The Prestige – Review

Coming back with a review after a very long break indeed.. This time, I saw the movie titled “The Prestige”.

About the Movie

The Prestige is a 2006 film directed by Christopher Nolan of Batman Begins fame. It features Christian Bale (as Alfred Borden and as Fallon) and Hugh Jackman (as Robert Angier) in the lead roles. Both the actors have done a wonderful job in their roles as upcoming magicians. The film is set in the late 1890s and includes characters like Tesla (the scientist credited with the invention of Alternating Current) which makes the film interesting.

My Review

Angier and Borden are assistants to the famous magician of the time, Milton. Both have dreams of successful individual careers in their hearts. However, in an unfortunate incident, Angier’s wife Julia loses her life during a trick by Milton, and Angier puts the blame squarely on Borden for tying a complicated knot over Julia’s hands. They part ways, with Angier ruing the loss of his wife and wanting to seek revenge on Borden for the same. Angier becomes The Great Danton, and Borden becomes The Professor, as they start their professional careers.

Both Angier and Borden try to bring the other down by sabotaging each other’s shows, and the competition between them reaches its peak with both turning violent. Angier loses a leg and Borden a couple of fingers, in their rivalry. When all things appear to be going Angier’s way, Borden resurfaces as the best among the two, with a new trick that he call The Transported Man. This is the turning point in the film. Angier becomes obsessed with finding out how Borden manages this trick, and that leads him to Nikola Tesla, who constructs him a machine. Using this machine, Angier performs The Real Transported Man trick that catapults him to the top spot above Borden.

Angier also does something so cunning with the machine Tesla gives him, and Borden is convicted of his murder and sent to jail in death sentence. What exactly happens after this, and how much Angier and Borden sacrificed to make their careers successful, forms the end of the movie.

The lead actors have done an astonishing job, playing their roles to perfection. I was especially impressed with the acting of Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier. The supporting actors too have done a good job in lending support to the leads. All in all, the cast selection couldn’t have been any better. Music is subtle and merges with the film’s flow, and cinematography is also good.

What really captured my attention was the way in which the life of magicians has been shown. All of us, at one point of time or the other, have been piqued and have wondered about how magicians really create all the illusions. This film depicts that wonderfully. Whether all these methods are still in practice, I don’t know… but if they really kill pigeons and animals every time they get on stage, just to show us a trick.. then that’s really bad…!! Like Borden says in the picture, if they get their hands dirty during every show… 😦

I haven’t really given much details or posted a spoiler in this review.. 😀 The film has a really nice but unbelievable twist towards the end, so watch this movie and let me know. And it has a very fresh and a not-so-often-seen storyline. Overall, I would rate this movie as a Must Watch. You will not regret it.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Gigasmilies rocks…!!

Gigasmilies is a nifty little application that makes posting smilies in forums or blogs, a very easy task….  Created by Santhosh and Charan, both of whom I know through the Digit forum, this application is small and easy to use. 

Check it out at Gigasmilies

“My Sassy Girl” – Review

This is my first official blog, so I’d like to start with saying a big HI to everyone reading this..! After reading raving reviews about the Korean film “My Sassy Girl” for long, I finally had an opportunity to watch the movie yesterday. A short review of the movie, in my opinion, follows.

Info about the movie 

My Sassy Girl is a Korean movie released in 2001, directed by Kwak Jae-yong. The lead characters (and the only characters you would notice) are played by Cha Tae-hyun (Kyun Woo in the film) and Jun Ji-hyun.

My Review

The movie starts with Kyun Woo waiting to meet his girlfriend (whose name is never revealed in the movie for some reason) after a period of two years. He narrates the story of how he met his girlfriend for the first time in a train, and how their relationship gradually developed. I’m not going to post a spoiler here, so nothing more in detail about the plot.

Kyun Woo is depicted  as a typical college student with no aims in life, living life as it comes, until he meets a girl of his dreams. His life changes drastically after that. The girl at first disgusts him. She is drunk to the full at their first meeting; later he also finds many annoying characteristics in the girl. But still he is attracted towards her, and he slowly understands that behind the mask of that annoying and drunk girl, is a pretty girl with a very painful sorrow. I must say that the hero (its very difficult to spell these names.. :D) has done an excellent job, be it in the emotional scenes; or in the funny parts. The way he gets slapped, beaten and abused by the girl is really funny at times; and makes you feel bad for him at times.

The girl’s character, in my opinion, is the pillar behind the success of this film. Played excellently by the Korean star Jun Ji-hyun, she disgusts you at first, makes you angry, attracts you, and finally makes you feel sorry for her. You just can’t predict the way she’ll talk or behave in the next scene. I’m not sure if the actor got an award for this performance or not, but I feel she deserves one. Most of the credit to the film’s success goes to her.

Storywise, the film is no different from many of the Bollywood movies we are treated to each year. It is a romantic comedy. The first part is filled with more comedy, and the second half gets more melodramatic. Towards the end you start praying that the film should have a good end, and that’s exactly what’s in store. But the way the film was made, and the way the characters were depicted, makes this film a class apart from the others. The characters stay in your mind long after the film is over. That, to me, is an identity of a well-made film.

Summary

Though storywise I’d say the film in not very different, this is a movie that one should not miss. Excellently made with just two main characters, I’d recommend a Must Watch rating to this movie. Do not miss this. And if you have a girlfriend, watch it with her by your side.

Rating

8.5 out of 10