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[trinityvixen]

The Prestige is as well-crafted as you can imagine, well-acted besides. I'm not obsessed. Not that Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman weren't diverting. More impressive still? There wasn't that much of Teh Gay running around despite it being a movie about two guys in an obsessive spiral with each other. I won't say more, as even giving my opinion would be something of a spoiler.

So, spoilers? Those go in the comments, okay? THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS! Go on, spoil.

Also, ivy03? The actor playing the lawyer is not Tempus from Lois and Clark. He's the Sheriff of Rotingham from Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Comments

[viridian.livejournal.com]

HEE!!! Well, I am well and truly obsessed.

And you're right, there wasn't that much of Teh Gay, hot as that might have been. There was maybe one line that struck me with its blatant slashtacularity, and that was it.

Still, I loved it. I loved just the TOUCH of sci-fi woven into a mostly real-world-possibly story. I loved the layers, I loved how themes echoed. I loved how they told you exactly what you needed to know to figure out the "trick", but it was still a surprise. I love that the "trick" on Jackman's character's side is basically the bird trick over and over, using himself as the bird. I love that they tell the truth without telling the truth.

In short, this is my new Matrix-level obsessive film. LOVE.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It might just be me, then, but I didn't like the mystery tech making the Jackman Transported Man working except for the fact that it made him have to kill himself over and over (and gave that great line about being the man in the box). So, as a device for character drama, okay, but I wish they'd left faux science out of it. I'd have preferred he actually go see the wizards and demons he talks about in his spiel. Not that I didn't love the Bowie as Tesla. Loved the Bowie. Also, I elbowed feiran hard when Andy Serkis came on because, hey, it's Andy Serkis! He's allowed onscreeen these days!!!

Yeah, not obsessed, me. I think I got burnt out on the magic films with The Illusionist, which I enjoyed more. This one left me feeling vaguely disappointed, but a revisit will probably satisfy me more because, armed with the answers from the start, I can watch each scene again (instead of just replaying in my head) and look again at the clues, see how well it was revealed or not. As was, I think the psychologies didn't get enough play, lost behind the melodrama of wives and mistresses (and boy was Scarlett Johanssen useless here), and when those aren't at the fore (the one-upping was, but the darker side of obsession was kept to the very end) you just work at figuring out the trick. So, I guess, my problem is I'm a little too much like Alfred Borden--I'm not appreciating the show, I'm working out the gag.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

See, for me? The psychologies got plenty of play, because... they're both "Sorcerers", which is an archetype identified by kittydesade in her original fiction, and it fits a LOT of fictional types. Bale's character was very nearly THE EXACT embodiment of her personified archetype that she's been writing for years. That's why she and I have been squeeing about it all over LJ, read our thread in my journal and feel free to jump in and ask her all sorts of nosy questions.

So, for those who know the type, it becomes easy to spot, and just... really really true.

But yes. Ask her. This is what made the movie amazing for me, quite honestly.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

My bad. I'm confusing my dimpled farcical big-chinned English actors.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

No worries. It took us some time on the platform at 66th street before I remembered where I'd seen that guy from. That bugged me for the entire movie.

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

Awesome. That was the movie I most wanted to see out right now, since I'm not that big a fan of gangster movies and there's nothing else out. And the previews looked very, very impressive. Since the best film I've seen recently is Jackass 2, it'll be a nice improvement.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It may take a reviewing for me to really fall in love with it, but there are layers beneath the straight up story that merit a revisit (these types of movies--the how/whodunnit--always do). Have fun.

[jlc.livejournal.com]

Saw it on Friday night, and while I generally enjoyed the film, I would've enjoyed it a hell of a lot more had the ending left more open. It had everything of a great unanswered questions movie (and all the fun fandom nonsense speculation that would've allowed) and then decided to ruin it by wrapping itself up a little too tightly.

And while Hugh Jackman was cute as always, I was much more impressed by the makeup department managing to make David Bowie NOT look like a walking corpse!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I understand completely what you mean. Moreover, I felt like the real problem was the emphasis on the one-upmanship and the "Ooh, look, who's lying? Who's gonna score the last point?" really detracted from the incredible psychologies running around.

Also, I felt like the Hugh Jackman story was obvious (his obsession making him more and more crazed, etc) but that there wasn't enough time devoted to the Christian Bale part. I did figure out his story, sure, but only because of the anvil-sized clues midway through and the fact that Christian Bale didn't seem to be cast in the crazy focused/obsessed role (the trick is him being cast in that role and making it more obsessive than the "obsessive" role Jackman was playing).

I feel dumb though, because as viridian pointed out, I didn't realize the symbolism of the caged bird trick and Jackman at the end. My bad.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was an English major. My symbolism filter is ALWAYS ON.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

::giggles:: It's like slash-goggles, only classy!

[trakkie.livejournal.com]

Hi, this is Tracy. I figured that now that I've met you, I might as well friend you!

When ivy03 leaned over and told me that was Tempus, I agreed wholeheartedly, since I knew I recognized him from somewhere. Turns out I actually recognized him as Lord John Marbury from the West Wing. Whoops!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Hi Tracy! I need to remember to friend you back. So glad you finally made it to one of our get-togethers.

It's an easy mistake to make, really, stupid British people looking so alike (that's half why I could believe they could find a Jackman look-alike in the movie, and he's not even really British! He's British colonial!).