The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yes, it reminds me of American Beauty.

Same composer.

Thomas Newman makes good music scores.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

greatest thread in the history of blu-ray.com!

rumour has it that moderators were paid overtime during that time period!

Diesel, can you please confirm??

the blood carnage they had to clean up was IMMENSE!

Higgy's posts were classic. I was reading them today and couldn't get enough!

haha it was a bloodbath for sure.

And for those that think my sardonic posts don't extend to the real world, I thought of this site when I wrote a scathing email to a clueless, deceitful defense attorney today.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I won the HBO Game of Thrones give away contest. Nice freebie, eh?

If you say so...

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

If you say so...

I received an email....

If you’re receiving this message, it’s because you’ve been selected as a winner in one of Blu-ray.com’s giveaways. Please check your Blu-ray.com inbox for instructions on claiming your prize. Thanks!

So I was very

So I rushed to my Blu-ray.com PMs and found.....

Congratulations! I nearly laughed myself out of my chair when a familiar name was pulled out of the proverbial hat. But anyway, on with the official schpiel...

Congratulations, you've been randomly selected as one of the winners in our 'Game of Thrones' giveaway, and have won a Blu-ray copy of 'Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season.' To claim your prize, simply reply to this PM with your name and mailing address. I don't have the prizing in hand yet, but it should be here soon. Once I have your info, I'll contact you with a shipping ETA as soon as I have one to offer.

Thanks for entering, and thanks for being a part of the Blu-ray.com community!

And then I .....and then

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I received an email....



So I was very

So I rushed to my Blu-ray.com PMs and found.....



And then I .....and then

I meant if you say so in regards to it being a nice freebie.

If I was picked and didn't already own it, I would be celebrating as well. Now that I just finished the first season of Weeds (), I'll be starting up Game of Thrones next week.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I received an email....



So I was very

So I rushed to my Blu-ray.com PMs and found.....



And then I .....and then

Wow, nice going. I have never seen it.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I received an email....



So I was very

So I rushed to my Blu-ray.com PMs and found.....



And then I .....and then

Congratulations

[Steve46]

Finally finished today's review:

71. The Prestige (2006)
Drama, Mystery, Thriller, 130 minutes
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie



Christopher Nolan takes chances in an industry which usually plays it safe. The Dark Knight was so much more than a comic book adaptation and Inception was not a typical blockbuster. These stories had mass appeal, but Nolan treated his audiences with respect. Both films have a complexity which is lacking in most popular movies.

If you go back to 2000 and take a look at Memento, you can see that Nolan has always believed that his audience was capable of figuring things out. One of his most complex films is The Prestige and I had to include it in this list. I've resisted the temptation to include multiple entries by one director for the most part, but Nolan is an exception because his films are so diverse. He's not using an established formula or focusing on one genre. In that respect, he's like a modern Stanley Kubrick.

Cutter (Caine) explains that a magic trick consists of three parts: The pledge looks at something, the turn alters that thing and the prestige is the payoff. One example would be seeing a bird in a cage (the pledge), seeing it disappear (the turn), and finally seeing the magician produce it from his pocket (the prestige).

The whole film plays out like a magic trick.

The Prestige is a complex story, set in Victorian England, with one significant twist and a number of minor surprises. It deals with the story of two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale). Borden inadvertently ties a knot which results in the death of Angier's wife when she fails to escape from a tank of water. The ensuing rivalry lasts for the remainder of their lives.

The two both enjoy periods of success, but are continually striving to find the ultimate trick. Both men become obsessed with success and each has a deep desire to outdo the other. We are shown other magicians and learn that success often comes at a high price. It may even result in the magician keeping secrets off the stage which limit his personal freedom.

Eventually, Borden comes up with a trick that Angier can't figure out. It involves Borden entering a box on one side of the stage and emerging from a box on the other side of the stage moments later. He calls it The Transported Man.

In an attempt to come up with something even better, Angier visits Nikola Tesla (Bowie) in Colorado. As you may know, Tesla was an inventor who experimented a great deal with electricity. Angier asks him to build a machine which might be used in his act. Unfortunately, science is not completely predictable. Tesla delivers, but Angier has to be willing to pay a high price that goes beyond money.

I don't think I need to say any more about the plot. Bale's performance is superb and I think it's the best of his career. Jackman is also very convincing and the supporting cast is flawless. I'm always impressed by Rebecca Hall, but Bowie's cameo as Tesla was a revelation. Michael Caine holds the whole thing together and has important scenes at the beginning and end of the film.

Although the running time is in excess of two hours, you'll barely notice. There's always something important happening on the screen. What elevates this film to the level of greatness is its replay value. The first time you see it, you'll miss the relevance of some of the dialogue. On repeat viewings, you'll see how clever the screenplay is. The big reveal is hinted at in the first 20 minutes of the film and you'll smile when you realize what you missed. Like Scorsese's Shutter Island, events have new meaning when you see them with full knowledge of the facts. It's clever stuff.

If you like The Prestige:

I have already outlined the virtues of other Nolan films, so I'm going to suggest something else. In 2006, there was another movie about a magician released a few weeks before The Prestige. The Illusionist is different in tone and plays out like a romance, but the performances make it worth your time. Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel star.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Finally finished today's review:

71. The Prestige (2006)
Drama, Mystery, Thriller, 130 minutes
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie

[Show spoiler]

Christopher Nolan takes chances in an industry which usually plays it safe. The Dark Knight was so much more than a comic book adaptation and Inception was not a typical blockbuster. These stories had mass appeal, but Nolan treated his audiences with respect. Both films have a complexity which is lacking in most popular movies.

