THE PRESTIGE
THE PRESTIGE
October 19 2006, Lloyd Center Regal 10 Cinemas
It's hours and hours later, and I'm still going over the details of this film in my mind, like finding little bits of a delicious meal still stuck in your teeth. I guess that's a gross metaphor, but it's too early in the morning for me to rack my brain trying to come up with a better one. I'll just say this - BEST FILM I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR - possibly the best one I'll see all year. Going through my archive of the year, the closest thing to something of this level of awesomeness are BAD SANTA and the Powell/Pressburger dance magic films THE RED SHOES and TALES OF HOFFMANN. And that's pretty much it. How grim.
Not that THE PRESTIGE will get almost anything but love from me. I think there's no problem with this film and THE ILLUSIONIST, that other film about turn-of-the-century magicians starring someone who gets me all hot and bothered, being out at the same time. THE PRESTIGE is a totally different story and a totally different approach to filmmaking. No silly love scenes here! My only beef, and it's a small one, is the last 20 minutes - the "prestige" as it were - where your assumptions about what's going on, or your guesses or whatever, get kicked in the face. I got played in a way that I really, really like. I feel like a chump, but I'm smiling nonetheless. Christopher Nolan is a genius - there are so many mysteries and puzzles in this film that I'm going to have to watch it again just to process the last frame and figure out exactly what it's telling me.
I love all of Nolan's films - from his early cheapie FOLLOWING (still my favorite) to MEMENTO to INSOMNIA to BATMAN BEGINS (my least favorite, by far, and I still think it's fantastic & love it). He brings back the major leads from BATMAN, Christian "Hotness" Bale and Michael "Original Lad" Caine (who is wonderful of course), and supplements things with the absolute fucking brilliance of Hugh Jackman. Is there anyone out there who doubts Huge's thespian chops? I mean how could you? The man has IT. Star power, star quality, an utterly plastic nature (in terms of his transformative ability, not any kind of artificialness), and a body that makes me catch my breath. We're lucky enough to get him shirtless in this movie, which we unfortunately don't for Chris Bale's equally gorgeous physique - oh well, there's AMERICAN PSYCHO for those jollies. I swear to God I was tossing and turning all night just thinking about Hugh Jackman's body. That doesn't usually happen to me. He. Is. So. Fine. I. Love. Him.
And there's plenty of other actor awesomenesses - Ricky Jay, who's having a very profitable year: Andy Serkis (who I was unable to place until I read the credits!), the voluptuous horror of Scarlett Johansson (who is alternately not all that, and brilliant in her role as the luscious blonde magical stage assistant - I can elaborate no more on the character without it spoiling something!), William Morgan Sheppard (you know, the crusty old bearded dude! You love him, trust me) and... *drumroll please* ... David "My God" Bowie as Nikola Motherfucking Tesla. Yeah you read that right. BOWIE AS TESLA. Stroke of genius much? (The old deity looks ... well, old, but great - he's got a really talented plastic surgeon.)
Story. Character. Suspense. Intrigue. Magic. Moral ambiguity that will make your head spin. I want to see it again, and probably again, too. And then I want to watch all the X-MEN movies again and then I have to watch the production of OKLAHOMA! starring Hugh. And then BATMAN BEGINS and EMPIRE OF THE SUN and ... Oh, brave new movie, which has such wonders in't, like Hugh Jackman's back, rising up smooth and majestic like a cloud-crowned mountain. And he has the cutest, silliest little ears with practically no lobe, which makes me worry about his levels of Buddhist enlightenment. Maybe he can take some earlobe from the enlightened Christian Bale, he of the blood-chilling stare and the sunbeam smile. You won't judge me too harshly if I write PRESTIGE slash, will you? I mean, the dames are beautiful and all, but they (yes, even Scarlett, who I love love love love love) don't even come close to going to the store to get the match to light the candle to hold up to my boys. Oh my boys... *clunk* *swoon*
Thank you, Mr. Nolan. Again.
(Also, the one preview they showed was for APOCALYPTO - which looks totally awesome, though I am not seeing a story there in the trailer. Probably because there's no language to hinge things onto. But it looks fucking beautiful. I wouldn't say no to a chance to see it one of these days, even though I can't fucking stand Mel Crazybeard Gibson - it looks really pretty, bizarre, unorthodox, and intense.)
