"Snow Cake"

I recently stumbled across another one of those movies, that some how flew under the radar completely. I never saw a preview for it in the movies, I didn’t see any fan fair when it was released on DVD, but when my brother brought it home, and mentioned it had Sigourney Weaver in it, I figured what the heck and gave it a look.

Be warned, this is the only review I have ever posted that DOES HAVE A SPOILER.

“Snow Cake.” Is about an Autistic mother (Linda Freeman) who lives by herself. While autistic, she can function in a normal enough fashion to be left on her own. Emily Hampshire (Vivienne Freeman) plays the daughter of Linda, and is hitch hiking her way back to the small Canadian town she grew up in with her mother. Trying to find her next ride, Alex Hughes (played by Alan Rickman) comes into the story.

(Here comes the spoiler part. It really is not that big of a deal, and does not ruin the movie if you know this part.) Alex and Vivienne start their strange trek together, but tragedy strikes out of the blue, when they are both involved in a car crash. Vivienne dies, but Alex walks away with only scratches. Feeling a huge sense of guilt, Alex continues to Vivienne’s house to personally tell her mother of the tragic event. I will leave the rest of the story so as to not spoil anything else, but this strange and some times uncomfortable story is played out with some masterful acting by all parties.

As I got my first few minutes of watching Sigourney play an autistic adult, I honestly did not buy into it at all, but finally it started to sink in. Once my brain finally let go, and accepted her as the autistic person she was playing, her character just soared. There have been many actors over the decades that have taken on the ridiculously hard role of playing a mentally handicapped person, and with a few exceptions, most have been forgettable but Sigourney really stood out in this film.

Director Marc Evans takes this tragic, yet some times funny story, and brings it to life in very interesting fashion. The interaction between Rickman and Weaver is truly special, and the sadness between the death of Linda’s daughter and the strangeness of her reaction to this life changing event is filmed in way that you would not expect. While there was nothing in particular that was special in the way of set location, or the actual sets they filmed on, the movie still had a nice look to it when all was said and done. Let the watcher beware, this is not a typical Saturday night thriller you might normally rent, but if you appreciate true acting in any way then I recommend this film.

My rating for this movie is 8.00 out of 10.00

"The Prestige"

This DVD I’m reviewing here has been out for a while, so most of you have probably seen it, however since I personally thought this was one of the better movies that came out last year, I’m doing a review now just in case you haven’t checked it out yet.

Director Christopher Nolan has had his name out there on a few movies, but not a really large list that would put him in the top class. “The Prestige” as far as I am concerned now puts him in that top class. Actor Hugh Jackman, better known for his role in X-men, takes on a more serious role as Magician Robert Angier. I was not sure if Hugh could successfully make the turn on a dime transition from super hero, to super serious. I was more then surprised to find that not only did he make the transition well, but took his acting to a new level which will probably find him in much more astute roles in the future.

On the Flip side we have Actor Christian Bale who has quickly become Hollywood’s new man on the spot taking on Angier’s arch rival magician, Alfred Borden. Christian has already cemented his acting abilities in many different roles, serious and otherwise so I was not surprised in the least when he nailed this performance from start to finish.

“The Prestige” is more or less about two close friends who share a love for magic, but after one act goes terribly wrong, they end up becoming not only the worst of rivals, but the worst of enemies, always trying to out do each other at every turn on and off the stage. The pageantry, acting, special effects, filming, and anything else you can think of is superb. The plot is thick with surprises, twists, and turns to the point where you are on the edge of your seat constantly. Scarlett Johannson plays the love interest in this film, and is a key part in the story. Her acting is also top notch. I’m always excited to see such a young actress who is not only beautiful, but can do some serious acting.

Michael Cane makes a come back in this one, as the guiding voice of reason for Robert Angier as also does a great job. There is even an appearance by David Bowie as the renouned scientist of the time Tesla, and while Bowie has done a little acting in his career, he also grabs his role and makes it his own. The entire cast of this movie seems to just come together and tell this strange and fantastic tale in a way that probably could not have been done with different actors. I hope in the future that these folks get a chance to work together again. The ending will absolutely knock you for a loop. Pure Magic. If you only watch this movie once, then you simply didn’t get it.

My rating for this movie is 9.00 out of 10.00