Mr. Reliable: Christopher Nolan
I studied English Literature. I wasn't a very good student, but one thing I
did get from it, while I was making films at the same time with the college
film society, was that I started thinking about the narrative freedoms that
authors had enjoyed for centuries and it seemed to me that filmmakers should
enjoy those freedoms as well. - Christopher Nolan
I have seen kind of polarized opinions about the director in
question here - Christopher Nolan. I know a lot of people who consider him
Greatest Director Ever and on the other hand I have seen or read many people
calling him most over-rated director of all time as well. Even though I can see why haters hate him, hypothetically if
ever a war breaks out between his devotees and his opposition, I will side up
with his devotees as I still consider him as one of my favorite directors. Out of 10 movies he directed, 2 are shorts and 1 is still in production. So, out of remaining seven, his lowest rated movie is at 7.2, he has 5 movies in first half of IMDb 250, 1 in top 10, 2 in top 20, 3 in top 50 and 4 in top 100 - numbers don't lie. Do they? He is
probably the only director I have seen whole work body of and one of the
directors I have learned to trust blindly even though I still have my reservations going as far as naming
him the Greatest director ever.
When it comes to English movie world, I have been a kind of late bloomer.
English being my Third Language, I started learning English at the age of 10.
Till I was 16, it was just a subject in school I had to get through. After I
was introduced to Harry Potter, I started reading English books at the age of
16. Conversational English came a little later at around 20 and was soon
followed by the movies. So to tell you the truth, I have been a serious movie
enthusiast for just about 5 years now. So, it probably will come as a surprise,
but first time I heard of anyone called Christopher Nolan was when The Dark Knight(2008) released in 2008 and it swept me off my feet. Watching The
Dark Knight was an experience like I never had. Two and half hours of
continuous high-octane action was too much for me. Walking out of the theater,
after watching it for the first time, I could not remember half of the things I
saw but I knew I just saw something great, something I will not be able to
describe in words. For a novice like me who didn't know much about Batman, It
took me around 2 more viewings to get around to know Batman's world completely.
Till today, I still haven't seen any other version of Batman, but to tell you
the truth, I never felt like it as well. I have been content with Nolan and his
version.
As the years passed by, I became more and more avid movie-goer and Nolan
became a household name for me. I got around to all the other movies on his resume as
well. Probably The Prestige(2006) was the first one to go down. Again, I
found it hard to follow all the twists and turns in the end. Similar experience
like The Dark Knight. It demanded multiple viewings but has never failed to
amaze me even when I knew what to expect next. And so did Memento(1999).
Just an idea of starting the movie at the end and then coming towards the start
is simply phenomenal and then to do it when you are virtually unknown will need
insurmountable courage and confidence. But, Boy! did it pay off? He again kept
me busy throughout the movie, putting all the pieces together. Then there is
first installment of Batman Trilogy, Batman Begins(2004). Here, Nolan
shows us how a great franchise should start. It might be a little slower in
comparison to some of his other films, but by no means it is any inferior to
any of them. And then thanks to Netflix, I also got around to Insomnia(2003)
and his debut feature Following(1997). However, for me highlight of his
career or rather my whole film-watching experience has been Inception(2010). For
the better part of 2010, I was following every news, every picture, every
trailer. So by the time it released I had sky loads of expectations and it is
always great to see something you love go beyond your expectations.
With his usual crew of cinematographer Wally Pfister, Composer Hans Zimmer,
Editor Lee Smith, Wife-Producer Emma Thomas and writer-brother Jonathan Nolan along with the cast of Christian Bale, Michael
Caine, Cilian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Nolan has created movies which are not just
entertaining or commercially successful but are real masterpieces. Strong
characters, catchy dialogues, amazing action scenes, great pace and to add it
to all extremely well thought musical scores have always been some of the
highlights of his movies. But, like any notable director, he never loses the
sight of what his movie needs to accomplish and like a master craftsman when he
reaches their, we can only stand and adore what lies before us. All the factors
above make a movie stand out from the crowd but they are mere embellishments. At its core, any
movie worth remembering needs to have a Story and in my opinion, that is where Nolan's actual achievement lies. Standout factors in his movies all his career so far have been his
Screenplays and the way he brings them forward for all us viewers in his direction. Academy can snub him as much as they want but this will be what Nolan will be remembered and respected for by all his fans.
But still, I am uncomfortable comparing him with the likes of Hitchcock and Scorsese and Spielberg and Wilder. Why? Because he is just 41 yet. Because he has made only 10 films. He sure is one of the most exciting, young directors to watch for and I am sure he still has many more tricks up his sleeve to dazzle us. He still has a lot of years left in him to take his career whichever way he wants. So, let us not pass any judgement yet. Just wait and enjoy the show while we can. He is a kind of director I will watch anything of just because him name is associated with it. I am even taking Zack Snyder's Man of Steel(2013) seriously because Nolan is given the credit of it's story. All the buzz behind The Dark Knight Rises(2012) should bare testimony for it as well. Even though I am being cautious comparing him with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg, I firmly believe that he does the have a potential to be up there. He has proven it time and again and these coming years will also be witness to that.
