Neil Burger‘s The Illusionist (Yari Film Group, 8.18) is said to be a pretty good, moderately okay duelling-magician movie set in turn-of- the-century Vienna. Or at least, that was the general rumble after it showed at ’06 Sundance Film Festival. (I won’t see it until this weekend.) It stars Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Rufus Sewell .
On the other side of the lake is Chris Nolan‘s The Prestige (Touchstone, 10.20), a duelling magician set in turn-of-the-century London that’s said to be…well, much better . And they’re opening within two months of each other.
The Touchstone/Nolan stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine. I’m not sure if it’s going to Toronto or not, but ti’ve been hearing all along that it’s excellent, top-notch, a tight audience movie, etc. The problem is that I can’t seem to remember the damn title. Putting the word “the” before the word “prestige” doesn’t mean anything. Every time I try to say the title, it doesn’t come.