The Prestige

Film is a magic trick.  Illusions of fictitious people and places fill a two dimensional space before us for an hour or so and we choose to believe it.  It’s not real and we know it.  Many times we know how these tricks are done, but that’s not the point.  When real magic flows from the screen, you’re not looking for the trick.  You want to believe.  I believe that is the point and spirit of The Prestige.

Readers, please be patient with how vague my following review may seem.  I want to discuss The Prestige spoiler free, yet I know that the slightest mention of an event can bring an avalanche of spoilers to the unsuspecting reader.  Believe me, this film is quite a ride the first time you see it, free of any preconceived notions.

In Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film, The Prestige, we witness an ongoing feud between two rival magicians in Victorian London.  Christian Bale plays Alfred Borden and Hugh Jackman plays Robert Angier.  They first work together as plants (volunteers that that seem picked at random from the audience) in an act, but after an incident occurs, they become bitter enemies sabotaging each other’s solo careers.  Robert yearns for what Alfred has: family and an gobsmacking transported man act.  He becomes obsessed with discovering Alfred’s secret to the trick and go to many lengths to create his own transported man act, but at what cost?

I have seen this film at least five times now, and I still find myself trying to wrap my mind around everything.  The first time I saw this, I was a bit lost at times, but always fascinated.  We are not shown everything in perfect chronological order, but rather the order to which will best pique our interest.  Like I said, Nolan is creating a film like a magic trick.  In every act he must show us the pledge, then the turn before revealing the prestige.  If it’s not leaving you searching putting the puzzle together, he has not done it quite right.

At the Oscars, The Prestige was nominated for only two awards: art direction and cinematography.  That would make you think it’s a very visual film.  It is, especially when the connections with Tesla come into play, but the strength the film carries is in it’s complexity and how it heightens our curiosity until the very end.

There are some fun, yet downplayed surprises.  David Bowie plays a role as the famed Nikola Tesla.  And only in my latest viewing did I realize that Tesla’s assistant was none other that Andy Serkis.  So nice to see him as a non-CGI character.  There is also Scarlett Johansson, as a lovely assistant, and Michael Caine as a manager connecting the two rivals from beginning to end.

I understand there is a point in the film that some people believe it breaks ranks.  Suddenly the film’s perceived reality is more than it seems.  I don’t worry about it, this film holds my suspension of disbelief.  What I always find intriguing is trying to figure out the difference between the prestige and the man in the box.  Is it really the same person?  What are the consequences?

While The Prestige is still a very young film, I believe that it is destined to become a classic.  It’s simply a tale of rivalry, but set to the era of early of magicians, like Houdini.  It becomes an intoxicating ride that twists and turns in ways you could not have expected, but love to believe.

“The secret impresses no one.  The trick you use it for is everything.”

The Dark Knight Rises

The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy picks up eight years after The Dark Knight.  Since then, Gotham has adopted Harvey Dent as their hero, keeping hundreds of thugs and mob men locked up under an act named for him, and the Batman hasn’t been seen since Dent was killed, taking all the blame.  Only Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) knows the truth about Dent and Batman’s innocence, but since this lie has helped make Gotham peaceful, he keeps the real story for another day.  The whole city is unaware that a storm is brewing, led by a man more evil and powerful than Gotham has ever encountered, Bane (Tom Hardy).  Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) first gets wind of this from a thief putting her allegiance in the wrong hands, just looking for a clean slate, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).  Bruce knows he must bring the Batman back to protect Gotham from this new rising terrorist, even though Gotham believes he is an enemy.

Throughout the film, there is the idea of pain, both physical and emotional.  There is Bane, his mask sending him a constant surge of morphine.  For a while, Gordon is in the hospital and we are told of his broken family.  We see Bruce limp, struggle to fix his leg and later physically build himself again.  Alfred tries to spare him pain by hiding the truth about Rachel.  And Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Bruce understand each other from their experiences growing up as orphans.

