Denis Villenueve seems to be trying to be Christopher Nolan so hard

I stand by this as being just as valid a criticism as Dune being a copy of it.


I'm arguing at scale right now. I only work as hard as the argument I'm responding to.

I should adopt this strategy.

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I hoping to widdle myself down to never having to speak again at all.

It annoys me to see Nolan often disparaged for his work. He’s a fine director. Oppenheimer was a great film. His Batman Trilogy was pretty great as well.
Villeneuve is still the better film maker, however. Polytechnique is absolutely amazing and harrowing. He did the impossible by making a sequel to BladeRunner that stands on its own merits.
I feel his Canadian films were more personal and intimate to him, and he did broaden his range after with films like Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival and Enemy.
I see no reason to compare them, though.

ooh I didn't know Kubrick invented clown mask...thanks for enlightening us.

I think you have some issues.

I think it's what the professionals call 'not knowing what the **** you're talking about'

Not to defend jcaleb, but aren't the clown masks in the opening of The Dark Knight a reference to the Joker given the clown make up on his face and how he was the mastermind of the group of criminals? Not sure I see much Kubrick there.

Maybe, but also could be seen as a homage

Perhaps so.

I always interpreted the clown masks as an illustration of how the criminals were always unknowingly under the Joker's control. It adds more bite to them turning on each other.

I dont know who DV is and I know very little about CN, but it must be very frustrating to try to be someone else knowing that you cant actually make it happen, it must be a debilitating mental blockage. To succeed in his career he must overcome his desire to be other people and find his own interests that serve his personal needs.

It's so easy to manipulate you, guys.

The dude is clearly having lots of fun.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Dayum, I wish I had that much time on my hands. I could watch so many more films. Not Nolan though obvs.

Just ditch your social life.

I don't have a social life. I have children.

Ditch them!

Oh.

It can be both

It still says Joker more than Kubrick to me, but yes, I haven't ruled out that possibility.

It generally seems on message boards that people call this mask a reference to Cesar Romaros TV Joker and....I don't see it. The design of it looks almost completely lifted from The Killing, a movie which I believe Nolan has said in interviews was an influence on the scene.


I think you're right that the use of clown masks is mostly intended as a way to bind these men to the influence of the Joker but, when it comes to what influenced it's look, I'm literally only seeing Kubrick. And even if everyone else is seeing Cesar Romero, it is certainly more than enough to use as a way to push back against these tenuous claims that Villeneuve is a Nolan wannabe due to some very minor similarities.


Basically, if your going to hate on Villeneuve for having influences, it's silly to let Nolan off from similar accusations

I mean if someone is going to hate on directors for having influences, then everybody needs to stick to the Lumière brothers output only.