recommended

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Having watched many of these early Melies films, the disembodied are a regular staple. But this one is special because while the clown that is at the center of the scene sits on a chair, his arms leave him an retrieve things for him. At another point, he splits into six parts and does all kinds of craziness. It is pretty seamless too. Don't miss this one.

Extraordinary Illusions (1901)*** (out of 4) aka Dislocation mystérieuse Neat little film from master director Meiles has him playing a clown who sits in a magic chair and various things begin to happen. The big key of magic in this film is that the clown stays in one spot while his arms, legs, head and eventually body begin to move to other places. There are two tables away from the chair and we get several gags of the arms having the move away from the body to get to these tables. The special effects must have really blown people's minds back when this was released because they remain quite good even after one-hundred years. There are some nice laughs as well but again, the main reason to watch this are the wonderful effects.