All-Encompassing Christopher Nolan Discussion Thread

[DA_Champion]

The following is Christopher Nolan's filmography:

Movie - Year - RT score - IMDB score
Following - 1998 - 78% - 7.6/10
Memento - 2000 - 92% - 8.6/10
Insomnia - 2002 - 92% - 7.2/10
Batman Begins - 2005 - 85% - 8.3/10
The Prestige - 2006 - 76% - 8.5/10
The Dark Knight - 2008 - 94% - 9.0/10
Inception - 2011 - 86% - 8.8/10
The Dark Knight Rises - 2012 - 88% - 8.6/10
Interstellar - 2014 - ?? - ??

Interesting facts:

1) TDK, TDKR, and BB are ranked #1, 2, and 3 among comic book movies on IMDB. V for Vendetta is 4th, Sin City is 5th, and Avengers is 6th.
2) The Prestige is his worst film in terms of critical acclaim, with a 76% RT score.
3) Christopher Nolan doesn't have an email account or cell phone. I guess that helps him focus better.

His wikipedia page is a good read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan

Themes

Nolan's work explores existential, ethical and epistemological themes such as subjective experience, distortion of memory, human morality, the nature of time, and construction of personal identity.[125] "I'm fascinated by our subjective perception of reality, that we are all stuck in a very singular point of view, a singular perspective on what we all agree to be an objective reality, and movies are one of the ways in which we try to see things from the same point of view".[119][126]

His characters are often emotionally disturbed and morally ambiguous, facing the fears and anxieties of loneliness, guilt, jealousy, and greed; in addition to the larger themes of corruption and conspiracy. By grounding "everyday neurosis – our everyday sort of fears and hopes for ourselves" in a heightened reality, Nolan makes them more accessible to a universal audience. Another signature theme is characters refusing the passing of time and letting go of the past. Writing for Film Philosophy, Emma Bell points out that the characters in Inception do not literally time-travel, "rather they escape time by being stricken in it – building the delusion that time has not passed, and is not passing now. They feel time grievously: willingly and knowingly destroying their experience by creating multiple simultaneous existences."[113] Jason Ney of Film Noir Foundation insists that Nolan's later films seem more hopeful and open in regards to the possibility that the characters can escape and overcome these fears.[127]

In Nolan's films reality is often an abstract and fragile concept. Alec Price and M. Dawson of Left Field Cinema, noted that the existential crises of conflicted male figures "struggling with the slippery nature of identity" is a prevalent theme in Nolan's work. The actual (or objective) world is of less importance than the way in which we absorb and remember, and it is this created (or subjective) reality that truly matters. "It is solely in the mind and the heart where any sense of permanency or equilibrium can ever be found."[109] According to film theorist Todd McGowan, these "created realities" also reveal the ethical and political importance of creating fictions and falsehoods. Nolan's films typically deceive spectators about the events that occur and the motivations of the characters, but they do not abandon the idea of truth altogether. Instead, "They show us how truth must emerge out of the lie if it is not to lead us entirely astray." McGowan further argues that Nolan is the first filmmaker to devote himself entirely to the illusion of the medium, calling him a Hegelian filmmaker.[128]

The Dark Knight trilogy explored themes of chaos, terrorism, escalation of violence, financial manipulation, utilitarianism, mass surveillance, and class conflicts.[110][129] Batman's arc of rising (philosophically) from a man to "more than just a man", is similar to the Nietzschian Übermensch.[130][131] The films also explore ideas akin to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophical glorification of a simpler, more-primitive way of life and the concept of general will.[132] In Inception, Nolan was inspired by lucid dreaming and dream incubation.[133] The film's characters try to embed an idea in a person's mind without their knowledge, similar to Freud's theories that the unconscious influences one's behavior without their knowledge.[134] Most of the film takes place in interconnected dream worlds; this creates a framework where actions in the real (or dream) worlds ripple across others. The dream is always in a state of emergence, shifting across levels as the characters navigate it.[135] Inception, like Memento and The Prestige, uses metaleptic storytelling devices and follows Nolan's "auteur affinity of converting, moreover, converging narrative and cognitive values into and within a fictional story."[136]

 

[Whiskey Tango]

The man is a machine but the Batnerd worship does his rep no favors.

Memento A
Insomnia A
Batman Begins A-
The Prestige B
Inception B
The Dark Knight C+
The Dark Knight Rises D

 

[Kane52630]

*sigh*

IMDB scores? Rotten Tomatoes scores?

 

[Spider-Fan]

Those rankings of CBMs are based on which metric? There are different results for different metrics. I am assuming IMDB?

