Dunkirk Awards Season Discussion Thread

The 2017 World War II thriller about the evacuation of British and Allied troops from Dunkirk beach.
User avatar
Posts: 3501
Joined: October 2014
Location: ny but philly has my <3
RIFA wrote:While I don't think Nolan is incapable of linear storytelling, I'd like him to actually do it sooner or later. I'm curious how he'll pull it off. I mean just because someone is great at non-linear storytelling that doesn't mean he's just as good when it comes to the opposite. It's not easier to be successful inside the spectrum of linear storytelling by any stretch of the imagination.
but... he has done linear storytelling

User avatar
Posts: 468
Joined: December 2016
People often confuse 'Nolan does a lot a of non-linear storytelling' with 'Nolan ONLY does non-linear storytelling. I'm not sure why.

User avatar
Oku
Posts: 3759
Joined: May 2012
MyCocaine wrote:
In addition to its theatrical release, “Dunkirk” had its official Academy voters screening on Saturday night in Beverly Hills. To all reports it drew a completely packed and raptly attentive house to the 1,000-seat Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and when it ended the film was met with sustained applause that lasted through much of the credits.
http://www.thewrap.com/dunkirk-and-detr ... nth-early/
And not even in IMAX! :clap:

If it had been, people would have been dropping to the floor and weeping, I bet. :P

User avatar
Posts: 1310
Joined: May 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
dunkirktrash wrote:People often confuse 'Nolan does a lot a of non-linear storytelling' with 'Nolan ONLY does non-linear storytelling. I'm not sure why.
Not to mention people confuse cross-cutting with non-linear storytelling. Inception and Interstellar feature linear storytelling (exceptions are a few flashback mentions and observing time as a dimension through the tesseract).

In fact, here are all of his films with linear storytelling: Insomnia, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar.

Then here are the films with non-linear storytelling: Following, Memento, Batman Begins*, The Prestige, Dunkirk**.

* In BB, the only non-linear storytelling exists in the beginning of the film, when they want to flashback to his childhood days and days before coming back to Gotham. I'm not sure how much it qualifies, but there is very little that informs you "THIS IS OF A DIFFERENT TIMELINE," so that one is iffy.

** Dunkirk is an interesting one. It's not like at any time during "1. THE MOLE - ONE WEEK" that they jump back and forth in time. Any time you're watching that specific narrative, time is advancing forward. Just because there are sequences of The Mole that appear before The Sea, I guess you could consider it non-linear. But hot damn, imagine if they added that other layer. Then I'd definitely see reason to complain about the storytelling.

I think one thing a lot of people say about this is that it wasn't needed. Nolan provides a legitimate reason for it regarding veteran's personal witness accounts of war being a jumbled mess of time, and I have previously provided a legitimate reason for pacing issues of the film being addressed the way he shot it. However, I will somewhat agree with them in that it's not needed the same way it is for Memento, or The Prestige. This film is more like Following: he does it for the sake of doing it, more so than a particular reason that the story naturally dictates.

Maybe someone tries to edit this film in linear fashion when it comes out on Blu-ray, in which case I'm intrigued to see how it pans out (it would probably finish at 100 minutes then). Until then, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

User avatar
Posts: 2409
Joined: March 2010
Location: Texas
RIFA wrote:While I don't think Nolan is incapable of linear storytelling, I'd like him to actually do it sooner or later. I'm curious how he'll pull it off. I mean just because someone is great at non-linear storytelling that doesn't mean he's just as good when it comes to the opposite. It's not easier to be successful inside the spectrum of linear storytelling by any stretch of the imagination.
TDK is linear. So is Insomnia. So is most of BB. All of TDKR is linear. A shitload of Interstellar is linear. Even a shitload of Inception is linear. In my opinion, a filmmaker who is able to do non-linear stuff as well as Nolan does would need total command of linear structure in the first place.

User avatar
Posts: 21411
Joined: June 2010
Location: All-Hail Master Virgo, Censor of NolanFans
Michaelf2225 wrote:
RIFA wrote:While I don't think Nolan is incapable of linear storytelling, I'd like him to actually do it sooner or later. I'm curious how he'll pull it off. I mean just because someone is great at non-linear storytelling that doesn't mean he's just as good when it comes to the opposite. It's not easier to be successful inside the spectrum of linear storytelling by any stretch of the imagination.
but... he has done linear storytelling
I obviously meant the standard A to B type of storytelling with no other tropes and was talking about his original films. I didn't count something like his Batman franchise. And if I'm saying this then that speaks volumes actually. It means there's plenty of room for improvement.

User avatar
Posts: 19209
Joined: June 2012
Location: stuck in 2020
Boyd wrote:If Inception got the Best Pic nomination (with the reception it got), Dunkirk will get it as well.
Dunkirk will probably be like Fury Road and Gravity and sweep the technical awards.

Cinematography (45% win): This year is gonna be between Hoyte and Deakins, my guess would be Deakins because BR is probably gonna be 'flashier' and Deakins is overdue for one.

Editing (80% win): All the stories connected wonderfully and the cross cutting masterfully done. The frontrunner for now, which isn't saying much.

Score (60% win): In contrast to a lot of other people here, i think Zimmer's score can win. The score's chances for an oscar should be determined by how well it played in the movie, and in that case, it worked perfectly. Again, the score showdown for now would be, like cinematography, between BR2049 (Johansson won't disappoint) and Dunkirk.

Directing (40% win, but really this one's impossible to guess this early): The last few years, the academy gave the oscar to a film where the technical mastery dominated the picture like Gravity, Revenant and Life of Pi, so Nolan could have a chance, but i think this is going to be like Fury Road where someone else is gonna get it. Also, PTA, Aronofsky and Bigelow (first Detroit reviews are looking pretty good) are back this year, so it's gonna be tuff, but the nom is almost certain.

Best Picture (15% win): Like i said at the beginning, if Inception got the best pic nod, Dunkirk should be a lock for this one.
Probably not gonna win though.

Sound (100% win): Seems to be a lock to win right now in both categories.

Acting (0%): Maaaybe Rylance? Would love it if Hardy gets the nom. But almost certain there won't be any nominations for acting here.

Production design: Maybe? I honestly don't know, but since everything looked great (location and set dressing wise), i'd say it got a decent chance for a nomination.
dat avy

Posts: 207
Joined: October 2014
Nolan will win best director like Cameron ,cuuaron and inaritu .But best picture will go to detroit or some other oscar bait movie.

Posts: 395
Joined: June 2017
mosh89 wrote:Nolan will win best director like Cameron ,cuuaron and inaritu .But best picture will go to detroit or some other oscar bait movie.
Lol Dunkirk is more oscarbait than films like Detroit

The Detroit reviews are calling the film very unsettling and it's pissing a lot of people off with it's themes. Far too alienating to do much of anything at the Academy.

Posts: 3394
Joined: September 2013
Location: Copenhagen
Megan Ellison is falling flat on her face with distributing Detroit on her own.

Post Reply