The Prestige

Are You Watching Closely?

In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences.

-Summery by imdb.com

There were two turn of century magician story’s released this year and in my opinion ‘The Prestige’ didn't quite measure up to ‘The Illusionist’. If ‘The Illusionist’ had had the same marketing and the same amount of hype surrounding it that ‘The Prestige’ had, it would have sold much more, but unfortunately it came and went while the Prestige was the one that captured the audience’s attention.

It almost seems as though Christopher Nolan (the amazing director of ‘Memento’ and ‘Batman Begins’) didn't know what type of movie he wanted to make. It looks like a mystery movie but there are signs of the supernatural here and there. We don’t know whether we should be thinking logically or fictionally, should we think the magic is real or does it have an explanation?

The other weird thing is that there is no twist visible in this movie! The ending is extremely predictable from the first 10 minutes of the movie, I almost felt tricked when it reached the end, I kept expecting something more, some sort of a logical explanation but it doesn't give any. Although I must say even though it is predictable, the ending is filmed very well, and it is quite exciting!

Some might say that this movie is about love and sacrifice. First of all, the romantic part of the story lacks in depth and meaning, it’s almost emotionless and inhumane. Second, what exactly did Hugh Jackman’s character sacrifice, that was always a question during the movie, he didn't sacrifice his wife, she just died!

Aside from the loose points in the story, ‘The Prestige’ does have a few very good points in it. One is the excellent acting by Christian Bale, who captures every scene he is in perfectly, and according to a fan manages to bury Hugh Jackman who also gives a great performance but is easily over shadowed. Scarlett Johansen on the other hand, gives a pretty bad performance; she just doesn't seem like the same great actress who played in ‘Girl, with a pearl ear-ring’.

The clothing designs and the set decorations are amazing; the few magic tricks that are offered logical explanations are interesting to see. And the filming and directing is great.

Even though I made it sound like I hated the movie, I really didn't and I do recommend it to all, maybe I just didn't like it as much as I should have cause Id just seen ‘The Illusionist’ before it, but everyone should see the movie, it doesn't have much of a twist and it doesn't fall under one Genre but it does please and entertain. It’s not as good as Nolan’s other movies but its still watchable! 6.5/10

The Illusionist

Nothing is what it seems

A young boy falls in love with a girl that is way above his social standards along with the art of magic. Although the parents forbid them of seeing each other they cannot be split apart. Until one day they were found together and the boy was sent off. He became a magician and traveled the world. She fell in love with another man, the Crown Prince. The two got engaged but the boy, Eisenheim, finally meets back up with the girl and uses his powers to free her from the royal house in Vienna.

-Summary by imdb.com

After reading many good reviews about this movie, I knew this was one of those movies that I just had to see and I was right, this is a must-see.

The story is amazing; it will keep you guessing all the way to the end. The end is very well thought out, and extremely surprising. I was laughing at the sheer genius of it when it finished.

The scenery is all beautiful; the way the camera move is enchanting, practically everything about this movie is ‘Magical’ (No pun intended!). The magic tricks were very cool, extremely enjoyable to watch and most of all original.

And now on the main attraction: the actors. The wonderful actors that have come together to add a special something to the roles and to the flow of the movie, the casting in this movie was one of the best I’ve ever seen, all the actors seemed to fit perfectly into their roles. I strongly believe that if anyone other than Edward Norton had played the role of Eisenheim I wouldn’t have enjoyed the movie as much as I did. Norton was amazing as always, he really is an under-rated actor, he deserves so much more credit than he gets. He went into the role so that it was impossible to even think about the fact that he is an actor playing the role of Eisenheim and not Eisenheim himself. His accent was amazing, and he managed to show his emotions at every scene, I especially loved the scene where he’s reaching for Sophie’s hand nearing the end, and he has tears in his eyes, it was just heart-breaking.

Paul Giamatti also does an excellent job showing exactly how the cop was caught in the middle, and how he was confused and scared at the things he was discovering. Rufus Sewell also does a pretty good job portraying a role not unlike others he’s already played (If I remember correctly he was a knight in ‘A Knight’s tale’), He does have the looks for playing a king and a prince and especially an evil one. Jessica Biel is also quite good, though she is easily over-shadowed by Norton and Giamatti, but she still manages to give a good performance. The chemistry between her and Edward was remarkable.

All in all, I think that everyone will thoroughly enjoy this movie, and be pleasantly surprised at the end (If you don’t think too hard because if you do, you might just spoilt it for yourself!) and absolutely amazed by the wonderful performances the cast, especially Edward Norton give. 9/10

The Phantom Of The Opera

Listen to the Music of the Night

Deformed since birth, a bitter man known only as the Phantom lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine, and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles. Things get worse when Christine meets back up with her childhood acquaintance Raoul and the two fall in love. The Phantom decides to kidnap her and imprison her with him in his lair.

-Summary by imdb.com

A friend of mine had seen this movie and hated it. He advised me not to watch this movie at any cost, since the singing had annoyed him but I was strongly disappointed in him when I saw it and loved it! Its possibly one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.

The beginning of the movie is enchanting; I loved how the dust lifted off everything to reveal a beautiful opera house. I also liked the fact that the scenes in the future were black and white, it had a great effect. The scenery, the sets, the clothes, everything was beautiful; it was like looking at a piece of art. I had never seen a movie so beautiful; all the scenes were filmed to perfection, the scene in Phantoms hideout, the one in the snow, and the one on the roof were amongst the most fascinating scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie.

