Movie Club Season 3 - The Prestige! Watch and review!

[TheEvilJester]

Okay, team. The Prestige was the winning movie. Watch and review here. Also, could somebody please volunteer to take the lead for Season 4?


[MENTION=78034]breathe123[/MENTION]
[MENTION=71386]TheEvilJester[/MENTION]
[MENTION=68329]ParadiseLost[/MENTION]
[MENTION=79987]megvoh[/MENTION]
[MENTION=82185]PrincessKiara[/MENTION]
[MENTION=81349]topazlight[/MENTION]
[MENTION=70280]Jffs24[/MENTION]
[MENTION=42177]pcmaster[/MENTION]
[MENTION=81312]melancholia[/MENTION]
[MENTION=7184]Gigabitch[/MENTION]

[Jffs24]

I already watched it when I saw the tie broke last week -- just need to do up a written review and I think the winner of the vote is the next person who makes up the next movie review/poll/discussion so that would fall on Meg to do Part 4 -- ask topazlight though it's somewhere in her main rules.

[TheEvilJester]

Oh yeah. I think you may be right. Well, so if your down with that, [MENTION=79987]megvoh[/MENTION], then you are up for our next round. You will be our fearless leader.

....Can I be your hired assassin?

[breathe123]

I'm back online ~ just checking in to the new thread to let everyone know & I'll find the movie & review by next week. I checked it out to see who was in it & how long its runtime was & it's star loaded & sounds good.

[Jffs24]

Wtf -- how am I the first to review this? Here you go.

I like movies that give you a great starting off point and scene and this one did it in spades -- great actors in this too and they are selling the shit out of their roles.

"Making something disappear isn't enough you have to bring it back" and that line that sets the stage, the third act in the magicians act is called the Prestige, so tells us why the title right away. Enjoyed the opening and it never failed to keep my interest the rest of the way through the movie.
Jealousy, lies, hatred and magic! Each man ( the magicians want what the other has in talents, obviously an admiration there too, if you try so hard to be like another you must have to admire that other person) at the sacrifice of others in their lives.

Meg should feel at home listening to all involved, I found the accents interesting among each of them. Sometimes accents can be distracting after awhile, especially during an over two hour movie -- but this one didn't fall into that hole.
I think the water tank became another crucial character in the movie. Bales character was the ultimate liar, wasn't he, all for the sake of art, was it.The learning of why he did NOT know about what knot was tied was a good twist.

Tesla part was an interesting part, it all came together nothing shown was wasted in the story telling, all tied into another into another --that makes a classic movie. Don't have anything negative to say about the movie, so good I'd watch it again, or at least go buy it and put it into my DvD collections.

The hat reveal was a cool scene --so was the end scene with all the bodies in the tanks and that he had to kill himself every time to keep his secret --secret.

"Feb 8th, 1899" -- Hello Bowie as Tesla. Good to see Bowie again since he's passed. Tesla's warning should have been heeded.
Should of listened to Caine when he said he used a double, lmao too stubborn to see what was right there in front of him, even after he was told by someone, hell two someones -- he trusted, aren't we all that way in our lives. LMAO at Jackman's double scene and Johansson always a pleasure
"Obsession is a young mans game" -- "Secrets are my life" -- "nothing easy about two men sharing one life " three great quotes.

Bale was a powerhouse in the film. Jackman's finale speech sums up what the movie achieved as well. (9/10 -- would watch again )

[breathe123]

I watched the movie but don't have a lot of time this week to write out a lengthy reply for it, but I enjoyed the movie from start to finish. It had some fun twists, good acting, interesting characters, a big assortment of excellent actors too ~ Even actor who played Gollum The special effects equaled the high caliber acting offered, had something for everyone.

~ Never lost my attention for one second, and a lot of movies I tend to drift and lose focus.

~ I think I felt sorriest for the brother whose wife committed suicide off the nasty comments/actions of the other brother while trying to play her husband and I felt sorry for the his wife, why couldn't he trust her to tell her the truth, she was loyal and he knew loved him and they had a child together~ that part confused me, why keep lying to her of all people. The only sensible one was Micheal Caine's character, IMO.

I was pleased that both men died, it was their fate for their overall actions to be number one - a cost was claimed & was happy with the ending & the shots of the other versions of himself he created each time he used the Tesla machine ~ which was a cool plot point, as well the movie was beautifully shot.

[dollhouse]

I've seen this movie before..it was a good one. I think another movie very similar got released at same time and was competing and this one came out victorious... Girl crush heaven, with Bale, Jackman and Johannson and has a timeless feel to it.

