All-Encompassing Christopher Nolan Discussion Thread

[Spider-Fan]

I am just hoping Nolan's next film is better than Tenet

 

[Green Goblin]

I wonder if he'll stick with WB this time or if he'll move to another studio. Given how anti-streaming he is, it would be very hypocritical of him to move to Netflix. Paramount, Universal & Sony are possibilities but I think when it's all said and done he'll just stick with Warner Brothers.

 

[DarkKnight88]

He ain't going to Netflix. I'm sure they called him, and they think they're in "talks" even though he never called back lol

 

[Drizzle]

If Nolan sticks to his guns and absolutely refuses to cooperate with streaming, he's going to find his options extremely limited. I have a feeling he'll still stick with WB since, at least as of now, they're not sticking to the day-and-date theatrical and HBO Max simultaneous releases past the new year.

 

[BatLobster]

I think Nolan would do something for Netflix IF they gave him a theatrical window first. That would very obviously be a non-negotioable for him. He's praised Amazon's model of having a theatrical release. He's not against streaming as a whole, just the idea of a movie made for the big screen not getting a chance to play in theaters.

If Nolan sticks to his guns and absolutely refuses to cooperate with streaming, he's going to find his options extremely limited. I have a feeling he'll still stick with WB since, at least as of now, they're not sticking to the day-and-date theatrical and HBO Max simultaneous releases past the new year.

Wait, huh? Are you saying no other Hollywood studios want to work with him? I think that is dead wrong.

 

[Drizzle]

Wait, huh? Are you saying no other Hollywood studios want to work with him? I think that is dead wrong.

No, I was more saying that he has the luxury to be picky in his position but it's becoming clear that streaming has been wholly embraced by most of the big studios at this point, even if it means theatrical releases with a limited window before they hit streaming which filmmakers aren't big fans of anyway. But WB stands to lose a lot if he walks, so I'm sure negotiations are still going to take place.

 

[BatLobster]

No, I was more saying that he has the luxury to be picky in his position but it's becoming clear that streaming has been wholly embraced by most of the big studios at this point, even if it means theatrical releases with a limited window before they hit streaming which filmmakers aren't big fans of anyway. But WB stands to lose a lot if he walks, so I'm sure negotiations are still going to take place.

Maybe, a lot of balls in the air still. Some studios are still embracing the theatrical window, although I think we can probably safely assume it will become a shorter window moving forward.

 

[Drizzle]

Maybe, a lot of balls in the air still. Some studios are still embracing the theatrical window, although I think we can probably safely assume it will become a shorter window moving forward.

I've said it in other threads, the window was shrinking before but COVID-19 only expedited it. It doesn't matter as much for big franchise movies that make their money back in frontloaded opening weekends but Nolan's (non-Batman) films are prime examples of films that wouldn't break any opening weekend records but could still have long box office legs. Inception stuck around at the top of the box office for almost a month after it opened back in 2010 and Dunkirk held the top spot on its first two weekends and still stayed in the top three for a few weeks after.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I don't think he'll end up going to Netflix honestly. I actually see Universal as more likely.

 

[Drizzle]

Or he could pull a Tarantino and go to Sony, albeit those were under much different circumstances. They can't survive off Spider-Man and Jumanji alone so Nolan signing with Sony would be huge for them.

 

[Solid]

Up to Interstellar, i was very interested to any film but the more I think about his last couple movies, the more I question if he's still the same director who did Inception, The Dark Knight and Memento.

He's still a great director, and I'm definitely gonna continue watching his movies, it's just that I have doubts that he can release something as good as Rises let alone The Dark Knight and Inception which are two of my favorite films.

The same happened to Sam Raimi after he directed the best live action Spider-Man film, or Micheal Mann after Collateral (which is an amazing film) -- I don't think Nolan has "fallen off" like these two, but his quality got worse after Rises.

 

[Drizzle]

Up to Interstellar, i was very interested to any film but the more I think about his last couple movies, the more I question if he's still the same director who did Inception, The Dark Knight and Memento.

He's still a great director, and I'm definitely gonna continue watching his movies, it's just that I have doubts that he can release something as good as Rises let alone The Dark Knight and Inception which are two of my favorite films.

