Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 8: Now With A Twist Ending

First off I want to thank everyone who participated in the blogothon. Thanks for turning this into something special. It meant a lot.

Now, without further ado, I've been working on a "top secret" (aka I didn't mention it and nobody much cared) project.

Though I'm no Matt Zoeller Seitz (and I thank you in advance for holding back your "We Know"s) I decided to try my hand at the video essay. Though it might be poor form for me to admit, I have to admit I'm happy with this, which is rare.

There were a few compromises I had to make in regards to film quality (especially on The Dark Knight clips) in order to get it out in a timely matter. I can only hope you will forgive them.

So before I talk it all the way to death, I present my essay. And if you want to embed on your own site, well that would be totally fucking cool.

EDIT: There is a content claim that might be fucking with my embedding. If you can't watch the embedded version. come here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qYzk-XPxBw

Just until I get this resolved. Or come to my senses and switch to Vimeo.

EDIT: Just in case.

Untitled from Bryce Wilson on Vimeo.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 7: Inception

Well I guess it’s a bad year for Leonardo DiCaprio having nightmares about his wife.

Inception may not quite hit the lofty heights presented. It might not be the transcendent experienced promise. But only just.

There are plenty of critics whose opinions I highly respect who are saying that Inception is nothing more then an above average blockbuster. I can’t help but disagree, Inception is too audacious a film. A blockbuster? Yes. An entertainment? Yes. Small sighted? No. The audacity (the only word that really fits) is just too stunning. Brian DePalma for all his slow motion, for all his motherfuckery, never made a moment so devilishly sustained as that forever moment in time that that van falls. Terry Gilliam for all his seductive visions has never painted a dream like this one, which drags its audience right down to the bottom with it like a millstone tied to someone’s leg then tossed into a lake.

But I’m getting ahead of myself aren’t I?

By now you most likely know the plot of Inception. A tale of dream thieves recruited to plant an idea into a subjects mind. Beyond that I will say no more except to say
It plays like the ultimate William Gibson novel as envisioned as the ultimate Terry Gilliam film.

What makes Inception so exciting is that it feels, not perhaps like Nolan’s ultimate work, but a kind of final crystallization of said work.

THERE ARE MAJOR MOVIE RUINING SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH


Di Caprio’s character isn’t simply unable to move on from his trauma. His life IS Trauma he’s ensnared by it. Like a fly in amber. The personalities are not merely codependant but literally dependant upon DiCaprio believing that they are real for their survival.



END MAJOR MOVIE RUINING SPOILERS.

It’s a movie from which half of the excitement comes from a filmmaker finding the perfect instrument to say what he wants to say how he wants to say it. The other half of course comes from the sheer audacity (the word that keeps running through my mind) and grace with which he brings that world to life. There’s so many images that sent my mind reeling, things that I have literally never seen before. (Note the way that Nolan even responds to the Kubrickian comparisons with a cheeky Bathroom scene)

And Nolan anchors it all in a broken perfectly human story. Partially due to Nolan’s underrated gift at casting. Ellen Page, as adorable and vulnerable as a wet Puppy. Who is multiplied with Joseph Gordon Levitt for an event horizon of precociousness. Tom Hardy makes a hell of a heavy, Cillian Murphy brings it as always. And even Pete Postlewaith brings it with his limited role. But DiCaprio anchors it, as indeed he must, bringing a real weary soul to the film. Sometimes Leo’s reach exceeds his grasp when it comes to the hardbitten heroes he likes to play. But there’s a doomed romanticism with Cobb (A name Nolan seems to like a lot) that he’s perfect for.

This review is a bit shorter then my usual (“Thank God,” I can hear some muttering). But that is because there is some stuff I’m still genuinely unclear on. What for example to make of the ending? I think its pretty clear what’s happened but for those of you who have seen the film I think its definitely up for debate as to whether Cobb has been in the dreamstate from the beginning or fallen into Limbo.

I want to catch it on my next viewing. And I’m sure that on the viewing after that I’ll be looking for something else. And the one after that. And the one after that. Nolan makes films that don’t give up all their secrets at once, and that makes him rare and valuable.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 6: The Dark Knight

This review was delayed by unavoidable, Inception based detours. I hope you'll forgive me.


