The Official Thread for the Church of Oscar-winning Director and (soon to be) Sir Christopher Nolan

[Tallguy 3,389]

4 minutes ago, toothless said:

I will cautiously see this but the last Nolan movie I enjoyed was Interstellar. Dunkirk and Tenet were empty shells. 

 

I loved Dunkirk. Seen it multiple times. Interstellar had all the parts but didn't back it up. Christopher, listen to Jonathan. Couldn't make it through Tenet.

 

Very excited for this.

[Edmilson 7,454]

Florence Pugh Never Experienced a Set Like ‘Oppenheimer’: Christopher Nolan Is a ‘Master’ Director

"Working with Christopher Nolan was quite possibly one of the most thrilling experiences in a different way," Pugh said.

[Groovygoth666 668]

(Sorry if this has already been discussed) Has anyone here seen the Time Stands Still fan edit of Dunkirk?

[JNHFan2000 2,961]

 

[Mr. Who 919]

3 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

 

Legend! Cannot wait to see Oppenheimer.

[Mephariel 451]

Nolan is certainly my favorite director today, and he is a true visionary. 

[Jay 37,364]

New poster

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

Do you think that Christopher Nolan has something to do with this film?

[toothless 963]

13 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Do you think that Christopher Nolan has something to do with this film?

I sure hope so…

[A24 4,333]

Nolan? I wonder what the twist ending will be.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

2 hours ago, AC1 said:

Nolan? I wonder what the twist ending will be.

 

Time will start flowing backwards, someone called "Murph!!!" will tell him it's all a dream, and he'll wake up in a Spitfire, on a Normandy beach.

[JNHFan2000 2,961]

That came out of nowhere

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

Whoa! Kenneth Branagh? Tom Conti, as Albert Einstein?

This film has just become eminently watchable.

[JNHFan2000 2,961]

Yes. It looks incredible. I'm so excited

[Tallguy 3,389]

This and Dune 2 are trading places for first in my head on a regular basis. It looks so good.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

I am eager to see both, but because they are from Nolan, and Villeneuve, I am approaching both with caution.

[Romão 2,274]

Well, this looks really, really intriguing, and no so much a riff on Nolan tropes as Tenet felt.

 

With Indy,  Mission Impossible, Spiderman and this, the summer season seems to have a few interesting offerings. I haven't felt that in a while 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

45 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I am eager to see both, but because they are from Nolan, and Villeneuve, I am approaching both with caution.

No caution needed if they're anywhere near their previous films' quality.

[Tallguy 3,389]

38 minutes ago, Romão said:

I haven't felt that in a while 

 

The world has been a little preoccupied.

 

I don't know if it's because we're contemporaries or if he just has that kind of face. I'm thinking "Isn't Damon a little young for this?" And he's pretty much the exact perfect age.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Twin Peaks did it first!

[Brónach 1,302]

3 hours ago, Tallguy said:

 

The world has been a little preoccupied.

 

I don't know if it's because we're contemporaries or if he just has that kind of face. I'm thinking "Isn't Damon a little young for this?" And he's pretty much the exact perfect age.

 

it's his face plus he's a rich man in the 21th century. however, i like age precise casting (they often downplay women's age a lot)

[Bellosh 3,419]

Honestly all the trailers for this have been phenomenal. And I'm stoked I don't have to watch some weird ass Nolan timeline be played out.

[Tallguy 3,389]

10 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Honestly all the trailers for this have been phenomenal. And I'm stoked I don't have to watch some weird ass Nolan timeline be played out.

 

The movie starts in 1947.

[Bellosh 3,419]

You know what I mean....

[Tallguy 3,389]

1 minute ago, Bellosh said:

You know what I mean....

 

So do you. Dunkirk?

[Bellosh 3,419]

Oh gosh a Nolan fanboy. Jay can you delete my posts please I'm outta here

[Tallguy 3,389]

45 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Oh gosh a Nolan fanboy. Jay can you delete my posts please I'm outta here

 

Can I be a Nolan fanboy if I hate the ending of Interstellar and never finished Tenet?

 

I'm just saying he hasn't done a linearly plotted movie in years, not even his historical drama.

 

I suppose I am a Jonathan Nolan fanboy.

[Bellosh 3,419]

Nah I'm just kidding.

