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AICN-DOWNUNDER: Borat, The Prestige, and Hunt Angels!!!

for the sake of all that is mighty and good by Im_spartasoth	Nov 20th, 2006 08:58:06 AM
If any tb'er gives away the ending of the prestige..I have your IP and will hunt you down. BTW Lat im on williams rd 3 blocks from the mecca of meccas THE ASTOR.......be forwarned, george may rape childhoods but I take whats MINE.....(you can take the jam factory...with my blessing)
The Prestige (slight spoilers) by Leedrick	Nov 20th, 2006 09:29:35 AM
I was looking forward to the Prestige, and unlike you Latauro, I was disappointed. The idea is great, the acting was really good (bowie was super cool), however I think it suffered in the editing room. The best "prestige" in the film was revealed to us much too early, and the big reveal at the end I found mostly predictable. As a result the ending felt flat to me (even dwelling on their obsession was unnecessary as this was clear from almost the beginning). It could have been awesome, but instead to me it just felt "good". If Angier had returned with his trick without revealing the method to us, and have it revealed toward the end it would have had more of an impact. Definitely worth seeing though.
I have you on the radar leedrick by Im_spartasoth	Nov 20th, 2006 09:37:34 AM
be forwarned.............
Firing Decoys by Leedrick	Nov 20th, 2006 09:50:43 AM
Oh come on. There's nothing there to spoil the film - plus I added a warning for good measure!
P.S. by Leedrick	Nov 20th, 2006 09:53:35 AM
Is it possible to be post-warned?
Prestige would have done better without that ending by IndustryKiller!	Nov 20th, 2006 07:24:11 PM
If you didn;t mind it fine but there were a great deal of people out there who were alienated by it. I just don't think SPOILERSSSSSSSS electric cloning had any place in an otherwise very realistic film. It undermined the films intelligence for the sake of a whiz bang ending. and Latauro whats all this piece it together shit? If you didn't know a half an hour before the end when it showed all the cloned hats and the two cats exactly what was going on you need to start taking the short bus to school. I mean they spell it out for you right then and there. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people proclaim the very first shot of the film with all the hats as some magnificent feat of foreshadowing. A shot of a bunch of hats with absolutely no context behind and no story yet told is not foreshoadowing, it's an interesting opening shot. Nolan didn't trick you with it considering that to not get "tricked" you would have to be able to tell the future. Foreshadowing has to give you at least an iota of whats to come plot wise, make you look back and say "oh I should have known right then". If you saw that first shot and said "Electirc cloning!" then you need to take those Sherlock Holmes skills to the FBI.
5 weeks in and Departed still going strong... by The Wrong Guy	Nov 20th, 2006 07:35:25 PM
Nice!
IndustryKiller! (replying to spoilers) by Leedrick	Nov 20th, 2006 08:26:47 PM
That wasn't the big ending, and I'm sure Latauro didn't think it was. He was likely referring to what was revealed at the end, rather than midway through the film. I don't have a problem with the cloning element, only that it was revealed so early.
I half picked up on the hat thing in the first shot by Monkey Butler	Nov 20th, 2006 09:44:35 PM
Although at first I whispered to my girlfriend something about hoping rabbits would come out of them all, after seeing the trick with the bird and then the room full of birdcages, and I thought something was up. Still a great movie, even if all the 14 year olds at IMDB obssess over "which one was the original?" as if that's all that matters. SLIGHT SPOILER>>>>> It doesn't matter at all.
Also by Monkey Butler	Nov 20th, 2006 09:47:43 PM
The SMH is reporting that the college guys and the etiquette coach are suing the producers of Borat. The college guys were allegedly fed a shit-load of alcohol before the signed releases, and were told that the film would never be shown in the US (implying that that scene was at least partially set-up. But that was obvious anyway, seeing as it was one of the few "story" moments in the film). The etiquette coach said that she was never told what the film was going to be about, and that she would never have agreed to be in an R rated film. Which would indicate that the film wasn't so set-up.
man by BadMrWonka	Nov 21st, 2006 01:20:20 AM
Leedrick and I account for 50% of the talkback postings on Latauro's articles. which is a damn shame...(and yes, I'm aware Leedrick is like 90% of the 50%)...good one Latauro, and good call on Borat...I thought it was great, but I believe a good amount of it was staged (mostly based on camera placement/multiple cameras, etc.) and that did detract from it. still funny as hell, but on the show when it was just him and one camera, and obviously real, it was honestly funnier...
