The Prestige

Our Latin American journey leaves the South American mainland behind this week, and dips into Caribbean cinema with a 2007 film from the Dominican Republic, YUNIOL. After some reviews, we talk about class differences, telling multiple stories, and how this is not an ‘uneven’ film. Recent Media ALL OR NOTHING: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (2021): Rob Worsoff, Kyle Dubas, Will Arnett STRANGER THINGS S4 (2022): Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Winona Ryder Recommendations HEROES (2007–09): Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere SHARKTOPUS VS. PTERACUDA (2014): Kevin O’Neill, Robert Carradine, Katie Savoy SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017): Jon Watts, Tom Holland, Michael Keaton BLINDSPOTTING (2018): Carlos López Estrada, Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal Footnotes This week’s links: [where this film comes from, Part 1] www.barcelo.com/pinandtravel/en/from-the-godfather-to-jurassic-park-the-best-dominican-cinema [where this film comes from, Part 2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dominican_Republic_films [what this film could

The most recent film on our Latin American odyssey is the Venezuelan MY STRAIGHT SON (2012). After reviews — some more fervent than others — we talk about drama, found families, and whether or not we might have a Eurocentric view of this film’s politics. Recent Media GOLDENEYE (1995): Martin Campbell, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean REACHER (2022–): Lee Child, Nick Santora, Alan Ritchson Recommendations THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012): Stephen Chbosky, Logan Lernan, Emma Watson BEAUTIFUL THING (1996): Jonathan Harvey, Hettie MacDonald, Linda Henry [Sam’s last-minute, unexpected recommendation] THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004): Walter Salles, Ernesto Guevara, Gael Garcia Bernal THE LARAMIE PROJECT (2000): Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Stephen Belber Footnotes This week’s links: www.jstor.org/stable/26384822 (JSTOR subscription needed) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-catharsis-definition en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_as_Folk_(British_TV_series) www.harpersbaz

After something of a hiatus: we’re back! With the award-winning 2015 Colombian film EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT. After some reviews, we dive in with a reference to Rob’s favourite theatrical director, as well as exploring why it’s good that this film was made and how it might be important that some people don’t get on board with it. Recent Media THE HARDER THEY FALL (2021): Jeymes Samuel, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz ENCANTO (2021): Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Stephanie Beatriz THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021): Lana Wachowski, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss TITANE (2021): Julia Ducorneau, Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle TICK, TICK…BOOM! (2021): Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021): Jon Watts, Tom Holland, Zendaya THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE (2021): Richard Osman The Jack Reacher Book Series (1997—): Lee Child, Andrew Child Recommendations THE MOTORCYCLES DIARIES (2004): Walter Salles, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Gael García Bernal NARCOS: MEXICO (2018–21): Carlo Bernard, Chris Bran

Another Small Batch episode, looking at the the 2021 horror film, Titane Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454 Follow Us - https://www.twitter.com/prestigepodcast Follow Sam - https://www.twitter.com/life_academic Follow Rob - https://www.twitter.com/kaijufm Find Our Complete Archive on Kaiju.FM - https://www.kaiju.fm/the-prestige/

The next stop on our journey through Latin America is 2005’s MADEINUSA. After some reviews, we talk about how this film is itself a disturbing experience for the viewers, to what extent it presents the main character as a ‘femme fatale', and why it works as a complete disruption of the ‘white saviour’ myth. Next Up The next film in our Latin American Odyssey is Colombia’s EL PASEO (2010). Recent Media MIDNIGHT MASS (2021): Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford SQUID GAME (2021): Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo Recommendations LA MALA EDUCACIÓN (2004): Pedro Almodóvar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martínez HIGH NOON (1952): Fred Zinnemann, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly THE PURGE (SERIES, 2013–21): James DeMonaco, Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey THE WICKER MAN (1973): Robin Hardy, Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland Footnotes Rob mentions a few cinematic touchstones for some of the visual stylings of this film: kabuki (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki), the morality play (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality_play), and

