Now You See Me- Film Review

This film is pure magic. Literally and figuratively. It is so engrossing that I did not want to miss a scene. A car chase that seems pointless and stereotyped also turns out to be more than the eye can detect. In fact, the entire movie is full of deception that is hard to catch.

The story is of four magicians who hit the big time with shows in Las Vegas etc., thanks to a billionaire benefactor (played well by Michael Caine). They come up with a jaw-dropping illusion- looting the bank mentioned by an audience member- in Paris! This turns out to be a real robbery, but the magicians have a perfect alibi. They were in Las Vegas at the time! So they can't be booked for the crime.

They go on to perform two more stunts in live shows, one that empties their benefactor's bank account in favour of audience members. The benefator then turns to another magician who has exposed tricks of a guy called Shrike earlier (Morgan Freeman, excellent as always) to stop the Four Horsemen (the magicians) from doing their next trick.

There are run-ins with the FBI duo ( a guy and a girl-French, from Interpol) that keep the suspense up, and the magicians always come up trumps. The secret is revealed at the very end.

Not sure if Dhoom 3 was inspired by this, but could have been- partially. But this one is superbly edited and directed, and a must-see. In my view.

The Bucket List- Film Review

I saw the remake in Hindi (Dasvidaniya) before the original. That was good. This is superb!

A captivating idea, scripted and presented wonderfully by two of the finest Hollywood actors. Their on-screen chemistry is magical, and presents a live 'school of acting' for wannabe actors. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, are the actors. The dialogue is crackling.

The things they give each other, a few weeks before they are about to die, are intangible, and invaluable. As they say in services marketing, it's the experience of being together, living together, traveling together, and learning about themselves, compressed into a small time frame, under compelling circumstances.

What would I do if I find myself in similar circumstances? Frankly, I don't know, but I am certainly inspired by what these two do on their last days on the planet. Of course, zipping around the Kenya-Agra-Hong Kong route is an option, but that is not the point. Maybe one of the points is to discover the joy in your life. Could be your daughter, grandson, or spouse. Or anyone else, or all of them. Not to mention things, though they come a distant second. But things made important by the people associated with them. An old table, chair, home, tree, garden etc.

Live life fully is the obvious other message. But told to us lovingly, through a beautiful story of two people most unlike each other-at least on the surface. This is what movie-making should be all about. Delivering a hard knockout punch, in any genre.