Astronauts vs. cavemen; Batman vs. Wolverine, revisited

As I may have mentioned already, I have a love of the movie The Prestige that borders on obsession. My appreciation for this film is such that I don't even really need to watch it to enjoy it; I just think about it. I bought the DVD when it came out, and watching the bonus features was great, this total affirmation of why I love the movie; the director named about 4 things that I had independently concluded are great about it, in a sort of "this is what we were trying to do here" kind of way. It's always nice to know that these things do not happen by accident, that a movie is (or can be) the result of an articulate-able set of ideas, a creative process, and emerge from that process recognizable by the audience. It's such a careful, intentional movie, in which every line of dialogue actually seems to prefigure what is coming. If, as the movie asks, you are "watching closely." It's all very comforting, owning the DVDs of movies one loves so one can be reminded, regularly, of why one loves them.

Synopsis: Jocelyn likes The Prestige. A lot.

Earlier post: "And a pickle for the lady." [January 2007] [Note: since I posted that original entry about The Prestige, I have had the opportunity to ask a number of people about their opinion on the Batman vs. Wolverine issue. Nearly everyone agrees with mine and Meghan's original opinion, which is that Batman would simply be no match to Wolverine in straight-up fisticuffs. The only dissenters are James and Becky, who have made a persistent argument for Batman. Becky also insists that the context is important, and we would need to know which one of them was fighting for good and which for evil.

Jocelyn: Neither of them is evil. [trying to concoct a situation in which two non-evil superheroes would fight each other] Well, maybe they have both been captured by a supervillain. And unless they fight to the death the supervillain will destroy the world, or something.
Becky: That doesn't mean anything. Batman would sacrifice himself.

Maybe so, folks. Maybe so. Thus far the Batman vs. Wolverine question remains unsolved.]