Welcome to the January Fan Art roundup, the first entry for 2012 in our series of monthly write-ups showcasing fan art relating to the work of Christopher Nolan. Each month we comb through the fan art submissions on our Forums and our Tumblr page, then we collect the half-dozen or so pieces that are getting the most feedback to share them here in these roundups. So what does this month’s roundup include? We have beautiful new Batman Begins inspired 2D digital art, an epic recreation of the The Dark Knight Rises IMAX prologue score, and some very creative The Dark Knight Rises inspired videos, posters, and pieces of art.

Last month, Nolan Fans forum user Constantine (Konstantinos Vagelis) shared two wonderful pieces of digital art inspired by Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. This month we get his latest piece of Nolan inspired art, which showcases Bruce Wayne’s journey abroad via Batman Begins:

 
In perhaps my most shameless plug of all time, the next piece of fan art up for discussion is one of my own. In my free time over the past 5 weeks, I’ve been dabbling with a recreation of Hans Zimmer’s epic and thrilling score for the Dark Knight Rises prologue. If I hadn’t been receiving such a positive reception in our forums, I definitely wouldn’t be sharing this. Alas, here is a rough but exciting interpretation of Hans Zimmer’s opening cue to The Dark Knight Rises by yours truly:

 
Dugg E made an awesome digital speed paining titled Break The Bat featuring Bane. Below is a video of his process of creating the work of art, and for those interested, he also posted the art to DeviantArt for download here. Check it out:

 
This photo popped up online recently and is getting a lot attention. Apparently the art was done by Art By Architecture students at CETP Univeristy in India. It’s a completely badass and creative piece of The Dark Knight inspired wall art:

 
Next up we have this cool and stylish drawing of Bane in the vein of a non-existent Dark Knight animated series by Sergio Quijada:

 
And lastly, Doğan Can Gündoğdu, a reader of ours who sent in those amazing The Dark Knight Rises banners featured in our November Fan Art roundup, recently created this wonderful opening credit sequence to The Dark Knight Rises:

That does it for this month. If you’re an artist, editor, or musician, etc., and you would like your art featured in one of our monthly Fan Art write-ups, hit us up on Tumblr or in the Fan Art section in the Nolan Fans Forums. Thanks. See you next month with some more great Fan Art!

From the moment the end credits rolled, I knew then (sitting in a darkened theater back in July 2010) that Inception was going to a film that would get audiences talking — and not just because of its ending. It’s a thought-provoking and awe-inspiring film. I didn’t really need to tell you that, I am positive you all agree with me. In fact, I’ve seen (and participated in) the many varied discussions and debates held in our discussion forums attesting to it. These discussions have been taking place in internet forums, living rooms, coffee shops, and emptied out theaters for the past year and a half. Naturally, Inception was a perfect candidate for the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series of books; a collection of publications that dissect and philosophize various popular works of media, from Harry Potter to South Park.

So, what exactly is the book about? Inception And Philosophy: Because It’s Never Just A Dream is a collection of essays that explore the film’s philosophical questions and themes. The book is mostly well-written, and very cleverly edited, using the idea of the ‘Editor’s Totem’ to keep track of ‘the real world’ through the many different viewpoints of the writers. “Did the top fall?” and more importantly, “does it matter if the top fell?” are some of the main questions the book raises. The answers, naturally, aren’t exactly answers. But what the book does provide is an exposure to many classic philosophical arguments and theories that will help you find your own answers.

Our buddy, and fellow film-blogger Mike Eisenberg tweeted earlier this month that he read Inception And Philosophy in a single sitting. Though I too found the book insightful and complex, I found it much easier to take the ideas presented in it in chunks. Based by philosophical themes, the book is divided into six sections. Each section has a number of essays, usually running about a dozen pages in length. I found it much easier to go through an essay or two per sitting, and about one section per day. This helped me keep a clear and level head while reading through the theories and arguments, some of which I didn’t agree with.

