THE PRESTIGE

GENRE:  Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller
MADE:  2006
CAST:  Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie
DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan
WRITER:  Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, Christopher Priest

PLOT:  Robert Angier aspires to be the top magician and was until Alfred Borden performed the ultimate illusion.  Angier becomes obsessed with Borden's ultimate illusion and uses his beautiful stage assistant as a spy.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  The Illusionist, Memento, The Machinist

SCORE:

BATMAN BEGINS

GENRE:  Action/ Crime/ Drama
MADE:  2005
CAST:  Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman
DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan
WRITER:  Bob Kane, David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan

PLOT:  The remake of Batman, Bruce Wayne lives with the memory of his parents' violence death in Gothan City, many years later still living in Gotham City that is continuously growing in crime, Bruce Wayne decides to fight the crime himself his way.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman, Batman Returns

SCORE:

THE DARK KNIGHT

GENRE:  Action/ Crime/ Drama
MADE:  2008
CAST:  Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan
WRITER:  Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Bob Kane

PLOT:  Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent unite to fight the Joker.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Batman, Iron Man, Batman Begins, Batman Returns

SCORE:

LITTLE WOMEN

GENRE:  Drama/ Family/ Romance
MADE:  1994
CAST:  Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Christian Bale
DIRECTOR:  Gillian Armstrong
WRITER:  Louisa May Alcott, Robin Swicord

PLOT:  The story of Mrs. March and her four daughters.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Gone With The Wind, Jane Eyre, Mermaids

SCORE:

THE MACHINIST

GENRE:  Drama/ Mystery/ Psychological thriller
MADE:  2004
CAST:  Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sachez-Gljon
DIRECTOR:  Brad Anderson
WRITER:  Scott Kosar

PLOT:  An industrial worker suffering from insomnia can't sleep for a year and begins to question his own sanity.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Memento, The Game, Shutter Island

SCORE:

PUBLIC ENEMIES

GENRE:  Biographical/ Crime/ Drama
MADE:  2009
CAST:  Johnny Depp, James Russo, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard
DIRECTOR:  Michael Mann
WRITER:  Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann, Ann Biderman, Bryan Burrough

PLOT:  A biogrpahical film on infamous American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during the 1930's.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Bugsy, Bonnie And Clyde, The Departed

SCORE:

REIGN OF FIRE

GENRE:  Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
MADE:  2002
CAST:  Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler
DIRECTOR:  Rob Bowman
WRITER:  Gregg Chabot, Kevin Peterka, Matt Greenberg

PLOT:  Set in the future 2020 AD, humans have gone undercover as fire-breathing dragons have taken over.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  The Chronicles of Riddick, The Mummy, Eragon

SCORE:

AMERICAN PSYCHO

GENRE:  Drama/ Crime
MADE:  2000
CAST:  Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe
DIRECTOR:  Mary Harron
WRITER:  Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron, Guinevere Turner

PLOT:  Based off of Bret Easton Ellis' book about the life of a young wealthy investment banker and his continuous fantasies of sex, women and murder.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Fight Club, Black Swan, The Machinist, Shutter Island

SCORE:

EQUILIBRIUM

GENRE:  Action/  Drama
MADE:  2002
CAST:  Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson
DIRECTOR:  Kurt Wimmer
WRITER:  Kurt Wimmer

PLOT:  Set in the future where all forms of emotions, feelings and art is illegal a man very much part of the system whose duty it is to enforce the law begins to devise a plan to overthrow the system.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Blade Runner, V For Vendetta, Children Of men

SCORE:

NOTES:  This film has a way of capturing viewers' attention with ease, the subject matter interesting, the setting of each scene and the costume design fell into place magnificently to fit the film's subject matter: a future where individuals are no longer free to feel.  Having been a film student these are all characteristics of a film I enjoy watching.  One other thing I dare not exclude from this review is the fight scenes which I thought were choreographed well and with an unique look at what the fighting style would be in the future.

3:10 TO YUMA

GENRE:  Western/Drama
MADE:  2007
CAST:  Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster
DIRECTOR:  James Mangold
WRITER:  Hallsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Elmore Leonard

PLOT:  A family man with a lame leg and small ranch is down on his luck and agrees to escort a legendary outlaw to a train to Yuma where he is to be tried.  A western drama about what really stands behind the many faces of good and bad men.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  True Grit, Tombstone, The Quick And The Dead

SCORE: