 

[MaxDepth]

Originally posted by: SirChadwick
Awesome movie! Saw the screening last night and it's probably the best movie I've seen in 5 yrs. Completely intriguing and a great twist of an ending.

You mean where he does this thing and the girl reacts on does this other thing. And then the white guy goes and does something else? Yeah, I never saw that coming.

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: loup garou
I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

good point, ive always wondered the same. especially when armaggedon and deep impact came out and were only seperated by 7 weeks from their release dates.

 

[Fingolfin269]

This is good news because I thought it would suck based on its trailer vs. The Prestige trailer.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: anxi80

Originally posted by: loup garou
I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

good point, ive always wondered the same. especially when armaggedon and deep impact came out and were only seperated by 7 weeks from their release dates.

Ah! That was another big one I couldn't remember, thanks.

 

[pclstyle]

Originally posted by: anxi80

Originally posted by: loup garou
I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

good point, ive always wondered the same. especially when armaggedon and deep impact came out and were only seperated by 7 weeks from their release dates.

hollywood, being the mainstream whores that they are, likely key into what's 'hot' at present, and produce projects geared directly towards that target audience. Pretty standard fare for an industry devoted entirely toward profit, versus development of an art-form.

Deep Impact/Armageddon - Millennium, comet scares
Antz/A Bug's Life - who knows the agenda behind that, but you can be damn sure there was one
Prestige/Illusionist - David Blaine and his hocus-pocus, anyone?

That's why indy cinema has blown up so much over the past half-decade. People are simply growing tired of "what's hot" and are looking elsewhere to develop their tastes and refine their perception of good vs. bad cinema. the big hollywood players have become so corrupted by political affiliation, fear of film faux-pas, or have become simple cases of comfort-breeds-dullness; that their art is in danger of losing it's inherent value -- being art.

but hey, money is money - and you sure don't hear ron howard, spielberg, oliver stone or even that pathetic retard m.night shyamalan complaining.

 

[whistleclient]

Originally posted by: pclstyle


hollywood, being the mainstream whores that they are, likely key into what's 'hot' at present, and produce projects geared directly towards that target audience. Pretty standard fare for an industry devoted entirely toward profit, versus development of an art-form.

Deep Impact/Armageddon - Millennium, comet scares
Antz/A Bug's Life - who knows the agenda behind that, but you can be damn sure there was one
Prestige/Illusionist - David Blaine and his hocus-pocus, anyone?

That's why indy cinema has blown up so much over the past half-decade. People are simply growing tired of "what's hot" and are looking elsewhere to develop their tastes and refine their perception of good vs. bad cinema. the big hollywood players have become so corrupted by political affiliation, fear of film faux-pas, or have become simple cases of comfort-breeds-dullness; that their art is in danger of losing it's inherent value -- being art.

but hey, money is money - and you sure don't hear ron howard, spielberg, oliver stone or even that pathetic retard m.night shyamalan complaining.

well, you just babbled a lot of nonsense.

The Illusionist has nothing to do with any sort of David Blaine hype.

The movie is based upon a short story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist", written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Steven Millhauser. The short story was written in 1989.

 

[pclstyle]

Originally posted by: tangent1138

well, you just babbled a lot of nonsense.

The Illusionist has nothing to do with any sort of David Blaine hype.

The movie is based upon a short story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist", written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Steven Millhauser. The short story was written in 1989.

i'll give it to you straight: You're stupid.

Thanks for that little excerpt of useless knowledge: "The movie is based upon a short story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist", written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Steven Millhauser. The short story was written in 1989." Tell me exactly where that finds relevance to the original observation:

Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range?

Hype has nothing to do with backstory. Do you really believe the america that called exploitation garbage like hostel breaking ground cares even the slightest about the difference between an illusionist and a magician? What's relevant is end-product and moment of insertion. The observation was regarding the similarity between movies within the same genre with conspicuously similar release dates. It has happened historically, and it continues to happen. The direct, tangible catalyst? Who knows ? you sure as hell don't.

 

[SirChadwick]

I'm willing to bet the Illusionist blows the Prestige out of the water... never judge a movie by its trailer.

 

[skace]

So.... jessica beil sucks in this? excellent...

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: loup garou
I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

I was actually going around on IMDB about a month ago and found about 6 or 7 movies about magicians coming out this year or next year.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms

Originally posted by: loup garou
I was just going to start a thread about this after seeing a commercial for the Illusionist, but I guess I'll post it in here. Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range? In this case, it's the Illusionist and the Prestige. In the past, Antz & A Bug's Life. Finding Nemo & Shark Tale. Dante's Peak & Volcano (and all the other disaster movies of that time period). I'm sure there are many other examples.

Not to knock either this movie or the Prestige, I want to see both. Just a curiousity I've always wondered about.

I was actually going around on IMDB about a month ago and found about 6 or 7 movies about magicians coming out this year or next year.

Ok, that's just nuts.

 

[SirChadwick]

Originally posted by: skace
So.... jessica beil sucks in this? excellent...

No she doesn't suck. Seems like the opinion of only a few. She actually surprised me and plays the role just fine. Plus she's hot as hell and the clean (no nudity) sex scene is hot. lol.

 

[whistleclient]

Originally posted by: pclstyle

i'll give it to you straight: You're stupid.