And I don't think anyone denies Nolan's talent. I just hate the fanbase. The man has made only 1 movie I didn't like, and that was TDKR. I love all of his other movies, though. I'd say Inception is my favorite of his films. But, that is a close race.

 

[DA_Champion]

The man is a machine but the Batnerd worship does his rep no favors.

Memento A
Insomnia A
Batman Begins A
The Prestige B+
Inception B
The Dark Knight B-
The Dark Knight Rises C+

I think it's unfortunate that he's probably only a household name because of Batman.
Batman Begins was a great career move on his part.

*sigh*

IMDB scores? Rotten Tomatoes scores?

What a boring reply.

Those rankings of CBMs are based on which metric? There are different results for different metrics. I am assuming IMDB?

And I don't think anyone denies Nolan's talent. I just hate the fanbase. The man has made only 1 movie I didn't like, and that was TDKR. I love all of his other movies, though. I'd say Inception is my favorite of his films. But, that is a close race.

Yes, thanks for spotting that, I've edited my post.

 

[Anita18]

What I find most fascinating about Nolan is the way he structures some of his films. It probably isn't a surprise that I prefer my fiction this way, even reading books out of order if they don't come that way already. It's something I find very interesting in general - how little and in what order can you show people information, for them to understand what's going on?

Following and Prestige, in particular, really should not have made sense at all, the seemingly random way he jumps around in time, and yet, almost everyone can keep up with the plot. Memento is probably the most famous example because he had a very methodical formula he followed for it. I mean, looking at it on paper, it could have gone south in the first 5 minutes! That he made his name on Memento and rose in the ranks very quickly doesn't surprise me at all. That took a damn lot of skill.

Inception is another, less random example, although it's more of a feat of film editing than scripting the timeline.

I'm not sure if any mainstream director plays with timeline cognition as much as he does, let alone get away with it.

 

[Kane52630]

If I had to rank the Nolan films so far...

Memento
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Inception
The Prestige
The Dark Knight Rises
Insomnia
The Following

I do enjoy all of them to a huge degree but Memento is something extraordinary. I saw it twice right after my first viewing. Batman Begins gets better with each viewing (as oppose to The Dark Knight).

What a boring reply.

What a delightful civil response....even though I saw your original post.

 

[jmc]

I remember the first time I saw Inception I could barely breath during the last hour of the film. What I found hilarious about that movie is that on more than one occasion I talked to people who said to me they had no idea what the film was about but they loved it.

 

[The Chris]

Nolan's relationship with time and how it affects the characters is a big reason why i look at him as a film magician. Playing with the linear narrative yet i still can follow it very well. Even the more straight forward films would have a very timely placed flashback in there. Actually one of my favorite Nolan traits is those scenes where an image is intercut with a character going through an emotional moment. The quick flash of the deceased wives in Memento, Inception, and The Prestige. Harvey looking at his coin with a shot of Rachel spliced in before he flips to the burnt side in TDK. Gordon backing away from the bat and remembering when he comforted Bruce as a child in TDKR. It's a great editing trait that i just love so much.

 

[Anita18]

I remember the first time I saw Inception I could barely breath during the last hour of the film. What I found hilarious about that movie is that on more than one occasion I talked to people who said to me they had no idea what the film was about but they loved it.

And all they did physically was sleep on a plane.


Nolan's endings are always awesome too. They're almost always an emotional punch to the stomach. Following and Prestige are REALLY good examples of this. Memento too, and maaaybe Inception if you lean that way. The Batfilm endings aren't as much emotionally wrenching punches, but are still great endings in a different, more hopeful way, perhaps.

I think that's why they films stick with me for a long time afterwards. You need a good ending to leave the audience with.

 

[DA_Champion]

Every time I fly from Sydney to Los Angeles (a few times a year) I think of Inception.

I promise that it indeed feels like "one of the longest flights in the world", and I don't get to fly first class, I fly economy.

 

[weezerspider]

What I find most fascinating about Nolan is the way he structures some of his films. It probably isn't a surprise that I prefer my fiction this way, even reading books out of order if they don't come that way already. It's something I find very interesting in general - how little and in what order can you show people information, for them to understand what's going on?

Following and Prestige, in particular, really should not have made sense at all, the seemingly random way he jumps around in time, and yet, almost everyone can keep up with the plot. Memento is probably the most famous example because he had a very methodical formula he followed for it. I mean, looking at it on paper, it could have gone south in the first 5 minutes! That he made his name on Memento and rose in the ranks very quickly doesn't surprise me at all. That took a damn lot of skill.

Inception is another, less random example, although it's more of a feat of film editing than scripting the timeline.

