You can certainly see how this was a story by Jacques Tati, although I think the medium of animation is more ideally suited to the story. In fact the medium of traditional animation seems to be made for this tale seeing as it is about somebody who is talented but ignored in an art form that is slowly losing its audience. As with all of Chomet's films it is exquisitely animated with lots of lovely little touches and nuances to the character animations. It feels quaint and filled with a longing sense of nostalgia but in a timeless way rather than becoming outdated.

The physical and slapstick comedy is never laugh out funny but it is still amusing enough to…

Film 47 of The December Project

I can't give this only one rating:4.5 stars, and also 3.

4.5 A beautiful bittersweet animation set in 1959 showing the other side of the magic of rock 'n' roll, an old magician struggling to get by.
The lead singer of one of the new bands was so well drawn I could almost imagine joining in with all the girls screaming for him, and the movement of other music hall acts, acrobats and ventriloquists, was conjured in a lovely fashion.

Most of all, though, it's the places. The Scottish islands episode made me hanker for Whisky Galore and Monarch of the Glen. And Edinburgh in the remainder of the film is the best animated…

Zeggen dat wij een beetje verlekkerd uitkeken naar de nieuwste animatieparel van Sylvain Chomet is als zeggen dat Bart De Wever zich graag enig Latijns gebrabbel laat ontvallen. Chomets eersteling, 'Les triplettes de Belleville', was immers negentig minuten woordeloze klasse, animatie waardoor het hart verscheidene malen in de keel klopte en waarbij de weemoed in wolkjes door de cinemazaal leek te drijven. De cinema van Chomet is de cinema van de verwondering, animatie gefileerd van oeverloze franjes en gekscherende personages, zodat er enkel een bloedmooie geraffineerde parel overblijft. Dat is niet anders bij 'The illusionist', nu al met stip de mooiste en meest ontroerende animatiefilm van het jaar.

Niet toevallig vangt de film aan met een leeg podium. Het rode…

Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature, this wistful tale follows the fading fortunes of aging illusionist Tatischeff , who’s forced to perform in obscure venues as his act is eclipsed by the growing popularity of rock bands. He gets an emotional lift, though, from a wide-eyed girl named Alice, who thinks he possesses magic powers. But Tatischeff’s “sleight of hand” efforts to impress her with expensive gifts may lead to his financial undoing. (Netflix)

I could watch films like THE ILLUSIONIST all day long.

Possibly my favorite piece of animated cinema is the first half of Wall-E. While not as fantastical or imaginative as those 40-or-so minutes, THE ILLUSIONIST gave me that same feeling of wonder and wide-eyed awe throughout its…

Such a great and moving film. This films shows you that there can still be life after the jobs we think rule our lives are over whether it is because we got fired or can't cut it anymore do to the jobs not being relevant and really it is about a person starting the second act of their lives and rather than letting the past stop them, we move on and continue with out lives. I feel that this film is really moving to me and it will surely move others too not just with the great animation but the great writting for the character despite how little he actually says. It also doesn't shy from the negative things associated…