Now You See Me casts a spell in Oz

Now You See Me, a crime caper starring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson as bank robbing magicians, enthralled Australian audiences last weekend, replicating its global success.

The comedy, which co-stars Michael Caine as a rich guy who despatches the gang to Las Vegas where they are pursued by an FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) and an Interpol agent (Mélanie Laurent), conjured up $4 million including previews.

A change of pace and tone for French director Louis Leterrier (best known for the Transporter action flicks, Clash of the Titans and The Incredible Hulk), the film has raked in more than $US255 million worldwide: more than enough for Lionsgate to green light a sequel.

Pain & Gain, the Michael Bay-directed action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie, muscled into cinemas with a respectable $1.75 million.

English black comedy/horror item The World’s End tumbled by 54% to $496,000 in its second weekend, raking in $1.9 million to date.

Bollywood fans turned out en masse for Chennai Express, which checked in with a fine $385,000 on just 21 screens. Directed by Rohit Shetty, the comedy stars Shah Rukh Khan as a Mumbai man who journeys to a small town to fulfil the last wish of his grandfather and en route meets the daughter of a crime boss (Deepika Padukone).

The film grossed $US2.22 million on 196 screens in the US at the weekend, the biggest ever opening for an Indian release in that country.

Positive reviews for Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring had little discernible impact on ticket sales as the saga about a bunch of Los Angeles teenagers who steal jewellery, cash and clothes from the homes of rich and famous took $54,000 at 10 screens.

Roadshow gave a token cinema release to Gambit, a remake of a 1960s English heist caper that starred Michael Caine and Shirley Maclaine, with dire results. The new version was written by Joel and Ethan Coen and stars Colin Firth, Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay, evidently a waste of time and talent for all concerned. The film played just one session a day at 41 cinemas: the minimum required for a free-to-air TV deal.

– Inside Film

‘Now You See Me’: How real illusionists made movie magic

Magicians have amazed audiences with illusions for centuries, but in modern entertainment, filmmakers are the reigning wizards. Visual effects are their illusions. CGI is their bag of tricks. All that is very familiar to French director Louis Leterrier, whose movies include The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans. But for his latest movie, Now You See Me, opening today in theaters, he set out to limit the use of computer-generated effects.

“I was coming from those big spectacle movies where CGI was almost like one of the main characters, but from the very beginning [of developing Now You See Me] we decided to take a low-tech approach to everything,” Leterrier says.

Now You See Me stars Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco as magicians who come to be known as the Four Horsemen. When they rob a bank in the middle of one their spectacular show performances, they’re pursued by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).

For some inside knowledge of the magicians’ world, Leterrier hired David Kwong, founder of the Misdirectors Guild, a group of illusionists who consult on films. Kwong helped develop the film’s script and was one of multiple illusionists who taught the actors their tricks.

Continue reading ‘Now You See Me’: How real illusionists made movie magic

The lines between magic, illusion and crime blur in the “exceedingly clever” (Entertainment Weekly) Now You See Me arriving on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD, Digital Copy and Digital UltraViolet), DVD (plus Digital UltraViolet), Video on Demand and Pay-Per-View September 3 from Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company. Now You See Me will also be available for Digital Download August 30th, four days prior to the Blu-ray and DVD release. The Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Extended Director’s Cut of the film featuring 16 minutes of never-before-seen footage.

Prepare to be amazed as “The Four Horsemen,” a super-team of the world’s greatest illusionists, pull off a series of daring heists while evading a squad of FBI agents and an Interpol detective trying to stop them before their most daring final trick! Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans), Now You See Me is a visually spectacular blend of astonishing illusions and exhilarating action starring Academy Award nominees Jesse Eisenberg (Actor in a Leading Role, The Social Network, 2010) and Woody Harrelson Supporting Role, The Messenger, 2009) alongside Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby) and Dave Franco (Warm Bodies) as the magicians known as “The Four Horsemen.” The film also stars Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman (Actor in a Supporting Role, Million Dollar Baby, 2004) and Michael Caine (Actor in a Supporting Role, The Cider House Rules, 1999), plus Mark Ruffalo (Marvel’s The Avengers) and Mélanie Laurent (Beginners) as the law-enforcement team hot on their tails. The screenplay is by Ed Solomon and Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt, with a story by Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt.

Continue reading “Now You See Me” DVD and Blu-ray out September 3rd in US