Lets get this out of the way. The Dark Knight is a pretty terrific film that has inspired some pretty dreadful film criticism. I hardly need to reiterate the “Shut up! No You Shut Up!” tenor that the debate around The Dark Knight took. I will only note that, the old maxim that “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” Has proven true. And if the arguments or lack there of around The Dark Knight where vaguely disheartening, the storm in a teacup brewing around Inception has been down right depressing. Showcasing film criticism at its most solipsistic and least helpful. Less like watching a snake eat its own tail. More like watching a snake chomp down on another snakes tail only victim bite down on the attackers tail. A brutal ugly neverending loop that you just wish some sensible person would come in and stop.

Its one thing to have a considered oppositon to a movie, and I certainly begrudge no one for it. But when you build a review on posturing, and then a review of the review that was based on posturing. Well that way lies madness.

Still a movie like The Dark Knight should invoke passion, as all great works of art should. And yes I just said it. Call it fanboy hyperbole if you want but I will maintain that The Dark Knight is a legitimately great film. A superlative case of big budget filmmaking, with a grace and economy of storytelling, something real on its mind, and style to spare. Like all great movies it burns with something to prove.

There’s a lot to talk about. While Batman Begins was firmly a comic book movie, I’m certainly not the first to point out that The Dark Knight plays a lot more like Heat or The Departed then it does say Sam Raimi’s Spiderman or Bryan Singer’s X-Men. Those films for all the “realism” of their leather suits and “genetically altered” rather then radioactive spiders, take place in at the very least a heightened reality. Raimi really embraced the comic bookiness of it, and if you take a shot each time there’s a shot of a concerned citizen framed in a dutch angle, pointing off screen shouting “Look there’s Spiderman!” you will get very drunk, very quickly.

Nolan’s Gotham is a place which despite its flourishes, we can readily accept as real. Which puts us in a very different head space indeed. And so setting aside for a moment, the fantastic set pieces, The Mephistophelian dilema’s, and great character work by Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, and er Eric Roberts (?) and Tiny Lister (?!?!??). Lets take a look at the what Nolan does with this realism.

Over the course of my revisitation of Nolan’s career I’ve noted that all of his films revolve around two personalities who though magnetically opposed end up defining each other. The other thing that I had less formed in my mind at the beginning of the rewatch, is Nolan’s love of symbols. He loves to drop things in casual conversation, signifiers that seem small but turn out crucial. His characters carry totems, revisit places and things in almost fetishtic ways. And The Dark Knight is his grand statement on that.

In a much less long winded way, If Batman Begins was a film that featured Iconography, The Dark Knight is about Iconography. I touched on this in my Batman Begins review, but if Batman is a symbol, what does he symbolize. There are those who read The Dark Knight as an apologists case for the Bush Administration. But he’s hardly a straight up symbol of the right. Witness him beating the ever living tar out of Reagan’s America (as symbolized by Superman) in The Dark Knight Returns. Something tells me that Grant Morrison, giving that he’s a Chaos Magick practioner who advocates recreational drug use would have very little to say to Karl Rove at a cocktail party. And lets not forget that Glycon’s number one adherent himself Alan Moore penned what many consider THE definitive issue about the two.

My point is everyone from Sean Hannity to a man who worships a snake see something in Batman. He’s a big enough symbol to encompass multitudes of interpretation.


And if Batman is a big enough symbol to encompass everything. Well then that makes The Joker a big enough symbol to negate everything.

The thing that makes the Ledger’s Joker so amazing is the way he manages to encompass just about every aspect of a character who has been interpreted so many different ways its almost impossible to keep count. Is he Grant Morrison’s persona shifting chameleon (Note the way he mocks Nolan’s obsession with trauma, providing multiple choices)? Yes. Is he Jack Nicolson’s sadistic clown? Yes. Is he Alan Moore’s tragic figure, striving and failing to prove he’s not alone in his desperation? Yes. Is he Frank Miller’s great other, the unstoppable force to Batman’s immovable object? Emphatically Yes (I think if you read Dark Knight Returns, you’ll see this as the most direct antecedent). Anything that anybody has ever had to say about the character is somehow embodied in Ledger’s performance. And he does so with a hypnotic swagger.

But Its not the swagger that makes The Joker great. If Nihlisitc verve, was all there was to the film, then The Dark Knight would be as shallow as its harshest critics make it out to be. What makes Ledgers performance incredible are those two or three lone moments when that mask slips just a little, and true madness, and true desperation slip through. The way he stops mid monologue at the mafia meeting and says “I’m not crazy.” That “Look AT ME!!!” during his newscast, and most of all that look of desperation bordering on sorrow, when the citizens of Gotham make the most out of their only turn to prove him wrong. The pain that comes when he realizes that a bit of good and morality can hold sway. Well its frankly Miltonesque.