The title for this episode comes from something Rob says towards the end of this chat, which I think sums up this film brilliantly. After reviews (spoilers: we loved it), we talk about a number of things to do with the incredible artifice of this film, and its brutality, and (strangely enough) its use of architecture.  Next Up Our next Latin American film is the Peruvian drama MADEINUSA, from 2005. Recent Media MONEY HEIST (2017–21): Álex Pina, Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte MALIBU HIGH (1979): Irvin Berwick, Jill Lansing, Stuart Taylor BLACK WIDOW (2021): Cate Shortland, Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh Recommendations THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005): Fernando Meirelles, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz THE NEON DEMON (2016): Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks PREDATORS (2010): Nimród Antal, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace ROMEO + JULIET (1996): William Shakespeare, Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprio Footnotes Firstly, find out more about Rio favelas here: catcomm.org/favela-facts. Sam mentions how

Our film this week is the slacker comedy/drama 25 WATTS, from Uruguay. Post-reviews, we talk about movies with which this shares obvious roots, as well as how this captures the experiences of disenfranchised youth, and some borderline-colonial-tourist-y speculation about why this was such an important touchstone in Uruguayan film. Next Up The next film on our cinematic journey through Latin America is the 2002 film CITY OF GOD. Recent Media KATE (2021): Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021): Adam Wingard, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown SHIN GODZILLA (2016): Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, Hiroki Hasegawa Recommendations THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER (2010): David Robert Mitchell, Claire Sloma, Marlon Morton waydowntown (2000): Gary Burns, Fab Filippo, Don McKellar CLERKS (1994): Kevin Smith, Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT (1986): Spike Lee, Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks Footnotes Firstly, it would be remiss of

After something of a hiatus from the main feed, this week the band is back together with our look at (the most recent, Rob) THE ACCUSED. We talk about how this film undercuts expectations, what it has to say about the experiences of children as opposed to adults, and the in some ways chilling ending of the movie. Next Up The next film on our Latin American road trip is 2001’s 25 WATTS from Uruguay. Recent Media EMPIRE RECORDS (1995): Allan Moyle, Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021): James Gunn, Margot Robbie, Idris Elba Recommendations THE ACCUSED (1988): Jonathan Kaplan, Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster THE ACCUSED (1949): William Dieterle, June Truesdell, Loretta Young THE REVENANT (2015): Alejandro Iñárritu, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy STAGED (2020–21): Simon Evans, Michael Sheen, David Tennant Footnotes Normal footnote service will resume next time: I hurt my hand this morning, and typing’s painful; I could leave it to Rob, but who knows what this section would look like then

Another Small Batch, this week talking about FREE GUY and the return to the cinema! Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454 Follow Us - https://www.twitter.com/prestigepodcast Follow Sam - https://www.twitter.com/life_academic Follow Rob - https://www.twitter.com/kaijufm Find Our Complete Archive on Kaiju.FM - https://www.kaiju.fm/the-prestige/

Another Small Batch episode, looking at the cinematic twins of White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454 Follow Us - https://www.twitter.com/prestigepodcast Follow Sam - https://www.twitter.com/life_academic Follow Rob - https://www.twitter.com/kaijufm Find Our Complete Archive on Kaiju.FM - http://www.kaiju.fm/the-prestige/

The first of our brand new Small Batch episodes, this week looking at the Pirates Of The Caribbean, all the from The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003) all the way to Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). As with the smaller shows, also smaller show notes, so enjoy! Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454 Follow Us - https://www.twitter.com/prestigepodcast Follow Sam - https://www.twitter.com/life_academic Follow Rob - https://www.twitter.com/kaijufm Find Our Complete Archive on Kaiju.FM - https://www.kaiju.fm/the-prestige/

