Reviews

The first Back to the Future is in my opinion one of the very best in its genre. Of course it was such a huge success that there had to be a sequel or two. Predictably, Back to the Future Part II was not anywhere near as good as the original. Back to the Future Part III on the other hand manages to match and even maybe surpass the quality of the first one.

In this movie Marty travels back to 1955 and meets Doc (just seconds after Doc sent him back to the future in the first movie) to tell him that he (Doc) is stuck in 1885 because of a time travel he took in 1985(!) Marty then has to go back to 1885 too to warn Doc that he is about to be shot in a few days and therefore has to come back to 1985 with him (Marty). The idea of a time travel to the Wild West is pretty amusing, and here the opportunity for fun anachronistic situations is well taken care of. For example, when Marty has to come up with a name for himself, of course the first one that springs to mind is Clint Eastwood. "What a sissy name is that?" one of the bad guys remarks. And the scene where Marty has to dance to avoid being shot in his feet and starts to moonwalk is just hilarious.

I think in addition to the humor, what makes this movie so watchable is that great care is taken to make the Western environment convincing. Also the story is pretty exciting and not totally predictable as is often the case in this type of movies. The acting is first class and the actors really seem to enjoy themselves.

My only complaint is that the ending is kind of a letdown, but other than that I could hardly imagine how the movie could have been improved. I have seen it at least three times, and saw it again for the first time in many years with my 10 year old daughter a few days ago. She enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first in the series. This was mainly due to the fact that she had problems with making sense of the story which is a bit convoluted for a child.

I finally, got to see "The Prestige" last night, and it certainly did not disappoint me. It is one of those movies that is just so well made through and through. The acting is overall excellent, the plot is very entertaining with so many twists and turns that it keeps you constantly guessing what is really going on, and the directing is almost flawless. If you have ever seen "The Usual Suspects" (which I recently saw for the second time) and liked it, you will probably like "The Prestige". They share a lot of the same qualities.

Most of the film takes place in late Victorian London. Interestingly, even though it seems like great pains have been taken to give a historically correct depiction of the period, the film feels very modern. Partly, this is due to the way the film is told, with a lot of jumping back and forth in time, forcing the viewer to make some effort to form a coherent story. (Not surprising for a film by the director of "Memento".) But also do the characters feel relevant and "up-to-date" for a modern viewer. Quite an achievement, since they don't in any way seem anachronistic in the Victorian environment.

The story revolves around the rivalry of two young magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jckman) both trying to perform the ultimate magic trick. In the beginning of the film they are friends, but due to a tragic accident, they become deadly rivals, and it becomes unclear what drives them the most, the want for one's own success or the wish to see the rival fail. Soon it becomes a struggle of life and death, both trying to achieve the impossible, namely to at least seemingly transport themselves from one place to another instantly. Angier thinks Borden is able to do this trick, and he tries every possible way to discover the secret. This leads to him seeking out the historical inventor Tesla (David Bowie) in Colorado, a scientist who may be able to invent the impossible.

Every time you think you have figured out what will happen next an unexpected twist happens, which takes you back to square one. Frustrating for some perhaps, but it keeps the movie interesting and challenging. The acting is overall very good, Michael Caine never does a bad job, Jackman and Bale are perfect in the lead roles (and this is from a man who always have had a problem with Bale), and David Bowie is entertaining as Tesla. (Although I am such a huge fan of David Bowie the musician, that I find it hard to give an impartial account of his acting.)

Of course, if you really sit down and think some of the things that happen in the movie through, you will conclude that there are quite a few things that are a bit contrived to say the least. However, this does not matter, as long as it all makes perfect sense while watching...

Many critics and even Hitchcock himself think this movie is one of his lesser efforts, but for me it is his best together with "Psycho". There are several reasons for loving it: the acting is generally superb, the plot is very clever, and even though the directing is not as groundbreaking as in many other of Hitchcock movies I don't see how it could have been improved on.

Ray Milland plays the betrayed husband planning to kill his wife. His character is so charming and intelligent, that even though he is obviously a psychopath and his wife is stunningly beautiful and lovable, one almost hopes he will get away with it. Grace Kelly plays his wife, and it is one of her best roles. Anthony Dawson is great as the petty criminal who is more or less blackmailed into carrying out the murder. John Williams plays the police inspector with a combination of humor and cunning that is really hard to make believable, but he does it marvelously. Anthony Dawson is also good as the wife's lover, although he pales somewhat in comparison with the others.

I won't go into all the twists and turns of the plot other than saying that it is really quite elaborate, and one has to focus to grab all the details on the first viewing.

Although 95% of the action takes place inside one apartment it never feels claustrophobic or boring, which can be a problem for filmed plays as this is. This movie was made the same year as "Rear Window" and though the general opinion is not on my side, I would say that this movies is clearly the superior one.