The Chris Nolan Files

I'd rank his films as:

1. MEMENTO
2. FOLLOWING
3. INSOMNIA
4. THE PRESTIGE
5. THE DARK KNIGHT
6. INCEPTION
7. BATMAN BEGINS

1. Inception
2. The Prestige
3. Batman Begins
4. The Dark Knight
5. Memento

I saw Memento shortly after it came out. It wasn't the best film for a kid to see. I should give it a second chance sometime. Haven't seen Insomnia in its entirety, but it looked promising.

1. MEMENTO
2. INSOMNIA
3. INCEPTION
4. THE PRESTIGE
5. BATMAN BEGINS
6. THE DARK KNIGHT

I have not seen the following so cannot comment on that one.

Not a big fan of any of them, to be perfectly honest. Of those I've seen, I'd rank them as follows...

1. The Prestige
2. The Dark Knight
3. Inception
4. Batman Begins
5. Memento

I find Memento, in particular, to be little more than shallow, irritating gimmickry. The other films are shallow too, but at least more entertaining.

I don't find him to be a particularly gifted director. After two Batman's, I've yet to see a particularly skill full action shot from him. Even the likes of Michael Bay run circles around him in that department. Nor am I particularly fond of his (and his brother's) dialogues.

I think his one real talent is creating narrative structures that work well cinematically. Inception is a good example of that, as well as Memento and the Prestige (which borrows its structure from a magic trick).

1. INSOMNIA
2. THE PRESTIGE
3. INCEPTION
4. BATMAN RETURNS
5. THE DARK KNIGHT
6. MEMENTO

MEMENTO - One of the most overrated and downright pointless films of the last decade.

Haven't seen THE FOLLOWING yet, but I don't really wish to.

I love BB, TDK and PRESTIGE, and really like INCEPTION as well. I have seen INSOMNIA once and was astonished that I loved it (the last 2 decades of Pacino chase me screaming from most movies) ... MEMENTO was good but has no sway over me. FOLLOWING was okay for what it was, but a one-time view only.

Salomé wrote:

I don't find him to be a particularly gifted director. After two Batman's, I've yet to see a particularly skill full action shot from him. Even the likes of Michael Bay run circles around him in that department. Nor am I particularly fond of his (and his brother's) dialogues.

I think his one real talent is creating narrative structures that work well cinematically. Inception is a good example of that, as well as Memento and the Prestige (which borrows its structure from a magic trick).

I agree with most of what you've said here, Oppers. However, I think that hallway sequence in INCEPTION was quite an action piece (and no CGI-laden crap, either).

Nolan isn't as flawless as fan boys make him out to be, but I'll take him over most of the directors working on the mainstream these days. He's thorough, at least, despite there being some issues with certain aspects of his films. I look forward to the time when he's away from the comic stuff and has a consistent flow of original work.

And your second statement is spot-on, I believe.

I'm also keen to see what Nolan can do outside the comic book and mindfuck genres. Can he craft an organic and touching film?

Insomnia
Inception
Memento
The Dark Knight
The Prestige
Batman Begins

I enjoy Nolan's films despite their flaws. I do have some issues however about some characters being aloof and unemotional. He seems to focus more on the intricate narratives than developing characters but I feel that's probably his strength. I like Insomnia because he had a narrative to work with and the emphasis was more on Pacino and Williams who both give stellar performances.

1. "Batman Begins"
2. "The Dark Knight"
3. "Inception"
4. "Memento"

Those are the only four I've seen. Should probably see the rest of his works.

I do like Nolan but I fear that fanboys have turned a lot of people off from his work. But, as far as pure popcorn directors go, he's got to be one of the best. I'll take "Inception" (though I find it to be overrated) and his two Batman films over works from people like Jon Favreau.

Jack Wade wrote:

But, as far as pure popcorn directors go, he's got to be one of the best. I'll take "Inception" (though I find it to be overrated) and his two Batman films over works from people like Jon Favreau.

Yeah, his popcorn films are filled with pure, mindless shit, unlike most of those half-wits behind the camera today. That's why I have respect for Nolan. He's able to play the Hollywood game, but also produces quality results, in comparison to works by his contemporaries.

Not a big fan of BATMAN BEGINS, though.

I've seen 4 Nolan films...

1. THE DARK KNIGHT
2. BATMAN BEGINS
3. INCEPTION
4. THE PRESTIGE

I'm not a big Nolan-fan, but I can safely say he's never let me down for a cinematic experience. :)

1. Inception
2. The Dark Knight
3. The Prestige
4. Batman Begins