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This Weeks Movie Reviews: Quinceanera Written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. Cinematography, Eric Steelberg. Music, Victor Bock, Michael B. Jeter, J. Peter Robinson and Micko Westmoreland. Starring Chalo González, Jesse Garcia, Emily Rios and J.R. Cruz. Sony Pictures Classics, 2006. R. 90 minutes.
Echo Park in Los Angeles is a neighborhood in transition. From the refurbished Victorians of Angelino Heights to the views of downtown from Echo Park Lake, this traditionally Hispanic and artist-friendly enclave offers a little something for everyone. It's not surprising, then, that this eclectic community worries about losing its traditional character to gentrification. Good fences might make good neighbors, as Robert Frost said, but sometimes good fences make it hard to see each other. Read more...
The Illusionist Directed by Neil Burger. Screenplay by Neil Burger, based on the short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser. Cinematography, Dick Pope. Music, Philip Glass. Starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel and Rufus Sewell. Yari Film Group, 2006. PG-13. 109 minutes. Lovely magic tricks aside, The Illusionist is at heart a familiar tale of against-the-odds romance, set in turn-of-the-19th-century Vienna for no apparent reason other than that it sounds neat (Prague stood in for filming). The magician Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is being investigated by Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) at the request of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), who doesn't trust Eisenheim, largely because Leopold can't figure out how the illusionist does his tricks. Uhl does as he's told, evincing as much backbone as a sock puppet and about as much character. He tells Eisenheim he's something of an amateur conjurer, but the only evidence to back up this claim is Uhl's interest in Eisenheim's astonishing orange tree trick. Read more...
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