The Batcave Lounge aka The Batusi

[SwordOfMorning]

You can really tell when Jonathan Nolan co-wrote one of his films. His dialogue is a lot more arch and theatrical. Which isn't for everyone but I love it. Nolan's solo screenplays are a bit more restrained and clinical, though I don't find his writing as dry as others do - Tenet got more chuckles out of me than most self-consciously funny blockbusters do.

 

[RokMeAmadeus]

I'd still argue that Memento is his best and most compelling, if not one of them.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Interstellar is my favourite non-TDK trilogy Nolan movie, by far. I'm also one of the only people who ranks Inception fairly low (though I really, really like it) and actually thinks Tenet is significantly superior.

 

[CondimentKing]

It's a great movie and super tight in how the story is told, there's no wasted space at all. It's not one of my favourites from him but it's excellent storytelling for sure. I definitely see the argument that it's his best

I've been meaning to rewatch Interstellar and Inception before I can compare to Tenet. Only seen them twice each I think, and it's been a long time

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Following is also a really interesting one because Nolan is... very much already Nolan even at that age and with resources that minimal.

 

[RokMeAmadeus]

I will say his fighting choreography greatly improved in Tenet. That's something the DK films get a lot of flack for in circles I've been in lol

 

[CondimentKing]

I haven't seen Following, but I've seen a video breaking down how he did it for the budget recently. It's really interesting what he managed to do with it

For those interested:



Insomnia was pretty solid, been ages since I saw that one. I remember renting the DVD from a local library when I started to get more into movies several years ago

And I agree - Tenet fight scenes were great

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Tenet's fight scenes were ****ing awesome.

I also can't express how much I love Kenneth Branagh in that movie. He's just straight up a Slavic version of Robert Davi in Licence to Kill.

 

[CondimentKing]

I liked Branagh in Tenet too. Tenet is interesting to me because it's half silly action movie shlock (the big world is ending bad guy Russian plot) but also classic Nolan high concept gobbledygook. I liked it for both reasons - being sort of stupid (lol) and also for being classic Nolan to an extreme. Also I'll take Pattinson where I can get him. It was just FUN (even if I think the writing is really flawed and the exposition is ludicrous at times). Ludwig's score slaps

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Tenet is an absolutely wonderful, pulpy, paperback thriller at heart. There's a lot of depth to it as well, but it's very much what a big fun blockbuster should be, at least to my personal taste.

 

[shauner111]

I’m not a fan of Nolan’s dialogue so I prefer his movies when someone else is writing the screenplay. Tenet is Nolan gone postal. For better or worse. Which probably makes it his most interesting work.

Inception’s score and premise alone makes it worth while but it drops down my list everytime I watch it because of the lousy screenplay and the fact that Leo’s character is so damn unlikeable.

Memento is obviously a good movie but I’m very picky with voiceover so I don’t find that movie rewatchable (Pearce’s V/O is quite monotone). I also think the editing & structure is the magic trick that makes that movie interesting. If it was linear, Memento would probably be a standard thriller (not unlike Insomnia btw - which I find underrated).

Interstellar is his warmest and most emotional ride of his career. The dialogue is terrible and it’s too long but the big moments pack the biggest punch. Best score of Zimmer’s career.

Dunkirk is his most technically sound movie. It’s like a steamroller. Prestige is always a movie i need to rewatch...because it’s so layered visually and script-wise.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I love the dialogue in Interstellar but I also have a background in theatre which I think heavily influences my taste in dialogue and acting. I gravitate toward hyper-emotional, super verbose stuff.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I’m not a fan of Nolan’s dialogue so I prefer his movies when someone else is writing the screenplay. Tenet is Nolan gone postal. For better or worse. Which probably makes it his most interesting work.

Inception’s score and premise alone makes it worth while but it drops down my list everytime I watch it because of the lousy screenplay and the fact that Leo’s character is so damn unlikeable.

Memento is obviously a good movie but I’m very picky with voiceover so I don’t find that movie rewatchable (Pearce’s V/O is quite monotone). I also think the editing & structure is the magic trick that makes that movie interesting. If it was linear, Memento would probably be a standard thriller (not unlike Insomnia btw - which I find underrated).

Interstellar is his warmest and most emotional ride of his career. The dialogue is terrible and it’s too long but the big moments pack the biggest punch. Best score of Zimmer’s career.

Dunkirk is his most technically sound movie. It’s like a steamroller. Prestige is always a movie i need to rewatch...because it’s so layered visually and script-wise.

The Prestige probably has the best screenplay of any Nolan movie outside of The Dark Knight from a purely technical, traditional point of view. Super underrated.

 

[CondimentKing]

Tenet as "Nolan gone postal" is hilariously accurate. That sums up all the good and bad things about it for me. He just went wild on it lol the fact he actually crashed the plane is textbook Nolan

I've only seen Prestige once and I got reminded of the twist recently, so I might wait until my memory of it fades a little bit more before I rewatch. It's great for sure

 

[shauner111]

I hate constant exposition in movies. To me it’s just horrible writing. When you have character ‘A’ explaining something to character ‘B’ (aka the audience) AND it happens to be a thing that character ‘B’ should already know? Yeah that’s awful writing. And that happens in Interstellar. Like Inception and Tenet, it’s just people explaining the plot to other people...and so it’s less about character and more plot driven, which is just not my cup of tea personally.

I don’t mind theatrical, but for the most part try to make dialogue sound like an actual conversation two people are having.

