Sprint to the Oscars - The Prestige

One day to go as The Sneaky Cheetah valiantly tries to see every nominated film before the Academy Awards!

The Prestige
Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction

A few minutes into the Prestige, I thought, "Damn you Christopher Nolan, can't you tell a story in a linear fashion? The first scene is the death of one of the main characters! WTF!" As the film ended, I was again stunned into admiration of perhaps the greatest filmmaker to emerge in the last few years. The Prestige grips you with it's style and acting and keeps you guessing til the end (except for me! I figured it all out about halfway through! Bet you didn't!) It was the perfect way to tell this story, as it kept the lines between protagonist and antagonist blurred by obsession and revenge. Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine are all marvelous as turn of the century magicians, constantly one-upping each other. And don't blink or you'll miss a well disguised David Bowie! The twists are worth it. The cinematography is similar to The Prestige's sister film The Illusionist, though not as stylized. The art direction in very strong. The magician's props alone are marvelous, let alone the period costumes and all the lightning spewing thing-a-ma-jigs. I think The Prestige is the most under appreciated films of '06. It's in my top 5, and it easily deserved a Picture, Directing, Screenplay and Editing nominations. Though a dark film with themes exploring the worst side of human beings, it is always interesting and feeds you just enough clues to make you think you know what's really going on. But you don't. (But I did!) A

Nolan's cinematographer of choice is Wally Pfister, also nominated in 2006 for Batman Begins. The Art Director is Nathan Crowley and the Set Decorator is Julie Ochipinti, both receiving their first Oscar nominations.