The Prestige

Ahh another Nolan film. The Prestige is probably my favorite of his films though they are all excellent. The prestige blends facts, illusions, revenge, deceit, obsession, and a little bit of history all into one engrossing film. I, for one, didn't see the ending coming in the slightest. I'm interested on if other people did or didn't. I don't want to reveal any secrets so this will probably be a brief review.

Christian Bale once again displays his enormous talent for acting. When all is revealed and you realize how he, and for that matter, Hugh Jackman, pulled off their characters...it is truly fun to watch a second, third, or even fourth time. Michael Caine also plays a more central role than other Nolan films they have collaborated on. He plays his role with very understated, classic Caine mannerisms. All three actors fit perfectly together. The two leading women were ,unfortunately, noticeably less talented than their male counterparts. Though to be very fair, ANYONE acting next to those three would have a hell of a time holding their own.

Aside from the acting, Nolan tells a story with each of his shots instead of just telling the story. Very similar to Kubrick in that regard. Instead of just showing two characters, Nolan does so in a way that the two characters are progressing the story, as well as the visuals on the screen. It's very interesting to watch and as I said before, very reminiscent of Kubrick. Nolan again shows his artist brush can paint an enormous canvas in only 130 minutes. The music sets the tone nicely throughout and keeps the pace well.

All in all, The Prestige is a great film that keeps you guessing until the end. See it if you have not already!

IMDB here.

Inception

Well, I have now seen Inception twice and plan to see it a third time. At first I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. I expected something (though I'm not even sure what I expected) and it wasn't that. So maybe I was disappointed at first. Then I thought about what I had seen though: one of the most superbly crafted movies ever made. Christopher Nolan has outdone himself with his writing and directing talents. I believe I have mentioned his enormous talent before: The Prestige, Following, Memento,and The Dark Knight are his mainstream successes. That's quite a list of movies. I've heard it said that he could be the next Kubrick, well he just might be but not yet. His movies, and most of all Inception, are exciting, gripping, and really fun to watch, but they lack the emotional depth that Kubrick had. I think he will get there though. I hope his next movie is much less main stream and hard hitting. But on to Inception.

The computer generated graphics are used very sparingly, which, I love. The scenes that do incorporate computer images are stunning and perfectly crafted. The actors that play off of these images are just as good. Leonardo DiCaprio once again shows his impeccable talent for the screen. Michael Caine has a small and enjoyable part that suits him perfectly. Ellen Page turns in a great performance as well. The best of the very talented cast though is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The scene in the hallway is amazing in every way possible, and I know how physically demanding it was so for him to also stay in character during it is incredible.

All of the actors are great because they are given such a great story. Lot's of twists and turns and nightmares revealed. It is written in a way that I truly and deeply care about the characters. Nolan also treats his well written script with great care when directing it. Nothing takes away from the story and only adds to it. Every detail is accounted for and painstakingly researched. I applaud Nolan for his finest work so far.

Hans Zimmer deserves special mention for his use of music. It complements the story and acting perfectly. In fact there is much more detail that went into the music than I even knew. Listen very closely for each song and see how they work together. It's amazing.

You MUST go see Inception for yourself. I highly recommend. What do you think of the ending?

IMDB here.