The Presitge

[Butcher]

I just watched this again this last weekend and I forgot how good it was. I think the fact that it came out around the same time as The Illusionist (a lesser film, by far) watered down its acclaim. But damn. It's really freaking good.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=2274:date=Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I just watched this again this last weekend and I forgot how good it was. I think the fact that it came out around the same time as The Illusionist (a lesser film, by far) watered down its acclaim. But damn. It's really freaking good.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Is this the one with Ed Norton? If so, it was fantastic. I watched it a long time ago and was surprised it didn't get more buzz.

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=2281:date=Dec 8 2008, 12:55 PM:name=Coldneck)-->QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 8 2008, 12:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=2274:date=Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I just watched this again this last weekend and I forgot how good it was. I think the fact that it came out around the same time as The Illusionist (a lesser film, by far) watered down its acclaim. But damn. It's really freaking good.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Is this the one with Ed Norton? If so, it was fantastic. I watched it a long time ago and was surprised it didn't get more buzz.
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You got it backwards. And yeah, Prestige was a very underrated film. Fine acting all around.

[HTC]

One of my favorite movies.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=2283:date=Dec 8 2008, 01:59 PM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Dec 8 2008, 01:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=2281:date=Dec 8 2008, 12:55 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 8 2008, 12:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=2274:date=Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 8 2008, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I just watched this again this last weekend and I forgot how good it was. I think the fact that it came out around the same time as The Illusionist (a lesser film, by far) watered down its acclaim. But damn. It's really freaking good.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Is this the one with Ed Norton? If so, it was fantastic. I watched it a long time ago and was surprised it didn't get more buzz.
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You got it backwards. And yeah, Prestige was a very underrated film. Fine acting all around.
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Oh, well I liked the Illusionist better than The Prestige.

[CFOrfan]

I'm a big fan of The Houdini... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ph34r.gif[/img]



The Prestige was a great movie though. I was a little behind on movies and only saw it like 2 months ago and I loved it.

[twitterwoods]

The Prestige was fucking awesome. I didn't see the twist coming at all. I never saw it in theaters because I saw the Illusionist and thought it was pretty meh and couldn't drag myself to see two "magic' movies...but the Prestige blows The Illusionist out of the water.

[Fella]

I liked the Prestige and Illusionist both quite a bit, but I agree the Prestige was better.

[Mikey]

I liked the Prestige a lot. I am huge Bale and Jackman fan.

[veryzer]

chris nolan is joining quentin tarantino and david fincher as one of my favorite directors. "the prestige' was great.

[BT]

Wow. I must really be in the minority. The Prestige had just about the stupidest fucking "twist" I have EVER seen. The performances were great, but what a total and complete fucking copout the ending was.


SPOILERS


If I remember correctly, wasn't the big twist "he did it with magic"? Except instead of actually saying "magic", they made up some bullshit about Tesla inventing a machine that creates replicas of people? Am I remembering that right? And you guys don't find that to be a huge load of shit?

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=4221:date=Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wow. I must really be in the minority. The Prestige had just about the stupidest fucking "twist" I have EVER seen. The performances were great, but what a total and complete fucking copout the ending was.


SPOILERS


If I remember correctly, wasn't the big twist "he did it with magic"? Except instead of actually saying "magic", they made up some bullshit about Tesla inventing a machine that creates replicas of people? Am I remembering that right? And you guys don't find that to be a huge load of shit?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
MORE SPOILERS











The whole twin/clone related twist might have been problematic, but I thought they pulled it off rather well, and it actually made me sad. In a lesser movie, I might have complained, but I thought it all worked.

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=4221:date=Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wow. I must really be in the minority. The Prestige had just about the stupidest fucking "twist" I have EVER seen. The performances were great, but what a total and complete fucking copout the ending was.


SPOILERS


If I remember correctly, wasn't the big twist "he did it with magic"? Except instead of actually saying "magic", they made up some bullshit about Tesla inventing a machine that creates replicas of people? Am I remembering that right? And you guys don't find that to be a huge load of shit?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I thought it was brilliant. The fact that he has to kill the "copy" every time he does the trick adds a completely new and complex layer -- and I think he even says something like, "I never know if it's going to be me...or the copy that goes in the tank." Something about that is totally creepy to me. I didn't think it was a copout at all. And there are some clues dropped early on and scattered throughout that the story is leading to something like that -- so it isn't entirely out of the blue.

Nope. Not a huge load of shit at all. If they didn't "earn" it, then I would've been pissed, but I didn't have a problem with it at all. I would recommend a second viewing, BT, if you haven't already.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=4221:date=Dec 12 2008, 01:35 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Dec 12 2008, 01:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wow. I must really be in the minority. The Prestige had just about the stupidest fucking "twist" I have EVER seen. The performances were great, but what a total and complete fucking copout the ending was.


SPOILERS


If I remember correctly, wasn't the big twist "he did it with magic"? Except instead of actually saying "magic", they made up some bullshit about Tesla inventing a machine that creates replicas of people? Am I remembering that right? And you guys don't find that to be a huge load of shit?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


I agree with you BT. It didn't totally ruin it for me, but I did question it a good deal. I though the Illusionist was a lot smarter than The Prestige.

[BT]

<!--quoteo(post=4246:date=Dec 12 2008, 01:59 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 12 2008, 01:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=4221:date=Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM:name=BT)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BT @ Dec 12 2008, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wow. I must really be in the minority. The Prestige had just about the stupidest fucking "twist" I have EVER seen. The performances were great, but what a total and complete fucking copout the ending was.


SPOILERS


If I remember correctly, wasn't the big twist "he did it with magic"? Except instead of actually saying "magic", they made up some bullshit about Tesla inventing a machine that creates replicas of people? Am I remembering that right? And you guys don't find that to be a huge load of shit?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I thought it was brilliant. The fact that he has to kill the "copy" every time he does the trick adds a completely new and complex layer -- and I think he even says something like, "I never know if it's going to be me...or the copy that goes in the tank." Something about that is totally creepy to me. I didn't think it was a copout at all. And there are some clues dropped early on and scattered throughout that the story is leading to something like that -- so it isn't entirely out of the blue.

Nope. Not a huge load of shit at all. If they didn't "earn" it, then I would've been pissed, but I didn't have a problem with it at all. I would recommend a second viewing, BT, if you haven't already.
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It doesn't matter at all to me that they dropped clues, it's still a copout. Look, it's very well acted and directed, and there are some good ideas. But I look at it like this. Here is a mystery movie I came up with. Tell me what you think of it:

A woman is found murdered in a locked room. The windows and doors are locked from the inside, and there are no vents to crawl in an out. How did the murder kill her and get out?

Solution? He invented a magical machine which can transport him in and out of locked rooms. The end.

Satisfying "mystery"? Of course not. It doesn't matter how well I direct that movie, or how well it's acted or how much foreshadowing is put it, in the end, it's bullshit. It's Deus Ex Machina to the 10th degree. I can admire the craftsmanship of "The Prestige", but ultimately I have to dismiss it because it cheats.