Alicia I love this movie so much

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

HeadlinesExotic Boring

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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

popcorninhell In the words of Robert Houdin, the father of modern illusion, "A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician." If that be the case then James Randi is among the most prolific actors that has ever lived. The Canadian-born self-described charlatan has played a variety of roles over an 87-year life, from talented stage magician, daring escape artist, paranormal debunker, dedicated skeptic and doting husband. Yet recording a partial list of his accomplishments does very little in getting to the meat of a life that's beyond extraordinary. For that you have to see An Honest Liar, an unassuming biographical documentary that is arguably the best personal profile ever put on screen.The first act opens quite as you would expect; a run-down of who James Randi is, where he's from (Toronto, Canada) and how he got involved in magic (Houdini and Harry Blackstone naturally). The film then follows the rabbit trails of every interview which are informed by the likes of fellow magicians Penn & Teller and Alice Cooper among others. Yet lest you think the perfunctory limitations of a biographical documentary are boring, you clearly don't know much about Randi the Great. He carved up a living in magic early on after dropping out of high school to join the Canadian National Exhibition. At the height of his career he was a popular escape artist who would exeunt prison cells, safes and submerged water coffins.In his 30's he became well known as a mentalist though he soured to the idea after other mentalists, showboating evangelists and other "occultists" began using their illusions to fool their audiences. "Magicians are the most honest people in the world. They tell you they're going to fool you, and then they do it," He says while discussing the differences between himself and those who claim supernatural powers.It was in the 60's that Randi began a second career as a professional skeptic to prevent con artists from exploiting their audiences. Thanks to frequent appearances on television he single- handedly destroyed the reputations of faith healer Peter Popoff and Israeli psychic Uri Geller. It is these rivalries along with Randi punk-ing academia on a regular basis that provide the film with much of its high-drama. Randi would often work with fakes, embark in deep-cover magician espionage and even perpetuate hoaxes in attempts to keep everyone honest. His crusade to expose the fakes not only garnered the attention of cultural icons like Johnny Carson but of Venezuelan performance artist Jose Alvarez who would later become Randi's husband in 2013.Told with sensitivity and an eye for conflict, An Honest Liar stands as a perfect example of a documentary taking on the personality of its subject. The film digs ever deeper into the motivations of the bristled Randi who by 2014 still had a mind sharper than a German steak knife. Thanks in part to serendipity, the filmmakers are awarded by their persistence with some truly revealing moments. There are some narrative fumbles thanks in part to some truly unexpected revelations. That said, the high-stakes emotions of the last act can't help but feel genuine, even if echos of F for Fake (1973) make it nearly impossible for audiences to suspect foul-play.Like a diamond in the rough, An Honest Liar is a film that enlivens the documentary film genre while telling the highly entertaining story of an extraordinary life. Meticulously deceitful, playfully intelligent and magically engaging, An Honest Liar shines the light on the dangers of fraud and does so through the granular life of "Randi the Great".

Tom Franse The title 'An Honest Liar' should honestly be the only thing that you read, before watching it. For those who won't do that, I will summarize the elements that make it my favorite documentary:-Nicely structured storytelling 'An Honest Liar' is long, but it has a calm yet captivating pace. Interviews are mixed up with enough found footage to prevent a talking-heads syndrome.-The turbulent life of RandiThis is a magician that can tell you his life's story for hours, without boring you.-Controversial chapters Randi has devoted his life to revealing the truth, but is hiding one in the meantime. This plot wraps around the story, and is told in a way that allows you to feel with the reason of this deception. For skeptics on the matter, this might broaden their horizon.-Scope of the plot The scope of 'An Honest Liar' is big, just as the life of Randi. It will probably touch some familiar subjects, from interesting angles (fi: Faith-healers). It even reached out of the borders of a documentary when the interviewer partakes in a lie himself, allowing you to consider the broad definition of deception.-It's educative nature There are several life-lessons told throughout the documentary. What it can teach the viewer is very subjective, but there are lessons about deception to be learned in there for most of us.-The atmosphere Interviews being held seated, but the camera work is varied enough, and settings capture the atmosphere of the interviews. This is most noticeable in one of the more emotional scenes near the end.-What I disliked The lack of action in the own footage. There is, for instance, a lawsuit going on at the time of recording, but the camera isn't in on the action. This didn't degrade much from my overall viewing pleasure, so I won't hesitate to grant 'An Honest Liar' 10 out of 10.

rhhdvh For me, this is a movie about a great professional magician, sadly spoiled by a secondary personal relationship plot line introduced about 1/2 way though. This action erases the early cinematic and plot perfection leaving the whole experience flawed. The movie started aimed at one outcome, but then switches to a different target. The switch comes across as contrived, sort of a mixed metaphor.The genre switches from comedy to tragedy, without an epic hero; the second half tragic protagonist is not Randi. The movie shot a lot of scene arrows, but at different targets, unnecessarily watering down the entire effort.I came away liking and profoundly respecting the art and science of James Randi, who is quite the magician in his own right and time, turned detective and debunker of charlatans. His personal life was artfully dealt with at first, then paraded like dirty laundry when it wasn't. Maybe the storyteller's intent was to debunk the debunker, but the magic of the reveal was lacking, not consequential, but incidental. Therefore, the original comedic genre became a tragedy without pity or fear.I recommend it for the first half alone, the part about the Amazing Randi, his acclaimed magic and debunking. Still, maybe walk out 1/2 way though when the protagonist shifts character unnecessarily in a spoiling way, turning a great wine of a movie sour.