The same happened to Sam Raimi after he directed the best live action Spider-Man film, or Micheal Mann after Collateral (which is an amazing film) -- I don't think Nolan has "fallen off" like these two, but his quality got worse after Rises.

That happens with every director though. They change with age or their interest in the project. Not even Scorsese or Spielberg or Tarantino or James Cameron have had the same consistent quality in their careers (I like True Lies, but it doesn't belong in the same conversation as Aliens or T2). But they all bounce back. After Hook didn't become the instant classic like everyone thought it would, Spielberg came out with a one-two punch of Jurassic Park and Schindler's List two years later.

I agree that nothing Nolan's come out with in the last decade has matched TDK or Inception, but I'd hardly call them disappointments and it doesn't mean he'll never make something that great again.

 

[The Shape]

I think Nolan would do something for Netflix IF they gave him a theatrical window first. That would very obviously be a non-negotioable for him. He's praised Amazon's model of having a theatrical release. He's not against streaming as a whole, just the idea of a movie made for the big screen not getting a chance to play in theaters.

Personally, I don't want Nolan anywhere near Netflix. I don't really care how much freedom they'd give him and how much money they throw at him.

I can't see them ever committing to anything close to a full theatrical release window or a wide release in general. All of Netflix's "theatrical" releases prior to streaming debuts so far have been very limited (in terms of number of theaters) and very short -- basically just enough to technically qualify as a "theatrical release". Unless they are willing to change course for Nolan and commit to something like an exclusive 45-day (or longer) theatrical release, I'd prefer him to stay away.

Ideal situation would be for Nolan and WB can work things out and continue working together, which I think is still possible in the long run.

 

[shauner111]

Up to Interstellar, i was very interested to any film but the more I think about his last couple movies, the more I question if he's still the same director who did Inception, The Dark Knight and Memento.

He's still a great director, and I'm definitely gonna continue watching his movies, it's just that I have doubts that he can release something as good as Rises let alone The Dark Knight and Inception which are two of my favorite films.

The same happened to Sam Raimi after he directed the best live action Spider-Man film, or Micheal Mann after Collateral (which is an amazing film) -- I don't think Nolan has "fallen off" like these two, but his quality got worse after Rises.

His last few are his best. You guys are cray.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Interstellar and Dunkirk are still absolutely incredible films, so I don't think he's fallen off at all. I'd go as far to say I think Interstellar was best picture worthy, and I'm sure many will disagree. I also still think Tenet is a damn good movie. It's not his best, but it's good.

 

[Kane52630]

He stumbled big time with me on TDKR and Interstellar, but I thought kinda rebounded with Dunkirk and Tenet even though I still have issues with him on a filmmaking level.

 

[Kane52630]

I know it'll never happen, but I would love to see Nolan do another movie with a budget under $100 million.

 

[The Shape]

I know it'll never happen, but I would love to see Nolan do another movie with a budget under $100 million.

I've wanted this for years. Would love for Nolan to squeeze out something like a small-scale psychological thriller or mystery in between his next big-budget sci-fi films.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Definitely would like to see him do something like The Prestige again.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Insomnia, TDKR, Interstellar and Tenet - these movies of Nolan don't work for me. I hope his next movie relies less on some plot element and more on characters. So he makes something along the lines his "golden age" (Begins-Prestige-TDK-Inception).

 

[DarkKnight88]

Interstellar and Dunkirk are still absolutely incredible films, so I don't think he's fallen off at all. I'd go as far to say I think Interstellar was best picture worthy, and I'm sure many will disagree. I also still think Tenet is a damn good movie. It's not his best, but it's good.

This.

When I look at the large scale movies being released (Marvel included), he’s so head and shoulders above most AND releasing original property in a time where it’s all IP.

Please, keep making big films, because he’s one of the only contributing to original big budget quality films at the moment.

 

[shauner111]

He’s always had issues with exposition, too much emphasis on plot mechanics. But that’s why Dunkirk is his most well crafted film. He accentuated his strengths and hid his weaknesses. It may not be his most entertaining but war movies are usually dour & bleak so of course it’s not.