 

I've honestly found half of his movies depreciate with multiple viewings. YMMV.

 

He's still one of the best going today though!! He is a master at his craft!

[Edmilson 7,454]

8 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

Can I be a Nolan fanboy if I hate the ending of Interstellar and never finished Tenet?

 

I'm just saying he hasn't done a linearly plotted movie in years, not even his historical drama.

 

I suppose I am a Jonathan Nolan fanboy.

I used to be a Nolan fan too, but the ending of Interstellar and the whole of Tenet are among the worst stuff he has ever done.

 

I'm still hyped for Oppenheimer though. I hope the movie also has a focus on the mental toll of creating a weapon that can potentially dizimate mankind.

[Tallguy 3,389]

29 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Nah I'm just kidding.

 

Yay!

 

29 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

I've honestly found half of his movies depreciate with multiple viewings. YMMV.

 

The only one I've tested that on is The Prestige. I've watched The Prestige A LOT. And I've seen Dunkirk a few times. I suppose I've seen Batman Begins more than once.

 

23 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

I used to be a Nolan fan too, but the ending of Interstellar and the whole of Tenet are among the worst stuff he has ever done.

 

Are we forgetting Insomnia? Ugh. That's when I discovered who Jonathan is. Because he DIDN'T write Insomnia. I think his brother has better story instincts. (I LOVED Person of Interest.)

 

I should sit down and watch Tenet all at a go.

 

 

[Bellosh 3,419]

Batman Begins has not depreciated to me. It's my favorite out of those. TDK is still really good. TDKR not so much.

 

Interstellar was unfortunately (after absolutely loving it in theaters) where I started to see Nolan's flaws.  Dunkirk was wonderful 

[Tallguy 3,389]

Dark Knight never bit me the way it did everyone else. And I like DKR a little better. It was kind of an untold Batman story. But I've really only seen both of them once.

 

Edit: The opening bank heist of DK is one of the most amazing things ever on film.

[Edmilson 7,454]

13 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Batman Begins has not depreciated to me. It's my favorite out of those. TDK is still really good. TDKR not so much.

 

Batman Begins is my favorite Batman movie ever. I saw it when I was 12 and loved it. Then, I re-watched it a few years ago and it's still great! TDK is good as well, even though I have a few problems with it (like the Joker's supernatural luck).

 

TDKR, on the other hand, is horrible. One of the worst-written blockbusters I've ever seen. I laughed so hard at the Pitch Meeting making fun of the movie.

[karelm 2,913]

Nolan has such as poor track record on monumental topics.  My expectations are low and I hope he achieves it.  He is a modern day Jerry Bruckheimer dressed in gravitas because of even more slow motion explosions. 

[A24 4,333]

I didn't like TDK because there's no one to root for. That's why I enjoy TDKR more. BB is the best of the trilogy. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

Well, TDKR has Anne Hathaway, so...

[Nick1Ø66 4,714]

9 hours ago, Tallguy said:

Dark Knight never bit me the way it did everyone else. And I like DKR a little better. It was kind of an untold Batman story. But I've really only seen both of them once.

 

3 hours ago, AC1 said:

I didn't like TDK because there's no one to root for. That's why I enjoy TDKR more. BB is the best of the trilogy. 

 

Agree. I'm also one of the few people who prefers DKR to DK. Though Batman Begins is by far the best of the three, and one of the best superhero movies ever.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

...Batman Begins is by far the best of the three...

 

Agreed.

 

 

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

...one of the best superhero movies ever.

 

Hmm. I'll get back to you, about that.

[Romão 2,274]

I really like Batman Begins up until Bruce becomes Batman. After that point, the movie loses momentum, it has some really bad expository dialogue, the whole city feels soundstagey to a fault and the climax drags and underwhelms.

 

My appreciation for it really dropped throughout the years. It is always a bit a chore to sit through its second half. And even in the first half, all the flashbacks with Thomas Wayne are very lackluster. The murder of the Waynes was handled in the most pedestrian, run of the mill way possible 

 

I find TDK to be the superior work in every conceivable aspect 

[Tallguy 3,389]

Pretty much my only complaint about BB is that it does such a fantastic job of setting up Bruce as a ninja that it leaves off the fact that he's also really smart. As much as I love Morgan Freeman in the films, he undermines that part of Bruce's character rather than complimenting it.

