sylvain chomet's upcoming tribute to jacques tati

I know, my obsession with Tati has no end, but when you hear that the director of the amazing Triplets of Belleville has recently completed a film, entitled The Illusionist, based on an unfinished screenplay by the French comic master my mouth gets a little wet around the edges.

Though I can't believe that Hulot will actually appear in the film, the main character, an aging magician fumbling his way through the changes in modern France, is based on the bumbling everyman.  Look at that stance, the way he spins a cane!  Hulot, he lives again.

Color me excited.

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criterion counsel: i have fallen asleep the last three nights and the dvd has spun it's way to a similarly blaring big band dance scene each night.  last night i got a little further in the film though and couldn't be more excited.  it has that feel of a great caper flick - the team, the plan, the heist - but all turned on its merry head.