The regulars by Latauro	Nov 21st, 2006 01:47:48 AM
I do appreciate the regular talkbackers and enjoy your mad debating skillz. Speaking of Borat and setups, there was a great story I was told of an Alby Mangle "documentary" where halfway through they spotted an attractive young girl stranded on an island. They approach the island on their boat, and there's a shot from a camera behind the girl watching them approach!
The Prestige by bender7	Nov 21st, 2006 02:24:37 AM
I just saw it last night. It was great to see Jackman in a quality role and to see a different and interesting mainstream movie.
I loved the Prestiege but... by MaulRat	Nov 21st, 2006 05:20:58 AM
I hated the ending.. so.. being a stubborn utopian... I wrote a quick alternate ending on a napkin at the cafe under the Cinema I saw it at, immediately a better ending came to mind and after I showed them, we talked about it.. and between us, we came up with what we feel is a better one. If anyone would like to see it I'll post a link to it... if not.. cool bananas.. I wont waste my time and yours.. And can someone tell me why they felt the need to change the title of the movie Lucky Number Slevin to "The Wrong Man" for Aussie audiences... Its "Saving Silverman" all over again, Evil Woman my ass!... and what the FUCK is wrong with the "Philosophers" stone?!?!
All those are better titles Maulrat! by Monkey Butler	Nov 21st, 2006 06:23:19 AM
"Lucky Number Slevin" sounds stupid, Evil Woman...well, it's different, I'd say no better or worse, and "Philosopher's Stone" is actually the name of the book. It was changed for the US because the publisher of the book thought that readers would be turned off a book with the word "philosopher" in the title. Also, what would be this "better" ending?
Slevin Deadly Sins by Leedrick	Nov 21st, 2006 08:54:27 AM
I'm with the chimp in the tux. Lucky Number Slevin is a stupid name for a hamster. I mean film. They should have called it "Slevin Las Vegas", "The Magnificent Slevin", "Slevin Samurai", or simply "Sle7in".
BUSH: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF HANOI FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLOR by Wonder Man	Nov 21st, 2006 03:00:39 PM
Best. Next. Week. Joke. EVER.
wow! by BadMrWonka	Nov 21st, 2006 03:40:41 PM
lightning just hit the apartment building next to me as I was reading this talkback. I blame Bush and Australia, in that order...man, the fire department is coming now!!
Prestiege... better ending... SPOILERS by MaulRat	Nov 21st, 2006 07:13:07 PM
I know its not a direct adaptation of the book if it has any other ending.. but... this is how I reckon the Prestiege should have ended... MY ALTERNATE ENDING.... Jackman is dying.. the whole scene plays out.. he dies thinking it was a cloning machine.. the backstage gets set on fire and Bale walks out.. As Christian Bales character walks out of the abandoned theatre he hands a man (who we can't see) a wad of money, and keeps walking... then we hear Bale say "Are you watching closely" over him walking off and then the whole meaning of "the prestiege" from Michael Caine over a montage of clips... The first scene is the bird squashing, "First comes the pledge.... The magician shows you something ordinary" the next scene is of the actor 'double' with the big teeth, and him talking to Bale at the bar, the next scene is the bullet catch... then you see tesla plant a gun near the machine, you see Jackman shoot his double after he comes out of the closet after using the machine. "you're an actor, you're supposed to be dead, so try not to beathe" you then see him get up after the original jackman is gone and pulls a bladder filled with pigs blood out of his chest that was attached to a metal plate... the ball bouncing along the floor..... "Next comes the turn".... then you see what seems to be Bale paying Tesla with a big brown bag of money, you see tesla say "i've already begin building it".. the next scene is the same bag Tesla carries with him when he says to Jackman "You're our last financier".. The ball continues to bounce...... then you see Bale throwing hats around outside teslas place making Jackman think that its cloning his hats.. then you see Jackman realising that tesla has made a cloning machine.. "But