If you've read our "About" section you'll probably know that Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite directors. His films are generally very thought provoking and coupled with an excellent plot. His screenplays are top notch and I appreciate the inventiveness and originality that he produces without fail. If you've never heard of Nolan (you poor, sad soul), here's a few things you should know:
- He's only 43!: Ok, so to us that probably doesn't sound that young but in terms of his filmmaking success that's pretty damn good. He was only 29 when he made the iconic Memento and a mere 34 when he started The Dark Knight trilogy.
- He's a Brit: London born, Nolan attended University College London where he started making films alongside his future wife.
- He's a triple threat: Well, in filmmaking terms anyway. Nolan writes, produces AND directs. Sometimes he manages to do all three in the space of one film! Busy, busy man.
- He likes Michael Caine: You know how Tim Burton ALWAYS has Johnny Depp in his films? Well for Nolan it seems his go-to is Michael Caine. Caine appeared in all three Batman films (as Alfred), Inception (as Cobb's father) and is set to play a role in Nolan's upcoming film Interstellar.
- He only knows one Asian guy: If you've watched Batman Begins and Inception you'll notice that "Ra's al Ghul" (if you've seen Batman Begins you'll know what that's in inverted commas) and Mr Saito are the same guy. Yeah.
- He certainly paid attention in psychology class: Nolan seems to have a keen interest in the mind whether it's the concept of fear as exemplified through The Scarecrow, the idea of insanity displayed by The Joker, or whether he's looking at mental conditions like anterograde amnesia in Memento. He of course then goes on to delve into the dream sphere with Inception.
Ok, so let's get down to my top 3 Christopher Nolan films.
3. Inception
Admittedly I had to watch this movie at least twice before I fully understood the whole thing. It's definitely one of those thinking movies and I would advise you to pay attention while watching. It's not one of those films where you can text and watch at the same time. The concept was excellent. I alway feel that movies/books that can develop a whole other world are the most successful. The dreamscape is intriguing and makes sense in the nonsensical sort of way (e.g. ever had that dream where you're falling and then you wake up? Yeah, that's kind of important here). Unfortunately, this film seemed to have the DiCaprio curse in that it seems to have been largely snubbed by the almighty Academy. Personally, I felt this film integrated the three most important devices in filmmaking: good plot, effective use of special effects that don't dominate the storyline, and good script. This also had the added bonus of "novel idea" so props to Mr. Nolan for this.
2. The Dark Knight
I should probably mention here that I'm generally more of a Marvel fan as opposed to DC but Nolan definitely sold me Batman. Aside from Christian Bale's stupid Batman voice ("I'm Batman"), I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It stands out from the rest of the trilogy. If you're going to watch any of the Batman films, watch this one. The first and third pale in comparison. What I loved about this film was the characterisation. Heath Ledger as the Joker clearly overshadowed Batman. He lived the madness from his speech patterns to his little twitches. Despite the fact that it has been pointed out to me that the meticulous planning of the Joker's destruction of Gotham completely violates the idea of anarchy which the Joker is supposed to stand for, I still think this can be easily overlooked. This movie has everything: action, great plot, excellent characters and one hell of a script. The script has got to be my absolute favourite thing about this film. Ledger's lines are flawless and the creepy thing is, he makes sense. I sort of tossed up between putting this in second and third place but I think Ledger's performance just tips it over the edge.
1. Memento
Memento is hands down Nolan's best work. It's clear that this is significantly low budget in comparison to The Dark Knight and Inception. This film is all plot and script. There are no super fancy car chases or explosions. There's no fantastical landscapes, just a small, gritty town and brief cast of characters. The film basically follows one man with anterograde amnesia (that means he has short term memory loss). He remembers things before the "accident" but barely anything after. To make up for this he leaves notes for himself, takes polaroids of people he should know and information about them and even tattoos important information on his body. The concept of this film is unlike any other I've ever seen. The film moves in reverse and the twist at the end is just fantastic. I love films that can catch me off guard and that you can watch multiple times and still be hanging on the edge of your seat. It may not look like much on the surface but I guarantee you simply cannot NOT love this film.
So those are my top 3 Christopher Nolan film! Definitely check them out and let me know what you think!
Admittedly I had to watch this movie at least twice before I fully understood the whole thing. It's definitely one of those thinking movies and I would advise you to pay attention while watching. It's not one of those films where you can text and watch at the same time. The concept was excellent. I alway feel that movies/books that can develop a whole other world are the most successful. The dreamscape is intriguing and makes sense in the nonsensical sort of way (e.g. ever had that dream where you're falling and then you wake up? Yeah, that's kind of important here). Unfortunately, this film seemed to have the DiCaprio curse in that it seems to have been largely snubbed by the almighty Academy. Personally, I felt this film integrated the three most important devices in filmmaking: good plot, effective use of special effects that don't dominate the storyline, and good script. This also had the added bonus of "novel idea" so props to Mr. Nolan for this.
2. The Dark Knight
I should probably mention here that I'm generally more of a Marvel fan as opposed to DC but Nolan definitely sold me Batman. Aside from Christian Bale's stupid Batman voice ("I'm Batman"), I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It stands out from the rest of the trilogy. If you're going to watch any of the Batman films, watch this one. The first and third pale in comparison. What I loved about this film was the characterisation. Heath Ledger as the Joker clearly overshadowed Batman. He lived the madness from his speech patterns to his little twitches. Despite the fact that it has been pointed out to me that the meticulous planning of the Joker's destruction of Gotham completely violates the idea of anarchy which the Joker is supposed to stand for, I still think this can be easily overlooked. This movie has everything: action, great plot, excellent characters and one hell of a script. The script has got to be my absolute favourite thing about this film. Ledger's lines are flawless and the creepy thing is, he makes sense. I sort of tossed up between putting this in second and third place but I think Ledger's performance just tips it over the edge.
1. Memento
Memento is hands down Nolan's best work. It's clear that this is significantly low budget in comparison to The Dark Knight and Inception. This film is all plot and script. There are no super fancy car chases or explosions. There's no fantastical landscapes, just a small, gritty town and brief cast of characters. The film basically follows one man with anterograde amnesia (that means he has short term memory loss). He remembers things before the "accident" but barely anything after. To make up for this he leaves notes for himself, takes polaroids of people he should know and information about them and even tattoos important information on his body. The concept of this film is unlike any other I've ever seen. The film moves in reverse and the twist at the end is just fantastic. I love films that can catch me off guard and that you can watch multiple times and still be hanging on the edge of your seat. It may not look like much on the surface but I guarantee you simply cannot NOT love this film.
So those are my top 3 Christopher Nolan film! Definitely check them out and let me know what you think!
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