There’s some things you should wish for and some things you shouldn’t. That’s what my little brother Frankie told me. He told me I only had three wishes, and I looked into his eyes, and I don’t know why I believed him.
– Christy, “In America” (2002)
Reviews – Movies: I
RATINGS KEY
0/5 – Terrible. Not worth the eyestrain.
1/5 – Bad. Only watch it if there’s nothing else on TV.
2/5 – Okay. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either.
3/5 – Average. Rent it and watch it once.
4/5 – Good. Worth watching a few times (or even buying).
5/5 – Excellent. Watch it, buy it, quote it, love it.
The Illusionist (2006)
2/5 | Reviewed 4.09.07
It was a mistake to watch The Prestige first, because this similar magic-movie-with-a-twist seemed very lackluster in comparison. While it’s beautifully filmed (the color is gorgeous) and well-scored, the plot and acting are rather dull. Instead of the twists and turns of The Prestige, we get an ordinary Romeo-and-Juliet story of star-crossed lovers, played by Edward Norton (whose beard seems to muffle his acting skills) and the monochromous Jessica Biel (whose accent slips between American, English, and German). The lovers are boring enough that I didn’t give much of a damn what happened to them, and it didn’t help that I saw right through the big secret plot they had going—halfway through, it’s obvious how the story is going to end, and yet the movie plods along for another hour or so. Plus, the ending is a cop-out; unlike The Prestige, where the whole film is littered with clues and hints that make the surprise ending fall perfectly into place, The Illusionist refuses to drop so much as a hint, which is supposed to make the ending that much more surprising but instead makes it fall flat. The magic tricks were fun, but the rest of the film was predictable and overlong. It’s worth watching for the pretty colors and amusing tricks, but get The Prestige if you want a good story.
In America (2002)
1/5 | Reviewed 12.22.05
I’d heard a lot of good things about this movie—in fact, maybe a few too many good things. The critics loved it; words like “emotionally raw” and “heartbreakingly real” were being bandied about like... like things that get bandied a lot. Not being a trend-sheep, I of course didn’t intend to let such previous reviews affect my own opinion of the film—but I was expecting something above average. | Read Full Review
