The Prestige

By KaijuFMTV & Film

The Prestige episodes

November 02, 2020 4.39 - THE PERFECT SCORE (2004) & Aspiration
Our penultimate heist film is the 2004 teen movie THE PERFECT SCORE. We talk about how this film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and doesn’t deserve the panning it got from the critics, as well as the idea that this is a mash-up of the heist film genre with teen films about progress of various kinds.
Next Time
The last movie in our heist season is the 2018 film WIDOWS.
Recent Media
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018): Mike Flanagan, Shirley Jackson, Michiel Huisman
THE NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST (1975): Miguel Iglesias, Paul Naschy, Mercedes Molina
Recommendations
KNIVES OUT (2019): Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans
THE BIG SHORT (2016): Adam McKay, Christian Bale, Steve Carell
CHEATS (2002): Andrew Gurland, Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence
SHE’S ALL THAT (1999): Robert Iscove, Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook
WESTWORLD (2016–): Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan, Evan Rachel Wood
Footnotes
Firstly, here’s the Rotten Tomatoes page of pretty harsh reviews! https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/perfect_score Rob talks early on about the ‘competency porn’ involved in many heist films; there’s more on that, here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CompetencePorn. In discussing Francesca’s novel at the end, and the character of Desmond throughout, metafiction comes up again: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafiction. The ‘Hero’s Journey’ is something we’ve discussed before, but it deserves another mention: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey. Finally, as we mention both films in the course of our discussion, here are links to our episodes on THE MATRIX and THE BREAKFAST CLUB: https://www.kaiju.fm/prestige/the-matrix-and-spectacle and https://www.kaiju.fm/prestige/4-21-the-breakfast-club-1985-and-endings-or-not.
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38 min
October 12, 2020 4.38 - LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS (1998) & Remixing
Our film this time is Guy Ritchie’s 1998 break-out film, which spawned a host of not-always-successful imitators — even among the work of Ritchie himself! We talk about whether a film sometimes has to do no more than just look cool, what changed in pop culture around the time of the Millennium, and where the heist even is in this film.
Next Time
The penultimate film in our heist movie season is 2004’s THE PERFECT SCORE.
Recent Media
CRITTERS I-IV (1986-1992): Stephen Herek, Mick Garris, Kristine Peterson
THE AMERICAN BARBECUE SHOWDOWN (2020): Kevin Bludso, Melissa Cookston, Rutledge Wood
Recommendations
ROUNDERS (1998): John Dahl, Matt Damon, Edward Norton
THE MECHANIC (2011): Simon West, Jason Statham, Ben Foster
REV. (2010-14): Peter Cattaneo, Tom Hollander, Olivia Coleman
EDDIE THE EAGLE (2015): Dexter Fletcher, Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman
GONE IN 60 SECONDS (2000): Dominic Sena, Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie
Footnotes
A couple of articles about the film, first of all: https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/jason-flemyng-lifelong-friendships-lock-stock-two-smoking-barrels-060159681.html?guccounter=1 and https://ttliquor.co.uk/tt-cinema-king-of-soho-gin-lock-stock-review.
Oh, and there are some movie posters here: https://www.cinematerial.com/movies/lock-stock-and-two-smoking-barrels-i120735. Rob talks about dramatic irony; more on that, here: https://www.britannica.com/art/dramatic-irony.
Here’s the music video that Sam mentions, also from 1998: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va6nPu-1auE. Finally, as we end up referring to this film a fair bit, here’s our THE ITALIAN JOB episode, also part of our heist mini-season: https://www.kaiju.fm/prestige/4-34-the-italian-job-1969-nationalism.
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42 min
September 30, 2020 4.37 - THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995) & Story-Telling
This week, we focus on a doubly discredited (director and star) but undeniably classic film: THE USUAL SUSPECTS. After some reviews (and you can guess what they’ll be, with this film), we talk about a fundamental change in the heist genre, how we’re still not sure what happens in this film, and the story of the first time we saw this, over 20 years ago.
Next Time
Our next offering is Guy Ritchie’s 1998 breakout film, the British gangster movie LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS.