Previous Profiles:
Sidney Lumet
Martin Scorsese
If I remember it
correctly, First Movie released in 2011 that I saw was Harry Potter and Deathly Hollows Part 2, in July - almost the same time I started U, Me and Films. So considering the backlog of 6 and half
months, I think I did good - finishing 2011 with close to 50 movies so far,
including Documentaries. It isn't a big number Yes, but even though I know I
still have a lot to catch up on, I don't think there is any point in
post-phoning this post any further. Then there is usual issue of the release dates. So, I am considering all movies which got theatrical release in 2011, Film Festivals do not count. So I will start with the movies that I
still haven't seen and from the word of it, might have made their in this list. Some of them are: Shame, Take Shelter, A Separation, The Artist, We Need to Talk about Kevin.
And you will realise that I have 2 movies at number 10. Actually, I was almost ready to publish this few days ago. Then, just yesterday, I saw The Descendents and it was so good that I had to put it here. So, since I had everything written, instead of taking something out, I have 2 movies at number 10. I know I am cheating here but Let us get into best of
what I have seen:
10. Warrior: Warrior takes the beaten down path of many Sports movies before it. However, despite the cliches, the reason it works is because it focuses on what happens outside the ring to make what happens inside the ring more exciting. It invests richly in the characters so that we care about them. With Great performances from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgarton and Nick Nolte, Warrior is not the one to miss. Full review very soon.
10. The Guard:
Though a little incomprehensible at times because of the Irish accent, it is a
Beautiful little Irish Comedy. Brandon Gleeson is wonderful in it, rather only
reason I saw this was his Golden Globe Nomination. I did not even knew about it
then. But, it is totally worth it. Thank you very much for making my New
Year's Eve.
9. Drive: Ryan Gosling is at his best in this nearly dialogue Free Performance.
Albert Brooks and Carrey Mulligan also deliver equally great performances to aid Gosling. However, apart from the stunning performances, what makes this film a great visual experience is Nicolas Wending Refn's stylish direction from Gosling's Scorpion Jacket and 80's synth-pop soundtracks to hot pink titles and stunning cinematography.
8. The Skin I Live In:
With this, Pedro Almodovar has officially become the Master of making me
uncomfortable. Except Broken Embraces(2009), every Almodovar movie I
have seen makes me so uncomfortable. But, that is no reason to deny the
greatness of it. What makes it great is Antonio Banderas' excellent Portrayal of lead role, Elena Anaya's breathtaking beauty and concept which is far more haunting than you realize while watching it.
7. Beginners: It is easy to like or relate to Beginners if you are of certain age. I am NOT of that age but I still love it. Why? Maybe because it portrays relations beautifully, maybe because of those montages of different years or maybe because of Christopher Plummer's liveliness, Ewan McGregor's sadness and Melanie Laurent's quirkiness. But more than that, Beginners is about saying it is never late to begin something. Yes!! Definitely Yes!! That is why I like it.
6. Senna: Since my college days, when I started following Formula 1 racing, I have been always been in the awe of phenomenon that Ayerton Senna was. Even today, my heart sinks a little whenever someone mentions the race Senna was killed. It was great to know one of the idols of his time with this beautiful documentary, made completely through the archival footage. Sports fan in me could actually feel my pulses rising like I am watching an actual race.
5. Melancholia: Most accessible of Von Trier's Film is what it is called. I wouldn't really know, since it is the only one I have seen yet. But, I have never seen depression looking so beautiful and so harrowing with the dialogues like "Earth is an evil place. We don't need to grieve for it. No one will miss it". Kirsten Dunst embodies the depression to the perfection. First 8 and 1/2 minutes of imagery and that ending alone should warrant it's place here in this list.
4. The Descendants: My first thought after watching it - Run Clooney Run !! Run Like Wind !!. On a serious note, The Descendants is extremely honest and genuine piece of art, in its direction as well as in performances. Alexander Payne, George Clooney and Shailene Woodley deserve special mention for this. And for someone who hasn't even seen his family for one whole year, that last scene was just too perfect. Full review, very soon too.
3. Midnight in Paris: Traditionally, I have been very selective about Woody Allen. Though there are movies he made that I simply love(Match Point(2005) and Manhattan(1979)), I usually find him pretentious. However, in case of Midnight in Paris, I was intrigued right from when I heard about it first and thankfully, it was on par with my expectations. By the end of this nostalgic trip through the 1920's Paris, I was beaming with excitement. If nothing else, it is worth watching for the sight seeing of Paris.
2. Hugo:
When I watched Hugo, it was only because we did not have any other option.
Since I saw first trailer, I was never excited about it basically because I
hate 3-D(I have glasses, wearing that stupid goggle over them feels like
someone is pulling my nose down). But by the end of it, I was taken by it
mainly because Scorsese made it so personal, so nostalgic. And for a change, I
loved the 3-D aspect of it too. Maybe, it just needed a master like Scorsese to
handle it properly.
1. Incendies:
One of the regional Indian writers I have admired once wrote that 'When you ask
a question, it's not an Answer that we are looking for. But, it is satisfaction
that comes with that answer. Answer which does not give you that satisfaction
will be more unsatisfactory than the question itself.' Incendies is
going to linger in my mind for a long, long time because it does not give you
that satisfaction. This movie has become an epitome of Shock for me. I was
awestruck, dumbfounded.
