The Prestige
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 week they talk about a film and some of the ideas it throws up.
Recent Episodes:
4.27 — ST TRINIANS (2007) & Unity - This week’s film is the 2007 re-boot of the anarchic ST. TRINIAN’S franchise. Post-reviews, we talk about different takes on the male gaze, on this film as a period piece, and on the way in which such films can be… 4.26 — MEAN GIRLS (2004) & Limits - This week our high school season has reached the cultural zenith (no shade: it’s a culturally important film!) of MEAN GIRLS (2004). After some reviews, we talk about meta-commentaries on teenage slang, the refreshing absence of strong male characters, and… 4.25 — 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999) and Fun - Our focus this week is the now 21-year-old (gulp) film, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. We follow some reviews with some discussion about the iconic status of this film, the multiple (and sometimes surprising!) similarities to Shakespeare, and the… 4.24 — THE CRAFT (1996) & Bullying - Our next film in the high school genre is the 1996 horror/comedy/supernatural drama THE CRAFT. After some largely positive reviews, we talk about how this is ultimately a film about knowing your place, while also being a feminist revenge fantasy,… 4.23 — DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993) & Coming of Age - The next film in our ‘high school’ season is Richard Linklater’s DAZED AND CONFUSED, from 1993. After perhaps contrasting reviews, we go on to talk about fragmented teenaged memories, gender, and why rites of passage are important on screen. Next… 4.22 — DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989) and Poetry - Our film this week is the 1989 Peter Weir film (and Robin Williams vehicle) DEAD POETS SOCIETY. After our usual reviews, we talk about the aesthetics of this film and its evocative nature, how this film is not like either… 4.21 — THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) and Endings (or Not) - This week sees the start of our mini-season of high school movies, beginning with the seminal John Hughes film THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985). After some reviews, we talk about how character depth is important to a film about stereotypes, why… 4.20 — WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2014) and Reality - Our focus on the vampire genre ends, suitably enough, with a movie that parodies many of the tropes that have formed this season: 2014’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. After a couple of short reviews of the film, we… 4.19 – TWILIGHT (2008) and Female Autonomy - This week we take on the cultural and cinematic behemoth that is 2008’s TWILIGHT. After some…contrasting reviews, we have a surprisingly enjoyable (and extended: strap in, listeners!) time talking about genre mash-ups, missed moments of poignancy, the traumas of High…