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The Official Oscar Winning Director Christopher Nolan Church Thread


crocodile

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I feel like Nolan has this itch for technical spectacle that gets in the way of the narrative. As much as I love flicks like Interstellar and Inception, I would love for him to tackle something like Insomnia again. Bring it back to his roots. 

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This looks like an Inception spin-off without Inception's strong visual flair. 

 

I'll hold out for the film of course, but I'm just surprised by how disappointing it looks.

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  • 4 months later...

Christopher Nolan vs Coronavirus: who will win?

 

Waiting for ‘Tenet’: As July 17 Looms, Hollywood Prays That Summer Can Be Saved
Every studio is waiting for Warners to blink. So far, they're holding firm. And so is Christopher Nolan.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/tenet-theaters-reopen-summer-movies-chistopher-nolan-box-office-1202230166/

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope this film is successful, and that Nolan really does manage to save cinema. But I'm gonna be honest, I'm not sold on this yet.

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30 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

No trailers. Nolan’s name is enough to get me in the theater. 

I want to see it mainly because of 70mm IMAX. Cause I'm a size queen. ;)

 

Karol

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The main characters have comic book like powers and that's all the moviegoing public wants. It's Marvel ... Nolan style!

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1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

The main characters have comic book like powers and that's all the moviegoing public wants. It's Marvel ... Nolan style!

 

giphy (6).gif

 

Karol

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I rewatched Inception the other day and it was... okay. Definitely not as profound or well-written as I remember. Ageing 10 years will do that to you I guess. Still, a visually stunning film. As *good* as I think the score is (and I do think it's good), it causes the film to become an onslaught on the senses, and I found myself exhausted after watching it (maybe ageing will do that to you as well). I also forgot the bizarre James Bond homage in the third act that seems like it's set in the Siberia level of the Goldeneye 64 game. Between that and my recent re-watch of The Dark Knight which I found disjointed and similarly hollow, I think I've gone a bit cold on Nolan. He's not the messiah of film I thought he was back in my early 20s.

 

Tenet looks okay, but I'm already getting glimpses of the awkward dialogue that plagued Inception and it's not a good sign. I once thought his brother was the better writer but after the latest season of Westworld, yeeesh...

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Yeah, the trailer wasn't exactly exciting. I'm hoping that's just the trailer, which they "Marvel-ized" to get the attention of Fortnite players and people who aren't that much into movies, but enjoy watching the Avengers once in a while.

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As for as big budget, large scale, blockbuster filmmaking goes, Nolan is as reliable as they come. I will always pay a ticket to watch everything he does, underwhelming trailers or not

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I've never liked one of his movies completely, although Interstellar came closest.  For me, his movies are hollow constructions.  Nolan's just never connected with me.

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20 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I've never liked one of his movies completely, although Interstellar came closest.  

 

The Prestige for me, followed by his war movie.

 

Edit: And I can watch Batman Begins or TDKR without disgust.

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Just now, Romão said:

Now that I think about it, I think his last two movies might be my two least favorite of his filmography

 

He's growing up and you don't like it!

 

 

 

 

;)

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2 minutes ago, Romão said:

Now that I think about it, I think his last two movies might be my two least favorite of his filmography

 

Dunkirk was such a waste of time.  I think he could have made a good movie that was experimental with its story construction (the time jumping) that had a focus on connecting with the characters, or he could have made a good movie that was straightforward in its editing that kept the characters at a distance.  But he made a bad movie that was experimental in its construction and kept characters at a distance.

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31 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Why do people dislike Interstellar so much?

 

Dislike is a big word but at one point the melodrama becomes too much. 

 

34 minutes ago, crocodile said:

 Even with its contrivances it's still one of the few true s-f films out there. That's rare enough.

 

 

Sci-fi? It's a movie about the power of love. 

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38 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Why do people dislike Interstellar so much?

 

I don't dislike INTERSTELLAR. I think it's one of Nolan's best films.

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Alexcremers said:

Sci-fi? It's a movie about the power of love. 

So is SOLARIS (both of them).

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1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

 

Dunkirk was such a waste of time.  I think he could have made a good movie that was experimental with its story construction (the time jumping) that had a focus on connecting with the characters, or he could have made a good movie that was straightforward in its editing that kept the characters at a distance.  But he made a bad movie that was experimental in its construction and kept characters at a distance.

 

It's deliberately not about characters. 

 

17 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

So is SOLARIS (both of them).

