Pledge turned prestige.

Assalamualaikum

The Prestige begins with a voice narrating the description of three stages of magic: The Pledge. The Turn. The Prestige.

As with the magic, the movie storyline is split so as to resemble those three stages. I'm not one to spoil the story, but I really recommend this movie although plot wise, The Prestige lacked surprise. Yoga and I correctly predicted a lot if not all of the so-called 'twists and turns' of the movie. A friend of mine said that he'd had quite a hard time trying to figure out the timeline because of the flashback within flashbacks. The trick, as to what Alfred Burden urges at the opening of the film, is to 'watch closely'. Pay attention to the character and his surroundings as the story unfolds. For example, what sort of clothing did Angier wear when he arrived at Colorado Springs? Has he or has he not a broken leg when he was making his way to Tesla's lab?

This movie is no Memento, but I appreciate the characters and their emotional investments: the rivalry, the obsession, the sacrifice, and the devotion.

And as for The Black Dahlia, oh I won't even waste my breath trying to describe how horrible it was. Contrary to what is usually made out of a true-story based movie, this one is tiresome, slooow paced, pointless and not intriguing whatsoever. Quoting a user comment on IMDB, 'Black Dahlia, a black hole in the movie making universe'. Enough said.

Wassalamualaikum