Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc

Rank the Directors:

Daniel M (Will be brilliant) I'll claim he owes it all to me when I'm a bitter old man.
Rhys (Will be brilliant) I honestly believe he'd say it was all me, because he's that nice.
Mr Minio (Almost made my 2000s list before I'd joined the site) Also takes credit for my cup of water film.
Chris Nolan

There was no numbering because

1.Swan - Too brilliant to put into words

It could be because they're two of the most admired, most respected, most influential directors, held in such high regard by cinephiles and film critics alike. Why do people put the likes of Beethoven and Mozart on such a pedestal and consider all their works to be masterpieces among masterpieces?

Besides, nobody is really saying they've only made masterpieces.

I generally like Nolan's films - he's currently in my top 100 directors - but I pretty much agree with every criticism people make of him Sure, he's made a few duds like Dark Knight Rises but in terms of a blockbuster director I think he's pretty much as good as they come. What I find with his movies is that the annoying exposition and formulaic film making just stops me from thinking his films are great - it doesn't stop me from thinking they are good. For example, I loved two hours of Interstellar but the last hour sucked - didn't completely ruin the first two hours though.

If I was to criticise him it would be more for his involvement with Man of Steel because that was far worse than anything he's directed. I hope he doesn't go down that path that a few other Hollywood directors have - just produce lots of really bad money making movies so they benefit from his name.

Anyway, I probably wouldn't rush out and see whatever he comes up with next but I will watch it with relatively high hopes.

I'm not sure I would call Dark Knight Rises a dud. I think it may be considered that because after The Dark Knight the expectations were perhaps higher than they have ever been for any film, and ultimately since it wasn't as good as TDK, that's why this happened.

My expectations weren't particularly high. TDK was a good film but not anything more IMO - I much preferred Batman Begins. To me TDKR was a step too far and whilst from an action perspective it was fun I guess it just wasn't a very good movie. That's just my opinion though - generally action doesn't do much for me. TDKR was a bit like Fury Road - take out the action and you are left with very little. At least the previous two had interesting build-ups to the action and good/great performances.

I had kind of a roller coaster ride with Memento before landing on where I feel about it today. I always liked it, but went from thinking it was over written on the first watch to thinking it was brilliant on the second and finally thinking that it is a very good film that I enjoy quite a bit on the third. I had heard a lot about it before seeing it and when I finally got to it I was certainly trying to figure out the puzzle while watching. That is never a recipe for success with me. When I feel like the writer is trying to "trick' me I usually can't get the full enjoyment of the film. That is how I felt about Memento the first go around. The second time when I knew the story I was able to just enjoy the characters and story for what it was. It worked very well for me. I got lost in it and considered it a true favorite for the next couple of years.

My last viewing I think I was finally able to end up where I think the film belongs. It is a very original story told in a unique way. It has a very good lead performance from Pearce and two more pretty good supporting ones from Moss and Pantoliano. Now this is a movie that I will speak of fondly even if I don't think it is amazing as I once did.

What does everyone think of Memento? Am I all over the place with my feelings or have others had a similar experience with it? I have always liked Pearce, how does everyone feel about him as an actor? Can you watch Pantoliano without thinking about Ralph Cifaretto?

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Letterboxd

“Except for markf, you’re all a disgrace to cinema.”

I think Memento is still easily Nolan's best. The key to its success with me was how immersive it was due to the way the story was told - it really seemed as though we feel what Pearce feels because we don't remember anything either ... because we haven't been shown it yet. It was a top 100 film when I did it last and would probably still scrape into a top 200 if I did it today.

I like Memento. I think it's one of Nolan's best movies, his trademark twists actually serve a purpose here. I don't think it's great or anything, but it's competently directed.

I like that. Good way to put it.

Did you rewatch it recently Sean? I've got a Nolan rewatch planned for Tuesday.

Been a little over a year. I actually watched most of Batman Begins with my son the other night but didn't see the final third. I want to re-watch The Prestige. Maybe next week.

I'm with you guys, Memento is a really good film. His most intelligent and well-thought out film, with the best characterization as well. The twists and narrative turns feel earned, where in movies like The Prestige they're horribly contrived.

