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As anyone who has followed my blog for a while will know, I love a bit of magic in my movies and television. The Illusionist and my reviews of Charmed will more than back this up. The good old Hocus Pocus is mainly an added plus when I watch something on the subject of the supernatural and magical. So today I ask, what are your favourite shows and movies about magic? Is it an older movie? A modern show? Whatever your pick, please let me know.
vinnieh 
for some reason I have been watching the Tommy Cooper shows from when he was alive. He was an understated magician because he played the fool. what is easier playing a great magician or being a great magician and playing a terrible one and adding comedy into the mix.
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Thanks for giving your thoughts. I think I’ve caught bits of his act in the past, through repeats on television.
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Totally agree!!! His ‘multiplying’ bottle trick was both astounding and hilarious 🙂
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Yes very underrated
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I dunno, he was very popular and respected so not necessarily underrated.
But I know what you mean about playing the fool and actually being marvellous!
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The Prestige and The Harry Potter series are probably my favourite movies based on magic!
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I knew it wouldn’t be long before Harry Potter got a mention, I love those movies. Real staples of my growing up
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I’m not the ‘biggest’ fan of stuff to do with magic generally speaking….. but I LOVE Harry Potter. The books mainly though the films were good adaptations.
I was a HUGE fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that definitely contains a lot of magic 🙂
I can think of some non-traditional ‘magic’ movies I like such as Pan’s Labyrinth or Spirited Away. Maybe some Disney movies too. But I don’t love any movies about magic directly….I think.
Though for me, the real magic is never the magic, Harry Potter or Buffy for instance, I love both series because of the characters, the humour and in the case of Buffy, the scary monsters!
Oh and I’m a huge fan of Derren Brown 🙂 but he’s a real mix of everything!
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Gotta love Harry Potter. And thanks for the Buffy shout out, Woo Hoo.
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LOVE Buffy 🙂 and I know you do too!
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I’m a major fan of Buffy and her kick ass exploits.
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And her tight pink, leather trousers?
Sorry, I shouldn’t start it off should I!!
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Haha, I don’t know how she managed to fight demons in some of the outfits she wore.
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She would have ripped those trousers at some point lol.
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Exactly, but somehow through slayer powers she avoided any outfit ruining.
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Exactly!! 🙂
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Buffy Summer just rocks.
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Buffy! Good call. I used to love Bewitched, you’re probably too young to remember that!
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I know of the premise behind Bewitched, but I’ve never really watched it.
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It was good in its time. They made a movie of it starring Nicole Kidman, Will Farrell and other famous peeps, but that didn’t get great reviews.
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Have you ever seen Charmed?
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Yes though not a regular watcher, liked the original series with Shannon wotserface I didn’t see much of the others.
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It’s one of my favourite shows.
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Just Harry Potter. I am a total nerd. I binge watch and read them over and over.
I also like some of the cheesy “scary” movies like Warlock…. 🙂 such a nerd
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Harry Potter is an excellent series.
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Yes, I’m infatuated with it…..
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I am a lover of ‘The Illusionist’, as you know. I don’t generally watch the big magic acts, like Penn and teller, or Copperfield. I don’t enjoy all the showy razzmatazz that goes with them. I do like the close-up magic, sleight of hand in front of your eyes. I should mention the TV series ‘Jonathan Creek’ too, which takes apart some very clever and convoluted illusions, and shows how they might have been achieved.
Cheers mate, Pete.
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I appreciate the mysterious side to certain magic things.
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There was a short lived series called Dresden Files, adapted from a book series that was pretty good. It was about a wizard living in modern day chicago.
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Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that.
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486657/
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Thanks, I’ll give it a look.
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Got to mention The Witches of Eastwick, great fun and Jack Nicholson hamming it up grand!
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That was a wickedly fun movie with Nicholson perfectly cast as the Devil and the trio of Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon.
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Bewitched for Tv and Movie Death Becomes Her, with Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Meryl Streep
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I really like Death Becomes Her, wicked fun.