If you go back to 2000 and take a look at Memento, you can see that Nolan has always believed that his audience was capable of figuring things out. One of his most complex films is The Prestige and I had to include it in this list. I've resisted the temptation to include multiple entries by one director for the most part, but Nolan is an exception because his films are so diverse. He's not using an established formula or focusing on one genre. In that respect, he's like a modern Stanley Kubrick.

Cutter (Caine) explains that a magic trick consists of three parts: The pledge looks at something, the turn alters that thing and the prestige is the payoff. One example would be seeing a bird in a cage (the pledge), seeing it disappear (the turn), and finally seeing the magician produce it from his pocket (the prestige).

The whole film plays out like a magic trick.

The Prestige is a complex story, set in Victorian England, with one significant twist and a number of minor surprises. It deals with the story of two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale). Borden inadvertently ties a knot which results in the death of Angier's wife when she fails to escape from a tank of water. The ensuing rivalry lasts for the remainder of their lives.

The two both enjoy periods of success, but are continually striving to find the ultimate trick. Both men become obsessed with success and each has a deep desire to outdo the other. We are shown other magicians and learn that success often comes at a high price. It may even result in the magician keeping secrets off the stage which limit his personal freedom.

Eventually, Borden comes up with a trick that Angier can't figure out. It involves Borden entering a box on one side of the stage and emerging from a box on the other side of the stage moments later. He calls it The Transported Man.

In an attempt to come up with something even better, Angier visits Nikola Tesla (Bowie) in Colorado. As you may know, Tesla was an inventor who experimented a great deal with electricity. Angier asks him to build a machine which might be used in his act. Unfortunately, science is not completely predictable. Tesla delivers, but Angier has to be willing to pay a high price that goes beyond money.

I don't think I need to say any more about the plot. Bale's performance is superb and I think it's the best of his career. Jackman is also very convincing and the supporting cast is flawless. I'm always impressed by Rebecca Hall, but Bowie's cameo as Tesla was a revelation. Michael Caine holds the whole thing together and has important scenes at the beginning and end of the film.

Although the running time is in excess of two hours, you'll barely notice. There's always something important happening on the screen. What elevates this film to the level of greatness is its replay value. The first time you see it, you'll miss the relevance of some of the dialogue. On repeat viewings, you'll see how clever the screenplay is. The big reveal is hinted at in the first 20 minutes of the film and you'll smile when you realize what you missed. Like Scorsese's Shutter Island, events have new meaning when you see them with full knowledge of the facts. It's clever stuff.

If you like The Prestige:

I have already outlined the virtues of other Nolan films, so I'm going to suggest something else. In 2006, there was another movie about a magician released a few weeks before The Prestige. The Illusionist is different in tone and plays out like a romance, but the performances make it worth your time. Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel star.

When I saw The Fighter, I made the statement that I felt it was Bale's best performance yet simply because it was so incredibly far away from his previous work and the way he carries himself in real life as far as we the public see.

But I made sure to note that THIS performance is definitely my favorite of his.

This movie sits at #5 on my all time favorite list.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Diesel

When I saw The Fighter, I made the statement that I felt it was Bale's best performance yet simply because it was so incredibly far away from his previous work and the way he carries himself in real life as far as we the public see.

But I made sure to note that THIS performance is definitely my favorite of his.

This movie sits at #5 on my all time favorite list.

I never tire of seeing The Prestige.

I liked his performance in The Fighter, but the character he played was larger than life and I think that's why it got so much attention. It was a funny role. I can't fault what he did.

[Foggy]

Were you always planning on watching The Prestige at this stage of the list or did my viewing of it yesterday push it forward

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I never tire of seeing The Prestige.

I liked his performance in The Fighter, but the character he played was larger than life and I think that's why it got so much attention. It was a funny role. I can't fault what he did.

It was definitely a very 'out there' character as compared to his other more reserved characters he has played for most of his roles.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Were you always planning on watching The Prestige at this stage of the list or did my viewing of it yesterday push it forward

A coincidence. It's an alphabetical list.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Steve46

A coincidence. It's an alphabetical list.

One hell of coincidence

Like I said, maybe not in my 100 films but a badass film I enjoyed a lot more the second time

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

One hell of coincidence

Like I said, maybe not in my 100 films but a badass film I enjoyed a lot more the second time

Yes, some of the references make more sense the second time.

Such as

[Show spoiler]

Today you mean it

But what about his brother

I'm not sure whether I used that knot

Fallon's comments to Olivia

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yes, some of the references make more sense the second time.

Such as

[Show spoiler]

Today you mean it

But what about his brother

I'm not sure whether I used that knot

Fallon's comments to Olivia

And there was a scene where

[Show spoiler]Borden goes to Fallon about taking his daughter to the zoo like he promised that I never even questioned the first time I watched it

. I really kicked myself the second time for not seeing it coming the first time

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

And there was a scene where

[Show spoiler]Borden goes to Fallon about taking his daughter to the zoo like he promised that I never even questioned the first time I watched it

. I really kicked myself the second time for not seeing it coming the first time

Clues are everywhere.

One scene has Borden talking to someone offscreen.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Clues are everywhere.

One scene has Borden talking to someone offscreen.

Guess I wasn't watching closely enough

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Guess I wasn't watching closely enough

That's beauty of it though. You catch new things every time.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I meant if you say so in regards to it being a nice freebie.

If I was picked and didn't already own it, I would be celebrating as well. Now that I just finished the first season of Weeds (), I'll be starting up Game of Thrones next week.

your enjoyment of bullsh*t presses on!