The first section begins to list the four main interpretations of the movie, from ‘Most Real’ to ‘Full Dream’ and with two degrees in between. Each is well explained and defended throughout the book. It encourages the reader to explore the possibilities, and it gives the arguments a sense of perspective and balance. These interpretations, understanding them, and understanding what the filmmaker (Christopher Nolan) intended, dominate the beginning of the book. The essays sometimes take long detours into classic (and modern) philosophical theories and debates, which those of you who took philosophy courses in college (or high school) might find redundant. Perhaps philosophers and those interested in the subject will enjoy the discussion for its depth and care. Philosophy newbs will certainly find it interesting and compelling.

Myself, as a film enthusiast and filmmaker, I found some of the tangents unnecessary. Some of the arguments dive too deep into the philosophical side of things, and forget what effect such a statement would mean for the narrative of the film, and the emotional state of the viewer. Smartly, a lot of the essays take these concerns into account. If you feel that the emotional significance of Cobb reuniting with his children is lessened by the ending really being a dream, the book asks about the significance of the event to Cobb – reality or not. This significance is something noted by Christopher Nolan, and something he asks the viewers to ponder. However, Katherine Tullman in her essay The Parable of the Spinning Top brings up a very good point in relation to Descartes’ Second Mediation; if Cobb’s children are really just projections of his subconscious, it doesn’t matter if they’re are happy or sad, or even if they die.

These sort of philosophical conclusions become very tricky when dealing with a very ambiguous movie like Inception. After all, from a filmmaker’s point of view, it seems very necessary to give the audience a reference to reality at some point in the movie. If there is no reference to reality, and the movie indeed does take place entirely in a dream, as some of the book argues, how does one place value on the characters or story? How do we invest into the world of the film, and what does it mean if that investment meant nothing?

Where the books shines is in its later essays and sections. The focus turns away from the dream world of Inception, and instead hones in on the ethics of heist films like Inception. The essay on the Ethics of Idea-Giving is a thought-provoking read, as is the essay that follows it — pictured above. Much like the rest of the book, these thoughts and discussions about ethics and philosophy stray from world of the film, and stay connected in a way that a textbook might. Where it gets interesting and more married to the narrative of the film is when it relates to Mal, and Cobb’s inception on her. A lot of fans have already developed attitudes and opinions on the morality of the act, but why does that differ from the inception Cobb does to Fisher?

These questions about the story are just as fascinating, or perhaps more fascinating than the world of dreams. After all, the dreams in Inception, while offering a unique bouquet of discussions of their own, are still just the structure and device upon which the narrative develops. Inception and Philosophy has a near overwhelming amount of insights into Nolan’s film. Towards the end of the book are some great nuggets for thought. An essay on Inception and how it relates to Asian and Eastern philosophies is oddly very poignant. The concluding section brings up the topic of guilt, regret, and the hidden lessons of Inception. I found it a fitting and fairly satisfying end to the book.

No doubt there is some material in the book that seems to be neglecting or misunderstanding what made the film so great in lieu of making a philosophical point. There also seems to be some clear misinterpretations of events in the film — specifically regarding Mal’s suicide. It’s unclear whether these oversights are merely made for the sake of argument or not. That being said, I found many essays fascinating and worthwhile. They made it easier to overlook the ones that read like textbook material, or ones that were a bit too chewy to make it through without having to take a break from the page.

Overall, Inception and Philosophy is a compelling read. Fans of Inception will certainly get a kick out of many of the arguments, and find the amazing amount of depth and detail that can be drawn from the film fascinating. 3.5/5

According to the FCC (via SuperheroHype), The Batwing isn’t The Batwing — in the same sense that The Tumbler isn’t The Batmobile. An image of the planned Hot Wheels toy version of the flying vehicle filing labels the craft as The Bat. We first saw photos of the new vehicle during filming of The Dark Knight Rises back in August. The crazy tumbler-esque flying machine sparked interest across the fandom, leaving many to wonder just how the vehicle would operate and what it would be called. Batman-News reported back in October that the crew had been referring to it as The Bat, and it turns out that report was accurate. Check out the FCC filing image below, and let us know what you think about its name in the comments.