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yep I agree
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I’m a pretty big fan of Nolan’s “The Prestige”. Also adore the animated Tati homage “The Illusionist”. And does “Fantasia” count?
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It’s been way too long since I last viewed The Prestige, that needs to change. Fantasia definitely counts Keith.
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The Prestige for one, but if you’re looking for something a little different be sure to check out the Disney show, ‘Gravity Falls’ that only very recently finished its two season running. Hands down some of the most creative writing I have ever seen with great characters and super rad supernatural happenings. It’s a curious blend of kids humour and darker more complex themes. Even though I’ve seen the entire show I still watch single episodes whenever I have a spare 20 minutes. Just phenomenal. Be sure to avoid all spoilers as it is an incredibly immersive show and if you get hooked you’ll want to find out the big reveals for yourself. I often found myself sitting mouth agape, absolutely stunned.
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I’ve made a note of that James, appreciate the recommendation.
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I loved The Prestige, The Craft, and Teen Witch (YES!) to start with a few 🙂
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Good call on The Craft, I love that film.
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Number one for me is Hocus Pocus! Love me some Bette Midler 🙂 I saw her perform “I Put a Spell on You” LIVE as part of her Divine Intervention tour last year. Furthermore, I also like Harry Potter, The Dark Crystal, LOTR, Charmed, the Illusionist, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
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Gotta love Hocus Pocus. LOTR are some of my favourite movirs and Charmed one of my favourite shows. If you haven’t already, I reviewed LOTR trilogy and every season of Charmed.
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I believe I have read your LOTR review, but I will definitely check out your Charmed one. I just finished posting my movie review of the week. Not really that interested in Eddie the Eagle or Triple 9 this week (though I am seeing Triple 9 tonight), so I did a throwback Thursday review today.
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I’ll take a look soon.
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I’ll watch anything with magic, mystery and a promise of the supernatural. They’re my first choice of shows or films.
Buffy, Charmed, Sabrina, Ghost Whisperer (LOVED this, my Charmed back up), Sleepy Hollow, Being Human, iZombie… I could go on and on.
Films wise, I do love a bit of Del Toro and was pleased to see Emma mention Pan’s Labyrinth. Which weirdly alway reminds me of the first film I saw Tom Cruise in (even though the world hadn’t rated him at that point) – Legend. Tim Curry’s devil is as perfectly camp as it is creepy. But yes, I’ll watch them all!
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You’ve got exceptional taste Haylee, supernatural sister.
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Haha *bows*
I’m sure I’d lose cool points for some of the things I’ve watched and loved though. Paranormal Activity 10 anyone? Yeah, I’d still be watching it!
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Haha, if you like it, go forth and watch it.
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Buffy was great – the sharp one-liners, the great interactions between the characters. Watched every one. Was not so keen on Sarah Michelle Geller oddly enough. Found her too squawky.
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I’m one of the biggest Buffy fans out there, I love the show to death and the character of Buffy is one of the best woman warriors there is.
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Hmm.
Movies: Harry Potter, The Prestige, LOTR trilogy, Howl’s Moving Castle, Stardust, The Princess Bride, Pan’s Labyrinth and Labyrinth.
TV: Supernatural, Buffy, Charmed, The Dresden series (I’m still ticked off at the SyFy Channel for not giving this a chance!) Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, The Magicians.
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I knew you’d have some fabulous choices Kim. Buffy and Charmed are the high points of the magic genre. LOTR is one of the best trilogies in movie history.
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🙋🏻🙋🏻🙋🏻
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Charmed, Buffy for tv. As for movies, my favorites include: The Craft, Simply Irresistible (if you love Buffy, check out this SMG gem), LOTR and Sleepy Hollow (Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci).
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I’m thrilled to see Buffy and Charmed being so highly regarded as they’re two shining examples of television magic. Haven’t seen Simply Irresistible but I’ll seek it out. Sleepy Hollow is one stylish horror movie.
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Vinnie, you’ll love Simply Irresistible as I know how much you adore SMG. 🙂 Yes, I watch that Sleepy Hollow at least three times a year. It’s well-acted and one of my favorites.