We launch into Season 5 (FIVE!!! madness, I tell you) and our ‘world tour’ with a film from the country at the southernmost tip of the Americas, Chile, and Pablo Larraín’s 2019 film EMA. After expressing awe at the visuals of the film and the impact that it had on us as viewers, we discuss the idea of new growth (‘seeds’ to be sown after fire, in a central metaphor of the film), the plan that Ema has, and how underestimating this is something that is not only done by Gael Garcia Bernal’s character, but by many (male) members of the audience. Next Up The next film in our journey up through the continent is the Argentinian film from a year earlier, THE ACCUSED. Recent Media THIS IS MY HOUSE (2021): Stacey Dooley TIME (2021): Lewis Arnold, Jimmy McGovern, Sean Bean FEAR STREET (2021): R.L. Stine, Leigh Janiak, Kiana Madeira PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 1/2 (2003/2006): Gore Verbinski, Ted Elliott, Johnny Depp Recommendations AS IF (2001–04): John Duthie, Paul Chequer, Emily Corrie HARD CANDY (2005): David Slad

Some six years (not five, Rob! we’ve been doing this aaaaages) after our first episode — and fourteen years after the…’discussion’ that prompted us to start doing this podcast (eventually), we’re revisiting Zach Snyder’s 2007 epic 300. After we read through that fourteen-year-old transcript, we talk about how our views of the film have changed, its roots in Spartan propaganda, and the aesthetics of a piece that were very much of its time. Next Up Next, we begin Season 5 — watch this space! Recent Media A QUIET PLACE (2018): John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds BO BURNHAM: INSIDE (2021): Bo Burnham, Josh Senior Recommendations WONDER WOMAN (2017): Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine STEVE JOBS (2015): Danny Boyle, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet AUSTRALIA (2008): Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017): Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson Footnotes If you’re not familiar with the battle on which this is based, then probably read up on that fir

The final film in our Disney-animation-and-remakes sub-season is the 2020 iteration of MULAN. After some reviews, we delve into discussions of Disney ‘humanisation’ (sometimes, you just want bad guys to be bad guys), the fact that this movie is aimed at a very different audience from the original, the changes that are made to make this more of a human film, and how honour and ch'i (two big concepts here) mean very different things for different (gendered) characters. Next Up The next episode is our 200th — stay tuned to find out what we have planned for this, which may be something of a retrospective. Recent Media ARMY OF THE DEAD (2021): Zack Snyder, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB (2020): Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, Nic Evans, Simon Jones PALM SPRINGS (2020): Max Barbakow, Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti Recommendations ROGUE ONE (2016): Gareth Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART II (1989): Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd 2046 (2

Our final Disney film is 1998’s MULAN. After some reviews, we talk about the ways in which this film starts from a position of naivety, but grows into a much more adult movie: which leaves us both intrigued as to what the reboot will be like. Next Up Next time, for the last time, we turn to the live-action version of a Disney animation, with the 2020 MULAN. Recent Media SAFE (2012): Boaz Yakin, Jason Statham, Catherine Chan NOMADLAND (2020): Chloé Zhao, Jessica Bruder, Frances McDormand Recommendations JURASSIC PARK (1993): Stephen Spielberg, Sam Neill, Laura Dern MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018): P.L. Travers, Rob Marshall, Emily Blunt STREET FIGHTER (1994): Steven E. de Souza, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011): Sarah Smith, Barry Cook, James McAvoy MR ROBOT (2015–19): Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian Slater Footnotes We start off (and end, actually) by talking about Disney sidekicks; this is a fun article, if only for nostalgic reasons, remembering all the films: www.buzzfeed.com

This week, after some...reviews of Disney’s most recent take on THE LION KING, we talk about how colour and contrast can make or break a film, the importance of myth to the original movie, and what it means to consider style versus substance when the film is as hyperrealistic as this one. Next Up The final film in our Disney mini-season is 1998’s MULAN. Recent Media TED LASSO (2020–): Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudekis, Hannah Waddingham PARKER (2013): Taylor Hackford, Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez Recommendations SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018): Ron Howard, Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013): Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams SWINGERS (1996): Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn THE AFRICAN LION (1955): James Algar, Winston Hibler Footnotes Given that one of our opening topics was the use of colour in these films, there was surprisingly little from the former specialist in this area; this article redresses the balance somewhat: whatweknow.tinkertaylor.tv/post/102fg

