"A single shot can end the war"

I saw two movies over the weekend.

The Prestige is a very cool film. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman deliver great performances, supported by the always great Michael Caine, and a very interesting role by David Bowie. I won't get into all the plot twists, but I will just say that I thought I had it figured out, and then I was totally wrong, and totally blown away. Excellent. Christopher Nolan is a top-notch filmmaker.

Flags of Our Fathers is also very good, though not as excellent as I was hoping. Clint Eastwood is also an amazing director, and the performances are all very strong. The best performance belongs to Adam Beach, who plays Ira Hayes, and his portrayal is heartbreaking. The flaws I saw in the movie involve its framing and structure, especially at the end. But the battle scenes are expertly filmed and very graphic and gruesome. And the story is fascinating and sad, showing how the government exploited a bunch of shell-shocked young soldiers. A scene at a halftime show is profoundly sad and moving. Eastwood has created a powerful exploration of the nature of heroes and how the country deals with war.