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I’m adding it to my must watch list. I love the Gothic atmosphere of Sleepy Hollow, all the mist and menace.
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I agree, the cinematography of Sleepy Hollow reminds me of live theatre. Plus, I love Christopher Walken as the Horseman. 😉
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It does have an old-fashioned theatrical feeling to it. And that music, so ghostly and evocative.
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I’ve never seen the Illusionist actually. I want to, but never got around to it!
My favourites would have to be Charmed, Harry Potter and Supernatural. Supernatural is just fantastic. I absolutely love it, but Charmed will hold a little place in my heart forever.
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Charmed will be in my thoughts until my last day on Earth.
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Jonathan Creek was always interesting. There was a series back in the 70’s with Bill Bixby called The Magician where he would help people and solve crimes while using magic. It was a lot of fun and Bixby himself learned the art and became an accomplished magician in order to perform all the illusions without the use of camera tricks! Blacke’s Magic with Hal Linden was also good. I love Penn & Tellers Fool Us, but I’m biased because of knowing Teller personally. Still, it’s a lot of fun and you’re exposed to other artist in field of magic. I truly loved The Illusionist, as you know, but I also enjoyed Now You See Me Now You Don’t, and a sequel is coming. Then there’s Houdini with Tony Curtis, a pure fabrication of the man and his talent, but highly entertaining. In the animated and CGI category I enjoyed Disney’s The Sword and the Stone where Merlin and his bumbling magical spells are a hoot, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks a filmed seeping with atmosphere that surrounds the art of magic. And of course, there are the Harry Potter films.
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I used to love Bedknobs and Broomsticks, such a fun and good hearted film.
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I loved it for the same reason. :o)
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Am currently binging on Once Upon A Time on Netflix (about 2/3 through Series 2). I wouldn’t have thought I’d like it that much but it’s brilliant.
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I have friends who say it is a very good show.
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I was absolutely in love with Charmed when I was young!
I also quite enjoyed Practical Magic. =)
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I think I’ll always be in love with Charmed, it holds a very special place in my heart. I recently watched Practical Magic and what a little gem it is!
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My favorite genre of all times. Making me choose is harsh punishment. But supernatural, charmed, van helsing, witches of east end, salem, the cartoon W.I.T.C.H, am going to stop their cause this might take a while…
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Another lover of Charmed, I’m surrounded by such greatness.
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Ooh… I did a top 10 about this: http://abbiosbiston.com/2013/12/12/my-top-10-magical-movies/
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I’ll take a gander.
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I know it’s illusions rather than magic, but I’m a big fan of The Prestige. It really reminds me of Houdini, Carter, and Keller, etc. That stuff fascinates me. In terms of TV, I can’t say I watch enough, but there was a half decent Houdini biopic on History or Discovery fairly recently.
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I like The Prestige, a very mysterious movie.
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Practical Magic. Buffy. Charmed 👌
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Three of the best Kitt, I love all of them.
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Harry Potter. HP! There’s nothing like that sense of wonder I still get when i watch it for like the 20th time HAHA
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I grew up watching those movies so they hold a special place in my heart.
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Buffy, Harry, The Prestige and I always thought the pencil spinning in The Craft was awesome.
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Buffy just rocks so much. I always loved The Craft and the pencil spinning. I used to wish I could do that if I was bored in class.
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Totally. I’d have negotiated for Neve Campbell as my girlfriend too.
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Haha, she is so gorgeous.
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I think Harry Potter will always be my favourite magical thing ever. Been a fan since age 11! Makes me feel really old thinking about it.
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I grew up with the series, holds a special place in my heart.
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Hmmm… For me, it’s got to be Charmed and Supernatural. Unfortunately, there isn’t a responsible way to put one over the other, so it has to be both.
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Long Live Charmed!
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My all time favorites are Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie ❤ If you want to include magic as an element and not main thing, add Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries to the mix, please 😀
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You’re a real supernatural chick.
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You have no idea 😂
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