Recent Media
DEADPOOL (2016): Tim Miller, Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin
MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003): Bong Joon-ho, Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung
WEATHERING WITH YOU (2019): Makoto Shinkai, Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori
Recommendations
ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998): Tony Scott, Will Smith, Gene Hackman
THE WAY OF THE GUN (2000): Christopher McQuarrie, Ryan Phillippe, Benicio del Toro
SICARIO (2015): Denis Villeneuve, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin
BRASSED OFF (1996): Mark Herman, Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald
Footnotes
Firstly, there are some good points you may have missed in this article:
https://whatculture.com/film/20-things-you-somehow-missed-in-the-usual-suspects. This piece is another good one:
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/decider.com/2015/08/17/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-usual-suspects/amp. And this is good, too:
https://screenrant.com/the-usual-suspects-behind-scenes-secrets-facts-trivia. (The film is a great one for a trivia rabbit-hole.) Here, for balance, given how effusive we are, is Roger Ebert’s decidedly lukewarm review:
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-usual-suspects-1995. Here, finally, is a review of that extraordinary performance from a great acting talent that Sam saw a surprisingly long time ago now (I was genuinely really surprised by the date):
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/stage/2007/may/31/theatre
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37 min
September 14, 2020 4.36 - THIEF (1981) & Honour
This week’s film is an early one from Michael Mann, king of the crime genre: THIEF. After some reviews, we talk about whether Frank’s personal ethics are more like those in PARKS AND REC or OROCHI, as well as discussing the acting successes of Jim Broadbent, and thinking about the BREAKING BAD moments towards the end of the film.
Next Time
We move into the 90s with our next film — a significant one for us — THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995).
Recent Media
ZOMBEAVERS (2014): Jordan Rubin, Rachel Melvin, Hutch Dano
LOOKER (1981): Michael Crichton, Albert Finney, James Coburn
AD ASTRA (2019): James Gray, Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (1992): Tsai Ming-liang, Lee Kang-sheng, Chen Chao-jung
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (2020): Charlie Kaufman, Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley
THE BIG FLOWER FIGHT (2020): Natasia Demetriou, Vic Reeves, Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht
Recommendations
HEAT (1995): Michael Mann, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
ROLLERBALL (1975): Norman Jewison, James Caan, John Houseman
GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (1999): Jim Jarmusch, Forest Whitaker, John Tormey
MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993): Chris Columbus, Robin Williams, Sally Field
Footnotes
We kick things off with a highbrow reference; read about Dante’s INFERNO here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante). Continuing the theme, here’s a link to the episode we did focusing on the idea of personal honour — and what can go wrong:
http://www.kaiju.fm/prestige/4-01-orochi-and-futility.
Incidentally, the number of websites that exist like this is astonishing:
http://ryuc.info/sample/s_code_of_honor.htm
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30 min
August 31, 2020 4.35 - THE STING (1973) & Façades
This week’s film is the 1973 multiple-Oscar-winning classic THE STING. After (certainly not mixed!) initial reviews, we talk about how this film is more about a con not a heist, it’s links to more modern films like John Wick, and the use of obvious artificiality on screen.
Next Time
The next in our heist mini-season is 1981’s THIEF.
Recent Media
HAMILTON (2015): Lin-Manuel Miranda, Philippa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr.
WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS (2019): Mark Meyers, Alexandra Daddario, Keean Johnson
VFW (2019): Joe Begos, Stephen Lang, William Sadler
Recommendations
CLUE (1985): Jonathan Lynn, Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry
SLAP SHOT (1977): George Roy Hill, Paul Newman, Strother Martin
BLUE HAWAII (1961): Norman Taurog, Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014): Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Chris Evans
JAWS (1975): Steven Spielberg, Roy Sheider, Robert Shaw
Footnotes
Firstly, this gets to the root of exactly why I (Sam) love this film:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/movies/the-sting-robert-redford-paul-newman.html. On the subject of screen artificiality, this article is really good:
https://sites.lafayette.edu/fams202-sp15/2015/01/30/artificiality-of-cinema-vs-reality-of-production/. This is more about a film that we discuss as being related to this one, our namesake; but it is a really interesting piece:
https://www.altaonline.com/the-pledge-the-turn-the-prestige/. When thinking about THE STING, the last line is especially pertinent: ‘How can you be certain you saw an illusion?’ This definitely isn’t a Brechtian film, as Rob says, but these films are:
https://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/the-15-best-movies-influenced-by-bertolt-brechts-theater-techniques. (Ok, this link was a bit of a stretch, but I just didn’t want to link to the Brecht Wiki page again...) Finally, please do leave a review for the show, so we can keep doing what we love doing!