And yes, I said that about a comic book movie.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 5: The Prestige

I reviewed The Prestige last year as one of my ten best of the decade. And everything I had to say about it, still stands. So instead I decided to focus on the film's remarkable opening sequence which I consider a personal all time favorite. There's so much information packed into it, I see something new each time I watch it.

The opening line of The Prestige is as much a challenge as a question. "Are You Watching Closely?" So much of modern cinema is an almost aggressively passive experience, dedicated to going down as smoothly as possible. This is not Nolan's cinema, he wants you out of your default mode. Are you watching closely? You had better...

Because here comes the detail. Even in a shot as simple as this there are many layers. Look at the way it echoes the final shot. Particularly given the fact that we later learn that all these birds are being kept for death. The more times you watch The Prestige the more you find that Nolan was really being upfront about what was going on all along. The themes of doubles, is present from the beginning and echoed in about every story line in the film. Which of these birds will be "The one in the box." and which will be the one on the stage.

In his review of Inception, Ebert mentioned that Michael Caine now appears wiser then everybody else in a film just by appearing on screen. He's the perfect man to anchor such a tricky film.

If I may once again borrow from Ebert, "The Law Of economy of characters" here's the first clue you really miss. The law of economy of characters states that since actors are expensive, if an actor is featured in a shot they must be important. Therefore this little girl must be important. And yet by the time the implications of Caine sharing a scene with her should sink in. Say an hour into the film, you've completely forgotten about her. Its a neat sleight of hand, introducing the key to the whole thing, and then moving it out of sight knowing you're about to be distracted.

Our first look at Angiers. In a cruciform from the beginning. More symbols more coding. If there's a more obvious symbol for self sacrifice it doesn't come immediatly to mind. And you miss it. Again.

Our first look of the stars sharing the space. I just think that's a hell of a shot.

Our first disguise which becomes one of the main motifs of the film. Once again, a prime example of Nolan playing fair. We know Borden is a master of disguise from the beginning, and yet we just miss it.

This too is just one hell of a image.

Once again you've got to give it Nolan. I don't think anyone sees anything except precisely what Nolan wants you to see here. But when you watch the scene with context later, the same actors and the exact same reactions produce a hugely different effect. There's no cheating here.

(So now we're leaving the opening proper, but I would like to peek a head just a few minutes to marvel at the economy of The Prestige).

Seriously, that's the sequence of shots. I mean that's just down right brazen. And people STILL miss the implications of Caine with the girl.

Nolan does have true grace as a storyteller. I mean here we are in a flashback contained in a journal being read in a flashforward, and not for a second are you ever lost in that labyrinth.

And the last piece of the puzzle, the double life. Borden basically comes out and explains what he's doing. And you don't see "The Prestige" until Nolan wants you too. And I mean just look at that shot, just look at it. There's so much detail so much information. There's a wealth of detail in Nolan's shots that would make Gilliam jealous.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 4: Batman Begins

In many ways Batman Begins is a victim of its own success. I clearly remember being absolutely enthralled by it on my first viewing and one needs only to look back on the enthusiastic reviews to see just what a chord the film struck.

And yet, the film is doomed to be over shadowed by its younger brother. The Dark Knight is a film in which genre cinema itself is pushed to its very breaking point. Incorporating real moral and ethical dilemmas, as well a thorough deconstruction of its characters in the quickest two and a half hour film ever made. Batman Begins, on the other hand, is a film in which Batman fights a bunch of ninjas.

With Batman Begins the mission was clear, restore dignity to The Dark Knight, after Joel Schumaker and company made him look a little less classy then a fifty year old floorshow dancer from Reno. All glitter turned rancid.

And at this task Batman Begins succeeds with flying colors. I think part of the reason is that Begins shows a Batman who American filmgoers had genuinely never seen before. While the West Batman drew clearly on the goofy ass silver age comics, and the Burton films drew partially off of the Frank Miller/Denny O Neil era (Though to be fair I think you can basically draw a direct line from Miller’s Batman to Ledger’sBut more on that later…_). Nolan’s Batman draws heavily on Grant Morrison’s interpretation of the character.



For those not currently reading monthly comics (and lets face it you’re not missing a lot) Morrison is in the middle of doing what he has openly admitted he hopes will be the definitive Batman story. And to give credit where its due, despite the problems I’ve had with just about everything else Morrison has written, he’s doing a pretty damn good job of it.

To the question of who is Batman? A question that has had plenty of answers from the grim avenger of his early days, to the psychedelic adventurer of the fifties and sixties, to the globe trotting swashbuckler of the O Neil era, to the Nietzchien strong man of Miller. Morrison provides a simple answer.