 

[CondimentKing]

I agree, it's EASILY the weakest part of his "sciencey" movies. It doesn't stop the fun for me though on Tenet and Inception - it works for the fish out of water stuff especially in Inception where explanations are required for characters in universe. Been too long for me to judge Interstellar but I remember some complaints that McConaughey's character should have known the answers to things he asks that are obviously just there for the audience.

 

[shauner111]

I enjoy old noir style dialogue, which can be very theatrical and philosophical at times. But a lot of that feels like it’s still based in character (wants, needs, trying to dissect their own place in the world or how they feel about their surroundings & what it all means). Taxi Driver is a good example. It’s not exactly natural but it’s still all about character.

Nolan’s dialogue tends to be all about plot devices, maguffins, science mumbo jumbo, ‘we have to get to this place at this time’ or ‘this is how this device works and what it means’. It’s boring.

 

[CondimentKing]

That's a good point. I guess it comes down to personal preference on how much that stuff bothers you/me etc. I acknowledge all that stuff and it is annoying but it's not a deal breaker.

Speaking of your character based point - god I hope we get Pattinson voice overs like Taxi Driver, driving around Gotham with Year One-esque monologues like when he describes the city

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Eh, it reminds me of the pre-requisite long exposition scenes in science fiction novels that go on for pages and pages which I always love. I don't disagree that it is inorganic but I personally find it really engaging. A big part of science fiction for me is just talking about the central conceit in great detail.

I, in general, have very strong disagreements with traditional ideas about what is or isn't good cinematic storytelling.

 

[shauner111]

I agree, it's EASILY the weakest part of his "sciencey" movies. It doesn't stop the fun for me though on Tenet and Inception - it works for the fish out of water stuff especially in Inception where explanations are required for characters in universe. Been too long for me to judge Interstellar but I remember some complaints that McConaughey's character should have known the answers to things he asks that are obviously just there for the audience.

Yup. Coop is just a walking Christopher Nolan who is either baffled at how a wormhole works (really? ) or he’s just spouting opinions about the planet. If that character was in a lesser charismatic actor’s hands, that movie would have fell apart. McConaughey has a presence and fluidity to him so you don’t think about it too much until a second viewing or third. Inception has a few actors playing walking exposition tools with zero character to them Arthur is only there to feed info to the audience and Ariadne is only there to ask questions.

Nolan is lucky his visuals are bangers.

 

[CondimentKing]

I think it's more warranted with Inception because the concept is so cool that sometimes over-delivering by showing how cool your concept is, even through dialogue exposition, sort of helps it feel crazy and other-worldly. Also Nolan def has a Bond/spy-like approach to his movies where everything is slick - which saps some humanity but its also just how he stylizes his movies. I know Nolan doesn't make art house or anything, but his weird writing style, even if it is a detriment a lot of the time, does actually make his movies feel more artsy (or am I being crazy?). His movies just feel SO unique even if not for the best reasons, and I do appreciate that. You know what you're getting with him

And yeah, you're also watching for the incredible visual filmmaking and spectacle

 

[shauner111]

Yeah OMG Taxi Driver or Dexter voice over as he’s driving would be sick.

See, that’s all good @SwordOfMorning if you’re into that stuff. I get it. I don’t read sci fi novels though and I’m a ‘less is more’ type. The two Bladerunner movies and 2001 are my fav sci fi because Ridley and Stanley let the visuals tell the story more than explaining what’s happening. That’s why I cringed when there was speculation of Nolan taking on Bladerunner 2049. My god did we dodge a bullet. I could just picture the never ending dialogue about the function of a replicant lol.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I think it's more warranted with Inception because the concept is so cool that sometimes over-delivering by showing how cool your concept is, even through dialogue exposition, sort of helps it feel crazy and other-worldly. Also Nolan def has a Bond/spy-like approach to his movies where everything is slick - which saps some humanity but its also just how he stylizes his movies. I know Nolan doesn't make art house or anything, but his weird writing style, even if it is a detriment a lot of the time, does actually make his movies feel more artsy (or am I being crazy?). His movies just feel SO unique even if not for the best reasons, and I do appreciate that. You know what you're getting with him

And yeah, you're also watching for the incredible visual filmmaking and spectacle

Yeah, Nolan's movies would lose something if you removed his idiosyncratic voice and replaced with something more traditional. Even if I didn't like his writing, I don't think I would want the only filmmaker making original genre movies with that much money and that much control to alter his voice.

In terms of science-fiction exposition, though, Alex Garland is the king of that on film. I could watch his characters talk about that **** for hours. Devs was a stone-cold masterpiece and didn't get anywhere near the attention it deserved.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Yeah OMG Taxi Driver or Dexter voice over as he’s driving would be sick.

See, that’s all good @SwordOfMorning if you’re into that stuff. I get it. I don’t read sci fi novels though and I’m a ‘less is more’ type. The two Bladerunner movies and 2001 are my fav sci fi because Ridley and Stanley let the visuals tell the story more than explaining what’s happening. That’s why I cringed when there were speculation of Nolan taking on Bladerunner 2049. My god did we dodge a bullet. I could just picture the never ending dialogue about the function of a replicant lol.

Yeah, Nolan would've been super wrong for Blade Runner.

One of my biggest pet peeves in the world is people saying 2001 doesn't have a story. I hear that **** a lot and it is the most ignorant, basic **** conception of what is or isn't a story.

 

[Eddie Dean]

lmao, no Dexter voice over please.

Gordon: The Riddler left us a clue.

Batman VO: Yes, a clue... for me to solve!


The Riddler: Only a genius could solve my clues Batman!

Batman VO: Little does he know... I am a genius.


Selina Kyle: Batman does what the rich and powerful like Bruce Wayne cannot.

Batman VO: If only she knew... I am Bruce Wayne!