Then there is the idea of class warfare.  In all three films there has been a large gap between Gotham’s elite and the lowest of the low.  The fact that Wayne Enterprises has stopped funding an orphanage does not help.  Bane exposes this flaw and lets Gotham’s prisoners take control of the city, while trapping all the police underground.  Suddenly, the wealthy are thrown onto the streets while thugs crash in their homes.  And Bane begins this madness at a football game, destroying the stadium and a private box area  in front of a full crowd.  I doubt tickets to a Gotham Rogues game are cheap.

Then there is the idea that one man’s tools can become another man’s weapon.  It is hard not to be sickened by the stark reality of this after the shooting during this film in Colorado.  Anyone familiar with Batman comics knows that only villains use guns and Batman seldom kills.  His tools are designed only for him by Fox (Morgan Freeman) and hidden from falling into anyone else’s hands.  But Bane breaks in and starts using the tank-like batmobiles to roam and threaten the city.  Worse, Wayne Enterprises has secretly developed a fusion based sustainable energy source, but in the wrong hands, it has been turned into an atom bomb capable of destroying all of Gotham.

I believe The Dark Knight Rises was the best film of the summer.  How that will hold up come Oscar season is always questionable.  Nolan’s last summer smash, Inception, was a Best Picture nominee.  There is also more favor toward the finishing film of a trilogy with the Academy (LOTR:ROTK cleaned house) and TDKR finishes this franchise in a strong fashion.  Considering how there have been 10 nominees for the past three years now, I would not completely count TDKR out of the running, but I do consider it a long shot   However, I’m sure some sound and visual effect nominations are in store.  And did anyone else feel especially moved by Michael Caine’s Alfred this time around?  I know the field is thick, but I hope I’m not the only one looking for a supporting nomination there.

“Ah you think darkness is your ally?  You merely adopted the dark.  I was born in it, molded by it.  I didn’t see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!”

Batman Begins

The night before Batman Begins was released, I was working the closing shift at the local theater.  Excitement about the newest Batman franchise had been buzzing through the theater for months.  That night, as I was cleaning out the popcorn machine, I heard that we could stay and watch the movie, making sure the reel had been assembled correctly.  After a long evening’s work, I settled in the the other lowly popcorn-crusted employees and watched Batman Begins.  I’ll admit, I was tired, may have fallen asleep somewhere in the middle and later went on about how Spiderman 2 had already done a climactic train scene.  But watching it again, seven years later, with a well rested mind and on blu-ray, I’ve grown to appreciate Nolan’s opening to an amazing trilogy.

The name does not disappoint, we are shown the very beginnings of everything that formed Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) into Batman.  We see his most important childhood moments, where he falls into a well full of bats, creating his deepest fear.  There is also the death of his parents, gunned down in front of young Bruce in the senseless violence that they worked so hard to stop.  We are shown Bruce as a young man, full of anger and wanting revenge.  He realizes even as an orphan who knows pain, he is still too privileged to understand Gotham’s lower class citizens and those who seccumb to crime.  So he travels, gets himself into a remote prison to study criminals.  But his skills are noticed by Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the League of Shadows.  He trains Bruce, unintentionally inspiring him to return to Gotham and use his training to become a vigilante larger than he could be simply as a man.

By the time Bruce and Alfred (Michael Caine) get the Batcave set up, Dr. Johnathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), i.e. Scarecrow, is well underway in a plan to make Gotham tear itself apart.  With the help of a crime boss, Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), he plans to let the loose the prisoners in Arkham Asylum while a drug that induces terrifying hallucinations is realized into the air.  Even worse, The League of Shadows seems to have a hand in all this, wanting to make sure that Gotham falls.  On top of all that, Bruce needs to keep up appearances as Gotham’s prince and billionaire playboy, so that no one, especially not his friend Rachel (Katie Holmes), suspects him of being Batman.

I’ve mentioned that each film of The Dark Knight Trilogy has a broad theme tying everything together that Bruce must overcome.  In Batman Begins, that theme is fear.  Fear is instilled in Bruce and inadvertently causes the death of his parents.  In his process of becoming Batman, he conquers and harnesses his fear, using it as a symbol.  Crane’s drug produces fear through terrifying images and paranoia.  He uses it to manipulate people, hoping that a mass mob of fear can destroy Gotham from the inside out.

