The Magic of the Movies

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For a long time now, that venerable storytelling art form — literature — hasn’t been able to do much for me. I had once written, in this very newspaper, that books had given me my longest standing identity: that of a reader. Now I’ll have to say I know myself more (and better) as a multiplex movie-goer and a home theatre DVD watcher. The lead character is Bo Wolfe played by Jacob Latimore. It’s actually quite a good film and maybe one that has passed you by. It certainly doesn’t have the star power of The Prestige or The Illusionist, but there’s loads of good cardistry (basically, sleight of had with cards). When a family of three takes a wrong turn to enter the spirit world, things go astray. The father and mother turn into pigs while the daughter remains to fend for herself in a magical world, ruled by a witch. Akin to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Wizard of Oz’, in terms of motifs and themes to describe human greed, ‘Spirited Away’ is an animation masterpiece, woven in love. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Disney, it received widespread acclaim and won many accolades around the world, including the Academy award for best animated feature film. There is nothing wrong with watching a movie to escape and unwind. However, it’s more rewarding to watch with a clear purpose in mind, combined with a desire and curiosity to connect with the story and how it’s told.

I do not contribute much to the box office collection now. Unless pestered too much by someone , I do not go to the multiplexes. The reason being I do not think much about the current productions. Too much violence and bloodletting makes me nauseated. Movies have come to our drawing rooms and are available on the smartphones. That suffices my needs. Méliès wrote, directed, produced, distributed, built the sets for and performed in his films himself. Despite this artisanal mode of production, his was for a time France's leading film studio. Only on the eve of the first world war was he driven out of business by better capitalised corporations like Pathé – an economic lesson fudged in Hugo, which ascribes Méliès's business failure to the war itself. He was rediscovered in the 1930s operating a candy store in the Montparnasse railway station – belatedly decorated by the French government and lionised by cinephiles and Surrealists. It’s an entertaining story, using politics and magic as the underlying themes. Eisenheim The Illusionist, is a mysterious character with an agenda buried deep down in his heart. He dares to oppose the tyrant crown prince, using the only weapon in his armoury – Magic. Ed Norton poured his heart out while playing this role and you could feel the same, when you see a broken man seeing his dead beloved. Wait, did I say she was dead? Well, before we spoil the surprise, go and watch it, if you haven’t. Watch with purpose. Don’t just passively sit. Look deeply, listen intently, and get into the mode of an observer or critic. Here are examples of things to think about:There is another magic documentary that I would have liked to have included titled Magic Camp, about kids from around the world who gather every year at Tannen's Magic Camp. Such were the captivating acts of the thespians on the screen. The audience was vocal, identifying itself intimately with the star. Not all magic movies are lighthearted. Some, like Richard Attenborough's 1978 movie Magic (starring Anthony Hopkins), are actually quite creepy. The life of a magician isn't always a happy one. Making a living selling illusions to the world can lead to madness, and deadly competition. We build strong memories and associations with movies that we watched as kids and adults. They are part of our journey.

Like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, the film is a comedy that looks at magic from a slightly different angle. Unlike The Prestige which portrays magicians as very cool characters, the magicians in The Magicians are portrayed as geeks or nerds (which is probably close to the truth in most cases). Often, to be a magician you need to enjoy sitting on your own and practising for hours on end, so stands to reason that it attracts a certain sort of person.Decide on a theme. What movies would you like to watch? You can choose a certain category/genre, director, actor, or production. Although he is considered the first cinema artist, the cinema as we know it did not yet exist when Méliès went into production. In fact, it was the cinema that ultimately put him out of business. Barnouw points out that the movies effectively automated stage magic (as talkies would later render live musical accompaniment redundant): "The transfer to screen of the magician's most sensational illusions – disappearances, bizarre transformations and beheadings – proved ultimately catastrophic for magicians. Anyone with a camera and a splicer could produce the same miracles, and did." What then does "magic of the movies" mean in the light of the new situation, namely the development of computer generated imagery? The story follows a young street magician named Bo ( The Maze Runner's Jacob Latimore) who is taking care of his little sister Tina ( 12 Years a Slave's Storm Reid) following the death of their mother. Performing magic on the streets for tourists isn't enough to pay the bills, so Bo has turned to peddling drugs at clubs and parties for a local drug dealer Angelo ( Psych and West Wing's Dulé Hill). Making clever use of his sleight of hand skills, Bo is able to avoid trouble from the police. This is really where you get to appreciate the story and the magic of movies. How to immerse yourself fully in the experience

A traveling magician and his group are challenged when a small European town’s leaders including the police superintendent and the minister of health question the veracity of their acts. To put the rumours to rest, they demand a private show to verify the same. What unfurls next is perhaps beyond the grasp of fragile human mind. Directed by the great Ingmar Bergman, ‘The Magician’ encroaches into the sacrosanct territory and dares to ask the question: Does science have an explanation for everything that happens or is there really a God?Siskel, Gene (November 13, 1978). "Hopkins' stellar 'Magic' act weaves a spell". Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 6 . Retrieved September 29, 2022– via Newspapers.com. Watching movies is not just about passive entertainment. Movies are, and will remain, an integral part of our cultural and artistic ecosystem. Most of the exterior shots were shot at Le Trianon resort on the Blue Lake in Upper Lake, California.

The movies of yesteryear were entertainingly formulated. The operators in the formula were the hero, the heroine , the villain, the comedian and the host of extras. Mellifluous songs founded on high-quality lyrics added to the charm. The movies not only entertained but taught to be chivalrous like the hero, shun the evil acts of the villain and be humorous like the comedian to mitigate the agonies of life. A Separation is a realistic movie that might be expected to make us think of life and shake us up, while something like Scorsese’s Hugo, a fantasy — a richly entertaining 3D fantasy — is as far away from true life as we can get, and yet they both fill our senses and touch us deeply. In different ways, yes, but both, a story about a boy’s adventure in a Parisian train station and an intimate, complex moral drama of two families in modern Tehran become in our hearts, in our imagination, one indelible emotional, aesthetic experience. It’s not the high level of realism in one and the delirious sense of fantasy in the other that get at us, but their art — cinematic art. Turn movie watching today into a joyful experience by taking an active role. Engage with the story and have the best time.

12. Once Upon A Time In The West (Once Upon A Time In The West)

Movies bring the story—in vivid detail—to life and transport us to a magical world. We escape, we laugh, we cry, we think and we learn through movies.