The Illusionist/Hollywoodland

Yup, it’s a new blog. I took some time off with the start of the new school season, but it’s back to the reviews. This past week I saw two films that were not on my fall movie list. I guess I now know the reason why I make such lists. Not that these two movies were terrible, but they weren’t the greatest pieces of cinema either. Since I have the same complaints with both films, I’ll save myself some time and review them together.

On the surface, The Illusionist and Hollywoodland have good things going for them; they both have big name, Oscar worthy stars in a stylized film drenched in mystery. Unfortunately, it’s the slowly dragging plot that does the movies in. The only redeeming factor in both The Illusionist and Hollywoodland is the superb acting. The Illusionist stars Edward Norton (American History X, Primal Fear) as a famed illusionist and Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man, Sideways) as a cop trying to figure Norton out. I find both actors are compelling to watch as they revel in the their thick accents and convey volumes of meaning in just one glance. Even supporting turns by Rufus Sewell (Dark City) and Jessica Biel (7th Heaven) are well done. In Hollywoodland, Adrien Brody (The Pianist) does a fine job as a washed up, publicity-craving detective who investigates the ‘mysterious’ death of George Reeves. And while some may disagree, I enjoyed seeing Ben Affleck as the washed up George Reeves who only had the role of Superman to call his own. So if you watch these two movies to just looking for great acting, I don’t think you’d be disappointed.

Unfortunately, we often go to the movies to see a well-paced story of some sort. I remember watching a TV commerical for The Illusionist that warned the viewers not to spoil the secret of the movie. I guess that those people responsible for the warning have not realized that audiences have become smarter and more suspicious ever since the big reveal of The Sixth Sense. I won’t spoil the film for you, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to see what is really going on. I will admit that I did find the feats of illusion to be fascinating and way above the work of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. What really hurts The Illusionist, however, is the slow pace of the film that seems to stretch every second of Norton’s concentration on stage. Pace is also a problem with the noir-ish Hollywoodland. The film takes too much time watching Adrien Brody think things through. That, and if you know the story of George Reeve’s death, there’s not that much mystery. The film did, however, do a great job showing the similar beaten path taken by Affleck’s Reeves and Brody’s detective. But all I have to say is, if I have to check my watch, the film is going on too long.

In conclusion, these films would be better viewed as a rental instead of spending your precious time constantly shifting your seat in the theatre. What’s weird is that there are two films coming up shortly that seem very familiar, yet far superior to these films. Instead of The Illusionist, wait for The Prestige which also deals with magicians but features Hugh Jackman and Chirstian Bale and is written & directed by the stellar Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins). Instead of watching Hollywoodland, go see The Black Dahlia, another gritty noir directed by Brian DePalma (Scarface, Carrie) and written by the guy who wrote LA Confidential. Let’s just hope that second time’s the charm.