October 19 2006, Lloyd Center Regal 10 Cinemas
It's hours and hours later, and I'm still going over the details of this film in my mind, like finding little bits of a delicious meal still stuck in your teeth. I guess that's a gross metaphor, but it's too early in the morning for me to rack my brain trying to come up with a better one. I'll just say this - BEST FILM I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR - possibly the best one I'll see all year. Going through my archive of the year, the closest thing to something of this level of awesomeness are BAD SANTA and the Powell/Pressburger dance magic films THE RED SHOES and TALES OF HOFFMANN. And that's pretty much it. How grim.
Not that THE PRESTIGE will get almost anything but love from me. I think there's no problem with this film and THE ILLUSIONIST, that other film about turn-of-the-century magicians starring someone who gets me all hot and bothered, being out at the same time. THE PRESTIGE is a totally different story and a totally different approach to filmmaking. No silly love scenes here! My only beef, and it's a small one, is the last 20 minutes - the "prestige" as it were - where your assumptions about what's going on, or your guesses or whatever, get kicked in the face. I got played in a way that I really, really like. I feel like a chump, but I'm smiling nonetheless. Christopher Nolan is a genius - there are so many mysteries and puzzles in this film that I'm going to have to watch it again just to process the last frame and figure out exactly what it's telling me.
I love all of Nolan's films - from his early cheapie FOLLOWING (still my favorite) to MEMENTO to INSOMNIA to BATMAN BEGINS (my least favorite, by far, and I still think it's fantastic & love it). He brings back the major leads from BATMAN, Christian "Hotness" Bale and Michael "Original Lad" Caine (who is wonderful of course), and supplements things with the absolute fucking brilliance of Hugh Jackman. Is there anyone out there who doubts Huge's thespian chops? I mean how could you? The man has IT. Star power, star quality, an utterly plastic nature (in terms of his transformative ability, not any kind of artificialness), and a body that makes me catch my breath. We're lucky enough to get him shirtless in this movie, which we unfortunately don't for Chris Bale's equally gorgeous physique - oh well, there's AMERICAN PSYCHO for those jollies. I swear to God I was tossing and turning all night just thinking about Hugh Jackman's body. That doesn't usually happen to me. He. Is. So. Fine. I. Love. Him.
And there's plenty of other actor awesomenesses - Ricky Jay, who's having a very profitable year: Andy Serkis (who I was unable to place until I read the credits!), the voluptuous horror of Scarlett Johansson (who is alternately not all that, and brilliant in her role as the luscious blonde magical stage assistant - I can elaborate no more on the character without it spoiling something!), William Morgan Sheppard (you know, the crusty old bearded dude! You love him, trust me) and... *drumroll please* ... David "My God" Bowie as Nikola Motherfucking Tesla. Yeah you read that right. BOWIE AS TESLA. Stroke of genius much? (The old deity looks ... well, old, but great - he's got a really talented plastic surgeon.)
Story. Character. Suspense. Intrigue. Magic. Moral ambiguity that will make your head spin. I want to see it again, and probably again, too. And then I want to watch all the X-MEN movies again and then I have to watch the production of OKLAHOMA! starring Hugh. And then BATMAN BEGINS and EMPIRE OF THE SUN and ... Oh, brave new movie, which has such wonders in't, like Hugh Jackman's back, rising up smooth and majestic like a cloud-crowned mountain. And he has the cutest, silliest little ears with practically no lobe, which makes me worry about his levels of Buddhist enlightenment. Maybe he can take some earlobe from the enlightened Christian Bale, he of the blood-chilling stare and the sunbeam smile. You won't judge me too harshly if I write PRESTIGE slash, will you? I mean, the dames are beautiful and all, but they (yes, even Scarlett, who I love love love love love) don't even come close to going to the store to get the match to light the candle to hold up to my boys. Oh my boys... *clunk* *swoon*
Thank you, Mr. Nolan. Again.
(Also, the one preview they showed was for APOCALYPTO - which looks totally awesome, though I am not seeing a story there in the trailer. Probably because there's no language to hinge things onto. But it looks fucking beautiful. I wouldn't say no to a chance to see it one of these days, even though I can't fucking stand Mel Crazybeard Gibson - it looks really pretty, bizarre, unorthodox, and intense.)