I just rented the DVD, The Great Buck Howard.

I beleive it cam out around March of 2009, but not certain.

If you are a fan of Kreskin (and I am), then you will want to run out and rent this DVD too.

Admittedly, there is not much depth given to the primary character, but he (John Malkovitch?) is a a superb actor and as a result has the Kreskin-like character down pat --plus it does have its message (fame is fleeting, and... you don't have to follow your parent's career vision for yourself to find hapiness --instead, go out and find who you really are and pursue your dream(s)while there's time, etc.).

I'm a real fan of Tom Hanks, and so seeing him in a walk-on role as the father of his real life son (Colin Hanks) was a treat. The chemistry beween them is palpable.

I also really enjoyed his son, Colin Hanks, performance.

The filming is of top quality and does a great job of showing the behind the curtain life of a variety type of performer. For an extra little chuckle, keep your eyes closely on the words found on the markees (hit the pause button, if need be) as Buck Howard carries out his whirlwind road tour and visits one city after another.

There are a few guest appearances of several of current TOP celebrities,and this makes the film fun to watch as well.

The behind the scenes Bonus section of this DVD was, sadly, not so satisfying (they could have shown so much more). However, Kreskin is interviewed in one of these clips and that was a a true treat (as I said, I have always liked Kreskin. In fact, I was a "young lad", in the 60's, and used to watch and enjoy his weekly broadcast with my family. Then, two years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing him perform Live at an Ottawa Theatre).

The actual mentalism routines performed throughout the film are very few and far between, which was disappointing (and a bit surprising since it is all about a Mentalist), but understandable (since it is really about being a celebrity, not about the tricks themselves).

The scenes where Buck Howard is interviewed by several well-known celebraties about his newly released book, "Mentally Cooking", I found to be a riot (suffice it to say I am a big Jon Stewart fan).

I am not so sure that the general public (non-mentalists, non -magicians, non-entertainers) will turly enjoy and appreciate the B level movie. But I sure did and believe many of my fellow Café members will too.

Jonathan

BTW. My apologies, the correct spelling of JM's name is: "John Malkovich"

...did I mention that Ricky Jay is in this Movie.

http://www.themovieinsider.com/m2686/great-buck-howard/

The Official Buck Howard Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9dloJn5BRA&feature=fvw

More objective review:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/movies/20buck.html

I thought the movie was very good.

I've watched it 4 times already. I love this movie. However, I have yet to watch the bonus sections. Thanks for the heads up.

Having seen the movie, as well as having seen Kreskin perform live, I can tell you that I prefer Buck Howard.

Bob Phillips

Loved the movie. I thought it was fascinating from start to finish and apparently, is very close to the Amazing Kreskin's real life story.

Yes I agree this movie is fun to watch and quite well-constructed in terms of plot and dramatic interest. However, the 'magical' and 'mentalist' elements wre rather threadbare and in this respect, disappointing for us magicians. For the general public though, it was quite well-received. To me, the best movie in terms of the magical as well as theatrical elements was/is/will always be 'MAGIC' starring those great thespians, Antony Hopkins, Burgess Meredith and Ann-MArgret (well, maybe not the third name! But still great eye-candy!).

Yes, I remember going to see Kreskin perform in Manhattan, KS at Kansas State several years ago. He did his demonstration of "psychokinesis" using a Milson-Worth Astro Ball Cabinet. He later performed the Himber Linking Finger Rings, stating that "these are not like the big rings that magicians use...the one's with a gap in them." He then closed out his act by looking for his check. He did not find it. He then berated the poor lady who was the chair of the committee by angrily asking her if they had followed his instructions. She did what anyone would do when yelled at and started to stutter. He then gave a large "guilt trip" to the committee by saying that "Even though you did not follow my instructions, I am going to go ahead and donate my fee anyway."

A memorable performance.

Bob Phillips

Been trying to remember the name of this dvd,so I could rent it. Who is the star actor that plays Buck Howard? Wasn`t this about an aging magician who is retired and down on his luck? John

Ropeadope,

Please read the posts at the top of this thread to answer some of your quesitons.
John Malkovitch (sp?) was the lead.

Jonathan

Finally had a chance to see this last night myself...great movie! I found it interesting that when he had the chance to move up in the limelight again, he flubbed it on purpose because he preferred the smaller venues and more intimate crowds.

BTW...ropeadope...you might be thinking of the movie that Michael Caine did last year in which he played a retired magician...

Rick wrote: BTW...ropeadope...you might be thinking of the movie that Michael Caine did last year in which he played a retired magician...
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The name of the Michael Caine movie is... "Is Anyone There". Superb (yet little known) movie. Very touching (actually heart-wrenching)look into the life of an aging Magician who moves slowly into Dementia, while befriending a young boy who is fascinated with this man's magic and with ghosts.

Very well acted. British touch.

Jonathan

Just an FYI, I looked up Is Anyone There on netflix and it's on streaming. I plan on watching it this weekend.

This thread is starting to shift focus (...my fault One more comment about Is Anyone there and it will have earned its own rightful post... in fact:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=111&0

...don't ask me how this happened --it just "did"!

Great movie. Met Kreskin several times. True to life.

"I love this town!"

One of the all time great movie lines.