[via SuperheroHype]

Update (1.12.12): 5 new photos from the issue have popped up online via EW.com and ComicBookMovie.com. Check them out in the gallery below.

For their upcoming 2012 Forecast issue, Entertainment Weekly is shining the spotlight on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. On the cover of the issue is Christian Bale as Batman. On the inside, new set photos and information, including interviews and pictures from inside the new Batcave! Read the issue preview summary, and check out the cover in the full story below.

In a year crowded with some of the most anticipated movies in years (The Hunger Games, The Hobbit, The Avengers, and The Amazing Spider-Man, to name just a few), The Dark Knight Rises might be the most anticipated of them all. The third and final installment in Inception director Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Bat-flicks — which will once again star Christian Bale as the caped crusader and introduce Thomas Hardy as the brilliant, brutish terrorist Bane and Anne Hathaway as the purrrrfectly mercurial Selina Kyle — will swing into theaters on July 20, four years after The Dark Knight ignited a cultural sensation, grossed $533 million, and earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar. The new issue of Entertainment Weekly – our annual Forecast issue, which previews the pop culture year looming ahead — goes to the Rises set and offers some insight into how Team Nolan hopes to match their previous success. “I can tell you the truth because I’m done with it: I felt immense pressure,” Christian Bale tells EW. “And I think it’s a good pressure, because you owe it to the films — and the people’s expectations — to make great work.”
- EW.com

The issue hits stands at the end of week. Head over to EW.com to read the full preview.

On the latest episode of the Nolan Fans Podcast, Teddy and Alex talk with guest hosts Mike Eisenberg and JC Blass about the 6-minute IMAX prologue and the theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. Coming in at a record length of 90 minutes, we get into a wild, tangent filled discussion about everything revolving around Christopher Nolan’s last entry in his Batman trilogy. We advise you not to listen if you haven’t seen the IMAX prologue… or Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Ides of March, Deathly Hallows Part 2, Marley and Me or Superman Return for that matter. Yup, spoilers for various movies are all over this podcast.

The Nolan Fans Podcast is a periodical podcast hosted by Alex Haas and Teddy Blass. It has been running since July 2009. With nearly 65k downloads, the podcast is the largest and longest running podcast about director Christopher Nolan and his films. You can stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes below. Enjoy.

[mp3] [iTunes]

Welcome to the December Fan Art roundup, the third entry in our series of monthly write-ups showcasing fan art relating to the work of Christopher Nolan. Each month we comb through the fan art submissions on our Forums and our Tumblr page, then we collect the half-dozen or so pieces that are getting the most feedback to share them here in these roundups. So what does this month’s roundup include? For starters, we have some beautiful Inception and The Dark Knight Rises inspired 2D digital art, then a ton of brilliant The Dark Knight Rises posters, and topping it off, a funny sweded version of The Dark Knight Rises trailer.

Kicking it off, Nolan Fans forum user Constantine made these two wonderful pieces of digital art inspired by Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. I’d love to have these hanging on my wall:

Designer Chaz Russo created one of the best fan posters we’ve ever seen with this minimalist The Dark Knight Rises poster, which you’ve undoubtedly seen by now:

Speaking of great minimalist posters,  DeviantArtist Ryan Luckoo created this awesome one, which we tweeted earlier in the month:

Creating a fantastic Drew Struzan style poster, Jamie Brown sent in this great The Dark Knight Rises piece of fan art:

And lastly, we leave you with this humorous ‘sweded’ version of the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, by Bryan Harley:

That does it for this month. If you’re an artist, editor, or musician, etc., and you would like your art featured in one of our monthly Fan Art write-ups, hit us up on Tumblr or in the Fan Art section in the Nolan Fans Forums. Thanks. See you next month with some more great Fan Art!

Warner Bros. isn’t allowing any embeds at the moment, but you can view the trailer in QuickTime HD via Apple now. The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway,  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, and many more. As the final entry in Nolan’s trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20, 2012.