it isn't enough to make a man disappear, you have to make him reappear".. the NEW transporting man trick with Jackmans double rising through the floor, we see jackman unconscious as he drops through the floor after the elctricity pulses through his body in the electrical transporting man trick.. Then we see Jackmans double is dropped into the water and for all intents and purposes drowns.. . then he flips the latch and unlocks the trick lock, and Caine does a bait and switch with a dummy corpse that is fashioned to look like Jackman, the ball keeps bouncing... You wonder why Caine is helping Bale.. "You should stop kissing your wifes leg, if I can see it, the guy in the 3rd row can see it", we see Caine standing off scene with a pocket watch, we see Jackmans wife drowning, Caine rushing to her aid, Jackman over his wife crying, Caine on the verge of crying as well (didn't see that coming did you)... you see little quick clips of Bales diary, the piece of paper that says tesla, Christian bales character handing Jackmans 'the prestiege notes' through the jail and Jackman ripping it up, we look to the ground and see glimpses of the notes which are actually, 2 birth certificates, that have the same last name, we see flashes of Bales characters changing outfits and disguises we also see more paperwork of a medical report, flashes of the words "cancer"... and "months to live"... then we see Bales character from behind bars... who looks as though he loves his daughter.... as it happens he loves his niece..... then bales character, dying in jail, accepting his fate "AINT A JAIL THAT WILL HOLD ME" Bale throws the ball in the jail... Bale hangs.... the ball is caught... ".. then comes.... the prestiege....." We see bale walking off with the ball in his hand.... he picks up his daughter and kisse her sweetly... The final shot of the film is a pan up from the wad of money, given to the mystery man.... we see nothing of the mans face.... save for a pair of Big bucky teeth... and he walks off down the street whistling..................... ..... aaaaaand scene. Cut to black...... Bale.... sotto voce "Abra-cadabra" That's my ending... The movie became about eliminating competition....... I like it... but then again I dont make or write movies I just thought I'd put it out there..
You forgot the SLevin Year Itch by MaulRat	Nov 21st, 2006 07:36:38 PM
and Snow White and the Slevin dwarves... aren't I clever... incidentally, my whole point is why change the names of films at all?.. I agree that lucky number slevin is a stupid name, but why change it, is it nessesary?.. and I don't buy "because the name is stupid", studios makes stupid decisions everyday, why is the international title of great importance?.. take saving silverman (which is just an example I threw out there, no real significance).. The title saving silverman would suggest that its about the 3 main male leads.. which lets face it.. it is about them.. the Aussie Title "EVIL WOMAN' would suggest its about Amanda Peet.. that's all I'm just wondering why out of all the things they could address in a sub-par film, why they would bother with the title..
The Prestige by Leedrick	Nov 21st, 2006 08:10:13 PM
Who here has read the book? Are the events revealed in the same way as the film?
RE: Leedrick by FrodosBlueBalls	Nov 21st, 2006 09:06:38 PM
No, basically the book is split almost into two halves. the first half is borden's(bale)perspective from his diary and the second half is the story told from angier's (jackman) perspective, with some mixing in between with "present day" ancestors of the two. I thought the book was rather good and if you liked the movie i highly recommend reading the book since it's actually quite different and I don't want to spoil it for anybody who wants to read the book...or I can if somebody wants me to.
Charlotte's Webb by Leedrick	Nov 22nd, 2006 03:35:10 AM
Latauro are you going to the premiere on sunday?
Leedrick by Latauro	Nov 22nd, 2006 03:36:58 PM
Nup. I have a screening next week, though. It's fifty-fifty whether I'll be able to make it.

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AICN-DOWNUNDER: Borat, The Prestige, and Hunt Angels!!!

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