 

(The Batman does a good job of setting Bruce up as a detective but does a terrible job of making him seem capable of pretending to be a person.)

[Faleel 5,348]

5 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

(The Batman does a good job of setting Bruce up as a detective but does a terrible job of making him seem capable of pretending to be a person.)

I thought that was the point?

2 hours ago, Romão said:

 the whole city feels soundstagey to a fault

At least it looks like Gotham and not like, just New York or whatever.

[Romão 2,274]

5 minutes ago, A Farewell to Kings said:

 

At least it looks like Gotham and not like, just New York or whatever.

 

Does it though? It looked like part of Hong Kong in a soundstage and Chicago.

 

I wasn't a big fan of the movie, but last year's The Batman captured Gotham much, much better that Nolan ever did

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

@Romão, what do you think of Anton Furst's Gotham?

[Tallguy 3,389]

12 minutes ago, A Farewell to Kings said:

I thought that was the point?

 

I suppose. Except that he's supposed to able to function as Bruce Wayne. That's what keeps Batman secret.

[Romão 2,274]

Just now, Naïve Old Fart said:

@Romão, what do you think of Anton Furst's Gotham?

 

 

Easily the best version of Gotham ever put on screen. The scope was a bit limited by the available technology, but the concept has never been surpassed. The concept art alone conveys such an incredible atmosphere. It's like an absolutely gorgeous ugliness:

 

 

 

 

 

But what I really loved was that abomination of a cathedral, vertical like a skyscraper, ugly and unpractical but still strangely alluring:

 

 

Gotham felt like a place where too many conflicting architectural mindsets coalesced into a weird, incoherent mess that still managed to remain totally unique. In this day and age, they should just take these concepts and fully realize them on screen with what modern technology allows

[Faleel 5,348]

27 minutes ago, Romão said:

 

Does it though? It looked like part of Hong Kong in a soundstage and Chicago.

 

I wasn't a big fan of the movie, but last year's The Batman captured Gotham much, much better that Nolan ever did

1: More than TDKR.

 

2: Sure, but you could say that about any interpretation in an attempt to give your opinion more weight.

 

3: Definitely.

[Romão 2,274]

1 hour ago, A Farewell to Kings said:

1: More than TDKR.

 

2: Sure, but you could say that about any interpretation in an attempt to give your opinion more weight.

 

3: Definitely.

 

I would agree with TDKR, that really conveys a Gotham with no distinguishing features at all.

 

 I do agree that Gotham as seen Batman Begins is much more idiosyncratic than the one shown in TDK, but it does this at the expense of feeling, like I said, somewhat "stagey". The Gotham in TDK is much less unique, much more generic, but it does feel grander and more lifelike and it ends up helping the stakes of film feel more urgent

[Nick1Ø66 4,714]

18 hours ago, Bellosh said:

Interstellar was unfortunately (after absolutely loving it in theaters) where I started to see Nolan's flaws.  Dunkirk was wonderful 

 

I was blown away by Interstellar in the cinema. It essentially became an instant favourite.  After subsequent viewings (at home), I think about 2/3 of it is masterful, but the film loses its way in the last act.  Both the faux farm drama w/the dust storm and the "love is the most powerful force in the universe" bit all felt a bit Spielbergian to me.  

 

Still a great film, but could have been a science fiction classic. (sigh)

[Edmilson 7,454]

The best thing about Interstellar is Zimmer's score. It's probably his best work since Pirates 3.

[Nick1Ø66 4,714]

While I'm not a member of the Church of Noaln, I do  have a huge amount of admiration for him, and he gets serious respect from me as one of a handful of working directors whose ambition extends beyond recycling the same stories over and over again as a hired hand for tired franchises.  There aren't many directors that could get projects like Interstellar and Dunkirk greenlit these days, and I'm happy to have films like this, even if it's beginning to feel as Nolan's ego is overtaking his ambition in size.  

 

I can overlook indulgences like the bloated, nonsensical Tenet, most great directors lose their way every once in a while. But I'd hate to see it become a trend with him.  I'd like to see him try his hand at a simpler story, because it's easy to confuse complicated with clever. Tenet is the more the former than the latter.

 

Oppenheimer feels like it could go either way.