Visually, Batman Begins is beautiful and portrays Gotham in a more classical light than the other two films.  Among a few glittering glass skyscrapers are also older style buildings, including the original Wayne tower.   One of my favorite images is the elevated railway when it’s brand new, it feels futuristic and yet very art deco all at once.  In a huge contrast is the neighborhood around Arkham Asylum, full of old, rundown buildings.  The whole area seems dark, damp and dirty compared to the sparkling skyline surrounding it.  One image I never shook is how the neighborhood always seems wet and steamy, yet all the clothes are hanging out on lines between the dingy buildings, even in the rain.

When studying Christopher Nolan’s work or the progression of Batman in film, Batman Begins is a much see.  At the Oscars, its only nomination was for cinematography, emphasizing how visually powerful the film is.  Though it can drag a bit in the middle as we are eagerly awaiting our caped crusader to emerge, it is a great story and makes the wait worth it.  Most important, Batman Begins is the perfect base to support a heavy trilogy.

“And why do we fall, Bruce?   So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

The Cider House Rules

In St. Cloud, Maine, Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) runs an orphanage.  It’s also the remote destination where unwed mothers come for safe (but still illegal) abortions or give birth to their unwanted children.  The children are left, named by Larch, and grow among the other children, all wishing to be adopted.  After two unsuccessful adoptions as a baby, Homer Welles (Toby Maguire) has been raised in the orphanage and medically trained by Larch, who hopes that Homer will one day run the facility.  When Homer meets a young couple seeking an abortion, he leaves with them to see the world outside of the orphanage.

Once Homer sets off, the film quickly becomes a charming coming-of-age odyssey.  In his early talks with Dr. Larch, we understand that Homer is still very naive and expects too much from people.  This spills over into his refusal to perform abortions.  On his own, Homer encounters numerous pitfalls, that he expects people to avoid, himself.  Love and sex aren’t so easy to avoid, and Homer learns that they can create other complications besides children.

While The Cider House Rules brings forward the touchy abortion issue, the film does not preach.  The whole feel of the film is so mellow, calm and naturally beautiful, everything would have been ruined if anyone so much as raised their voice.  While it feels that only Homer strongly opposes the issue, he is far too compassionate to judge or deny the procedure when it is needed most.

Caine’s performance as Dr. Larch earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor.  He portrays Larch to be both a man of medicine and a father figure for the orphans, choosing Homer as his  protégé and son.  In a medical sense, Larch is against ignorance and thinks of the safety of his patients first.  As a care taker to the children, Larch is very warm, open and always tries to make them happy.  With Homer and another older boy, he teaches them to help him and confide more responsibilities.  With sick children, like the heart-wrenching little Fuzzy, it’s all about warm care and special attention.  Yet, Larch is not perfect.  He hides an addiction to ether, and when Homer leaves, he acts disappointed and distant.  He’s simply a proud parent who does not want to see the future he planned for Homer go to waste.

The Cider House rules was simply enjoyable.  The characters are vivid, complex and inviting while the plot is simple, slow paced, yet compelling.  What I love most was the beautiful photography of New England in the autumn.  It helps give the whole film a starry-eyed storybook feel.  As Homer left home, the world looks so far and wide with splashes of brilliant color in the crisp air.  A magenta twilight had burst through the pine trees. The apple trees in the orchard were so thick and full of fruit, you could hide and nap in them.

“Goodnight, you princes of Maine.  You kings of New England.”

Hannah and Her Sisters

Many families have that perfect one that the rest of the family balances around.  Here, that is Hannah (Mia Farrow), the successful actress turned happy stay-at-home mom.  When her husband, Elliot (Michael Caine) falls in love with her sister, Lee (Barbara Hershey), things begin to shift.  The relationship between Elliot and Lee is awkward and must be kept hidden, neither one can stand the thought of hurting Hannah, who has been nothing but gracious.  Then there is Mickey (Woody Allen), Hannah’s hypochondriac ex husband, who finds himself confronting some big fears after a medical scare.  Eventually, he starts seeing Hannah’s other sister, Holly (Dianne Wiest), who is trying to become an actress or writer or whatever she decides to focus on at the moment.  All these affairs, dramas and big thoughts rise and fall over two years between Thanksgivings.

