The Prestige
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You're driving on the highway and all of a sudden you realize: you have to go. It's not an emergency, but it definitely makes the ride interesting for you until the inevitable conclusion, when everything is mercifully expelled. This is what Christopher Nolan's film The Prestige is like. It's a movie that succeeds in building the pressure and detail until you'd punch your mother just to get rid of it all.
Two rival magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) play a manly game of one-upsmanship until the battle for tricks becomes so awesome and terrible that in the end they both just want to die. Bale is brilliant, and Jackman is Jackman. Scarlett Johansson appears as an assistant, proving once again that she is just Paris Hilton with better material to read.
But whatever harm she does to the movie is mended by David Bowie's performance as Nikolai Tesla, the mad Russian genius.
The movie hinges completely on revealing the manner behind the "illusions," which it did.By the finale, we learn everything we need to know, which is as much of a relief as finally reaching that toilet and dropping trou. In a way, it actually told too
many secrets. But while I could complain about *The Prestige*, over-explaining its climax, I just want to sit back and feel the contentment of a satisfying pee.
Rated: PG-13
128 minutes
Danny Solomon
MUSIC
The '80s are back. While most bands that take sounds from the decade sound like cruel and unusual punishment, Sound Team's sound is refreshing.
Movie Monster dabbles in a little bit of everything from dance beats to hipster pop to powerful vocals backed by a talented six-piece band.
The album is consistently good with only a few minor blips in between like the repetitive and boring "TVTorso."
Some highlights include the rock'n roll of "Born To Please," the catchy "Your Eyes Are Liar" and the brilliant closer, "Handful of Billions," filled with memorable lines and a powerful ending.
Justin Timberlake might have brought sexy back, but Sound Team brought the '80s back, and, for once, the '80s sound really good.
Chris Brower
ALL KATINGS ARE OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE STARS.★★★★