Batman is the man who thinks of everything.

Like I said, I’m summing up in a sentence what Morrison has been exploring the implications of for hundreds, if not thousands, of pages. But damned if its not convincing. To a certain extent it has always been at the root of the character, think even to the West days with The Bat Shark Repellent. But Morrison takes it to a new level. Painting Batman as a kind of zen warrior, so dedicated to his ideal, that he has turned his own personality into a living weapon.

And while Nolan’s Batman is still green enough to get caught unaware. It seems clear that he’s well on his way to achieving such status, experiencing things that take him far beyond the level of human endurance both physically and mentally.

The difference between the two takes is that Nolan sees where this might be a bad thing.

Because if Nolan’s heroes are defined by their inability to move on in their life. Always shaped by a single event in the past well then brother, Batman is basically the definitive version of that.

Also surviving the transistion is the villain versus society motif, this time with the villain literally wanting to destroy said society on a literal rather then metaphorical level. As well as the dependant relationship between the two. Bruce finds in Ras a true father figure, and its clear that Ras sees in him a true successor. When Bruce refuses at the last moment, the hurt that Neeson displays has a realness, to it that sticks to the film, one that is unfortunately not as well capatilized upon as it should.

Because even without looking at its younger brother Batman Begins is a flawed film. There is of course the weak central performance by Katie Holmes. The action is far too influenced by the Greengrass shaky cam style, and Nolan is clearly uncomfortable employing it, as it lacks all the clarity and genuine propulsion of his style. And while the need to scale back is understandable after the gaudy nightmare wrought by Schumaker, and for the most part Nolan does a commendable job of it, there are a few cases where the film backs down just a bit too much, as in its depiction of the Scarecrow. Which based on some of the Akiraesque production design that leaked out, was originally conceived as a whole lot more ambitious. Though it should be noted that Cillian Murphy does a more or less perfect job as Dr. Crane. Cold enough to do terrible things, but smug enough to get a real sense of enjoyment out of doing so.

Still despite its flaws and occasional missteps Batman Begins remains one hell of a watch. And a firm reclaiming of a potent myth, with a real understanding of what makes it work. Of course, on his next time out Nolan would push things much further.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 3: Insomnia

The first film for a major studio is a hurdle that has left many a promising young filmmaker broken and bloody at its base. There are bodies among that foundation, and the pressure of that first film with money, and studio executives have destroyed more promising talents then drugs, alcohol, and money combined.

Navigating the waters of a major studio picture for a first timer can make the Strait of Messina look easy to navigate (Lit Nerd humor… so sorry). You have to keep your idenity and still prove you can play ball. Turn in a saleable product that’s not just rote boilerplate. Engage yourself with material you didn’t develop. Prove you’re enough of a professional to make something for hire. And yet prove you’re enough of an artist so it doesn’t look as if you did.

The most shocking thing about Insomnia is how much of a piece it looks with his other work. Its a remake of someone else’s work, true. And as a star vehicle made from a respected foreign source, its pretty much the definition of a safe bet. So some might take my claims as just auteurist wankery. But Insomnia remains instep with every aspect of Nolan’s signature that we’ve been discussing. And if nothing else, the material turns out to be wildly suited to Nolan’s particular talents.

Briefly like all Nolan protagonists Will Dormer, a cop investigating the murder of a yong girl in Alaska, in is unable to move on from, in this case two central events. The first the planting of evidence which is fueling a Internal Affairs investigation against him back on the main land. The second, comes when he first shoots then covers up the death of his partner. Who Dormer just happened to have learned was cooperating with said Internal Affairs investigation. Was the shooting accidental? Not even Dormer seems to be sure, though Nolan certainly gives him more of the benefit of the doubt then the Swedish version does. The only person who does seem sure, is the murderer who Dormer is hunting, and witness Dormer kill his partner.

The Killer is of course Robin Williams, who burns up so much good will with all the “Old Dogs” he stars in, that when he does turn in a genuinely good performance, he tends to be underrated. You can see Nolan beginning to play with some of the ideas he brought to his take on the Joker. As Dormer remarks during his the autopsy scene, Williams has “crossed the line and didn’t even blink.” He’s passed beyond not beyond, as the old cliché goes “good and evil” but pettiness. To quote another Nietzchian chestnut, he’s a man who the abyss has stared back at. All he lacks is the Mephistolian swagger that Ledger gave the Joker. Williams and Nolan paint him as a pathetic little man. Who just happens to have an actual monster just under the skin.

