Hey all! It was a quiet and sleepy Sunday over here at the vault, with a few episodes of the new Unsolved Mysteries and half of the original Flatliners making up the entirety of my viewing between long and luxurious naps. It was a long week and I needed it something fierce. Next up in the series of similarly themed films, we have the one two punch of magic, mayhem, and magicians in the form of The Prestige and The Illusionist. I think this is definitely one of my favorite pairings out there, mostly because despite both films being period films surrounding the theme of stage magicians, they are both quite different experiences. The Prestige, my favored of the two, is all Christopher Nolan, a twisty, impeccably staged and crafted mystery, well performed, if typically cold as is regular the tendency of the filmmaker. It’s incredibly layered, exciting, impeccably paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The Illusionist is a similarly lush, although stylistically different beast. Norton’s lead provides a kind of auteur feel, with the entire film feeling much warmer and bit less contrived, more natural. It’s world building is a little bit more stylized, and the romance angles a bit more dramatic. All in all, both are truly top notch cinematic experiences, a Hollywood epic type from Nolan, a more indie minded, yet equally ambitious experience with The Illusionist. How did you all like these two? Any fans?