The Magic of the Movies

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I have wondered if one screen in multiplexes could be earmarked exclusively for classics. This idea of exclusivity was laughed at as an absurd business thinking. But, everything in life is not commerce.

Last summer I had a fun experiment with my family. We started watching the movies that won the Academy Awards for best picture. However, the film has several positives. The performances are quite good, and they keep us hooked to the film. It also has a distinctive tone that pulls us right into the film’s world. Like I said, it’s still a very entertaining film if you’re willing to leave the logic at the doorstep and are ready to go on a fun ride with several exciting twists. It is highly recommended for fans of caper thrillers/ heist movies. 13. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

7. Lara's Theme (Dr. Zhivago)

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. In his lifetime, Ed Wood was dubbed the "worst director ever" for making movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space or Glen or Glenda. Any sense of production value was nonexistent in these films, the dialogue was laughable, and there was no sense of continuity from one scene to the next. But there was passion on the screen. Wood’s clear affinity for his works and his embracing of idiosyncratic yet strangely personal plotlines make his movie the very definition of the Anton Ego line from Ratatouille, "the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so." I am nostalgic about the days when watching movies in single screen theatres was a national pastime for one and all. I recall with remarkable fidelity, the divinity in viewing movies in a hall filled with a crowd of all hues, clapping and whistling at good-humored scenes. When the scenes were glum, the hall fell into a melancholic silence. 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.

Turn movie watching today into a joyful experience by taking an active role. Engage with the story and have the best time. Some of the films on this list are fictional accounts of the lives of some of the world's greatest and most famous magicians, especially Harry Houdini. In the 1953 classic biographical film Houdini, Tony Curtis plays the late, great escapologist and Janet Leigh plays his wife, Bess Houdini. If you're interested in movies about magic, this one is a must see.Watching movies is not just about passive entertainment. Movies are, and will remain, an integral part of our cultural and artistic ecosystem. When I asked Pico Iyer, a writer with a deep respect and reverence for cinema, what he felt about literature’s relationship to movies, he said: “It’s no surprise to me that those writers who hold us most are often the ones — I think of Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, Kazuo Ishiguro — who have clearly learned from the leanness and wordlessness of movies. Movies have given us a new way to lose ourselves, and our artists a new, crafty, universal and post-verbal way to tell a story.” Yes, yes, yes — exactly. Pico’s eloquence comes to my rescue: these are the very things I have perhaps been fumbling to say about what movies do for us. Dive into the realm of new fantasy movies that have been bewitching both cinephiles and critics alike throughout 2023. From enthralling tales of magic and heroism to captivating adventures set in fantastical landscapes, this list showcases the cream of the crop in upcoming fantasy movies. The list is a culmination of carefully curated films that have garnered acclaim not only for their mesmerizing narratives but also for their impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores and undeniable potential as Oscar hopefuls. How true is such a thrilling, lofty vision of cinema when it comes to our own movies? How do Indian movies rate as art and entertainment, both now and in the past? I’ve been talking mostly of our shared, common experience of movie-watching in theatres and not in our homes, so how have we fared with our movie-going practices over the years?

Such were the captivating acts of the thespians on the screen. The audience was vocal, identifying itself intimately with the star. 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. 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. Most of the actors, directors, producers, and crew on such movies have passed on. Yet their work of art is here to tell the story. They are alive in our imagination.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. There are a few great documentaries that profile magicians that I decided not to include in this list. Maybe it's that they seem to be more personal than about magic, but for some reason I didn't want to include them even though they are great films. Those movies include:• An Honest Liar: This fascinating and touching film about James Randi chronicles his career from magician to noted skeptic, and even delves into his personal secrets quite a bit. Today I’d like to invite you to immerse yourself in the movies you want to watch—not by just passively consuming the story, but by fully living and experiencing it. Read My Lips", a 1993 episode of Batman: The Animated Series, features a villain called the Ventriloquist, who leads a group of criminals through the persona of his dummy Scarface. Most of the exterior shots were shot at Le Trianon resort on the Blue Lake in Upper Lake, California.