And once again, Nolan brings the theme of codependency between the two. While the symbiosis between Cobb and The Young Man, in Following, and Teddy and Leonard in Memento, was at least partially consensual. Granted with one half of the partnership holding much more information then the other. The “partnership” in Insomnia is one in which the two parties are continuously trying to turn the tables on one another. The mystery in Insomnia is solved less then halfway through the film. The question the film then poses is not so much “Who Done It?” but “Who can live with it?”

And to Nolan’s credit, he leaves it up in the air as long as he can.

Though not as personal of a film as Memento, Insomnia does act as a showcase for Nolan’s strengths. As in all of his films he comes up with some arresting imagery. Most startling the reoccurring motif of the juxtaposition of an extreme close up of a piece of fabric being stained with blood, and the wide open vistas of the Alaskan wilderness. His work as a stylist comes through in more subtle ways as well. The way he heightens the Foley and the lighting, making everything more abrasive, but just this side of noticeable, in all but a few key scenes. It also shows Nolan’s gift for geography, used best during a log chase, that proved well before The Dark Knight that Nolan could direct a hell of an action scene.

Also showcased is Nolan’s underrated eye for casting. There is the coaxing of the aforementioned great performance by Robin Williams. But also the use of the great Nicky Katt, the underused Maura Tierney, as well as one of the few Hillary Swank performances that doesn’t totally miscast or misuse her. Harnessing her boyish “Golly Shucks” persona better then just about anyone not named Clint Eastwood or Kimberly Swank.

Standing in the center of all of this is Al Pacinio. Who I have somewhat conspicuously not mentioned much. This is, shall we say, the least embarrassing of Pacino’s performances once the “Hoohah’s” really sunk their teeth into him. Which is yes I know just about the very definition of faint praise. Still in all fairness there are couple of scenes where he absolutely brings it and only one, where he takes a girl he’s questioning on a joyride, where he actually embarrasses himself.

Insomnia has plenty of detractors, some who accuse it of watering down its harsh source material (some what valid), acting as a star vehicle (less valid) and squandering Nolan’s talents (invalid).

Still for all its flaws, Insomnia marked Nolan as someone all too rare. A filmmaker fully capable of making a film worthy of serious consideration inside the Hollywood studio system.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 2: Memento

It was Paul Schrader who (in)famously stated that “Film Noir should be viewed as a set of aesthetics.” And this is a message that the Neo Noirs, both the sun drenched films of the sixties and seventies, and their more hyperactive brethren that sprouted in the wake of Pulp Fiction, have embraced fully.

The statement has always struck me as more then a little bunk. Film Noir is more then a grouping of shadows, overripe women, and cigarette smoke. Should any doubt arise just compare the likes of Chinatown which is plugged directly into the root of Noir’s dark power, and something like The Long Goodbye, which merely cheekily comments on it. Take something like U Turn, which for all of its fun, is at the end of the day merely playing with some iconography and compare it with Memento and you’ll get the same difference. The difference in short, between art and exercise.

You can see it in films like Out Of The Past, The Set Up,The Naked Kiss its more then style, there’s a deep wounded heart at the core of each of these films.

As it is in Memento.

Memento is at its core a film about people who are profoundly broken. Not just Leonard, the damned protaginist, who spends his days like Sissyphus with that damn boulder of amnesia crushing him again and again, but Carrie Anne Moss’s damaged barmaid, and Joe Palantino’s vile Teddy. All are people so badly fractured is it any wonder that the film they star in becomes fractured as well?

I mentioned before that all of Nolan’s protagonists are defined by their inability to move on from one central event. Leonard is the epitome of this. In Leonard’s case this is literal as well as figurative. Memento tells the story of a man unable to make new memories after a brutal attack on himself and his wife, which left her dead. Or so he tells himself. He drifts through the land like an angry ghost. His quest for the truth is almost absurdist, its easy to think of the type of film say Bunuel would have made about a detective who can’t remember. But Nolan is too much the humanist, to see the joke in the absurdity, and combined with Pierce, creates a character whose truly haunting. Leonard is a grieving monster, more then he can know. And there are scenes that just break your heart, as when he recreates, his dead wives presence with a crack whore, so he can get literally one second of respite.

Memento is of course most famous for its non linear structure. But far from the gimmick it is sometimes written off as, it’s a brilliant way to communicate what Leonard experiences. When compared to Following, whose non linear technique was clearly being used just to keep crucial bits of information unclear, it becomes clear that Memento could truly be no other way.

