Mismatched teen brothers in a post-magic fantasy land embark on a quest to communicate with their long-dead father. Straightforward relationship comedy/road movie with plenty of fun detail and some great animation, even if there aren’t any real surprises along the way.
Here’s the trailer.
Matters converge: a final stand at Hogwarts against Voldemort. The last part of the eight-film cycle delivers in terms of epic action sequences, resolutions for characters followed over multiple movies, and a decent coda; no real surprises, and nothing for outsiders, which is perhaps as it should be.
An arrogant and jaded Las Vegas stage magician has to find himself again after being sacked. Inconsistent but intermittently fantastic comedy; its perfunctory redemption arc story is bolstered with some great gags and a dark undercurrent throughout. Alan Arkin, as ever, steals the movie.
Documentary biography of card mechanic Richard Turner, who is blind. Excellent introduction to the world of the leading card magician/card shark, dealing equally with blindness and with sleight of hand as subject areas.
Documentary on the late American magician, his inspirations in magic and his place in contemporary close-up magic. A fine career overview and just enough of a glimpse into the man to reveal his complexities as a person. Highly recommended.
A veteran LA cop partners with the first orc officer; they find themselves in the middle of an ancient magic war. While the procedural and mismatched partners stuff is great, Bright is saddled with too much backstory and a daft third act. Feels like a big-budget TV series pilot.
An immortal witch-hunter tackles an ancient foe. At times well-directed, but this is nevertheless a muddled and uninvolving action fantasy effort which suffers from convoluted plotting, an underpowered villain, and decent actors phoning in performances.
255 Review 