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

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 9: Mötley Crüe, "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Column 3, Row 13: Mötley Crüe , Girls Girls Girls. I was never a big fan of Mötley Crüe. I liked their radio hits, but I never listened to one of their albums in their entirety until 1989’s Dr. Feelgood , which was orchestrated in a way to dominate radio stations and suck in casual fans, like me, who had trouble getting past the Crüe’s purposeful sleaziness. That said I always admired them more than the other Sunset Strip bands. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were such a formidable rhythm section and laid down a solid groove to all their music. Guitarist Mick Mars had a knack for making his guitar hiss sinister, matching his perpetual scowl. Vince Neil was nothing to write home about as a vocalist, which made his unpolished singing just a little more intriguing than most of the other front then who dominated mainstream rock in the mid-late 80’s. Girls Girls Girls was released in May of 1987, just in time for a long summer of Mötley Crüe taking over the mi...
1 comment
Read more

Here We Go Again

This is what happens when I'm working on a book, or in the past a screenplay: As I become a part of the world I’m creating, all other forms of writing get relegated to the way, way back of my mind. In this case it's a new novel, a supernatural romantic comedy that's been in collecting dust in my head since the late teens. I pulled it out in March when I felt I hit an wall on the other novel I've been writing since 2020. That one is a story I’m very passionate about, tracking the life and career of a woman DJ from the 1960s through the early 1990s and the popularization of alternative rock. After five years and hundreds of pages, I needed a mental break. That's how I started working on adapting an abandoned screenplay into a book. I had to write something. Through years of therapy, I've discovered that if I'm not writing, even if it's a journal entry, I'm filled with anxiety and question my purpose. That's not to say that I feel my purpose in li...
Post a Comment
Read more