Vanity Fair's "VF Reviews" series features professional magicians analyzing how magic, sleight of hand, and illusions are depicted in films and television. The series covers everything from realistic techniques to theatrical exaggerations.
Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller reviews iconic magic moments in cinema:
The Prestige - Analysis of the "Transported Man" trick
The Illusionist - How they made Tom Cruise look taller
Ant-Man and The Wasp - Card tricks in the quantum realm
Arrested Development - Comedic magic on TV
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - Las Vegas stage magic
Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller) Reviews Magic Tricks from Movies & TV | Vanity Fair
Sleight of hand expert Ben Seidman has produced multiple installments in this series.
Reviews pickpocketing and psychological magic:
Reviews visual tricks and sleight of hand:
Reviews visual tricks and illusions:
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Now You See Me 2
The Illusionist - Pepper's Ghost illusion breakdown
Magician Reviews Sleight of Hand and Visual Tricks In Movies & TV (Part Three) | Vanity Fair
Ben Seidman has been public about the production process. The VF videos are challenging because the "easiest way to create content would be to reveal the workings of effects." Instead, he works to protect magic secrets while still providing entertaining educational content.
The series is part of Vanity Fair's broader "VF Reviews" franchise where experts in various fields analyze their specialties in media.
See also: /teos/rec/arts/magic/magic-in-movies - Comprehensive guide to magic in cinema including Now You See Me, The Prestige, The Illusionist.
[1] Vanity Fair - Penn Jillette Reviews Magic