Memento is brilliantly written, beautifully shot, and skillfully directed. And yet it’s a film that stolidly refuses to stop at the surface. In the fearless way it follows through on its implications, Memento becomes a film that aims at the heart. And it hits its mark.

Memento is more then a mere set of aesthetics.

Its great noir.

Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 1: Following

Lets start at the very beginning shall we?

Not just at the beginning of Nolan’s career, but at the presumption that Nolan’s is a career worth examining. Something that plenty of people dispute on its own. There are plenty who write off Nolan as a more graceful then average studio hack.

I of course, disagree or else I wouldn’t be hosting this blogothon. But it is a valid question. Because while he might not wear them as on his sleeve as say a Coppala, the filmmaker I think Nolan most resembles as a stylist, yet blessed free off Coppala’s self destructive streak. Nolan does have a few key obsessions and themes he keeps returning to giving his pictures the unifying thread necessary for some real artistic observation.

1. Nolan heroes are all defined by a trauma. What they do and who they are comes from a fundemental inability to move on with their lives from a defining incidents. Whether its death of Bruce Wayne’s parents, the “murder” of Leonard’s wife, Dormer’s trouble with Internal Affairs, The death of Angier’s wife. Every Nolan protagonist has a defining incident that pushes them past the point of sanity.

2. Nolan villains serve not just antagonists to the heroes, but to society at large. All are defined by the fact that they are breaking the social contract in a way that’s beyond the simple motives of greed, revenge, or whatever serves as fuel for most movie bad guys. Nice people do not use their friends as contract killers/ murder young girls in their home/ burn down major metropolian cities/ kill The police commissioner judges and DAs.

3. There is a complete Co Dependancy between the hero and villain. The entrapped cop and killer become “partners”. The Joker defines himself completely by Batman. Leonard depends on Teddy to help him navigate the world. Teddy depends on Leonard for something much darker. Ras Al Ghul sees in Batman an heir. The rivalry between Danton and Angier define every aspect of both their lives.

4. Nolan’s editing is slow and his eye for compostion nearly unrivaled. His films are made not for quick cuts, but to withstand long hard looks.

5. Each of his movies is Non Linear to at least some extent (Insomnia is almost an exception, but even it uses as its centeral image a flashback whose meaning doesn’t become clear until the end of the film). Most Nolan films take as one of its theme, the mind, and its fragility.

So there are at least five signatures that Nolan places in each film. And true to form, all five are present in Following.


Following isn’t a perfect film, but it is just about a perfect example of a talent in embryo. Every aspect of what makes Nolan Nolan is present, if not matured to its full potential.

The problem with Following is that its simply too clever for its own good. Unlike Nolan’s other films which are exactly clever enough for their own good.

Had it stuck to its initial premise Following might have been a truly great film. Our nameless protagonist starts following random people, out of sheer boredom and loneliness. Inevitably he’s caught in the act, unfortunately he’s done so by the Mephistophelian Cobb (The first of Nolan’s co dependant duos), who far from curtailing his urges, adds fuel to the fire and starts pushing him to take things further then he ever has before.

Now that’s some pretty potent stuff, unfortunately Following was made during that short window where The Usual Suspects was the most influential crime film. Which is the only reason I can think of as to why we’re treated to a tacked on plot involving a gangster and his girlfriend, that positively shreds suspension of disbelief. Hinging on so many coincidences and things happening just so that the mind reels.

Still if Nolan’s instincts as a storyteller where not yet fully developed, his instincts as one of the most confident stylists of his generation are fully formed from the beginning. Nolan’s instincts of compostion are nearly preternatural. I’m all for democratization, but I hate the lazieness of so much mumblecore, where composition and competence are tertiary concerns at best.

Looking at an independent film from a mere ten years ago, shows just how much that label has degraded in the ensuing decade. Call me a scrooge, but I miss the days when to achieve success as a director, an independent filmmaker like Richard Linklater, Jim Jaramusch, Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson, and yes even Kevin Smith, had to make something that actually looked like a film.

Visually speaking comparing something like Following where every shot had to count on its clearly limited budget, It’s barely seventy minutes long, shot on 16mm high contrast To the sloppy infinite video style of today, is like comparing the MLB to a bunch of preschooler’s playing T ball. There’s an economy and a precision here, that speaks to a true artistry. Nolan knew exactly how many frames he had, he couldn’t afford to waste a single one. It’s the discipline like this that a true filmmaker needs. I mean look, it makes the solipsistic wankfests that pass for independent cinema today just look ambitionless and embarrassing. Every shot in Following communicates something, and does so with grace and panache.