I don’t understand all the praise for his early work. An amateur filmmaker with a big brain making dull, lifeless gimmicky movies. Memento is a average thriller with monotonous narration held up by a gimmicky backwards structure. Without that gimmick it’s really nothing special.

His current mid-period (which years from now will be seen as his early work) is his most fun and popular era. But they’re flawed films. It’s where the budget first increases and he takes the world by storm. But it’s also where his now classic storytelling flaws slice through. Especially with Inception.

He has recently entered his prime (which years from now will be known as the beginning of his mid-period). He seems to be on top of what works for him and what doesn’t. He feels like a pro with creative ideas who finally knows how to make fun of himself (Tenet is full of cheeky moments where he clearly pokes at his own screenwriting issues. Even the character names feel like one huge diss). The only real problem with Tenet is that Chris is still putting too much effort in trying to confuse people (even with the hand holding folks are still baffled). Maybe that’s why fans prefer the comfort of his Batman movies.

 

[BatLobster]

Memento holds up really well IMO. The "it's nothing special if not for the chronology" argument has never added up to me. The whole point of doing it that way is because it puts you in same predicament the character is in. Thus creating stronger empathy for him, while exploiting the unreliable narrator trope, in a new and interesting way. It's a great neo noir, and Guy Pierce is fantastic in it. The way the film ends really pays off perfectly. This show's Nolan's deftness as a writer, in terms of coming up with excellent concepts for films that integrate theme and structure very tightly together.

And I think this approach also informed in The Prestige. Similar to how Memento is constructed in a way that highlight's Leonard's memory loss, you have a film that's constructed sort of as one big magic trick.

I definitely think Nolan has grown a lot both as a visual storyteller, and I think Interstellar and Dunkirk showed overall growth and maturity from him, especially in what I think he's trying to express with those films and the increased emotional pull in them (Dunkirk is intense, but the ending really gets me). Tenet showed that he still knows how to have a good time with a kickass action film and get bonkers with his ideas. It definitely felt like the work of someone very in command of their craft, whether you like the result or not. And yeah, I think it shows that he's still willing to be daring, and take big swings that are going to lose some people. I still look at that as a positive (and I struggle with some aspects of Tenet).

You can say what you will about his clunky dialogue or plottiness (I like plotty films personally, if the plot is interesting), but nobody can say he doesn't make films that are true to himself, his interests and that he doesn't go all-in trying to give you something in a way you haven't seen before. He definitely has a voice as a filmmaker, and you don't always get that at this level of filmmaking.

 

[Drizzle]

Insomnia, TDKR, Interstellar and Tenet - these movies of Nolan don't work for me. I hope his next movie relies less on some plot element and more on characters. So he makes something along the lines his "golden age" (Begins-Prestige-TDK-Inception).

I almost don't count Insomnia as a Nolan film since it's a remake and it's the only one of his films that he didn't write himself. I'm pretty sure he did it for the career boost and the opportunity to work with Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. It's still good enough regardless but it definitely has a different feel to anything else he's done. I feel similarly about Tarantino with Jackie Brown, even though he did write that one, it just feels the least "Tarantino-esque" of all his films.

 

[weezerspider]

I think Nolan would do something for Netflix IF they gave him a theatrical window first. That would very obviously be a non-negotioable for him. He's praised Amazon's model of having a theatrical release. He's not against streaming as a whole, just the idea of a movie made for the big screen not getting a chance to play in theaters.



Wait, huh? Are you saying no other Hollywood studios want to work with him? I think that is dead wrong.

Netflix would be totally happy to give him a wide release, especially knowing how important it is to him. The problem in the past was theaters wouldn’t give Netflix a wide release without their desired window. Netflix and Scorsese had a really impressive wide release planned for The Irishman, but it fell through over a squabble about 15 days in the release window. Netflix actually agreed to a full 30 day theatrical window (would have been the biggest for them by a large margin, but they knew how important it was to Scorsese), but the larger chains wouldn’t budge past 45 days. If this was post-pandemic, I think this deal would have happened, so I actually think Nolan would have a great shot at getting a wide release through Netflix in the future. Netflix has made it clear they are willing to do their part in that regard, it’s just a matter of what the theaters are willing to do.