I'm not sure if any mainstream director plays with timeline cognition as much as he does, let alone get away with it.

This is definitely his biggest calling card. The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are his only linear films if I'm not mistaken. I do think he sometimes focuses on the 'puzzle' a little too much. Not counting TDK Trilogy and Insomnia(it's a remake), three of his four films (Memento, The Prestige and Inception) are all very much based on the puzzle/big reveal at the end. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I would like to see him try a new direction occasionally. I think that's what's great about guys like Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick. Each film is completely different from the next. Other than that, the guy's pretty much spot on.

I will say that I feel the internet culture has overrated the guy a tad. He may very well be one of the all-time greats, but right now, he's still got a ways to go. His films themselves aren't much like Spielberg's but I think he's the next Spielberg in the sense that he really is an auteur, but he knows how to make artistic films to mas audiences, just like Spielberg.

The Dark Knight A+
Memento A+
Inception A+
The Dark Knight Rises A
Batman Begins A
The Prestige A
Insomnia A-
Following B

The Dark Knight, Memento and Inception are Nolan's essentials IMO, and yes, rating those films so high, I seem like a hypocrite claiming he's a bit overrated, but I stand by it. He's top five right now, but he's not quite in the all time directors list(though he probably will be eventually).

 

[slumcat]

If I were to rate and rank Nolan movies

1. Memento 8/10 (Really good. His best film.)
2. The Dark Knight 7/10 (Good film though extremely over-egged (and over-rated).)
3. Inception 4/10 (Well made trash. Again very dumb.)
4. Batman Begins 4/10 (Dreary and dull. Avoid.)
5. The Dark Knight Rises 1/10 (Garbage. One of the worst superhero movies I have seen.)
6. The Prestige 1/10 (Awful. Extremely idiotic with a conclusion that offends your intelligence.)

My estimation of him as a director - Excessively reliant on cheap twists or shocks of some kind. His movies have a sense of bloated importance that consistently leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. The staging of his scenes can be adequate but there is lot left to be desired even on that front.

My estimation of his fandom - a head-scrather. I very genuinely believe that the almost fanatical fandom of his stems from ignorance. I wish people would see more films and understand what cinema can truly achieve, the truly worldview altering impact that a really great film-maker can have.

My recommendations for a course correction - step away from blockbuster trash, make a tight and focused drama about human beings, and real people, about human concerns, and make it work solely on the strength of his direction. Then we would know if he can truly direct well or not. His cinema is currently very gimmicky, high-concept, blockbuster category, mass appeal, packaged, sealed and delivered for mass consumption and fawning. He also needs to lighten up. His movies need more cleverness, in their conception, in their dialogue and in their action scenes and staging of scenes in general.

My rating as a director - C+ or B-, a tier 3 director at best. Can do much better.

 

[Anita18]

This is definitely his biggest calling card. The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are his only linear films if I'm not mistaken. I do think he sometimes focuses on the 'puzzle' a little too much. Not counting TDK Trilogy and Insomnia(it's a remake), three of his four films (Memento, The Prestige and Inception) are all very much based on the puzzle/big reveal at the end. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I would like to see him try a new direction occasionally. I think that's what's great about guys like Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick. Each film is completely different from the next. Other than that, the guy's pretty much spot on.

I will say that I feel the internet culture has overrated the guy a tad. He may very well be one of the all-time greats, but right now, he's still got a ways to go. His films themselves aren't much like Spielberg's but I think he's the next Spielberg in the sense that he really is an auteur, but he knows how to make artistic films to mas audiences, just like Spielberg.

The Dark Knight A+
Memento A+
Inception A+
The Dark Knight Rises A
Batman Begins A
The Prestige A
Insomnia A-
Following B

The Dark Knight, Memento and Inception are Nolan's essentials IMO, and yes, rating those films so high, I seem like a hypocrite claiming he's a bit overrated, but I stand by it. He's top five right now, but he's not quite in the all time directors list(though he probably will be eventually).

I do have to laugh when people say Memento isn't such a great story when told chronologically. I mean, isn't that kind of the point - HOW you tell the story is just as important as what the story IS. That's what storytelling is in the first place! People don't find stream of consciousness journals all that interesting, after all.

Nolan does definitely have his own style, and he doesn't have the range that Spielberg or Kubrick or the Coen Brothers do. But then, I don't think any artist needs to "prove" him or herself to audiences. Just keep doing great work. If Nolan feels like doing a comedy, that should be on his own time.

I actually think it's kind of frightening that Nolan is still so young. He's not yet 45. It's kind of scary to me, thinking how much better than TDK COULD he get. The last director who had accumulated a strong body of work at such a young age was probably Spielberg.

