![]() ![]() For example: The Horsemen steal $140 million from Michael Caine, who in this movie is a stingy insurance magnate who, for unexplained reasons, decides to sponsor the nationwide tour of a bunch of unknown street magicians. Sherman: Some other stuff makes less sense. Serrano: I mean, that’s basically all of magic. The entire heist was based on Common seeing the mirror and being fooled and deciding not to get closer. It’s the same reason people sitting in the audience when a magician does the bunny trick don’t see their own reflection as they watch. And since the mirror is angled downward, you have to get really close to it before you’d see anything in it (they show how close you’d have to get to it later). Common and the other officers don’t actually enter the room. It is not explained why, when a group of cops led by Common sprint into the room, they don’t see their own reflections. One of the big heists in the movie is based around the movie’s protagonists, the Four Horsemen, putting an enormous mirror in a room and hiding a safe behind it, the same way magicians make rabbits disappear in boxes. Some of the stuff plainly doesn’t make sense. ![]() Except this one begins with a slick opening sequence explaining that magic only works because we let ourselves be deceived, and if we look closely there’s an explanation. I’m fine with movies where nothing makes any sense. Sherman: So, the main thing I don’t like about Now You See Me is that after, like, 30 minutes, basically nothing makes sense. What don’t you like about it? Let’s go piece by piece through it. But it seems strange to pretend that it’s not at least a little bit interesting to watch Jesse Eisenberg (nominated for an Oscar), Woody Harrelson (nominated for three Oscars), Dave Franco (smokin’ hot), Isla Fisher (nominated for 13 different non-Oscar awards), Michael Caine (nominated for six Oscars), Morgan Freeman (nominated for five Oscars), Mélanie Laurent (a brilliant actress), and Mark Ruffalo (nominated for three Oscars, and also he’s the Incredible Hulk) take magic very seriously for 115 minutes. It’s, of course, not a top-level movie, sure. Shea Serrano: I was surprised to learn that you didn’t like Now You See Me back when you saw it the first time and am surprised again right now to learn that you still don’t like Now You See Me. I felt robbed of my time on my first run-through of the movie, and then I watched it again. And guess what: I hated it exactly as much as I did the first time. I’m mad at you because after that conversation we decided to make it into a post, and I had to rewatch Now You See Me so I could argue my points better. People are allowed to disagree on things. Our difference in opinions on the movie isn’t why I’m now mad at you. Now You See Me is just like, “Oh, that was magic I guess?” and hopes we accept it. Some heist movies explain what happens at the end. I was angry at myself, for buying into the suavely executed setup of the movie and deciding to stick around for the last 90 minutes, which is complete bonkers nonsense that falls apart under the slightest bit of scrutiny. I have never been as angry at a movie as I was when the credits started to roll, and I wasn’t just angry at the filmmakers. You said it was “fun.” I hated Now You See Me. You like the movie Now You See Me, the heist movie in which a group of magicians use their skills of deception and manipulation to steal millions of dollars, outsmart the FBI, and teach the world the true meaning of magic. You seem like a nice guy, and we like a lot of the same things-basketball dogs running a mile and a half and walking a half mile and saying we ran two miles-but recently we found something we disagree on. Rodger Sherman: Listen, Shea, I’m mad at you, and you have exactly As Long As It Takes to Write This Article minutes to get me to stop being mad at you. Because I thought it was interesting that he carried such strong and specific feelings toward it in his chest.-Shea Serrano That, however, turned out to extremely not be the case. I had assumed that Rodger, given the things I know about him, enjoyed and appreciated the silly fun of Now You See Me. ![]() It’s about 2013’s Now You See Me, a movie concerning magicians who steal things from places. What follows is a conversation between me and Rodger Sherman, also a staff writer at The Ringer. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |