The Prestige

The Prestige

By KaijuFMTV & Film
Download on the App Store

The Prestige episodes

  • 2.24 - HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002) & Purity

    The next in the HP franchise is the second (and last) Chris Columbus vehicle. Sam theorises tenuously about why multiculturalism may have had a hand in the focus of the narrative, and we talk about why this film makes more sense if you’ve seen them all, the concept of wizarding purity, and the theme of home or belonging.

    This Week’s Watching

    THE NEON DEMON (2016): Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman
    MOANA (2016): Ron Clements, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson

    Recommendations

    INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989): Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott
    THE PATRIOT (2000): Roland Emmerich, Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger
    RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002): Phillip Noyce, Doris Pilkington, Everlyn Sampi
    GATTACA (1997): Andrew Nichol, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman

    Footnotes

    Firstly, definitive proof of the pronunciation of J.K.’s surname. There’s a good article on recent political developments with links to the ‘no blacks or Irish’-type signs in 1960s Britain, here. This is a great book about purity and other things in fantasy literature (and contains a reference to the linguistically brilliant neologism ‘mudblood’). And, for those unfamiliar with it, there’s more on the ‘Deus Ex Machina’ concept Rob mentions, here. Finally, here’s an article positing that Hermione is in fact the hero(ine) of the series (although these sorts of article are not recommended for those who want to avoid spoilers about the series as a whole).

    35 min
  • 2.23 - HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE (2001) & Introductions

    We kick off 2017 with a new franchise, and it’s one of Rob’s favourites! After some discussion of why Sam may or may not be a fan, we get into some talk about establishing narratives, introductions, and why the story involves a great meta-textual metaphor for growing up.

    This Week’s Watching

    ROGUE ONE (2016): Gareth Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna
    THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016): Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt

    Recommendations

    THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (2005): Andrew Adamson, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes
    CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977): Stephen Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr
    MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993): Chris Columbus, Robin Williams, Sally Field
    LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001): Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen

    Footnotes

    J.K. Rowling’s literary predecessor, whom Sam mentions at the start, is the late Diana Wynne Jones, whose Chrestomanci series of books covers some of the same ground as HP. On the subject of books, we also mentioned Jill Murphy and The Worst Witch. There’s a good introduction (hah!) to the panning shot Rob talks about, as well as various other camera techniques, here. Here’s more on J.K. Rowling’s meticulous approach to plotting and, finally, a plug for Peter Jackson’s NZ film company (not that he needs one!), where Rob worked in the mid-2000s.

    31 min
  • 2.21 - ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997) and Captivity

    This week sees the conclusion of the ALIEN franchise. We discuss its shortcomings — clunky storyline, overzealous editing, Sigourney Weaver as an actor/producer — but then we get stuck into what makes this film really interesting: from French philosophy to cinematographic trickery.

    This Week’s Watching

    THE KING’S SPEECH (2010): Tom Hooper, Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush
    SUICIDE SQUAD (2016): David Ayer, Will Smith, Jared Leto

    Recommendations

    DRIVE (2011): Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan
    THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995): Brian Singer, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne
    LUKE CAGE (2016): Cheo Hodari Coker, Mike Colton, Mahershala Ali
    HELLBOY (2004): Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair
    SERENITY (2005): Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk

    Footnotes

    An explanation of Foucault’s ‘panopticon’ principle can be found here (the ‘panopticon’ article takes you to the philosophical origins of Foucault’s ideas, so you might prefer to start here). There’s more on the ‘bleach bypass’ cinematographic technique used by Darius Khondji, and an interesting article — one of a series — that features the work of a variety of cinematographers, Khondji included. We didn’t have time to go into the idea of cyclical narratives, but this is good. Finally, proof that Sam’s Simone Missick story isn’t just the ravings of someone who’s watched (and written about) faaar too much LUKE CAGE.

    30 min
  • 2.20 - ALIEN3 (1992) & Sacrifice

    The ALIEN franchise continues, as we try to make sense of a film that may not always make sense. As well as talk of sacrifice and religion, we have some not entirely un-negative discussions, including what sort of film this isn’t, ways in which it wasn’t filmed, and why Sam and Rob saw different versions.

    This Week’s Watching

    FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (2016): David Yates, J.K. Rowling, Eddie Redmayne
    SAS: WHO DARES WINS (2015—): Anthony Middleton, Jason Fox, Matthew Ollerton

    Recommendations

    THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011): David Fincher, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
    INCEPTION (2010): Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
    A TIME TO KILL (1996): Joel Schumacher, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson
    LAST ACTION HERO (1993): John McTiernan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham

    Footnotes

    These are all really good articles about the troubled production of ALIEN 3, mentioned by Rob: 1, 2, 3, and 4. 'Den of Geek' also has the following list of unused story ideas, which includes the ‘monks on a wooden planet’ narrative. Finally, here’s a list of the differences between the versions of the film.

    35 min
  • 2.19 - ALIENS (1986) & Gender

    Rob and Sam carry on with the ALIEN franchise, and look at James Cameron’s sequel. We cover the ways in which reproduction is explored in this film, its relationship with the first movie, the ways in which different portrayals of femininity are managed, and its comments on the sexual politics of fairy-tales.

