Make Believe

My son is really into magic and we were made aware of this film by people in his magic club. We downloaded it to my Kindle Fire HD and then connected it to our TV. HD format and quality of the film was what we hoped for. The film gave you a good idea on just how much time these people spend in perfecting their skills. It also gives you insight into the the competition side of performing a magic act if that is the way you want to go.

Very entertaining

This profiles some youths who go to Las Vegas to perform to be considered the best young magician. Insightful.

"Make Believe" is a surprisingly entertaining documentary covering the quest of young magicians competing to become the Teen World Champion at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. This is a look at some of the most talented of the contestants before, during, and after the competition. There is a subculture for almost everything and this documentary shows that the magician culture is very much alive and active.I enjoyed seeing how the kids balanced their daily lives with the demands of preparing for the competition. These are very dedicated and determined performers that literally spend hours a day practicing and refining their acts. The filmmakers did a great job capturing the emotions and sense of anticipation in the days leading up to the event.It is easy to forget how young these magicians are when you see the first rate magic they perform. It is also easy to forget that they are competing for a title that will help propel their magic careers and land them on TV specials if they win. Which leads to the only part of the documentary that I found somewhat distasteful, it involves an older woman "has-been" that encourages a girl contestant to flaunt her body and uses a crude term that has no place in what would have otherwise been a kid friendly family video.The "Extra Features" include a deeper look at the young contestants lives and a collection of instructional magic tricks, ranging from simple to amazingly difficult, that you can learn by watching the video.This was an entertaining and informative look into a world I didn't even know existed.Recommended!CFHNote: Review copy provided by manufacturer

*** This review may contain spoilers ***I have loved magic since I was a child. I would watch the old clips of Houdini wondering how he was able to escape from what I believed to be certain death! David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, and even Harry Anderson (the judge from TV show Night Court). I loved watching them all. I had no idea there was even a magic competition for young magicians.I really like how this documentary puts the young people front and center. The cast themselves mention all the magicians I knew and a few I had never even heard of. The teens are all wonderful and very dedicated. The personalities covered a wide emotional spectrum. The kids are shy, and introverted, but they are also confident, and hilarious. All of the emotions are right there at the surface (these are teens after all). The filmmakers went further though, and showed the true depth of feeling each person has. They all truly love what they are doing.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++Small spoiler here!! Skip it!!! WATCH OUT!! +++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++There was only one off-putting person/moment in this movie. I believe it is worth mentioning though. There is an older woman magician. Supposedly she was great back in the day. I didn't know who she was. She started off great, and seemed to be taking a couple of the performers under her wing. Then her attitude and input turned very coarse and inappropriate when speaking with the only girl performer. She advised the young girl, who I believe was 16 or 17 years old, to use her body to be more famous. The older woman used crude and very offensive language with her "advice". Did not like her at all.++++++++++++++++++End of Spoiler+++++++++++++++++++Overall, the entire movie is very real and touching. The film shows what can be done with a documentary using an honest approach with no agenda. If you love magic, or your children do, watch this movie. It shows how hard work, dedication, and practice truly have a huge impact. Even if you aren't a big fan of magic, I bet you will still find the heart of this movie to be genuine, and universal.

I envy these kids. Not because they can perform magic, but because each one has found a skill which they want to develop and feel a passion and commitment for. I don't think a person would have the energy and drive to keep perfecting their magic skills unless they really felt something for it. I thought the Japanese teen was the most amazing - he taught himself how to perform magic with very little resources compared to the other teen. I liked how he incorporated nature into his magic, and practiced for hours. What talent!

This is just a documentary of Krystyn Lambert's increasing decent into madness. The blank emotionless stares she gives makes me worried for anyone who tries to compete with her.

"Make Believe" is a documentary following six young magicians as they compete in a teen magic competition pitting the best young magicians from around the world. Three of them are from the United States, one from Japan, and two from Africa. It was heartwarming. In fact, I was a little teary eyed when the winner was announced and the one I was rooting for won. I even googled him, because I'd love to see the kid on tour.My children were captivated, although I admit to cringing with the occasional crude language. They noticed it less than I did. The DVD includes a tutorial section on mostly card tricks that were basic but pretty ingenious. The kids immediately began trying to perform them. This film may have just inspired some budding artists. My husband and I can't get away from them trying to show us competing card tricks.Overall, the children both enthusiastically rate this documentary five stars. I thought it was excellent. Very well done.This product was provided for review by Passion River Films.