Inception and Prestige are my two options that I'm thinking for Tuesday. I just recently saw The Dark Knight so I'll be able to freely comment on that. Between those three, its always a toss up of which to call my favorite.

I'm done slacking with this. Time to rewatch Batman Begins.

Batman Begins

My brother in-law is visiting so we are going to attempt to watch the entire trilogy. I think at one point I had Begins lower than Rises in my personal rankings, but I think it has a shot to unseat Rises. I truly love the beginning and the ending to this film, it is the lulls in between that make it be not an absolute favorite, but it is still an enjoyable film. The flashback scenes in particular were really well done in my opinion. Scarecrow seemed like a more badass villain this time around. Bale isn't the most likeable guy on this forum but I still believe he was a great choice for Batman. I will say that I prefer Gyllenhaal as Rachel in comparison to Katie Holmes. I just think she is the better actress. This isn't Nolan's finest work but it is a good start to his trilogy and I think other than Memento is a key film to jump starting his career.

I agree, Batman Begins isn't the best, but it showed that there was a chance of reviving Batman from Schumacher's Nipple Kingdom. And it worked, thankfully.

The Dark Knight



In my attempt to watch the trilogy back to back to back, there was never a doubt that this is the lead dog of the three. Not only the best of the trilogy but perhaps the best comic book movie ever made (Iron Man gives it a bit of a run for its money). The main thing that keeps me glued to being able to watch it over and over is the never ending action of this movie. The action scenes are some of the best creations that Nolan has ever directed, and the screen shots of Gotham are truly stunning. It's awesome to me that he could use a Chicago and yet make it into his own Gotham City. I feel an instant upgrade in this from Begins to TDK. I remember the insane anticipation with this movie when it came out in theaters and it has delivered ever since then.

Heath Ledgers performance as The Joker may in fact be my favorite supporting performance of all time. He doesn't play The Joker, he is The Joker, to the point that we all love to see this villain on the screen. He's a bit like Hannibal Lecter in the sense that he doesn't have a monstrous amount of screen time, but he packs a punch and makes every scene that he is in the best parts of the film.

I truly think Bale shined as well. I know a lot of people were disappointed with his raspy voice, but I was not one of them. Bale has a lot of range and he certainly pulls off being Batman With ease. I also preferred Gyllenhaal in the Rachel role in comparison with Katie Holmes. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, two of my favorite actors, show why they are two of the best supporting actors of cinema even though they weren't in the most shiny of roles.

The score is a bit of something that stays in your head throughout. Climax scenes are always accompanied by the greatest score bits in any of Nolan's films. And like I hit on before the cinematography is fantastic as a whole. But one thing that really is under shadowed is the humor. I like how the film also adds a bit of humor in here and there. I'm always a sucker for films that do this, and since Nolan isn't necessarily much of a jokester with his films it still shows me that he is capable. As I said before with Ledger, this is a film that catapults Nolan into being a potential actor's director, and getting the most out of his cast. Maybe not to the level of a Russell or Payne as we have talked about previously, but the potential is certainly there.

Overall, The Dark Knight isn't just a good comic movie, it's a great movie period! When I do my top 100 next year it will definitely be a certainty on the list, and a top 50 spot is close to a guarantee.

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the Dark Knight Rises



The last piece of the trilogy. As I stated with Begins this was my second favorite but on this viewing I think I have changed my mind. The problem I have with this one is that there is simply too much going on, and I don't mean that by action. I also have this bit of a ration that Bale was ready for this to be over. I don't think he gave it his all first and foremost, and I almost feel as if Nolan himself knew that and tried to eliminate the viewer from seeing that as much as possible.

I mean, I still think it is a good film, but when it came out I expected it to be on The Dark Knight level. For me it was not.

The bright spots for me was that I thought Hathaway, Hardy, and Cotillard were all excellent. I just thought from a directing standpoint it was perhaps Nolan's weakest outside of Following. The cinematography was excellent though, but that has simply become a Nolan trademark.

Still quite enjoyable.

So Sean, what qualities do you see in the trilogy and what flaws stick out to you?