 

Not so for Tarkovsky's version. Like all great sci-fi, Solyaris is about the human condition. The humans think they observe Solyaris, but it's actually the other way around, the planet analyzes the humans (guilt, regrets, desire, love ...) Then there's the impact of space exploration on the human psyche ...

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18 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

It's deliberately not about characters. 

 

Just because a choice is deliberate doesn't mean its good.

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I don't recall being terribly fond of it. It also feels like something so specially-engineered for a huge screen that it wouldn't work on TV, and since I don't happen to own a theater...

 

28 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Like all great sci-fi, Solyaris is about the human condition.

 

All good drama is about the human condition.

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22 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Not so for Tarkovsky's version. Like all great sci-fi, Solyaris is about the human condition. The humans think they observe Solyaris, but it's actually the other way around, the planet analyzes the humans (guilt, regrets, desire, love ...) Then there's the impact of space exploration on the human psyche ...

I agree, but I still think that love is a strong element of SOLYARIS.

SOLARIS, on the hand, is all about the power of forgiveness.

In many ways, they both bring out different aspects of the novel. Lem, apparently, disliked both versions. What he thought of the T.V. show, I don't know.

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13 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

All good drama is about the human condition

 

I suppose it is. The difference with drama is that sci-fi puts us in an unusual, often extreme position.Thereby giving the viewer the opportunity to see things from a different angle. 

 

13 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

I don't recall being terribly fond of it. It also feels like something so specially-engineered for a huge screen that it wouldn't work on TV.

 

 

It worked on my 65" OLED!

 

I wonder if Nolan went for a 2001: ASO approach ... That movie is also not about characters and often disliked because of the emotional distance between viewer and characters.  

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2 hours ago, crocodile said:

Why do people dislike Interstellar so much? Even with its contrivances it's still one of the few true s-f films out there. That's rare enough.

 

Karol

It’s my favorite Nolan. The sheer spectacle and execution of its action is superb, in my opinion. 

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52 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

That movie is also not about characters

 

Its trying to have a character story. It just got away from itself in the first half or so.

 

Afterwards, it is the story of Dave Bowman (in the sense that its told through his eyes).

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7 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

It’s my favorite Nolan. The sheer spectacle and execution of its action is superb, in my opinion. 

 

It also has my favorite emotional/character story of all his movies.  Personally, I have no problem with a well-executed "love conquers all" story.

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29 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

 

It also has my favorite emotional/character story of all his movies.  Personally, I have no problem with a well-executed "love conquers all" story.

I never saw a problem with that either. And I also think many people do the film disservice by oversimplifying it like that. After all, in the face of extinction asking questions about basic human connection and what it means is one of the more important questions you can ask. I also find it interesting that the film at least tries to suggest there might be more to this than simple sentimentality. Sure, it might be a stretch to say love might be an entire new dimension (like Anne Hathaway's character states at one point) but it's worth at least considering given that we built our homes and morality on those foundations. So perhaps there is more to that. I see it more in philosophical terms rather than "movie tearjerker" devices. But it seems no many viewers share that. Dry Nolan bad, weepy Nolan bad. 

 

Sure, the film is bit clunky and, yes, it is bogged down by spoken exposition like other Nolan movies. But it sure isn't bad. It's surprising to me that it is his worst received film critically (next to The Prestige, oddly). I have a sneaky suspicion that will change eventually.

 

Karol

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I never said Interstellar is bad, I've enjoyed all his movies thus far (Dunkirk less so, which felt far too gimmicky for its own good). I love the score, the scale, the action, the look, the acting. But the expository dialogue bothers me here more than in other of his movies, some of the plot jumps are too abrupt). I love the whole "dust bowl" beginning. But it's a movie that did not really improve for me in subsequent viewings. Still more than worth a watch

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I've been watching some past movies by Nolan during this quarantine (Inception, Batman Begins and TDK so far), and I'm a little surprised to see how well they're holding up after all these years. They're still amazing.

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Yeah, Interstellar has picked up more criticism than its fair share. I do find it a bit dull in places and the climax is a head-scratcher, but I do like the Nolan-ness of it all, and its a well executed and occasionally touching movie.

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13 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Its trying to have a character story. It just got away from itself in the first half or so.

 

Afterwards, it is the story of Dave Bowman (in the sense that its told through his eyes).

 

Not so, IMO. The story is told through Kubrick's eyes (which I think is true for most of his movies). The film is ultimately about ideas, themes, the bigger picture, not plot points or character identification. It isn't about Bowman, the individual. It's a story told on a universal scale.  As with Moon-Watcher before him, Dave Bowman represents mankind and where we stand in evolution. 

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