Blindspot 2015: The Prestige (2006)

Plot: Two stage magicians engage in competitive one-upmanship in an attempt to create the ultimate stage illusion.

Rating: 9/10

I’ll start off saying that I’m not one of the Nolanites who obsessively watch for new releases and get violent in his defense. That does not stop me from recognizing the true genius of the man, but I don’t faint with excitement is all I’m saying. But he directed two of the Blindspots I’ve most enjoyed this year, so obviously this guy is on to something.

I chose amazing Blindspots for 2015. Both the Godfather One and Two, Fury, Interstellar, Casablanca and now the Prestige were all well worth the time I devoted to them. I have Pulp Fiction and A Good Year left and I think we can safely say that Pulp Fiction is the one that might upset the rankings here.

THE PRESTIGE, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, 2006, (c) Newmarket/courtesy Everett Collection

The Prestige is a phenomenal movie. It is entertaining, well-paced, and non-linear in its storytelling (I’ve come to realize that ol’ Nolan likes doing this). Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johannson, Andy Serkis and David Bowie are the main cast and they entertain non-stop. I’ve always thought Christian Bale is a fantastic actor, but I haven’t really seen him as jaw dropping good. I’m told that this is more his natural accent than any other, but just realizing how excellently he does accents and how his whole demeanor changes when he slips into a role is terribly impressive. Without giving plot reveals on here, because if you haven’t seen it you really should, I called one of the big ones pretty early on. All you have to do is pay attention to Tesla’s experience (an already fascinating character and his incorporation into this was a great idea). The last one, just before the end of the movie? I had my suspicions but wasn’t totally correct there – it was very well done. The movie has a fantastic end – you are kept wondering and on the edge of your seat until the very end, and then it still manage to surprise.

The Prestige is well worth the watch. So happy I chose this!

November 13, 2015November 11, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Blindspot, Movies, ReviewsTags: Andy Serkis, Blindspot, Blindspot 2015, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, David Bowie, Great Movies, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Movies, Reviews, Scarlett Johansson, The Prestige 11 Comments

Movie Review: Children of Men (2006)

“I can’t really remember when I last had any hope, and I certainly can’t remember when anyone else did either. Because really, since women stopped being able to have babies, what’s left to hope for?”

Plot: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Rating: 5/10

This movie is so much shit. The fact that it has a high rating and Oscar nods just goes to show that people often like things because other people said it would be good. The cast is so shitty – they irritated me senseless and had no acting chops whatsoever. The camera work is horrendous – the constant shaking made me feel whiplashed. I thought the story fell flat and that was depressing because it had an amazing premise – I often think that human extinction is a real possibility with great drops in fertility. They gave no information about the global infertility and miscarriages – it is something doctors and scientists would immediately explore when it became evident. The end, about the only thing that could have saved the situation, was unsatisfying and frustrating – no sign of the promised land, just some vague water scenes. I called every single “plot twists” miles before it happened. The only remotely touching scene involved people hearing the cry of the baby for the first time in eighteen years. It had me thinking and if the rest of the movie had been like that it would have had some redeeming qualities. This movie was really disappointing and it is not something I would ever watch again or recommend.

May 4, 2015May 3, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Children of Men, Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Movies, Reviews 5 Comments

Movie Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

“Manners maketh man. Do you know what that means? Then let me teach you a lesson.”

Plot: A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Rating: 8/10

My little sister and I are solidly in the “we WON’T help Fifty Shades of Grey reach the billion dollar mark at the cinema” camp, so we chose to go watch Kingsmen this Saturday and man, that was forty bucks well spent.

Kingsman is 100% fun and a great action film. Colin Firth sets the standard for kicking ass in a suit. I’ve never seen him in anything remotely like this and would never have thought it could work. It worked unbelievably well and I would support any person that chose him as the next Bond.

Taron Egerton as Gary “Eggsy” Unwin did very well. I was unaware of his existence prior to this, and now I’m willing to watch anything with him in it. He was rough and angry and he truly seemed like a crazy English football fan. His journey from being a troublemaker to becoming someone aware of his capabilities was worth the watch. Eggsy is also my final proof in the argument FOR the Suit and against the Flatcap. Through the entire movie I was very meh about Egerton’s looks, and hell, then that suit happened. Bless that suit. Bless it now!

I wasn’t a fan of Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine. He was such a un-terrifying villain but what I did get from him was that people are currently obsessed with celebrities and are controlled through their mobile devices. His sidekick and her startling abilities was rather good to see and she was way more villainous than her master.

Kingsman has a very satirical and mocking take on the whole spy-genre and it was immensely pleasing to see how they could joke around, swear at each other, get out of impossible situations, look classy and get things done all at the same time. The fighting scenes were incredible to behold and the music score during the fights made it all feel so surreal.

Most importantly, this movie is long but it doesn’t feel long, and I don’t say that often at all. It’s an excellent film and the only suggestion I would have given the producers was to release it at another time – Fifty Shades is undeserving to lead the box-office when there is something like this running around. Do yourself a favor and go see this!

February 24, 2015February 23, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Colin Firth, Kingsman: Secret Service, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Taron Egerton 11 Comments