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35 min
August 17, 2020 4.34 - THE ITALIAN JOB (1969) & Nationalism
This week, our focus turns to the 1969 classic THE ITALIAN JOB. After our usual opening reviews, we go on to talk about the development of the on-screen working-class criminals, British v Italians on film, and the continuing evolution of the heist genre.
Next Time
Our next film, much to Sam’s delight, is the 1973 crime classic (and recipient of the Best Picture Oscar, among many others) THE STING.
Recent Media
AGAINST ALL FLAGS (1952): George Sherman, Douglas Sirk, Errol Flynn
KNIVES OUT (2019): Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans
Recommendations
HARRY BROWN (2009): Daniel Barber, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014): Matthew Vaughn, Colin Firth, Taron Egerton
SLEUTH (1972): Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier
THE ITALIAN JOB (2003): F. Gary Gray, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron
Footnotes
Firstly, here’s more info to bring you (and Sam, to be honest) up to speed on the historical events of the Great Train Robbery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963). Here’s more on framing in film, and why that’s important, after Rob’s discussion of the presentation of the mafia: www.hollywoodlexicon.com/frame.html. This article is interesting, on a film that will be unsurprising to anyone! www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/23/butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-paul-newman-robert-reford. For your regular hit of theory, this book is recommended. And finally, here are the lyrics to ‘The British Grenadiers’, a tune which is used to such good effect in the film: https://genius.com/Traditional-the-british-grenadiers-annotated.
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39 min
August 04, 2020 4.33 - BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) & Iconoclasm
This week we discuss the landmark historical film BONNIE AND CLYDE. Our reviews are followed by discussions about how this film was a cultural jumping-off point, and how it’s filled with examples of iconoclastically pushing back against society.
Next Time
The next in our heist mini-series is the original THE ITALIAN JOB, from 1969.
Recent Media
BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015): Stephen Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance
STAGED (2020): Simon Evans, Michael Sheen, David Tennant
GOOD OMENS (2019): Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Michael Sheen
Recommendations
CHINATOWN (1974): Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969): George Roy Hill, Paul Newman, Robert Redford
EASY RIDER (1969): Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson
UNFORGIVEN (1992): Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
Footnotes
The Wiki entries on the historical figures Bonnie and Clyde and the Barrow Gang are interesting, especially when compared with the description of the film — if only to see the discrepancies involved. Rob mentions the ‘Tommy Gun’; in case you’re unsure about this (so ‘Bugsy Malone Gun’ isn’t enough of a description), here’s more. Towards the end of the episode, we talk about the use of some surprisingly modern editing techniques in the film; this is a good article on ‘MTV editing’. Finally, here’s a reminder about another technique mentioned by Rob (‘Russian’ or ‘Soviet Montage’) in our discussion of this.
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33 min
July 21, 2020 4.32 - OCEAN’S ELEVEN (1960) & Camaraderie
This week we tackle the original OCEAN’S ELEVEN — over 40 years before the Soderbergh re-make, and set in a very different time. After…mixed reviews, we talk about this film’s military roots, why the focus on friendship is a poignant one, and how this is a heist film that’s probably not about the heist.
Next Time
Our next heist film is the genre-defining 1967 film BONNIE AND CLYDE.