Yesterday, amidst all of the prologue and trailer anticipation, Warner Bros. sent out a special cylinder to a couple of various websites. On the outside of the cylinder was a map, and included on the inside was Bane t-shirt. Our friends over at Collider posted 17 high-resolution photos of the package and it’s contents for all to see. The ‘Fire Rises’ t-shirt isn’t that impressive, but the map on the cylinder is quite cool. It’s a map of Gotham City with five ‘strike zones’ scribbled on the surface. It’s clear that Bane has a plan for Gotham, and he’s intent on making sure the fire rises. You can check out a couple photos of the viral swag Collider got below.

Head over to Collider to see more pictures. And while we don’t have any ‘Fire Rises’ shirts of our own to offer, we do have a very neat Gotham Rogues t-shirt based on the fictional Football team that will be featured in The Dark Knight Rises for sale at our NF Shirt Shop. Perhaps that could hold you over until Warner Bros. starts getting more fans involved. Cough.

On the latest episode of the Nolan Fans Podcast, Alex and Teddy chat with guest host Mike Eisenberg (The MovieMash.com) about the new Bane poster for The Dark Knight Rises, the upcoming full length trailer, the viral marketing campaign, and the 6-minute IMAX prologue. For those of you weary of spoilers, don’t let the title confuse you. This podcast was recorded before any of us had seen the prologue, and we don’t discuss the descriptions that had already been published. If you need something to pass the time while waiting in line for the prologue or trailer late Thursday night, download our latest episode and give us a listen! For those interested, we’ll likely be recording a spoiler-heavy prologue review episode over the weekend.

The Nolan Fans Podcast is a periodical podcast hosted by Teddy Blass and Alex Haas. It has been running since July 2009. With approx. 62,000 downloads, the podcast is the largest and longest running podcast about director Christopher Nolan and his films. You can stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes below. Enjoy.

[mp3] [iTunes]

A new poster for The Dark Knight Rises has hit the net via the official website! Bane stands alone in the snowy landscape, amongst pieces of Batman’s broken cowl. The Legend Ends, reads the tagline, pointing to the finality of the story, which will be Christopher Nolan’s last entry in his Batman trilogy. Check out the new hi-res poster below, and be sure to share your thoughts and excitement in the comments.

A new trailer will debut next week at Digital IMAX showings of the new Mission Impossible, and in front of the new Sherlock Holmes. The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.

Various reputable sources have long placed the first full length trailer for The Dark Knight Rises in front of Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows on December 16th. A trustworthy source of ours has confirmed this for us. They also told us that the trailer will be playing in front of Digital IMAX (non 70mm) showings of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on December 16th as well. The 70mm IMAX showings of Mission Impossible will (obviously) be getting the 6-minute prologue instead. However, this offers an alternative to those not able to make it to one of the few dozen 70mm IMAX theaters.

We’ve also learned that the Government of Alberta just classified the upcoming trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. Coming in at 2 minutes and 3 seconds, the trailer has been rated PG according to the Canadian Motion Picture Rating system. Judging by the lengths listed for the other trailers listed, 2:03 appears to be the length of the trailer without the Green Band in front. It’s also almost the same exact length as the first full length trailer for The Dark Knight. Could Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan be looking to replicate their successful formulas?

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows hit IMAX and regular theaters (respectively) on December 16, 2011 in the US and Canada.

After the viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight Rises kicked into gear on Wednesday and Thursday, fans found a mysterious viral site for “Operation Early Bird.”  The countdown displayed on the front page of OperationEarlyBird.com counted down to 1pm EST/10am PST — or basically, right now. There was much speculation as to what would be revealed at the end of the countdown. Would it be a poster? A trailer? Another viral video?

Well if you guessed either of those, you guessed wrong. Located on OperationEarlyBird.com is map with a form for coordinate entry. Located on TheDarkKnightRises.com is an audio player announcing coordinates. The coordinates, when entered, point to various IMAX theater locations. These locations are mostly the same 70mm IMAX theaters we listed the other week, with a handful of new additions, but now they’re playing screenings of the prologue 3 days early, and for FREE! On December 13th at 10pm locally, advanced screenings of the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises will be happening across the country. To get your tickets, go to OperationEarlyBird.com and click on the location nearest you.