 

[slumcat]

I do have to laugh when people say Memento isn't such a great story when told chronologically. I mean, isn't that kind of the point - HOW you tell the story is just as important as what the story IS. That's what storytelling is in the first place! People don't find stream of consciousness journals all that interesting, after all.

Nolan does definitely have his own style, and he doesn't have the range that Spielberg or Kubrick or the Coen Brothers do. But then, I don't think any artist needs to "prove" him or herself to audiences. Just keep doing great work. If Nolan feels like doing a comedy, that should be on his own time.

I actually think it's kind of frightening that Nolan is still so young. He's not yet 45. It's kind of scary to me, thinking how much better than TDK COULD he get. The last director who had accumulated a strong body of work at such a young age was probably Spielberg.

Godard before the age of 45 - Breathless, Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou, Vivre sa vie, Two or Three Things I know about her, Week-end, Alphaville, Masculin Feminine, A Band Apart, A Woman is a Woman

Welles at 27 had made both Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons

Murnau died at 43... so his entire filmography existed before that age.

 

[titansupes]

Copied and pasted from another thread:

The Prestige was his first movie to 'wow' me (I'd only seen Insomnia and Batman Begins at that point, not Memento) I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then The Dark Knight took the whole thing to another level. After that dark yet incredibly hopeful climax, I literally walked around dazed afterwards, just mind blown. It changed the way I view movies to some degree. I count TDK as my favourite movie (the only movie I've ever definitively put in that spot), but TP is right up there as well. Really underrated. I agree with kvz5 in that if it had come out after TDK, people may have taken more notice.

----------------------------------------------------

Chris Nolan, man. Visually, thematically, even editing and Zimmer's music. Almost everything. The man just gets straight to me like no other filmmakers work ever has. You can't imagine how excited I am about Interstellar.

Oddly enough, and I'm sure this is unpopular, I find Inception to be the harder to watch out of all of them. I really like it, but I find it too dry in places and the third act drags. And sometimes I want to slap Ellen Page's character.

 

[weezerspider]

I do have to laugh when people say Memento isn't such a great story when told chronologically. I mean, isn't that kind of the point - HOW you tell the story is just as important as what the story IS. That's what storytelling is in the first place! People don't find stream of consciousness journals all that interesting, after all.

Nolan does definitely have his own style, and he doesn't have the range that Spielberg or Kubrick or the Coen Brothers do. But then, I don't think any artist needs to "prove" him or herself to audiences. Just keep doing great work. If Nolan feels like doing a comedy, that should be on his own time.

I actually think it's kind of frightening that Nolan is still so young. He's not yet 45. It's kind of scary to me, thinking how much better than TDK COULD he get. The last director who had accumulated a strong body of work at such a young age was probably Spielberg.

Paul Thomas Anderson is the exact same age as Nolan, and I'd take his whole filmography over Nolan's in a heartbeat. Wes Anderson is a year older and his whole filmography can certainly compete. Scorsese had already done Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King Of Comedy by the time he was Nolan's age. Spielberg had already done Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., The Color Purple and the original Indiana Jones trilogy when he was Nolan's age. Kubrick had done The Killing, Paths Of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, 2001 and a Clockwork Orange by then. Linklater had already done Slacker, Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise. Nolan's great, but most great directors are already this far(if not further) at this point in their career. Further proof that he's on his way to being one of the greats? Sure. Scary? Not quite.

 

[DA_Champion]

Paul Thomas Anderson is the exact same age as Nolan, and I'd take his whole filmography over Nolan's in a heartbeat. Wes Anderson is a year older and his whole filmography can certainly compete. Scorsese had already done Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King Of Comedy by the time he was Nolan's age. Spielberg had already done Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., The Color Purple and the original Indiana Jones trilogy when he was Nolan's age. Kubrick had done The Killing, Paths Of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, 2001 and a Clockwork Orange by then. Linklater had already done Slacker, Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise. Nolan's great, but most great directors are already this far(if not further) at this point in their career. Further proof that he's on his way to being one of the greats? Sure. Scary? Not quite.

What distinguishes Nolan from PTA and WA is that his four most recent films are films that a lot of people have watched. If he had not gotten Batman, and continued to make more movies like Insomnia and Memento, he might look a lot like PTA, WA, Aronofsky, etc.

Instead he took a sojourn into blockbusters, and now he is compared to a different group of peers: JJ Abrams, Zack Snyder, Michael Bay, Peter Berg, modern Ridley Scott, Guy Ritchie, McG, Bryan Singer, Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson, etc and against that group he compares very favourably. I don't know if there's been anybody that good among blockbuster directors since Spielberg and Cameron.

