The Prestige and others

Apparently, this post is going to be a stew of entertainment reviews. Go figure.

Saw "The Prestige", and I gotta say, I certainly didn't expect that. Not the ending. That I figured out. But I just didn't expect the characters to be such rivals. I was expecting to see them be friends for a while and then, slowly, they just drift apart and end up hating one another. But no, it basically starts off like that.

It's a great movie. Better than "The Illusionist". It really reminds me of Niven. Niven's "Crashlander" and "Flatlander" series of mystery stories are a perfect analogy: Niven hands you a self-contained mystery. You can actually solve the mystery with the information he gives you. And it's certainly satisfying to see the elements mentioned almost without reason, all of a sudden being brought back and seen in a different light, together with the rest of the plot. "The Prestige" is like that. You see the parts and you start to put them together. They give you everything you need to know, just apply it.

It's also great to see an artistic, well-made movie have an engaging and action-filled plot. Doesn't happen a lot: either the movie is all action and no plot, or all plot, but the characters just sit around the table and it's about as exciting as reading a phone-book. Certainly gives me hope for the Jumper film, as the same guy is making that movie as well.

I'm tired, so this may seem like rambling. Sorry.

I'd also like to point out that "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Layer Cake" (also spelled "L4YER CAK3") are two of the best movies I've seen. Nevermind the resemblance in style, characters and plot to "Snatch", which I saw first and have seen many times before, the movies are great. Just listen closely. Those British accents can really screw you up sometimes.

Daniel Craig was in "Layer Cake" and I like him as an actor. I've seen him in multiple parts, from "The Jacket"'s mental patient to "Layer Cake"'s drug-world Bond, and it's clear that the guy is talented. Now, we'll just have to watch what he does with Bond. It's really refreshing seeing a good actor play a variety of roles, small, bit parts as well as leads.

"Smith", the show about heists, was cancelled after only three episodes. Whoops. Not like I didn't see that one coming. I wrote a bit of a review earlier, and while I do think that "Smith" got what it deserved, I would have liked to have seen the story grow and become something more than a drawn-out introduction. Oh well.

Dane Cook's stand-up is on right now, and I really gotta say this: does anyone else think the guy is a conceited bastard? He's up there, in some weird circular auditorium, and he's acting as if he's the king of the world. He's not even funny, yet it seems like he sees himself as the next, I don't know, Oprah. Dude, you're not gonna have a following. Stop. You're not entertaining. Stop annoying people with crappy movies and horrific stand-up routines and fade into obscurity. Please.

That's it. I'd write more, and more coherently, but I can't keep my eyes open.