Nolan's ‘The Prestige,’ ‘Inception’ entertain, leave you guessing

THE PRESTIGE 

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

With his highly successful “Batman” trilogy coming to a close next week, many people might associate director Christopher Nolan solely to comic book superhero films.

But that’s far from accurate.

Nolan is an incredibly talented filmmaker whose has helmed several well-made, thought-provoking movies that show he has more depth than many people might otherwise think.

Nolan first grabbed the attention with “Memento,” his off-beat thriller story about a man with short-term memory loss. Nolan told the story backward, starting from the end and wrapping up at the beginning.

But the two films I want to highlight came immediately after he finished his first and second “Batman” films.

Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ withstands test of time

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

After the personal, dark romanticism of “Vertigo” and just before the stark horrifying vision of “Psycho,” Alfred Hitchcock helmed one of his finest films – one that stands as fresh today as it was when it played theaters in the summer of 1959.

“North by Norwest” is unlike any other film from Hitchcock.

It boasts a lavish budget, spectacular on-location photography and several suspenseful set pieces that remain among the finest put to film. The original screenplay by Ernest Lehman is airtight and full of great dialog. The musical score by Hitchcock regular Bernard Hermann is a classic.

And, of course, “North by Northwest” features an incredible cast headlined by Cary Grant as his most charming, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. How could a film like that go wrong? Well, the answer is simple: It doesn’t. “North by Northwest” is perfect.