Flags of Our Fathers, The Prestige and The Nightmare Before Christmas (Digital 3-D)

Yesterday I got to see two movies, and today I got to see a third, so it's been a pretty good weekend.

Let's start with the weakest of the three films, "Flags of Our Fathers". I don't often agree with Clint Eastwood, but at least he makes me think, and he doesn't beat me over the head with his opinions, he presents a moral dilemma, and then deals with it reasonably. "Flags of Our Fathers" deals with the concept of doing what is right for your country at the cost of your own personal principles. Three men who fought at the battle for Iwo Jima, and were part of the famous flag raising, must deal with what they know is true, and what is best for their country. As far as the substance of the film goes, I enjoyed the way that Eastwood presented the issue, and allowed his characters to struggle and come to realistic conclusions. Unfortunately the film itself was too bouncy. Without good explanation we start in modern times, bounce back to Iwo Jima, then to the States for war bond drive, and back and forth throughout the film. Nate and I were talking and he commented on the camera techniques during the battle scenes. They were very Private Ryanesque without purpose, almost like if you shoot a beach invasion scene you must do it like Spielberg, which doesn't make any sense. Anyways, I was also kind of hoping that they would play Cash's Ira Hayes somewhere in the film, even if only during the end credits, it's such a great song that it stands alone, almost making a film representation unnecessary.

I finally get to answer the question of "The Illusionist" versus "The Prestige". Read the following review and tell me if it was even close... Also, I must warn you, it's almost impossible to talk about "The Prestige" without ruining some of the fun of seeing it for the first time, so please read no further until you've seen the movie, which you should... Christopher Nolan, who directed one of my favorite movies "Memento", has done it again, in a different way. He sets up the entire film with a line of dialogue by Michael Cain, explaining how a magician sets up his audience with a series of three acts, concluding with "the prestige" where we see something like we've never seen before. Nolan sets himself up big time with a line like that, how can a his movie deliver? Instead of tricking us, or surprising us at the very end, he gives us clues along the way. Makes us believe that we've figured out the mystery before we were supposed to. The "prestige" of the film experience is that after the movie is over, when everything is laid clearly before us, we realize that we have made judgements and supported characters that were all wrong. It's not a twist at the end of the film that makes it enjoyable, it's a twist in our minds, in the way we perceived the film watching experience. This film is one that you'll enjoy thinking about later, more than even watching the first time. I want to see it again, because as in "Memento", I know that there is a rich layer of clues that I missed, only because I was misdirected to the easy set of clues. Everyone can make easy clues, it's called television, in good filmmaking there is more, and this was great filmmaking.

I really enjoy "The Nightmare Before Christmas" It's what Edgar Allen Poe would have done if he worked for Disney. Of course I've seen it before on video a number of times, but it was fun to see it on the big screen, and Disney did a great job transferring the whole film into the 3-D format. I sat in the front row (sold out show, and I showed up late) so I did get a little nauseous, but it wasn't the movie's fault. I enjoy the music by Danny Elfman, I enjoy the animation technique, and I get a kick out of all the characters and the story too. The release right before Halloween is right, this is a Halloween movie, not a Christmas move. If I personally had to rate Holidays, here's how I'd approach it. My Birthday (because it's about me and German Chocolate cake), Halloween (because it's about the candy), St. Patrick's Day (Corned beef and cabbage), Thanksgiving (real mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and turkey) and then Christmas (Christmas music, lights, Christmas movies). Of course I would say that Good Friday, Easter and Christmas are the most important Holidays to me, but as far as fun goes, my Birthday just wins hands down. I went off on that tangent merely to illustrate that Halloween can be fun, and just like we shouldn't let the Devil have all the good music, as far as I'm concerned he can't have Halloween either. Let him have Secretary Day, or Arbor Day, but not Halloween!