Thanks for that little excerpt of useless knowledge: "The movie is based upon a short story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist", written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Steven Millhauser. The short story was written in 1989." Tell me exactly where that finds relevance to the original observation:

Why does hollywood so often produce 2 movies of the same subject matter within a very close time range?

Hype has nothing to do with backstory. Do you really believe the america that called exploitation garbage like hostel breaking ground cares even the slightest about the difference between an illusionist and a magician? What's relevant is end-product and moment of insertion. The observation was regarding the similarity between movies within the same genre with conspicuously similar release dates. It has happened historically, and it continues to happen. The direct, tangible catalyst? Who knows ? you sure as hell don't.

ha ha...

i see you typing furiously, trying to sound intelligent. i'm sorry, but you're a little off how how the film business works...

by the way, Antz and A Bug's Life were produced because of a split Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. They had a disagreement and Katzenberg split off to form Dreamworks Animation. Katzenberg claims the idea was his own, but A Bug's Life was in production first. When Dreamworks lost out on a contract with Pixar, Katzenberg rushed Antz in order to undercut their box office.

 

[NuclearNed]

I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but I always think it is a little suspicious when someone joins a forum to make a single post about a movie/tv show/other. It kind of makes a person look like a studio plant who has been sent to promote the movie/tv show/other. I've caught at least one person who was blatantly doing this.

That aside, I want to see this movie badly.

 

[SirChadwick]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but I always think it is a little suspicious when someone joins a forum to make a single post about a movie/tv show/other. It kind of makes a person look like a studio plant who has been sent to promote the movie/tv show/other. I've caught at least one person who was blatantly doing this.

That aside, I want to see this movie badly.

I know exactly where you're coming from and it may be so... but he posted this original topic last month and I did a search (god help me) for "Illusionist" and decided to post my opinion of the film. Trust me, there is no hype - it is just a damn good flick.

 

[EvilYoda]

Just for Edward Norton Jr, I've been waiting anxiously for this movie. I don't care how many magic movies there are this year...if they're all like The Illusionist and The Prestige, bring em on

 

[pclstyle]

Originally posted by: tangent1138
ha ha...

i see you typing furiously, trying to sound intelligent. i'm sorry, but you're a little off how how the film business works...

by the way, Antz and A Bug's Life were produced because of a split Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. They had a disagreement and Katzenberg split off to form Dreamworks Animation. Katzenberg claims the idea was his own, but A Bug's Life was in production first. When Dreamworks lost out on a contract with Pixar, Katzenberg rushed Antz in order to undercut their box office.

lol, don't the idiots that reiterate "typing furiously, trying to sound intelligent" as in insult in every response usually toss in "pimple-faced, sweating profusely, pupils dilated". if so, you're a notch back, and a step down from even them; and they don't usually even garner a response.

but even from such a base position, instead of knowing humility -- you're still being stupid.

observations:
milennium panic came - we got our big apocalypse/armageddon flicks
mainstream is getting big on japanese culture - what do we have doing well in the box office
then we're getting big on korean horror - same story
then 9-11 hit - we waited a 'respectable' 4 years, and now we're flooded, and we pay, willingly
the subculture of magic, shoved into the spotlight by people like blaine, suddenly emerges as fascinating - and here we are.

the 'hot' topics meld and overlap, and new genres are constantly birthed as our culture progresses - but this doesn't discount the existence of a trend; simply put, we want to see what interests us, what's 'hot'.


none of the useless garbage you've gleaned from browsing 'the arts' section of the times is going to chance that fact. i'm feeling generous and chartiable today, so i'm trying hard to be civil. but idiocy like yours is of a rare breed.


dumb sh!t.

 

[whistleclient]

Originally posted by: pclstyle

lol, don't the idiots that reiterate "typing furiously, trying to sound intelligent" as in insult in every response usually toss in "pimple-faced, sweating profusely, pupils dilated". if so, you're a notch back, and a step down from even them; and they don't usually even garner a response.

but even from such a base position, instead of knowing humility -- you're still being stupid.

observations:
milennium panic came - we got our big apocalypse/armageddon flicks
mainstream is getting big on japanese culture - what do we have doing well in the box office
then we're getting big on korean horror - same story
then 9-11 hit - we waited a 'respectable' 4 years, and now we're flooded, and we pay, willingly
the subculture of magic, shoved into the spotlight by people like blaine, suddenly emerges as fascinating - and here we are.

the 'hot' topics meld and overlap, and new genres are constantly birthed as our culture progresses - but this doesn't discount the existence of a trend; simply put, we want to see what interests us, what's 'hot'.


none of the useless garbage you've gleaned from browsing 'the arts' section of the times is going to chance that fact. i'm feeling generous and chartiable today, so i'm trying hard to be civil. but idiocy like yours is of a rare breed.


dumb sh!t.

why are you so angry?

i'm sorry if it offends you, but i just don't think your observations are all that insightful. yes, trends exist. art reflects life. film is art. different artists interpret life in different ways, hence competing projects. it's same in all art forms, and science as well. that's stuff we all learned in film 101.

i just think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the way the business side of the film industry works. there is no great need from the public for magician films. and if a film company wanted to capitalize on it they certainly wouldn't make a period magician film. this was a passion project based upon pulitzer prize winning source material.

also, often times competing projects come down to egos. competing projects that are greenlit simply because there's a competing project. a tale wagging the dog effect for film trends.

oh well, have a nice day.