The film is broken into chapters where one character narrates at times with their inner thoughts.  We understand each character’s motivations and feelings more this way, since much of what they are thinking are things that cannot be said.  With Elliot, we hear his love for Lee.  With Lee, she wonders why Elliot flirts with her and if his marriage is alright.  With Mickey, his philosophical wonders and worries on life and death.

Caine gives his first Oscar winning performance as Elliot.  He portrays Elliot’s love for Lee somewhere too earnest to be considered simple lust.  The way he can fun for blocks just to “accidentally” run into Lee is endearing.  When his biggest move is to give her books and specific poems to read, it’s charming in an awkward way.  Unfortunately, Caine decided not to attend the Academy Awards that year, afraid that he would just lose a fourth time.  Also, those giant glasses and wavy hair of the mid eighties were not his best look.

Most interesting to me was Woody Allen’s character, Mickey, who does some of the most honest and entertaining soul searching I’ve ever seen on film.  After his brain tumor scare, he begins to see things half empty and realizes that one day he will be in a emanate death situation.  He begins seeking out different religious and philosophical ideas, even telling his Jewish parents that he’s considering converting to Catholicism.  Through Mickey’s worrying and pondering of the unknown, we get a good little parable about simply enjoying life and letting yourself be part of the experience.  Explaining these ideas during a Marx Brother’s film is a real stroke of genius.

The story is not set up like most films, but more like a novel exploring these people in little episodes of their lives as they intermingle.  Though there are some great laughs, it is not a comedy.  There is too much unsatisfied longing and heavy pondering about the uncertainties in life for that.  Nonetheless, Hannah and Her Sisters is a satisfying film with passionate, fleshed out characters that we can relate to, hurt with and celebrate their little moments in life.  When Elliot confesses his love for Lee, we are shocked alongside Lee, but feel proud of Elliot.  How liberating it must be to just go for it, we become a little jealous of his unabashed bravery.  With only one guaranteed go around in this life, might as well take some chances on happiness.

“For all my education, accomplishments and so-called wisdom, I can’t fathom my own heart.”

Alfie

This is the precautionary tale of the swinger’s life.  Alfie has multiple girlfriends all the time, maybe as many as twelve at once and some are married.  He’s pretty good at scheduling his time around all of them and never getting caught (I doubt that would matter anyway), but when unexpected pregnancies occur Alfie’s faced with decisions that could drastically affect his lifestyle.

Alfie is always trying to give the people around him advice.  He tells his baby-mama to give the kid up for adoption and tells his friend in the hospital to think for himself, rather than wait all week for his wife.  He even looks at the camera and gives us pointers about how to be successful in his lifestyle.  “Make a married woman laugh and you’re halfway there.”  We might agree with Alfie at times and want people to do as he advises, but once one girl really does take his advice, the effects are more than Alfie could have imagined.

The most amazing thing about Alfie is that he connects more with his audience than with any of his girlfriends or child.  He’ll stop in the middle of a necking session and let us in on some fun facts about this girl (“She’s got a little ginger mustache.”)  The magic behind his narration is that he is never heard by those around him, his words are just for us, making him more of a loner yet charismatic at the same time.  If this film cut all the narration we wouldn’t have the same ideas about Alfie, we’d just watch him seduce, keep his distance and finally walk away over and over again.  It’s with that little bit of movie magic that we understand and sympathize with Alfie, no matter what pickle he’s gotten himself into.

Of course, with the magnificent Michael Caine playing the title playboy, what could be better?  The youngsters out there probably know Caine best from playing trusty old Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  Believe me, he’s just as great then as he is now, and has the look to play a real ladies man.  Alfie was his first acting nomination at the Academy Awards and since then he’s racked up a few Oscars.

Alfie is a delightful film; fun, sexy, hilarious and with just enough drama to keep things seriously placed in reality.  The film was daring enough to let Caine break the fourth wall and talk to the audience half the time and bring serious light on a very controversial issue.  Read between the lines above to decide if you want to bring that issue into your home.  All in all, I’d recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good comedy, romance with some drama mixed in.  And of course, this is a must watch for any Michael Caine fan.

“I’ve told you before to be careful where you put your legs.”