If you just look at the directors of recent CBMs, the only one other ones who compared in terms of demonstrated ability are Ang Lee, and arguably Joss Whedon.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I love that the Nolan thread was started and it starts out with posters basically bashing him.

Personally love him. Next to Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson and my favorite of the "current" generation. He makes beautiful, entertaining films that have a great balance between love, charm and wit. I can watch Memento, TDKT, and Inception on loop and not get tired. In that way he reminds me of Scorsese and Spielberg. Not in terms in style or content, but results.

If you asked me the director he reminds me of the most in terms of style, it would be Lean.

 

[The Endless]

I think Nolan is great. But he's lost some of what made him distinct i think. I used to love that non linear form of story telling shown in Memento and Prestige. It makes it unpredictable, but his skill as a film maker still makes it easy to follow and understand.

I wouldn't put him right up there with the best directors though. Because he can't write women and i don't think he'd know sensuality if it jumped up and punched him in the face. There is sometimes way too much telling and not enough showing with his films. And he can't shoot an action scene for ****.

You look at guys like Scorsese and they can do it all. Romance, sensuality, thrills, drama, intelligence, mystery, action, comedy. I mean, the guy made a charming family film in Hugo and one of the most insane, transgressive and hilarious mainstream film in years in The Wolf of Wall Street. I can't ever imagine Nolan doing films like those. Ever ever ever. He just hasn't got it in him.

For me his best films are The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige and Inception. I'd say The Prestige is my favourite.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Christopher Nolan is the reason I have become a filmmaker in quite a few ways, he has inspired me and has created my favourite film, and many of my favourite films. He hasn't made a bad film to date. He has his problems as a director, as does any director, but it doesn't stop him from being my primary inspiration and favourite director.

Nothing but love, gratitude, respect and honour for the man and his work.

Oh and PS. The Prestige is his best non-Batman film

 

[Anita18]

Godard before the age of 45 - Breathless, Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou, Vivre sa vie, Two or Three Things I know about her, Week-end, Alphaville, Masculin Feminine, A Band Apart, A Woman is a Woman

Welles at 27 had made both Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons

Murnau died at 43... so his entire filmography existed before that age.

Yeah, DA_Champion got my point...he's made movies that people have actually watched. That shifts him more into Spielberg and Cameron territory.

Not to knock on PTA or Wes Anderson, of course. But giving Nolan Batman Begins with the resume that he had then was a HUGE risk. Not every indie director makes the shift to big blockbusters that smoothly. WB was exceedingly lucky that it paid off.

 

[DA_Champion]

Christopher Nolan is the reason I have become a filmmaker in quite a few ways, he has inspired me and has created my favourite film, and many of my favourite films. He hasn't made a bad film to date. He has his problems as a director, as does any director, but it doesn't stop him from being my primary inspiration and favourite director.

Nothing but love, gratitude, respect and honour for the man and his work.

Oh and PS. The Prestige is his best non-Batman film

OT, but it's awesome that there seems to be quite a few people on this site who are actually active in the filmmaking industry.

 

[Marvin]

I really like Nolan and most of his films(save for Begins), but I always find myself wondering how much better I'd personally enjoy them in the hands of other directors, I do this often but none more so than with Nolan. Particularly Inception/Prestige by way of Fincher(circa fightclub) or the matrix siblings or Ridley or Aranofsky or Cauron...I suppose this should be a compliment.

Given the same script I'd even be curious as to what Russos would do with Begins.

 

[jmc]

I will say this about Nolan from a personal experience, he single handedly rekindled my love of Batman which laid dormant for 8 years after Batman and Robin. I remember not really following the production of Batman Begins, I saw a couple of set photos and read about casting but that was about it. Such was my lackluster approach to the film I didn't even go opening day. The moment the film finished though the fire was lit again, I literally ran out of the theatre, threw my arms in the air and screamed 'Yes!!!'. Not only did it remind me why I loved the character it did it in a way I never thought I'd see, it was the Batman film I always dreamed of. Fast forward 3 years, if Begins was the film I dream of then TDK was beyond my wildest dreams. I remember kinda being shaken up a bit after that movie not being able to quite process what I'd just witnessed, it was almost too much movie. Those two films make Rises all the more disappointing for me because not only does it not match from a story perspective it doesn't even match from a technical and filmmaking perspective, it's the closest it's felt to Nolan being lazy IMO. I've made my peace with that last film in recent times, it's not awful but it's also not on par with the other two. That said I'm still glad it exists because the trilogy contains all the elements and important characters that to me are the most vital parts of the Batman mythology. I'm always going to be very grateful to Nolan for helping reconnect that link I had with the Batman mythology.