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Nolan

Christopher Nolan is an excellent filmmaker. A filmmaker who has inspired me a lot. It was only hours back that I actually saw one of his earlier works. It was a short film titled Doodlebug. I did not like the film much but it definitely shows that Nolan wanted to make something that would be out of the box, something which I guess every aspiring filmmaker would try.
Christopher Nolan after this 3minute film went on to make a feature film titled Following which was shot on 16mm. Something I love about this film is the fact that the film has a brilliantly constructed narrative and some brilliant moments. The film has been shot in black and white and made on a very small budget.
Christopher Nolan two years after Following went on to make his cult film, Memento, with Guy Pearce in the lead. The film was brilliant not just for its story but also for the skillful writing and also for the film making. The film goes in both the forward as well as the reverse chronology simultaneously. It been a while since I have seen Memento. But if my memory is correct, this was my first Nolan film! I loved the narrative structure of the film a lot. However, I felt a lot of aspects missing in the final film. I ran through a lot of pages on how others felt on the film. Roger Ebert's review on the film which questioned an aspect of logic in the film is worth mention. It questioned how the protagonist is able to remember that he suffers from the short term memory disorder when he is unable to make new memories that does not last more than a while! It could well be the reason why the film did not make the Academy Award in the end though getting a nomination for the best screenplay.
I'm yet to see the film called Insomnia which was directed by Nolan remade from a Norwegian film of the same name. It was after this that Nolan made his least impressive film but the his biggest blockbuster till then. That was Batman Begins. The film was beautifully photographed. Excellent colours and beautiful actors. But that is just about it. Nolan has tried an interesting narration also, but nothing seems to work effectively here.
Nolan then associated with his brother to write The Prestige. And this should be a classic to film students who would learn about Nolan after another forty years. I don't have words to tell about this film. You just need to watch the film closely; you will be rewarded!
The sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight was the film next from Nolan. This was a far better take on the franchise as far I'm concerned. But I still feel that this film has been slightly over rated.
Now, Christopher Nolan is back with another original screenplay after his debut feature, Following, with Inception. Inception has Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead. DiCaprio after the not-so-wonderful Shutter Island falls back in track with this amazingly made film. If you expect me to write a lot on Inception, I think it would be pointless. Inception speaks as a film. It is a sci-fi film that revolves on the concept of a dream and some ideas that has parallels to The Matrix. It would be quite complicating to try and write more on the plot of the film. However, watch out for the sequence of Ellen Page and DiCaprio in the first hour of the film. If there is a reason why Christopher is believed to a blessed filmmaker, you see them on those scenes. They are simply beautiful. But the film seems to be a bit lengthy for the 140 minutes plus runtime. As usual the writing of Nolan is quite a complex one and it does have strong traits of Nolan's own previous films. But this could be a far more imaginative effort from Nolan's other films and it has been beautifully filmed with some excellent actors.
Something which I believe that is quite evident in the films of Christopher Nolan is the fact that most of these have the potential to entertain with enough thought in them. None of the Nolan films, which includes the Batman films, have been mindless. So now I can't wait to get my seat for another Nolan film!
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