Posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 1:21 pm by George
“I want to know the movie, and then as soon as I know it, I wished I didn’t.” That statement, articulated by Christopher Nolan in a recent interview with New York Times writer David Itzkoff, rings true for nearly anyone anticipating a film. And when something as original and mysterious as Nolan’s Inception is the center of that anticipation, the temptation to find out anything and everything about the project is only heightened. With just over two weeks until Inception hits theaters, the concern over whether or not audiences will take a dive into something perceived to be shrouded in secrecy has become the center of debate. “But it’s an unusual movie,” Nolan contends, “and so it’s a lot harder to just put out a two-and-a-half minute trailer and everyone goes, ‘Oh, yeah, I know what that is.’ An original concept – a world the audience hasn’t entered into before – for me as a filmgoer, that’s the most exciting thing.” Itzkoff calls Nolan “a blockbuster auteur,” a label all too appropriate in a climate where summer spectacles are re-written, re-shot, and re-titled to suit studio expectations. By trying to appeal to everyone, most recent releases are appealing to no one. Summer at the movies has never felt so bland.
Inception is Christopher Nolan’s third blockbuster. Although his previous effort, The Dark Knight, grossed over $1 billion worldwide, audiences had familiarity with the material and characters to drive anticipation. Inception has to rely mostly on Nolan’s good will from The Dark Knight, the appeal of Leonardo DiCaprio, and mind bending visuals to crank up excitement. The Hollywood Reporter’s BULLSEYE forecast shows it has high interest overall, but low traction with women. And Hollywood Elsewhere’s tracking information on the film is a bit worrisome, putting awareness only slightly above Angelina Jolie’s upcoming thriller Salt. But if audiences are hungry for something fresh, will tracking or even opening weekend grosses really tell the whole story? It was less than seven months ago that Avatar opened with a $77 million weekend and went on to gross nearly $750 million domestically. Inception is not expected to pull numbers that high, but word-of-mouth has clearly proven to be effective when audiences are given something special. And early word on Inception has been glowing.
Posted on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 3:36 pm by TeddyBlass
The latest issue of Empire Magazine is laced with Christopher Nolan goodness – and that’s an understatement. On the cover is Leonardo DiCaprio via July 16th’s Inception, and on the inside are 3 fantastic features on Christopher Nolan and his films. The cover story is a feature on Inception, and with on-set access and an candid interview with Leonardo DiCaprio, the article attempts to solve the riddle of Nolan’s latest film. Another article included in the magazine is an exclusive interview with the writer-director that touches on Batman 3, Stanley Kubrick, 3D, and the much talked about next Superman film.
“[...] while David Goyer and myself were putting together the story for another Batman film a few years ago, you know thrashing out where we might move on from the Dark Knight, we got stuck. We were just sitting there idly chatting and he said â€by the way, I think I know how you approach Supermanâ€.. and he told me his take on it. I thought it was really tremendous. It was the first time I’ve been able to conceive of how you’d address Superman in a modern context. I thought it was a really exciting idea. What you have to remember about Batman and Superman is that what makes them the best superhero characters there are, the most beloved after all this time, is the essence of who they were when they were created, when they were first developed. You can’t move too far away from that.â€
Lastly, but not certainly not least-ly, this issue of Empire Magazine features (more a less) a profile on Christopher Nolan’s illustrious filmography. From Memento, all the way to The Dark Knight, Empire reflects on the fantastic -and still young- career of the filmmaker. The magazine even got Wally Pfister, Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, and Jonathan Nolan to write about how Chris makes the magic happen. So head to your local bookstore today and find yourself a copy of Empire Magazine – you certainly won’t regret it!
Posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 12:24 pm by George
Christopher Nolan began using nonlinear structures for his plots with his debut film Following, and continued with a reverse structure in Memento and one in The Prestige that splintered in three ways. Despite its large budget and prime summer release date, it appears Inception will continue Christopher Nolan’s use of distinctive plot structures, according to an Empire interview with Leonardo DiCaprio.
“It is complicated, it’s a complicated story-structure. It sprung from the great filmmaker Chris Nolan’s mind and he’s been able to take highly complex jigsaw puzzles in a narrative and put them together in an entertaining way that we could have never foreseen. Like you look at Memento, I don’t know how a filmmaker is able to pull a narrative like that off and have you be fully engaged. And this is another one, done on a much grander scale with more spectacle to it.”
The precise structure remains a little foggy. DiCaprio goes on to explain something that seems similar to The Prestige, yet at the same time sounds like nothing we’ve ever experienced in a film before.
“It is a plot-structure that’s working on multiple layers simultaneously – and quite literally when I say simultaneously, I do mean multiple narratives simultaneously. So everyone’s going to be in for a treat when they see it, including myself. I want to see how he puts it all together.”
Nolan recently described the film as dealing with “levels of reality, and perceptions of reality.” And in an earlier interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nolan mentioned that the globetrotting aspects would not just be in a geographic sense, but also “in time and dimensions of reality as well.” It will be very interesting to see how this plays into what appears to be a tricky narrative structure. DiCaprio’s comments also clarify what he recently stated to be some on-set confusion amongst the cast members: “It didn’t make sense to many of us when we were doing it. We had to do a lot of detective work (laughing) to figure out what the movie was about.” Inception is certainly is shaping up to be the most complex blockbuster ever filmed.
Posted on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 pm by AlexHaas
While we’ve caught a break in the Inception news for now, we would like to proudly present to you, our newest addition to Nolan Fans, The Prestige Screenshot Gallery. In released in 2006, The Prestige was Christopher Nolan’s fifth full-length film, it topped $109 million in worldwide box-office sales. The Prestige is about two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier, a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden, a gifted illusionist, who are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong. This gallery is complete with 68 screenshots captured in their full 720p resolution. Enjoy!
Posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 5:17 am by AlexHaas
David Bordwell, author and professor of Film Studies at the University of Wisconsin: Madison, recently wrote a fascinating blog post analyzing Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. We thought we would share with you, devoted fans of Chris Nolan, this delightful entry while we wait for more news about Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, Inception.
Bordwell plans to add to the next edition of a textbook he co-writes, FILM ART: AN INTRODUCTION, an analysis of sound in The Prestige.