Following found Christopher Nolan in full possession of his talents. His next film would find a story worthy of them.

Humble Thanks, Hubristic Plans

So if you squint a little over at the twin Followers bars, you’ll note they’ve collectively reached one hundred followers.

I’m really blown away.

Anyone who blogs knows that it’s a bit like playing tennis in a void. You hit the ball, send it sailing past over the vanishing point, and stand there wondering for quite awhile whether you’ve made a complete fool out of yourself.

You might have to wait along while sending out balls in other directions, or in the same one. You hit harder. You try try again.

It’s nothing less then an act of faith.

And then just when you’ve given up, you hear a crack, and that long lost ball comes sailing back at you from some point unknown over the horizon. You are so shocked you don’t know how to react.

I’ve seen that ball fly back at me a hundred times now. And it never gets any less exhilarating.

So thank you. And I mean that as sincerely as I can. Thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to click that follow button, or leave a comment, or just drop by. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me. I really can’t.

And now that the humblings out of the way the hubris can begin.

I’m planning a Christopher Nolan Blogothon to run from July 11 to the 17th. Starting with The Following, I will cover every one of his films, culminating with the release of Inception. I hope to get articles from various people and various viewpoints. The articles can cover anything; his career as a whole, a particular film, or just a particular aspect of Nolan.

I know a two month lead time may strike some of you as excessive, but I’m still a relatively small blog and would like to have actual articles to post during the blogothon and have, y’know people actually read them. So I figure with a two month lead people will have time to write some stuff up, set it aside, and get the word out.

As you may recall from my review of The Prestige in which I named it my fourth favorite films of the decade; I think Nolan is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today and utterly unique in his position of power and influence among today’s filmmakers. Are there more interesting filmmakers then Nolan working today? Perhaps. But none with his canvas, and none with his ability to sell a vision as idiosyncratic as his, to a mass audience.

I find him one of the most intriguing filmmakers working today. And with his seventh film his body of work becomes big enough to be looked at as a whole. It seems the perfect time to do it. And I feel like as an event it could be really special.

The only question is, do I have the platform yet?

This is the most ambitious thing I’ve done with this blog. And its entirely possible I’ve bitten off more then I can chew.

As I said, if you clicked that follow button I owe you. Pure and Simple.

But I need to be selfish and ask for your help again. If you have a blog, I’d love for you to participate. If you can’t or aren’t I understand but hope you will post one of my banners anyway. I want to make this work, and with your help I think I can.

"When I started to follow people, specific people, when I selected a person to follow, that's when the trouble started."

"How can I heal if I can't forget?"

"You and I share a secret. We know how easy it is to kill someone. That ultimate taboo. It doesn't exist outside our own minds."

"You traveled the world. Now you must journey inwards. To what you really fear. It's inside you. There is no turning back."

"Mankind's grasp exceeds his imagination."

"You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other."

"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules."

...

If you could link your banners to the following URL I'd very much appreciate it.

http://thingthatdontsuck.blogspot.com/2010/05/humble-thanks-hubristic-plans.html

....

Anyway, whether you’ve pressed one of the follow buttons or not. Whether you, took a banner or not. If you’re reading this that means I have only one thing to say to you.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Top Ten Films Of The Decade: Number 4: The Prestige

As much as I love it. The Dark Knight is not on my top ten of the decade list. I know. I feel like a fraud. I love The Dark Knight the way fat people love chocolate. And it more or less epitomizes the type of movie I started this blog to write about, and the type of movie I’m desperate for Hollywood to continue to make. Of all the films that failed to make the cut it was only The Dark Knight, Ghost World and No Country For Old Men that really broke my heart to keep off.

But in The Dark Knight’s case the fault lies squarely with this movie. Because there was no fucking way it wasn’t making the list.

Christopher Nolan has one of the most interesting careers in Hollywood right now. There’s no one I can even compare him to.

I think with his first three American movies it was fair to term him an above average Hollywood stylist, a Ridley Scott type (though I don’t know if Scott ever made a movie quite as wounded and soulful as Memento). I certainly liked Nolan a whole lot with those three films (I plan to write about what makes Insomnia such an underrated film sometime in January) but I didn’t really love him. This movie changed that.

