Skip to main content

DVD review of "The Prestige"

Christopher Nolan continues to amaze me with his talent both as a filmmaker and a storyteller with the film, "The Prestige". In it, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play rival magicians at the end of the 19th Century. When Jackman's wife dies in a tragic accident, the two men who were friends become bitter enemies, each trying to come up with the best magic trick to outdo the other. What I enjoyed most about the film was the seamless way Nolan cut back and forth between periods of time. Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, the film is very literary, but it never feels stuffy or boring. The pace is not nearly as fast as the cuts back and forth in time that Scorsese used in "The Departed", but the effect is just the same. There are no annoying subtitles to tell you "present day" or "10 years ago". Nolan gives the audience credit for having the intelligence to follow the story and lets you go along for the ride. I really enjoyed this movie, even though I was watching it on my laptop in the office. Ah, the things you'll do so mom and daughter can have a girl's night to watch "Charlotte's Web".

All of the actor's give exceptional performances. Hugh Jackman has perfected his American accent and proves, once and for all, that he does not need to return to playing "Wolverine" (unless he wants to, which is fine with me because he's so damn good at it). Christian Bale continues to grab hold of leading man status. Whereas there were times in "Batman Begins" in which I wasn't too sure he was strong enough to carry the film on his back, here he appears much more confident and able. Michael Caine is perfect, as usual, and Scarlett Johannson is very good.

There are so many twists and turns that to try and explain them would not do the film justice. What I loved most was the mood created by Wally Pfister's stunning camera work and the exemplary music by David Julyan. I have never heard of Julyan before, but he has written a great movie score. The music probably wouldn't play well on its own, but underneath all of the action going on, it is pitch perfect.

Would I watch it again? Hell yeah. I'd sit down now and watch it again if it wasn't 11:00. I'm not 22 anymore.

Aloha

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MARATHON FOOTNOTES (for those who didn't think I would really footnote a stream of consciousness thought): Footnote #1 Academy Award Winning Best Picture Films from 1969 to the Present: Midnight Cowboy, Patton, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, The English Patient, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, American Beauty, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Footnote #2 Members of the band YES, from 1969 to the present: In 1969, Yes is formed with Jon Anderson on vocals Peter Banks on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards and Chris Squire playing bass. This group records
42 comments
Read more

The Beginning of an Explanation

When I dropped off of the Internet, it wasn't meant to be a years long sabbatical. I thought I just needed a break; that I was getting burned out from writing Basement Songs and movie reviews for Popdose.com. Something cracked, though, and I couldn't consider writing even in a journal for a very long time. Things changed in the winter of 2017. While driving to pick up Jacob at theater rehearsal, I experienced my first panic attack. It started immediately after he got in the car at the theater and it slowly took over my body for the fifteen minute drive home. My skin became clammy and I felt myself removed from my body. My brain was empty and I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I gutted it out until we walked through the front door. Without saying a word, I went upstairs, crawled into bed and got in the fetal position. I just wanted to close my eyes and shut out the world. The next morning I awoke exhausted, as if I'd exercised the previous day. That was the first time
3 comments
Read more

The End of the Explanation

I don't want to drag this out for a series of extended posts; there's no need to go into the minute details. So I'll wrap up my ongoing mental health journey with this post. After I basically quit writing, I began the work on myself. From 2017 to the middle of 2019, the only things I wrote were 10 minute dramas for our church, and let me tell you, even those were a challenge. But when God gives you a deadline, you don't mess around. There was a real depression that came with the relief of not writing or worrying about writing scripts. Again, if I wasn't writing, what was I doing? I really struggled with this question because we had moved from Ohio to Los Angeles so I could pursue a career in film. Even though I'd written and directed a movie, and sold a script, in my mind that wasn't good enough. I couldn't appreciate all of the great things in my life, and the solid career that I had forged in animation over 18 years. It took some real work: a lot o
Post a Comment
Read more