[megvoh]

Yay, a few of you have posted reviews, so you liked the movie? Am I supposed to add a review too since it was my movie chosen or am I just supposed to discuss what each wrote? I liked it was chock full of high quality stars with stellar acting chops and the look of the film appealed to me and yes the fact it was with a lot of British actors
I hated that that one brother followed his brother like some mindless zombie/puppet, at the cost of his own wife and loss of his daughter atm but like breathe said happy the brother who died was the one that should have died, same for Jackman's character since he was hell bent on revenge the whole film after his girl drowned when that knot was tied a bit too well. I liked the magic aspects and adding a real persona into it with Tesla. Some of those scenes were visually my favorite ones.

I think the movie you are discussing, dollhouse was called The Illusionist with Ed Norton.

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Jackman succeeded in the "bringing it back " part, Jffs24 but at a literally grave cost.

[breathe123]

Here's what confused me ~ Why did the brothers switch characters? Why didn't one always play Fallon & the other Alfred Borden and then they didn't have to ruin relationships they had or lie as much & why did the daughter look more like the daughter of Scarlet's character than the other actresses?

~ Why did Caine's character betray Jackman's character? I thought he felt sorry for the twin with the child & that was why, anyone think otherwise?

[megvoh]

^^ I think what you said about him stealing the other mans daughter away from him and moreso him letting Borden hang for his murder when it wasn't true and that he took his revenge too far and needed to be stopped.
At least that is what I feel the reasons were, but might have been other reasons too.

Anyone else laugh when he was about to be hanged and his last words were Abracadabra?

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[breathe123]

I didn't even know what exactly he said, was it said because even though he hangs he lives on in his twin?

[TheEvilJester]

I had a chance to watch it this weekend. I've actually seen this movie before. Loved it then, loved it now. I don't think it is necessarily one I'd watch again and again and again, so to speak. However, it is one I might pop in every once in a while to watch again. It is one I would definitely not mind adding to my collection.

This movie, for me, was able to successfully pull off something that can be very difficult.... that is to keep me engaged when the main character(s) is/are not very redeemable. Sometimes, when you just want to smack the main character(s) upside the head, it can be hard to stay engaged. Often times, it is better when you can relate to and almost see yourself in at least one of the characters.

Here, in my view, both characters were sort of the villain in their own way.... yet I still loved every moment of this movie. I wasn't really pulling for any one of the two main characters over the other. Bale's character and Jackman's character were both so immature and petty that I found myself wanting them to either grow the Hell up, or to get the payback they deserved. ....And yet not in a way that made the movie unenjoyable, but in fact, made me enjoy it even more.

I think a large part of that is owed to both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale who are both great actors. Seeing them together was great. Wolverine and Batman in one movie.... even with Alfred and the Black Widow along to boot. LOL! On the one hand, you can most definitely understand how upset they both were. For Bale's character, I can only imagine how horrible he (or both of his characters, as it were) must have felt for his/their part in what happened to "Danton's" wife. By that token, I can also imagine how terrible Jackman's character felt losing the woman he loved so dearly, and how that horrible pain could be turned into such uncontrollable hatred and cause him to blame Borden.

In a way, it is easy for us watching to see how much of an idiot he was being. Any rational human being would realize that Borden never meant for anything so terrible to happen. Any rational human being would remember that the wife herself wanted them to try the tighter not, and in all likelihood, Borden would not have done it if she had not been in on it. However, it is very easy to say that when you are on the outside looking in. Were something so terrible to happen in real life, how many of us would be able to avoid degenerating to that some low level?

The pain is so great, it likely just felt easier for him to blame Borden rather than to admit the truth that it was just a horrible accident, probably as much his wife's fault as it was his colleagues (after all, again, she was in on it).

This movie also does a great job in showing what revenge can do to a human being. Instead of just going their own separate ways and leaving each other alone, they both become consumed by their hatred and want for revenge. In that, neither of them is able to live a true life. Especially sad when you consider what we learn at the end of the movie.... that one of the characters hasn't been living a full life right from the beginning anyway.

I too share the feelings some others have mentioned during this movie around Borden's secret. I could not fathom how we could keep that a secret from LITERALLY everybody. Including his own wife and daughter. Believe me, I understand keeping it secret from the world for the sake of his art.... but at the very least, clue in the few people closest and dearest to your life. I will say, the one character I found myself feeling really bad for was the one we didn't even know existed until the very end. Having the benefit of watching this for the second time, I knew the big reveal and only therefore felt even worse for him.

I am referring, of course, to the mystery brother. The one NOT in love with their shared wife. Don't get me wrong, he was terrible to her at times. It isn't as though he was agreeing to the situation, so he didn't have to take things out on her. However, I can't help but feel horrible for him. Having to share a life that really was not his own. Having to be forced to be with a woman he did not love just to keep up the lie. Speaking as someone who once felt trapped in a relationship that was not right for me, I can really relate to how that must have felt. At least in my case, I chose the relationship as I originally thought it was right for me. He didn't even have that luxury. He was forced into a relationship (or I guess half of a relationship) with a woman he never loved. I can imagine how that can eat away at a man and, though I cannot condone the way he acted, I can at least understand.