Our film this week is the 1994 award-winning classic THE LION KING. After the usual reviews, we talk about Sam’s changing ideas about the film, how it may or may not be about the growth of a character, and what it says about the role of royal privilege (not, this week in particular, an entirely irrelevant topic!). Next Up It’s remake time! Next up is the 2019 version of the film. Recent Media LINE OF DUTY (2012–): Jed Mercurio, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure COLD LASAGNE HATE MYSELF 1999 (2020): James Acaster Recommendations DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995): John McTiernan, Jonathan Hensleigh, Bruce Willis SISTER ACT (1992): Emile Ardolino, Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith THE LION KING 1 1/2 (2004): Bradley Raymond, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella GODZILLA (1998): Roland Emmerich, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno Footnotes Firstly, here’s what Rob was saying about the film’s iconic status: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38312379. Rob mentions that there’s something of the morality play about what we see on sc

This week’s offering is the re-make of ALADDIN. After…mixed reviews, we talk about the ‘clean’ visuals, what it feels Disney wants from a re-make, and how watching this involves something of the same pretence shown by the characters themselves. Next Up Our next Disney film is the 1994 original version of THE LION KING. Recent Media THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (1933): Frank Capra, Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther INTERIOR DESIGN MASTERS WITH ALAN CARR (2021): Diccon Ramsay, Emma Taylor, Alan Carr Recommendations TRON: LEGACY (2010): Joseph Kosinski, Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund TERRA NOVA (2011): Kelly Marcel, Craig Silverstein, Jason O'Mara MEN IN BLACK (1997): Barry Sonnenfeld, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY (2017): Tommy Wirkola, Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close Footnotes Firstly, here’s a little reminder of the environment in which Rob’s ‘recent media’ film was made: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Code_Hollywood. Onto our film of the week. Sam mentions a few of the film’s casting controver

This time, our focus is on the 1992 Disney film ALADDIN. After some reviews, we discuss how this is a movie about people pretending to be something they’re not; we talk about what ‘diamond in the rough’ means (both to a 10-year-old Rob, and today); and we think about media depictions of class, from country-house dramas to inner-city soap operas. Next Up Next time (sticking to the format!), our focus turns to the 2019 live-action remake of ALADDIN. Recent Media THE DAWN WALL (2017): Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer, Tommy Caldwell FREE SOLO (2018): Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Alex Honnold THE ROCK (1996): Michael Bay, Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018): Bob Persichetti, Stan Lee, Shameik Moore Recommendations MOANA (2016): Ron Clements, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson AMADEUS (1984): Peter Shaffer, Milos Forman, F. Murray Abraham TREASURE PLANET (2002): Ron Clements, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Gordon-Levittt GALAVANT (2015–16): Dan Fogelman, Joshua Sasse, Timoth

This week our focus is he 2017 live-action version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. After some…contrasting reviews, we talk about how this film is a lot darker and more serious than the original, how it has a lot more to it (both good and bad), and how it might be a different sort of fairy tale to the 1991 film. Next Time Next in line for our Disney focus is he 1992 version of ALADDIN. Recent Media HORTON HEARS A WHO! (2008): Theodor Seuss Geisel, Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (2019): Simon Kinberg, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender SNOWPIERCER (2020–): Jacques Lob, Josh Friedman, Jennifer Connelly THE TOWN (2010): Chuck Hogan, Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall Recommendations COLOSSAL (2016): Nacho Vigalondo, Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudekis FAST & FURIOUS 6 (2013): Justin Lin, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker A LIFE LESS ORDINARY (1997): Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz MR HOLMES (2015): Bill Condon, Mitch Cullin, Ian McKellen Footnotes This is an interesting presentation on one of the ideas Rob ment