This is a disappointment for those who don’t live anywhere near a 70mm IMAX location. At the very least, all of us gathered for a giant collective experience. We smashed our online user record on the forums. And is it me, or did one of the voices handing out coordinates sound suspiciously like Emma Thomas?

UPDATE (12/8/11): A third document was tweeted out by the viral twitter account @TheFireRises earlier this afternoon. It too refers to Dr. Leonid Pavel and a mysterious plan called “Operation Early Bird.” Users in our forums found a website, operationearlybird.com, that appears to be connected to the movie. The page has a countdown that, we assume, could lead to a new reveal of some sorts. Perhaps a new poster? Or a trailer!? You can check out the scan in high resolution in the full story below.

Two WikiLeaks styled documents were sent to Wired and Empire today, however they’re not real life uncovered CIA memos, but instead fictional ones giving us clues about the upcoming Nolan film The Dark Knight Rises. We won’t spoil the fun of reading the memos for yourself, but a brief vague summary is that federal agents are seeking a missing person with potentially dangerous special knowledge and skills. Check out the two scans below.

(Click to Enlarge)

Thanks to Dragon_316ca in the forums for the heads-up!

The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is one of the most anticipated films of 2012, but moviegoers won’t have to wait until next year to see the six-minute opening sequence of The Dark Knight Rises. The film’s prologue will be unveiled exclusively in select 70mm IMAX theatres worldwide this month! The announcement was made today in an official press release by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Prologue will be released with select 70mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in North America on December 16, and in the UK on December 21, 2011. Additional international dates vary by territory and will be announced soon. You can read the current list in the full story below.

Director Christopher Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras on The Dark Knight Rises — including the film’s prologue — to achieve unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for the moviegoers.

Our experience on The Dark Knight shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring. The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.
- Christopher Nolan

Below is a list of the theaters in North America in which the Prologue of The Dark Knight Rises will be revealed on December 16th:

Below is a list of the theaters in the UK in which the Prologue of The Dark Knight Rises will be revealed on December 21st:

The prologue has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “some violence.” Thanks to Dragon_316ca in the forums for the heads-up!

Welcome to the November Fan Art roundup, our second entry in a series of monthly write-ups showcasing fan art relating to the work of Christopher Nolan. Each month we comb through the fan art submissions on our Forums and our Tumblr page, then we collect the half-dozen or so pieces that are getting the most feedback to share them here in these roundups. So what does this month’s roundup include? We’ve got some fantastic The Dark Knight Rises inspired movie banners and posters, some stylish 2D drawings, and a great mash-up video featuring the films of Christopher Nolan.

Dogan Can Gundogdu, a reader of ours, sent us these spectacular The Dark Knight Rises posters and banners, which he made utilizing some of the set photos from filming in New York City:

 

Sysmatic from our forums made this great Bane wallpaper based off the subscriber-exclusive Empire Magazine cover:

 

Gaining popularity across the internet is YouTube user Keesvdijkhuizen‘s tribute video to the Films of Christopher Nolan. It features footage from all 7 of Nolan’s released feature length films, and music from James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Trentemøller, and The Crystal Method:

 

DeviantArtist KidNotorious has a series of ‘Little Big Head’ drawings that now include additions from The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises:

 

DreamPolice from our forums made this stylish banner featuring the main players in The Dark Knight Rises:

 

And our last feature for this month’s roundup is a badass ‘Pencil, Ink, Photoshop’ drawing of Bane by DeviantArtist Gilliandx892:

 

If you’re an artist, editor, or musician, etc., and you would like your art featured in one of our monthly Fan Art write-ups, hit us up on Tumblr or in the Fan Art section in the Nolan Fans Forums. Thanks. See you next month with some more great Fan Art!