This movie was not without its plot holes. I share breathe's perplexed musings on why the brothers switched characters. Why not just have one live as Fallon and the other as Borden? That way, at least the "Fallon" brother could have the opportunity to live is own life in secret. Heck, why even force one of the brothers to live as Fallon at all while not in the public eye? In the eye of the public, sure, one of them would live as Fallon. But, in private, and only to those they actually trust, why not allow him to be himself.

The fact that they both lived as both characters only made it that much more difficult for either of them to have any real life. The whole movie was kind of heart-breaking, but in a good way. You kind of WANTED to like the characters. Wanted them to finally just bury the hatchet and realize they had both ruined their own lives with this terrible feud, as well as the lives of those who cared for them. But, they were too far gone right from the moment of the terrible tragedy.

Plus, you kind of have to admit that there was part of you loving their game of one-up. At least that was my experience. Even though I really wanted to characters to finally free themselves and each other from this terrible hatred ruining their lives, part of me was enjoying the way they each tried to get revenge and stay one step ahead of their rival.

This movie was not without its flaws, but then what movie is? As it is, I highly enjoyed it and look forward to our continued discussion.

[megvoh]

Dang, that's a good and long review, Jester. I likes.

The plot was made more complicated then they needed it to be but isn't that a trait of the guy who directed it, leave them guessing. Makes it a good way to discuss the film because alot if left up to your own interpretation, sort of like that movie Birdman was, imo.

I love this movie, it's so stylishly shot too, a tale of lost love and revenge and BIG egos. I liked what both Jackman and Bale did with their roles and I love Caine, what a treasure at some point I felt maybe he was playing both magicians against each other, fueling the feud to see who was the best, and felt it thought Borden was the best of the two.


I hated he never told his wife, like breathe said that was a huge betray to her and his daughter he should have only wanted to protect them not himself and his magic secret or fame and because they both had to keep secrets the other had anger and resentment with sharing lives. I would too, like you said but he didn't have to follow he chose too.

You sort of wish there is a continuation of the tale and an Angier clone remains somewhere but he got what he deserved too for his recklessness and greediness.

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Love the images in the movie:




and this line:

[Jffs24]

Nice review, TEJ.

I had issues with them not sticking to a character and constantly swapping out with partners and disguise so much sometimes I didn't know which did what at times lmao -- Obviously there was a reason for that, to cause more of a mystery, confusion with the viewer.

What was with the reveal of all his doubles in the tank? Why would he keep their bodies dead in all the water tanks? Why not remove them, he was afterall murdering each version of himself.

[TheEvilJester]

I also have to say, I have very mixed feelings when it comes to the whole idea of how Angier/The Great Danton pulled off his ultimate "Vanishing Man" trick. The whole idea of the machine that clones him and he just actually kills the double. On the one hand, being a big sci fi nerd, as well as a fan of science and technology, I love the idea of that actually being possible. I also very much enjoyed that aspect of the movie, as well as the interesting questions it would bring up. Questions like does the clone know it is a clone? Is it always the clone that winds up in the tank, or is it ever the Angier who started that day alive and well that winds up in the tank, leaving the clone to continue on as Angier? He talks about always being left to wonder every day whether he'd wind up being the one in the tank, or the one on stage.... but could you technically argue he was BOTH every single time?

On the other hand, though, it also was a bit out of place for the movie. Throughout the whole rest of the movie, they pulled off some amazing tricks, but there were never science fiction/supernatural means. They were always able to be explained just in the way magic tricks can be in real life. Heck, even Borden's amazing vanishing man trick was eventually explained to be because there was literally two of him. So, in a way this whole clone business was almost a cop out. Almost as though the writer couldn't think of any other equally amazing way to pull off such a trick (as having a life-long secret twin brother) so he just went with a cloning idea.

That, and I also found myself asking one simple question...

Why kill the clone at all? Wouldn't it make so much more sense, and be so less morally terrible/morally confusing to use the machine ONCE... allow the clone to live, and there you've got your own built in double who you know you can trust because he IS you. Unlike when Danton was using the look-a-like (who was, of course, also played by Jackman) and the look-a-like eventually got too big for his own britches and became a problem. In the case of the clone, it would actually BE him, so one would think/hope he could trust himself.

Though, I suppose maybe you could try to explain that away by assuming that Angier was literally SO vain that he wouldn't even be okay with sharing the spotlight.... WITH HIMSELF. To me, it seems so simple that he could just have kept the original clone. If one or both of them was at all concerned with always having to be the one stuck under the stage, then they could trade off every other day or something. He couldn't do that with the look-a-like because the look-a-like was such a drunken idiot he'd have probably blown it. The clone WAS him, so it would be seamless. Then he wouldn't have to essentially commit murder every day.