Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

sidharthgupta-60714 Brilliant , mind blowing ,BIOGRAPHY DRAMA..........................................................................................................dont miss this one

Mark Turner I can honestly say that I love magic. No, not the hoodoo spooky stuff where people do incantations but the entertaining style of magic with card tricks and floating women. Doug Henning and David Copperfield style magic. And one of the most legendary performers of magic has been the Amazing Randi. Not only has he performed with amazing skill he's also taken the task of exposing film flam man and con artists who would prey on the innocent and gullible. This makes him a hero in my book.The title of this film involves a play on words of sort. We're told that magicians are actually liars to the nth degree but that unlike those who prey on people they are up front about it. They tell the audience in advance I'm going to lie to you and make you believe I have powers that don't exist when in fact I'm playing a trick on you. But there is something else to James Randi that many never knew about that made him an honest liar of a different sort. It wasn't something he quite hid but it wasn't something he talked about either. It was the fact that he was gay.But the movie doesn't focus solely on that. Instead it covers the life of this amazing magician from early no through his rise as a performer of note, appearing numerous times on programs like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He appeared on stages around the world. And at the height of his fame he stepped back and began a crusade to stop people from abusing tricks and skulduggery to harm folks into believing they could actually perform miracles they could not.The biggest scam he uncovered (and one I'd heard of prior to seeing this film) was a television minister who claimed her could heal the sick. This man would encourage people to toss away their prescribed medicines claiming they no longer needed them once he healed them. It turns out he was using an earpiece and the information he had on members of the audience was being fed to him by his wife in the back, information taken from cards people in the audience had filled out when they arrived. Randi exposed him for what he was and how he did what he was doing. Sadly for those who believe in the healing powers of faith it is charlatans like this that besmirch the name of those they claim to represent. Randi knew this and set out to shine a light on them.The movie not only talks about his life as a performer and debunker of false mystics, it talks about his life long relationship with his partner Jose Alves. This becomes another form of an open lie taking place as well. Having read about it before I wasn't stunned when it becomes known in the film just what that hidden piece of information is but I won't reveal it here for those unaware.What is nice about the topic of Randi's being gay in this film is that it doesn't turn it into a political stance. Their affection for one another is not something that they feel needs a huge display on film. You know by the end of the film just how much these two mean to one another and that's fine. Whether you agree or disagree with people who are gay doesn't make a difference in this film. It never becomes an issue. It is accepted and discussed and that's all there is to it.The work that Randi did in stopping charlatans who preyed on the weak was a noble effort. When he's gone I wonder who will be left to take up his cause. I'm hoping someone will do so, someone who has as much knowledge on the topic as he does. As for magicians there are always those who will amaze us with their abilities. Watching this film you witness just how great a magician he truly was/is and appreciate him for how amazing a performer he has been.You will also see that he has and always was an honest liar. He told us up front he planned on deceiving us. He did just that in more ways than one. And yet it never affected how we viewed him or how much we enjoyed what he was able to do. After watching this an appreciation for all he provided will be the end result.

atlasmb This documentary is a biography and it is in roughly chronological order. I feel the need to mention that fact in response to some who say they think the film has distinct parts and is disjointed. But this is not a drama and it was not written to achieve a story-ending resolution.I enjoyed the film very much. I was somewhat familiar with the work of The Amazing Randi (James Randi), but this film educated me regarding the extent of his work debunking hucksters and those who use deception to take from others, e.g. so-called psychics and faith healers. He started as an accomplished magician whose role model was Houdini. Eventually he made it his mission to expose those who misused their talents to defraud. The film outlines the various charlatans he exposed and how he accomplished that. It also reveals how these men have fared over the years and what that might mean regarding human nature.On a more personal level, Randi's life has had its own mysteries and dramas. The filmmakers interviewed Penn Jillette and other practitioners of magic regarding his place in the history of the discipline and his efforts to save the public from hoaxsters.In my opinion, Randi is a treasure who deserves a biography. His story documents the largest part of the modern-day struggle between those who dupe the public for their own gain and those who seek to protect the public from them.

deleau Without detailing into spoilers,This movie provided enough interesting lessons spanning much wider than just a movie. I think it's pretty unique in its underlying message, at least I don't know of any other movies with these lines underneath. I may even fall in a separate category. For scientists this movie will show you that there are other variables besides "controlled conditions" and "a bunch of references" which you should be taken into account, when performing tests with humans: humans may deliberately fraud your research. As far as I remember that was never a topic or even a consideration during classes on how to conduct controlled experiments. It also taught me that, no matter how smart you are, people will always be able to fool you. So you do need strict conditions and help of trained professionals when performing tests or experiments in this area.The movie also taught me that even if you put the plain proof that people are frauds in front of people, it is no use. Apparently people disregard the truth even with evidence and for reasons I can't yet comprehend, donate gazillion of dollars to frauds even with recorded proofs of fraudulent behavior. The movie made me aware that knowing the truth is one thing but assuming other people are interested in the truth is another thing.Apart from these and other pretty unique things the movie lets you think of ... it gives an insight in the career of Randi. I was not completely aware of his complete career, which was an eye opener.I also did not know how broad his operations stretched, the determination during the 2 years of paranormal research was absolutely stunning.If I would have to categorize the movie in my DVD/Blu-Ray collection I would create a separate drawer "Truth".