IT’S MAGIC!

Do magicians really do magical things? Or is it all just an illusion? Does it matter? There are some fine movies about magicians; you can make up your own mind about the questions above. 
John Malkovich is The Great Buck Howard (2009), a “mentalist” whose time in the sun is long gone. But he hangs on to the act, and a young man (Colin Hanks, Tom’s son) drops out of law school to tour with him. His greatest trick is to hypnotize an entire roomful of people. So did he do it nor not? You decide. Malkovich is, as always, just really good. 
The Prestige (2006) is any magician’s one great trick that nobody else can do. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are rival magicians, employing spies, artifice, and all sorts of bad stuff to steal the other’s big trick. Michael Caine is on hand as an old pro at all things magic. The tricks are super and the ending either proves (or does not?) that there really is magic in the world. 
The redoubtable Emma Thompson is the nanny from heaven in the strange but terrific Nanny McPhee (2005). Summoned to straighten out some of the worst brats on the planet, she makes her way inch by inch to do just that. She knows lots of tricks, but the best magic here is that Nanny starts out as ugly as homemade sin and gradually gets better looking as her wiles begin to work. A sequel is also quite good.  
The Illusionist (2006) is a wonderful film filled with romance, mystery, intrigue and incredible magic tricks. Edward Norton is the magician. He is in love with the fiancee of the dreadful Crown Prince. When she refuses to marry the prince (and his plans to overthrow his father), he reacts violently against her. Mr. Norton hatches a whole new act in which he appears to bring back people from the other side in full view of sold-out audiences. One of the apparitions (?) is Jennifer Biel, the woman who refused the Crown Prince. Chief Inspector Paul Giamatti arrests the illusionist for creating a public disturbance. But where is he? That’s all I can really tell. 
Now You See Me (2013) has a stellar cast and is loads of fun. Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo and Woody Harrellson are on board in a fascinating flick. A group of four magicians seems to perform impossible tricks, such as looting a Paris bank vault while doing a show in Las Vegas and spraying the stolen money into the crowd. More hi-jinks follow and there’s a stunning twist. But- beware the tepid sequels. 
OK, I did not save the best for last. Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician (1989) certainly isn’t to all tastes. It wasn’t to mine. It’s sort of a horror comedy that doesn’t really work as either.  Don’t say you weren’t warned!
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.