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THE FAVORITES
Christopher Nolan: My Favorite.
Not too long ago I was talking with friends about our favorite movies. I quickly realized that almost every movie associated with Christopher Nolan made my list. And so, I decided to try and answer the question: why do I love Christopher Nolan movies so much?
Since I couldn't include every film, I picked my top three in no order. Those three "favorites" are Interstellar, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight and Interstellar are very well known, but The Prestige is one which I haven't ever met anyone that has seen it.
I could easily go through each of the three and gush about the plots alone, but there is so much more to his films that I don't think other people realize after first watch. Pairing his directing style with his dedication to authenticity and details like the film score and location make them all something special.
A Little About Chris Nolan
A London Native, Nolan attended University College London studying English Literature. He got his start in films when he joined the film society and had a hand in some short films like Doodlebug (top right) and Larceny.
A couple of common themes of Nolan's are parallel plotlines and film noir. His first major production, titled "Following", reflected some of these characteristics. It involved a couple of burglars and one of them becoming intrigued by a woman who they attempt to burgle. (Trailer bottom right). It won multiple Independent film awards and its success propelled him into working on one of his most mind bending films, Memento.
Memento is about as non-linear as you could possibly get. It centers around an amnesiac trying to find out who killed his wife, but who cannot create new memories. The story line actually moves backwards, it starts at the end of the plot and reveals something new at each steps. Memento was nominated for two Oscars and won many other awards.
Nolan's next film, The Prestige, was based on a book. Because of Nolan's work on Memento, the author of the book only wanted Christopher Nolan to work on it. The rest is history.
If there's anything I want you, the reader, to come away from this knowing about Christopher Nolan it's the following:
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Film noir
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Every film he is involved with is dark.
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Character development
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You could attribute it to the acting, but in my opinion, there isn't a single character in any of these films that is "lacking" or is overlooked by the director.
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Consistency
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Whether it's with actors (hello, Sir Michael Caine), set designers, or film scores, Nolan clearly has his favorites and works with most of the same people on every film of his.
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Broader themes
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On the surface, his films may fit into a category, but if you can sit and actually appreciate the details, there are much, much broader themes in every film. Themes that apply to humans and morals and society as a whole.
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Quality > Quantity
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Take a look at his IMDb page, and he has worked on fewer movies than one would expect. Why? Because so much goes into each of these films and he doesn't spread himself thin. For example, it took several years just for he and Zimmer to finish a score for Interstellar.
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The quality in every film is apparent (even Man of Steel) and even the average viewer should be able to see that.
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