The thing about Nolan is there’s no one else LIKE him. David Fincher maybe, but Fincher’s more mannered, more dedicatedly a stylist. The Wackowski’s share his penachet for blending heady idea’s with genre entertainment, but the Wackowski’s are at their core fanboys and will always play by the strict rules of genre even when they're breaking them down (They never for example would have had the stroke of genius to turn The Dark Knight into an epic CRIME film rather then a superhero movie). The only filmmaker that comes close to him in his ability to mix ideas, genres, and artistry is Coppala in his prime. And so far anyway Nolan seems to have missed Coppola’s self destructive “crazy as a shit house rat” gene which caused him to go ape shit in the jungle, and spend an unprecedented fuck ton of money on what basically amounted to allowing himself to edit on a VCR. And now that he can officially do whatever the fuck he wants Nolan is just fascinating.

And it all began with this dark little fable. An example of someone stepping up their game an unprecedented degree.

The Prestige’s opening, is possibly my favorite of The Decade. What makes Nolan’s film so rewarding to return to is to see just how carefully Nolan has woven the central mystery of his film into its fabric.

Its all right there in that opening ten minutes. Nolan even has Michael Caine (I love the bizarre but perfect latter day partnership that Caine and Nolan have apparently formed, its resulted in some of Caine’s best work) tell you its alright there in the opening ten minutes. But you don’t see it, not yet, because as Caine also informs us, “You don’t really want to.” The bracing non linear opening of the film, is the equivalent of a great magician’s warm up, everything is in plain view but its all misdirection (By the way how much would Orson Welles have fucking loved this movie?) Inter cutting seemingly random bits of information, with a wondrously staged magic act, it’s the work of a master craftsman in full command of his art.

Let’s take a moment to talk about Nolan’s strength’s as a visual artist. Since he’s not especially showy about it he’s not often talked in such terms, But Nolan has one of my favorite looks of a director working today. The entire film is deep and rich looking, caked in beautiful shadow, illuminated with stark flashes of blue white light. From the opening images of those top hats blowing in the Autumn leaves, and the lightning reflecting off the cataracted eyes of the stagehands, The Prestige establishes a hypnotic, slightly surreal look and feel to it.

But its Nolan’s ability to marry this elegance to a moving story that truly makes the film great. Telling the tale of two magician’s who make it there lives work to destroy each other (and telling it in a bold non linear fashion) the story is so captivating, that you nearly forget that there’s a stiletto waiting at the end for you as promised. Another of Nolan’s great gifts is an impeccable eye for casting. His choice of Hugh Jackman (A better actor then he is usually given credit for. Or opportunity to show for that matter) was a perfect one. Allowing the actor’s natural callowness to curdle gradually into obsession and mania. By the time we (and he) realize he’s gone too far its too late. Christian Bale is often accused of just doing Christian Bale, but that ignores that what Christian Bale does is pretty damn good. He might have his tricks, but few actors dedicate themselves to a role the way he does. And he makes some brave choices as Jackman’s foil, never allowing the audience to warm up to him even as he becomes the nominal hero. Even David Bowie, Michael Caine, and Andy Serkis three enjoyable actors known to showboat, restrain themselves turning in tight controlled performances that turn the psychological screws perfectly.

But in away, this deliriously well crafted and enjoyable story that Nolan has laid out for us is also misdirection. While we’re not watching he turns The Prestige into a startling meditation on art in general, and film in the specific.

If Ratatouille was about the joy of creation, The Prestige is about its darkside. The mania and tunnel vision that can come as a result of allowing yourself to be gripped by what you do. The genius thing about it is the way Jackman gradually loses sight of even his desire for revenge, it becomes about the act, the pride of being the best, the prestige. And though Bale might be the better magician, he’s too analytic to understand just what makes his skills worth while.

And this is where it really comes together. Its been their all along, the themes of staging and illusion. Half the film is set in Vaudeville houses, the precursor to the movie theater, even Film’s Inventor, Edison himself, hangs over the movie like a dark specter just off screen. Even the name of the highly contested illusion, what does it promise to do but “transport” you. Its all there in that last monoluge by Jackman. Which I find to be one of the most moving defenses of cinema since the climax of Sullivan’s Travels.

You never understood, why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special. You really don't know? It was the look on their faces...

I don’t know about you but I that’s what I find moving about the cinema, about all art really. It sounds melodramatic but isn’t it nice every once in a while to turn our backs on the yawning specter of death?

And that’s when I really started to pay attention to Nolan, in this he promised (and in The Dark Knight he payed off) that he was a man, who oxymoron that it might be, takes entertainment seriously. Someone who will never condescend, check his swing, or sign up just for a paycheck. Because while most would argue that the show isn’t an important thing, Nolan knows the truth. It’s the only important thing.