The Magic of the Movies

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Through movies we fulfill our need to connect with, and understand each other. With stories that bridge the gap and remind us of our shared needs and aspirations we enrich our lives and accentuate our humanity. I mean, prefer the way movies tell stories to how novels tell them. Oh, it’s not choosing images over words — I do a lot of heavy duty non-fiction reading and love the long-form, immersive factual narrative — it’s more from a preference now for stories narrated in pictures than in words. (I just realised this explains to me my growing interest in children’s picture books!). There was a time I never went to a movie based on a book without first having read the book. Now I put the book down and wait expectantly for the movie version. (You’ll be surprised how many of them turn out nicely). We build strong memories and associations with movies that we watched as kids and adults. They are part of our journey. Goldman received a 1979 Edgar Award, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Hopkins received both Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his role as the tragically disturbed Corky. Meredith received the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Kilday, Gregg (June 12, 1976). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Knievel to Star as himself". Los Angeles Times. Part II, pp. 7– 8– via Newspapers.com. I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians. ~Francis Ford Coppola 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. 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.Magic is a 1978 American psychological horror drama film starring Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret and Burgess Meredith. The film, which was directed by Richard Attenborough, is based on a screenplay by William Goldman, who wrote the novel upon which it was based. The score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. 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). I know ‘Now You See Me 2’ is far from impressive. In fact, parts of it are pretty ordinary, but I’d say that it’s one of the best in the genre. What’s exciting about both this one and its predecessor is that the magic part of the film has been used very well and it makes for a highly entertaining experience. ‘Now You See Me 2’ follows the Four Horseman in Macau, China where they are forced by a tech expert to pull of a dangerous and seemingly impossible heist. The story certainly looks exciting and it has quite a lot of interesting twists and turns that keep you engaged throughout. However, once the film is over, and when you start analyzing the plot-points, you realize that it is extremely convoluted and implausible for the most part. It’s a shame that Ed Solomon, the screenwriter, barely put any thought to the script. With more efforts, we could have had a much more solid, well-constructed plot that would have made for an amazingly entertaining cinematic experience.

And with the technologies of today, movies have a wider reach than ever. We can watch movies from countries around the globe. It all depends on whether or not you think your own kid is ready to watch fantasy movies that have more of a PG and PG-13 slant than a completely family-friendly tone. Since all kids are different and develop differently, your 7-year-old might be just as ready as your 13-year-old is to dive into Star Wars. If that’s the case, then you are the coolest parent ever to have kids with such great taste in film. You know what your problem is, it’s that you haven’t seen enough movies - all of life’s riddles are answered in the movies. ~Steve Martin Keep it light and playful. Don’t take things too seriously. Watch with playful curiosity and enjoyment as it comes naturally to you. If you feel you’re stressing out, you’re over-thinking. This defeats the purpose. The main goal is to have fun—consciously. I don’t know how much this once large and troubling reality about going to the movies in India has changed for women, but I do see a few young women now, mostly college-going, catch a morning or matinee alone at a multiplex. Killing time, bunking college or an irrepressible passion for cinema? Whichever it is, it’s nice to see they can choose to watch alone. I wonder how much of that ridiculous old stigma had also to do with the poor reputation cinema had in India for several generations as trashy and artistically inferior cinema. Our movies are hip and cool now, but even until the late 90s they were thought of as cheesy and infra dig. (What we could all unabashedly relish and celebrate were the movie songs, especially the old Hindi songs).Last summer I had a fun experiment with my family. We started watching the movies that won the Academy Awards for best picture. 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. Right now we’re watching movies with Marilyn Monroe. It is so much fun to experience the stories from the perspective of the storytellers—the humor, the drama, the futility of most of our struggles, and the impermanence of everything as we know it in this life. Decide on a theme. What movies would you like to watch? You can choose a certain category/genre, director, actor, or production.