magic...

Every once in awhile, the movie studios all get the SAME EXACT IDEA.

"Let's make a movie about.... A giant asteroid!" And so three movies about giant asteroids hurtling toward earth...

"Let's make a movie about... A volcano!" And so Pierce Brosnan races Tommy Lee Jones to the lava flow.

Next up?

Actually, (finally!) a positive confluence... similarly themed, but oh so better than generic disaster picks and big budget eye candy.

Old time magicians!

Now, before you shout "next" and click on to the next blog, hear me out...
Check these-

The Illusionist:

"A supernatural mystery that combines romance, politics and magic, The Illusionist is the latest film from the producers of the Oscar winners Crash and Sideways. The film stars Academy Award nominees Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti as two men pitted against each other in a battle of wits."

And then in October...

The Prestige:

"From acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan (“Memento,” “Batman Begins”), comes a mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. Bale and Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The rivalry is so intense that it turns them into murderers."

Yeah! Love stuff like this...

One of my favorite books recently was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a book about... old time magicians!

And... I was in Powell's recently (Biggest Bookstore in America! And one of the best perks of living in P-Town) and picked up, by chance, a novel called Carter Beats the Devil... about an old-time magician caught up in the death of Warren G Harding. I am loving this book. And since you can get used copies on Amazon for $.68, maybe you should check it out too...