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Now You See Me (2013)
Now You See Me (2013)
Now You See Me is a film about a group of 4 magicians brought together by an unknown person. They are convinced to become a team and eventually they land their own show in Las Vegas. When one of their tricks involves stealing a large amount of money, they become part of a cat and mouse chase with the FBI.
The film was directed by Louis Leterrier. The cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Michael Kelly, Common, and David Warshofsky.
Now You See Me hypnotized me with its excitement. It was certain to amaze. The cast of characters were all clever and quite entertaining. For a while I was caught up in the illusion of the promise of something great. Eventually I was let down. The ride was a thrill. The destination however, was a disappointment.
I enjoyed seeing Eisenberg and Harrelson teamed up together again for the first time since Zombieland (2009).
This is the 4th time that Freeman and Caine have been in the same film. The previous 3 films were The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Now You See Me could be Dave Franco’s best performance to date.
It was nice to see Laurent in another American made movie. This is the first film that I have seen her in anything since Inglourious Basterds (2009).
The story was unfinished and sort of lacked a point. The movie became dependent on sleight of hand in order to entertain. You can only one-up a magic trick so many times before it starts to get a little worn out.
The ending of the film acted like it was a big grand conclusion when in reality it just fizzled. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was fun and amusing. It was worth seeing, just not in the theatre. The film is like any magic trick, once you know the secret behind it, it is no longer exciting.
I rate this movie a 7 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland (2009)
When I saw Zombieland for the first time, I was absolutely shocked at how much I loved it. A friend had recommended it and I watched it shortly after it came out on DVD. I went into it knowing nothing at all about the movie and it caught me completely by surprise.
After a zombie apocalypse, there are few human survivors remaining. Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as they fight their way through zombie-ridden America in search of safety, solace, and Twinkies. They run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) along the way and their journey gets bumpy.
Zombieland put Jesse Eisenberg on the map. The only other movie that I had seen him in before was The Village (2004) and at that time I had no idea who he was. His performance in the film blew me away. He proved that he had the power to carry a movie by himself and when he teamed up with Woody Harrelson, it was priceless.
A year after Zombieland, Eisenberg was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the part of Mark Zuckerberg in the film The Social Network (2010). He has since been popping up all over the place with Now You See Me (2013) (also with Harrelson) coming out later this year.
Harrelson was tremendous. He played a great tough-guy and yet he was hysterical. Not many people can pull off that combination. On screen you could really tell that he had a lot of fun with his character.
My friend who recommended the movie to me actually dressed up like Tallahassee for Halloween because he loved the character so much.
Zombieland also served as a big stepping stone for Emma Stone. She was very likable in the movie. Like Eisenberg, she became super popular after Zombieland came out. The only difference is that she was already a little popular from a few previous roles.
Abigail Breslin didn’t need a stepping stone. The youngest of the group, she had already earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). Zombieland served simply as a tool to further her acting career. She was only 13 when she made the movie, but she held her own along with the rest of the cast.
Bill Murray has one of the best cameo appearances that I have ever seen in a movie. It was completely random and hilarious.
Amber Heard also has a small part in the film.
The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer. Fleischer has since directed Eisenberg in 30 Minutes or less (2011) and Stone in Gangster Squad (2013).
Zombieland is a comical masterpiece. It has already become a cult classic and has recently spawned a TV show. It is a movie that I could watch over and over again. The film is not so much about zombies as it is about the camaraderie between the main characters as they try to survive among the living dead. It is a hilarious thrill ride that will keep you laughing all the way to the end.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Trailer for Now You See Me (2013)
Now You See Me (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
The movie is about a group of famous magicians turned bank robbers. It appears that the sleight of hand in the film will mess with your mind and keep you entertained just like real magicians are supposed to do.
The casting is a reunion of sorts. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are together again for the first time since they were teamed up in Zombieland (2009). Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are reunited for the first times since the Dark Knight Trilogy. The film also has Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Michael Kelly, Elias Koteas, rapper/actor: Common, and James Franco’s little brother Dave Franco (proved himself in 21 Jump Street (2012).
It looks like a cross between Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and The Prestige (2006). Looks like it could be missing something, but maybe we will be pleasantly surprised.
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