★★★★ The Prestige

[Twinkletoes: 4.5, Gino: 3.5, Twoshoes: 3.5, Tiny: 4.5]

Twinkletoes says: "I loved this movie. It had been sitting on my coffee table for weeks and I was sick of it clogging up my Netflix queue, so I finally decided to start it last night at 11:30PM with the intention of finishing it over a few days. I was so absorbed that I stayed up to 2AM to get to the end. It is the story of 2 rival magicians and their escalating game of one-upsmanship and revenge. The plot continuously surprised me, but what I particularly appreciated was how the story unfolded in such a way that I was sympathizing with each of the 2 main characters at different times. It reminded me of Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy, in that way. My only issue? Scarlett Johansson's role. I'm not sure if the performance was poor, the role was underwritten, or if I was just a bit distracted with the casting, but it just seemed a little off to me."

Gino says: "Both Twoshoes and I found this to be an absorbing experience, and the people we watched it with also enjoyed it. I think where we drop down a star from Twinkletoes's rating is that while he found his sympathies flip-flopping between the two magicians, we felt no particular emotional link to any of the characters. But sandwiching this between two excellent Batman movies (not to mention his previous Memento), director Christopher Nolan has become 'one to watch'."

Tiny says: 'Mrs. Tiny and I can't stop talking about this movie, even days after we watched it. I love movies like that. I did not realize until after watching that this was done by the same guy who directed Memento, another movie that plays around with chronology. The only thing holding this from a 5.0 for me is the same thing that bothered some of you -- that it was hard to root for either magician. (However, I think on a second viewing I would not have that problem.) I loved the rivalry, I loved the details, and I loved the look of the whole thing. I found it gripping and enjoyable. '