Pass or Fail: Strange Magic

There are two trailers out right now that have me intrigued. Both of them are about magicians... or illusionists... or whatever they call themselves today. There have been some great films about these performers, including "The Prestige" and "The Illusionist", and I always wish that these two will be as good as that, but this blog wouldn't be near as fun to write if they were.

Pass: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (March 15)

I don't want to enjoy this trailer near as much as I do, but I laugh at it every time I see it. It is so wonderfully absurd, and silly in all the right places. Steve Carrell plays an aging magician who has named himself Burt Wonderstone, and Steve Buscemi plays his life-long best friend, and partner. Their bad tans and horrible hairstyles are automatic laughs and a nice tribute to a style of showmanship that has become antiquated. Jim Carrey looks like he is going to be a riot as a parody of the Criss Angel/David Blaine generation of illusionists, and Alan Arkin should be great as the old cape and top hat magician who inspired Wonderstone (but when is he not great?). Also, I could look at Olivia Wilde all day. Director Dan Scardino has an impressive television resume, and the four writers have a very odd one, including John Francis Daley, the kid who played Sam on "Freaks and Geeks".

Fail: Now You See Me (June 7)

I am really hoping I am wrong about this one. I like everybody in this film, but it looks absolutely horrible. The premise of this film, a group of illusionists become bank robbers through the use of some sort of teleportation, seems extremely flimsy. The writing, especially lines like "The first rule of magic: be the smartest guy in the room," feels corny, and has been put in the hands of the men responsible for "Safe" (Boaz Yakin), "Imagine That" (Ed Solomon), and... actually the third writer has only co-written this. Not to mention, it has been directed by hit-or-miss director Louis Leterrier (Miss: the first two "Transporter" films. Hit: "Unleashed", "The Incredible Hulk"). I don't have a lot of confidence in this one. Seriously.

Extra Pass: Arrested Development: This is a little low res, but watching Gob make a complete ass of himself is always so much fun.