The songs were beautiful, although the fact that most of the dialogues are sung out does tend to get on peoples nerves after a while, (The phantom only speaks 14 lines, he sings the rest!) but since the voices of the singers and the lyrics are beautiful, it tends to please more than annoy. But that depends on your own taste, my mother for example, got a headache from watching the movie, and said they shouted too much when they were singing, but I disagree its an opera, they are supposed to sing like that (Although the notes aren’t as high as normal operas so don’t get put off by that). I adored the Phantoms voice, it was so powerful.

The characters were all likeable and very well played, although I wasn’t a huge fan of Raoul, I did not understand why Christine would fall in love him, he wasn’t very interesting. The Phantom on the other hand, not only looked good but acted well as well, he was very attractive. Emmy Rossum also did a good job as Christine; she has the voice of an angel!

The ending was OK, it had a bit of a moral ending, though I would have preferred if it was a bit different (I don’t want to spoil anything) but then again this is a story that has been around for a long time and I don’t expect them to change it just to satisfy the needs of today’s shippers!

All in all, you all have to see this movie, it’s just beautiful, even if you think the songs will give you a headache, then watch it with the volume low, even muted with subtitles because its just one of those movies that have to be seen, its like a work of art, trust me you will thoroughly enjoy it. 9.5/10

Good Night, And Good Luck

We will not walk in fear of one another.

In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.

-Summary by imdb.com

I wasn’t really interested in watching this movie, for many reasons: 1. the story was about American politics, and 2. it was shot in black and white. Having said that, I have to say I really enjoyed it, and I also learned a lot from it.

The movie jumps right into the mood, space and time that it’s set in with the opening scene, the music, the clothes, everything is just right for that time. Clooney adds an extra touch with the music he’s used, taking us back about 60 years, and making us feel that we are actually living in that time or at least making us wish we did. The fact that the movie is shot in black and white also helps a lot in creating the right mood. This also helps create a few very nice scenes that wouldn’t have been possible if it was in colour, like the smoke that we can see very clearly in most of the scenes coming from Edwards cigars.

On to the actors, David Stratharn does an excellent job as Edward R. Murrow, making the movie feel like a documentary. George Clooney is amazing as always, his character is the most likable, with the best written lines and jokes (For example I especially loved the ‘Natalie send some flowers’ scene). The other characters are also played out very well, although I didn’t quite understand Joe’s character, I didn't really like him or feel like I knew him at all, throughout the movie I didn’t even know if he was a good person or not, he just struck me as being vague.

The movie also manages to fulfil its goal and it shows very clearly how they used to censor things and just how dangerous and important what Edward R. Murrow did for journalism and the news was.

Clooney is a great director, I haven’t seen any of the other movies he directed but I loved mostly everything about this one, especially the close-ups, the way the scenes changed, and all in all the filming.

Having said everything I don’t think this is a movie everyone will love, people will tend to get bored or they might find the plot a bit too confusing to follow, but for people who like to see something different and enjoy a movie that has great directing, I would definitely recommend this movie. 8/10

Blood Diamond

It Will Cost You Everything

Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story of Danny (Leonardo DiCaprio) - a South African mercenary - and Solomon (Djimon Hounsou) - a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Danny learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields - has found and hidden the rough stone. With the help of Maddy (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Danny, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory.

-Summary by imdb.com

Although I only watched this movie to determine if the people who were saying that Leonardo DiCaprio should have been nominated for ‘the departed’ and not ‘blood diamond’ were right or not, I have to say its one of the best movies I've seen this year. Although Many might not want to watch it because of its brutality; I strongly advise every one to watch this fabulous movie.

The main attractions here are the actors. The amazing Leonardo DiCaprio gives an Oscar-worthy performance, taking on a very believable accent, and managing to bring the character of ‘Danny Archer’ to life. Then there is Djimon Hounsou, who gives a truly memorable performance as the father looking for his son, through all the madness and the war. Jennifer Connelly also gives a very good performance as the journalist they meet on the way, though she isn't as good as she was in ‘A beautiful mind’.

The writing is also very well thought out, there are a lot of memorable quotes in this movie, and the comment Jennifer Connelly makes on the refugee camps is my favourite: “You might catch a minute of this on CNN, somewhere between sports and the weather.” This quote was proved to be right when after the movie was over; my dad switched to CNN and all they could talk about was the unfortunate death of Anna Nicole Smith, though on the other channels everything was about the Hamas-Fatah peace agreement.

Now on to the plot; the story was very touching and affecting. Some may call this a brutal movie, but its no more brutal than most favourite action movies, the only difference is that the brutality here is true, but the one in action movies is pure fiction. There are actually people dying everyday in Africa, innocent people, kids are really made to be soldiers, taught to kill at a very small age. These are all the happenings around the world, and people prefer to be oblivious to them, they prefer not to know where the rocks on their fingers come from or how many people died in the process of making their necklace. Therefor it’s great to see a movie every once in a while that actually deals with an important issue, rather than just some silly teen comedy that grosses everyone out.

Blood Diamond is a movie with a message, and the reaction from the diamond companies and the governments after this movie was released is proof that it has accomplished what it set out to do. Informing people, and telling the truth, I, for one, won’t be buying diamonds any time soon and if I do I'm going to make sure they are not conflict diamonds.

I truly recommend this movie to everyone; it opens the eyes, and touches the hearts. It’s definitely a must-see and I am shocked as to why it wasn't nominated for a best picture at the Oscars! 9/10 (and that’s just because I don’t give out 10s much!)