The phrase "Viking doctor" makes me think of the classic-era SNL skit with Eric Idle as the medieval barber/surgeon--what was his name?

Kirk's been announced?

[link]

Eh no real thoughts on Kirk's casting... he's a total unknown for me. And something tells me his LL flick won't end up on my Netflix queue

I think he's cute, so I hope he continues the tradition of Kirk getting half his shirt ripped off in a fight.

Photos of all the cast of the new Trek. [link]

Has actor photos next to shot of the characters in TOS. Plus a (poor) photoshop of the new actors faces into a group shot from TOS.

Finally watched The Prestige last night. I was favorably impressed. I really liked the book, but for once I approved of the changes they made to adapt the story to film.

I also liked the fact that it rewarded the attentive viewer, and that if you'd read the book and thus knew how the tricks were done, you still could maintain a fair amount of interest.

The incongruity yet coolness of Tesla's inclusion stayed.

The one thing, and this is weird, that bugged me (okay, one of two things, but the other isn't weird): Both magicians were nutbars, clearly mental, and not particularly sympathetic. This was perfectly good and kind of interesting in the book, but bugged me in the movie. At the end, I sort of felt like I was supposed to think one was the good guy, and I didn't.

The second thing that bugged me was how much Bale looked like Tom Cruise. He always does a little, but it was really pronounced in this movie, and thus hard to watch.

Any more detail, and I'll have to go to spoiler font...but it was nice to be pleasantly surprised.

Well, I have to say that the magician who didn't commit murder is the one I favor, though his nutbar tendencies clearly destroyed lives.

By the end of the film, I disliked both magicians so much that I didn't care any more.

Having neither magician be sympathetic in the end kinda detracted from the love I have for the rest of the movie. I loved the structure of the movie and the reveals and I liked the parrallels to Tesla (David Bowie!). But in the end, I kinda hated everybody, magicians, wives, girlfriends, mistresses, and magicians assistants. And near the end, when Hugh Jackman's character is waxing on about the reason he did it all, the pure joy of it and the wonder... it was such total B.S., because he was just as obsessed and f*cked up as Christian Bale. Perhaps that's how he started out, pure and innocent, but once the death and the rivalry started, he lost that innocence, and it seemed out of place that he would lie to himself and to... the other guy... at that final moment. At least for the structure of the story. It should have been a moment where the story became clearer as it revealed itself fully. Not muddied with lies presented as truths to the audience.

Juliebird is me. Those were my exact thoughts about the Prestige. I started out loving it, and was impressed by how much discussion it engendered, but I ended up not liking/caring about the characters at all.