    This Week’s Watching

    HUMANS (2015—): Sam Vincent, Emily Berrington, Gemma Chan
    SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960): Ken Annakin, John Mills, Dorothy McGuire

    Recommendations

    INTERSTELLAR (2014): Christopher Nolan, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway
    STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997): Paul Verhoeven, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer
    ROBOCOP (1987): Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Nancy Allen
    CHERRY FALLS (2000): Geoffrey Wright, Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr

    Footnotes

    There’s lots on gender to explore with this week’s episode. There’s the Bechdel-Wallace Test, which we didn’t discuss — but which this film passes with flying colours. (And here’s the website of Alison Bechdel, whose work popularised the concept) For more on gender in fairy-tales, see here and here. On the film itself, there’s more here, including some interesting stuff on a potential earlier version of the film. Finally, this is a really interesting piece about a completely different angle on the movie.

    33 min
  • 2.18 - ALIEN (1979) & The Thriller

    Sam and Rob emerge from a terrifying, tense, body-horror blood-bath into something completely diff—oh. Still, it’s something a whole lot better than last week! We talk about gender politics, camerawork and musical changes, and why this isn’t really a science fiction film. Sort of.

    This Week’s Watching

    CRITICAL ROLE (2015—): Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey
    SUITS (2011—): Doug Liman, Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams

    Recommendations

    THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974): Tobe Hooper, Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain
    EVENT HORIZON (1997): Paul Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill
    ALONG CAME A SPIDER (2001): Lee Tamahori, Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter
    FROM HELL (2001): the Hughes brothers, Johnny Depp, Heather Graham

    Footnotes

    Read more about Felicia Day — whose 'Geek & Sundry' network is behind Rob’s viewing choice this week — here. Sam mentions the conversation between Harry Dean Stanton and Ridley Scott about Ten Little Indians, which you can find here. The Alien wiki is good, and has quite a lot on the sexual imagery of the film that Rob mentioned towards the end of today’s episode. He talked briefly about Giger, too, whose concept art for the film is frankly terrifying. Finally, as a part of Sam’s mini discourse on the movie’s racial politics, he referred to his own article, which talks about ‘blaxploitation’ and racial stereotypes in the context of pop culture.

    31 min
  • 2.17 - EVIL DEAD (2013) & Supernatural Memes

    We conclude our look at the EVIL DEAD franchise — and emerge, blinking, out the other side of Hallowe’en horror season — with Fede Álvarez’s 2013 remake/redux/re-boot. We discuss all these terms, have a think about the way in which Raimi and Álvarez revisit supernatural memes, and consider why this film is more interesting than good.

    This Week’s Watching

    DR STRANGE (2016): Scott Derrickson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor
    ASH VS EVIL DEAD (2015—): Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago

    Recommendations

    THE ASCENT (2010): Steven James Creazzo, Josie Davis, William McNamara
    SPRING (2014): Justin Benson, Lou Taylor Pucci, Nadia Hilker
    OLDBOY (2003):* Park Chan-Wook, Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-Tae
    SAW (2004): James Wan, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover

    Footnotes

    First, this site is good on the ASH VS EVIL DEAD TV series. Then, here’s some background on meme theory and redux. This is an interesting discussion of the status of the film in the context of Raimi’s originals. Here are some references to the originals, some of which we mentioned. Finally, here’s the obligatory Chekov’s gun link (though some contributors have a hard time thinking of CG moments).

    31 min
  • 2.16 - ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992) & Genre Mashup

    The ‘Evil Dead’ franchise continues, but not after Rob mourns the passing of a cultural touchstone from our screens. Then things take a lighter turn: the usual disagreements, versions of Sam Raimi’s vision, and nostalgia for the early days of stop motion.

    This Week’s Watching

    THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (2010–): Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Mary Berry
    RED (2010): Robert Schwentke, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman

    Recommendations

    SHAWN OF THE DEAD (2004): Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
    PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003): Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush
    CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981): Desmond Davis, Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier
    GALAVANT (2015—16): Dan Fogelman, Joshua Sasse, Timothy Omundson

    Footnotes

    Here’s a reminder of that Edgar Wright video. (And, while we’re on the subject of action comedy, RED makes it to a respectable number 7 on this list.) Again, the fan wiki for this film is interesting, and there are a few more good bits of trivia here. Finally, after Rob mentions him in his recommendations, here’s a fun list of some of the creations of the late Ray Harryhausen.

    31 min
  • 2.15 - EVIL DEAD II (1987) & Comedy

    It’s a ‘month of scare’ special! Hot on the heels of our discussion of the first film in the franchise, we take a look at the 1987 sequel: EVIL DEAD II. Sam and Rob are in definite agreement about the film itself (if not a certain other director), and we talk about innovative cinematography, Sam Raimi’s knowledge of film, and — strangely enough — comic subtlety.

    This Week’s Watching

    METROPOLIS (1927): Fritz Lang, Alfred Abel, Gustav Frölich
    PARKS AND RECREATION (2009—15): Greg Daniels, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones

    Recommendations

    THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012): Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon, Kristen Connolly
    SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010): Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
    THE EXORCIST (1973): William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow
    EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990): Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder

    Footnotes

    Not many references this week, but these are all worth diving into (slash descending into an internet-hole over). The IMDB page for the film has an interestingly long list of filmic connections, pretty much none of which we mention (though we did talk about a fair few others). The fan page also has some interesting filming and post-production references, like the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET/HILLS HAVE EYES/JAWS link at the end. Finally, Rob mentions the various videos about Edgar Wright’s camerawork and visual comedy; this is a great one, by the same bloke Sam mentioned when talking about Jackie Chan the other week.

    30 min

About The Prestige

From the publisher's feed

A podcast for cinephiles of all stripes. Join Rob & Sam, two life-long friends, one a veteran of the film industry, the other a Cambridge-educated writer on books, movies and graphic novels. Each…