Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Welcome to the beginning of the week! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We have approached yet another Monday, and I've been in the mood for a little Spanish, so for this week's Monday movie I've chosen one of my absolute favorites.

Movie poster courtesy of imp awards.

Making its debut at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival is Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a brilliant movie written and directed by Woody Allen. The film centers around Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), a pair of friends who are opposite in personality but connect nonetheless. Both girls are going through a transitional period in their lives when they decide take a summer vacation to Spain. They meet handsome and suave artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) at an art exhibition. He is immediately enamored by both of them yet still harbors feelings for his volatile and quite unstable ex-wife María Elena. Little do any of them know that María Elena is about to turn all three of their lives upside down. 

From the first time I saw this movie I was instantly obsessed!  Woody Allen is amazing, and this film is just another example of his genius. This flick is funny, romantic, a little crazy and incredibly sexy. The Spanish backdrop is a character in itself, adding so much culture, ambiance (and at times) tension to the film. The score is eclectic and fun, featuring a soothing mix of Spanish guitar music, traditional flamenco and even newer music like the soothing voice of Giulia y Los Tellarini add to the story's lighthearted yet passionate tone. Not to mention outstanding performances by a gorgeous cast bring Allen's well though out, in-depth characters to life (and also net Cruz her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) and really catapults the film to greatness. Check out the trailer for Vicky Cristina Barcelona below: 

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is now available on blu-ray and DVD.

Thank you to YouTube for allowing me the usage of their trailer.

The Prestige

Movie poster courtesy of Imp Awards

After a very much extended break from blogging, I'm feeling refreshed and better than ever. I'm back with today's Monday movie, The Prestige. This is such a great movie from the brilliant mind of Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) set in the dazzling and often confusing world of magic.

Two young magicians, vastly different but equally talented work together and are very close friends until a trick goes terribly awry and someone ends up dead because of it. Now mortal enemies, they each will stop at nothing to learn the other's secrets, outdo each other, and prove who is the best magician. Soon however, their rivalry turns into a full scale obsession, and much more is at stake than just their reputations as they do everything they can to surpass the other and live in infamy as the greatest magician to ever live. Nothing is ever as it seems, but believing makes it so, so be prepared to watch closely. You're almost certain to miss a thing or two.

Check out the trailer for The Prestige below:



Christopher Nolan is one of my absolute favorite directors, and this movie is just another one of his masterpieces. There's so much packed into one movie that it's almost guaranteed that you'll have to watch it twice just to make sure you've absorbed it all. This movie is dirty, gritty, with amazingly developed characters that have you pulled in from the very beginning. And with an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie you'll never want the magic to end.

The Prestige is now available on blu-ray and DVD.