Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: The Prestige (2006)

6/19/2023

The Prestige (2006) - Nolan's overrated magician picture

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Two familiar male star leads and a hazy female star wedged between them make up this dark, enigmatic poster for Christopher Nolan's The Prestige

Robert Angier and Alfred Borden are magicians in Victorian era London, feuding over a prestigious teleportation trick.

The Prestige is written by Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar (2014)) and his brother, English master filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Following (1998)), whose 5th feature it is. It is an adaptation of the same-titled 1995 novel by Christopher Priest (Short Circuit (1986)).

It is an overrated film in which we have to take two men who make tall hats disappear gravely serious. Basic suspense and a teasing final image don't disguise that The Prestige suffers from miscasts in its female roles and general awkwardness.

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Interstellar (2014) - Nolan heads to space in opulent, exciting epic
2014 in films - according to Film Excess
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) or, Batman and the Storm, Darkness, Anarchy, Evil, Depression
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
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2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
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The Dark Knight (2008) - Nolan's best Batman
Batman Begins (2005) or, Modern, Dark, Smooth Batman
Memento (2000) - Nolan's overrated amnesia mindfuck
Following (1998) - Nolan's ineffectual debut

Watch a fan-made trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $

Box office: 109.6 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.74 times its cost)

[The Prestige premiered 17 October (Rome Film Fest) and runs 130 minutes. Shooting took place in June 2005 and from January - April 2006 in Colorado and California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #1 to a 14.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent 1 more weekend in the top 5 (#3), grossing 53 mil. $ (48.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 6.8 mil. $ (6.2 %) and Spain with 5.1 mil. $ (4.7 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars. It lost Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister (Batman Begins (2005)) to Guillermo Navarro for Pan's Labyrinth and Art Direction also to Pan's Labyrinth. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #42 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between Whiplash (2014) and The Usual Suspects (1995). Nolan returned with The Dark Knight (2008). Hugh Jackman (Real Steel (2011)) returned with 2 voice performances, a TV-series performance and a short prior to his theatrical return in Deception (2008); Christian Bale (American Hustle (2013)) in 3:10 to Yuma (2007). The Prestige is certified fresh at 76 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Prestige?

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

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Born in Alabama to deaf parents, Fletcher got her first credits in late-1950s TV-series.She took a 10 year-long sabbatical to devote her time to motherhood after the release of A Gathering of Eagles, but then came back and soon saw her career's most important part, as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won her sole Oscar. Later credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Lucky Star (1980), Brainstorm (1983), Two Moon Junction (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999), A Perfect Man (2013) and many more. Fletcher passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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6/19/2023

The Prestige (2006) - Nolan's overrated magician picture

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