Now You See Me (2013, Louis Leterrier)

Hello everyone – I feel so organised getting posting again so soon. Let’s hope I can make it last! Anyway, if you fancy hearing my views on Leterrier’s thriller Now You See Me, then keep reading...

“The closer you look, the less you see”. I found that this little fact is not only the best way to approach magic, but probably the best way to approach this film itself. Why? It’s a little complicated and a little confusing, but certainly more entertaining if you just enjoy it and try not to question everything too much. After all, a good magician never reveals his tricks.

So, we meet four of the world’s greatest illusionists, who come together to form The Four Horsemen, and perform magic shows where they steal from corrupt yet rich businessmen and share the money with the audience, without keeping a cent for themselves. However, the FBI believes them to be purely criminals and, with the help of an ex-magician (Morgan Freeman), they attempt to capture and expose the illusionists. The whole Robin Hood concept – described as “bullshit Robin Hood razzle dazzle” by the FBI – was an interesting idea to combine with magic that really worked. Plus, it shows that the illusionists have a conscience – so are they complete criminals? But then again, I did say that you must try not to question everything in this movie – sometimes, it’s better to just think that it’s a cool film and not wonder how they pull off all the tricks. Finally, have a look at when we’re first introduced to Henley (Isla Fisher). That piranha tank trick? She performed it all herself – no stunt double involved – so kudos to her for that.  Oh, and watch out for a surprise twist at the end of the film that I wasn’t expecting!

I couldn’t even complain about the pace of this film – it was fast and action packed, if a little long. Yes, it’s definitely complex, but if you can overlook that, then it’s a pretty good film. I’m not normally one for crime thrillers, but after seeing this I’m certainly open to watching more films of this genre.

Rating: 3.5 stars – yes, I think you should go and see this film. It’s probably not for everyone, but I’d definitely give it a try!

Georgie

The World's End (2013, Edgar Wright)

Hello film fanatics! Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not posting for such a long time. But, with a long summer ahead of me and a whole new array of film releases to see, what better time than to get back to the blog? So, being the Pegg & Frost fan that I am (I loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), I went along yesterday to watch the last of this loose trilogy, The World’s End. As I’d enjoyed the two previous films, I had high hopes for this movie. That, and the fact that it was produced by Working Title – I remember several years ago, someone told me that Working Title films should always be good - and I stick by that as I haven’t found one that I’ve disliked yet. Anyway, here’s a quick guide to the plot if you want a rough idea of what’s going on...

40 year old Gary King (Pegg), a washed up alcoholic but still a teenager at heart, sets about persuading each of his childhood friends to join him in completing The Golden Mile: the ultimate pub crawl, involving twelve pubs in their hometown, Newton Haven. They must start at The First Post, and carry on till the final pub, The World’s End. However, the name of this last destination can be taken literally, as along their way, Gary and his friends notice that Newton Haven seems a little different than they remember, but not in a good way. And, as you would probably expect, chaos later ensues.

I certainly loved the total British-ness of this film. Firstly, the gang is composed of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine, who are all just some examples of the exceptional talent that we have in the British film industry. And Rosamund Pike’s frequent “oh, crumbs!” also added to this British feel in a humorous way, whilst almost bringing the gang back to reality despite the bloody weird situation that they get themselves into.  

Good things to look out for? The Cornetto and Fence gags (used in the trilogy’s previous films, and are almost like a trademark I guess). Oh, and later on into the film, Eddie Marsan’s character Peter has gotten pretty drunk and very giggly, and for some reason this made me and my friends laugh no end. But if there was one thing I really didn’t like – and I know I’ve said it with previous films – but again, it was the pace. It’s not until the big discovery-and—messy-bust-up-in-the-gents that things start to get really interesting. But that is all.

Basically, The World’s End is the same kind of film again, but this time there’s robots, which I found much weirder, oh and there’s blue liquid spurting everywhere instead of red. I didn’t find it quite as funny in comparison to Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, but it’s still definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3 stars – I’d recommend it, but the world won’t end (sorry, that’s a bad joke) if you miss it.

Georgie