Recent Media
SCANDAL (2012–18):Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Henry Ian Cusick
ANT-MAN (2015): Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly
THE EQUALIZER 1, 2 (2014, 2018): Antoine Fuqua, Richard Wenk, Denzel Washington
Recommendations
THE APARTMENT (1960): Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine
HARVEY (1950): Henry Koster, James Stewart, Wallace Ford
ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS (1964): Gordon Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin
RIO BRAVO (1959): Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Dean Martin
Footnotes
Firstly, the wikipedia page of the film is an interesting read, as is IMDB (especially the ’Trivia’): www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean's_11 and www.imdb.com/title/tt0054135. In light of our discussion of the changing face of Vegas, this is a good set of pictures: www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/vintage-photos-of-las-vegas-a4248276.html. And this [if the link works, Rob!] is a really [interesting essay] (watermark.silverchair.com/phr_2001_70_4_627.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAqkwggKlBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggKWMIICkgIBADCCAosGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMdH8bS4I-YRPX1OV5AgEQgIICXKgBsvuzWdwwULuLzbXvUUQbxerQBlL0b07LY6lTyFyJE-fdahCuDYND17uU515tMuNy-8hL6LQwbFakRnTiEplgvrXNquouZqmieIxUJCIRFnYoS77VLLsnHhxhSP6cijKgKT67nCSbgtb8iNXwbL_g350P_J3VAgNUj67su5C_sQpAFka9KgaJ-GV87g2Es5A-ZmTKy_OqTvB13nekjA1UpuVGejWEXR8QIpctOSy_C-fcNqGjOgQnzfPh9XeHgc6n9CzYog3vVq6PLnYt3q_bUeUpOmuBHZluNFDXDIOSoIoAdocCD3znObqkoQSyG4IfIrl95sXzBV0kuudKdmLnVN5lhuHDbwlRHIk-aSzKRlMy82weVASOhsMmfLHlw1qC0pDBEOOa8hvMGuso0qQW97qoa3FYfg8paL0YPlOiv5cs9ry1KEVhwQMYOvC9oaC87N486NLbl2CwPzcN2_l6Ted7rFxh3BN8KK-KBMP05fqw6dRzXwq9trVZlI9ktMlHNujhHGKYTgkDvJyx3EITmawn-jgNgZrAxgpjKOALMpUnvI_8BOSew4bnFMCH1njzyVT4HochwzqnA-U_g3KfAFSpjbjMVMK79rnvdCGCK5JbBKpdr86vmLLjz-3uF6glBwwJ5DmhaQvjP_7ERWASDC_QvcepK5LF2i_T6BgKyfBjrEUPAwogbVVau0M2jnJ_Tai7iqZ8UDVvFYJUkJSCu7rtIJrDIXCNOao2oye1IgEzyXa_xy7b3qatAf6huFg3HecU2vhgqlwFLYNqq_T4HOxziRd3sxvB6TE). Finally, the story of Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra’s falling-out is explored in this biography of Lawford: www.ivy-style.com/luck-runs-out-the-rise-and-fall-of-peter-lawford.html.
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31 min
July 07, 2020 4.31 - RIFIFI (1955) & A Code of Honour
This week, we begin our heist movies mini-season with the 1955 French film noir RIFIFI. After our usual reviews, we get into what this film is really about — including a bit of a history lesson from Rob — as well as discussing how this film is less ‘shiny’ than many of the films it spawned, and is all the better for it.
Next Time
The next heist movie on our list is the original OCEAN’S ELEVEN (1960).
Recent Media
PARASITE (2020): Bong Joon-ho, Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun
THE SPANISH MAIN (1945): Frank Borzage, Maureen O’Hara, Paul Henreid
Recommendations
THE LADYKILLERS (1955): Alexander Mackendrick, Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker
BRIGHTON ROCK (1947): John Boulting, Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley
LA DOLCE VITA (1960): Federico Fellini, Marcello Masttoianni, Anita Ekburg
THE CONVERSATION (1974): Francis Ford Coppola, Gene Hackman, John Cazale
Footnotes
Firstly, here’s more on THE SPANISH MAIN (Sam wasn’t testing Rob; he was genuinely interested!):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spanish_Main.
Here’s a useful introduction to film noir:
https://ahhsfilm.weebly.com/film-noir.html. For more on the blacklisting of Jules Dassin, see here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Dassin#Hollywood_Blacklist. This is an interesting article on the film, particularly in light of the idea of Dassin’s feeling betrayed:
https://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/culture/Rififi.htm. Finally, the IMDB trivia page on the film is a good read: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048021/trivia
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30 min
June 30, 2020 ANIARA (2019) & Loss
In this episode, Rob and Karin dive into the 2019 release, Aniara.
We recorded this back earlier in the year, but given the state of the world soon after, we held off on releasing it. Some time has passed and whilst the world isn't much better, we felt we could release it without inducing too much anxiety. But please, go into this episode knowing that this film is not a fun time...
Karin is a voice actor, podcaster and drama teacher. She creates and produces Y2K, an audio drama in 54 parts about love, identity and long-distance friendship set in two timelines on opposite sides of the world. She also produces and co-hosts Det nya svarta, a pop culture podcast in Swedish. Audio drama acting credits include Mirrors, Vampires of White Chapel, Copperheart, The White Vault and Hit the Bricks. Karin lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. You can find her on Twitter @karinheim and her shows @Y2Kpod and @nyasvarta
Recommendations
Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål), film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Girl in Space, audio drama podcast https://www.girlinspacepodcast.com/
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37 min

About The Prestige

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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…

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