Christopher Nolan, Master of the Mind (Games)

Christopher Nolan's Films, Ranked (The link takes you to the simple version of the list on The Auteurs/MUBI.)

Christopher Nolan is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern directors, and his latest film, Inception, just hit theaters. He has crafted superior films that toy with the mind (Inception, The Prestige and Memento) and is the filmmaker behind the outstanding reinvention of the Batman franchise through Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, both of which also look a bit deeper into the psychological viewpoints of both Batman/Bruce Wayne and his rivals. To have such an amazing output with just seven feature films is quite astonishing, and it makes me look forward to the rest of his career.

1. The Dark Knight (2008) - "How about a magic trick?"


To steal a move from Memento, it might be best if you read the paragraph for Batman Begins before this one. I was so taken by Batman Begins that I thought it would be very hard for Nolan to top it. Obviously, I was wrong. Heath Ledger's amazingly transformative performance as The Joker is just one of the great things about The Dark Knight. The film managed to mold the gritty, more realistic vision that Nolan brought forward in Batman Begins with stories of essential supporting players in the Batman universe. Nolan also added more of a suspenseful plot, as he has become known for, into the mix. All of the actors - Ledger, Christian Bale (minus the silly Batman voice), Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal - do a terrific job of bringing incredible depth to the Batman universe.

2. The Prestige (2006) - "Maybe today you're more in love with magic."


Like that quote, somedays I love The Prestige more than The Dark Knight, and other days vice versa. In between the Batman films, Nolan, Bale and Caine reteamed alongside Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis and David Bowie to bring a superb mind-bending thriller to the screen.

3. Inception (2010) - "I'd hate to see out of control."


Having just seen Inception (for the first time), it would be easy for me to write volumes on how incredibly mind-blowing and breathtaking the film is. The whole hallway fight scene and the sequence of "defying gravity" (pictured above) could be enough to fill two volumes - one for its importance to the film in terms of plot and story, and another in terms of the technical filmmaking aspects that make it look amazing. Nolan continues his outstanding streak of outstanding storytelling, the film is perfectly cast, the score is perfect in assisting the pacing of the film, the look (through costumes, set design and cinematography) is flawless and, as hinted at above, the action sequences and special effects are quite awe-inspiring.

4. Memento (2001) - "I have this condition."


Memento is widely regarded as Nolan's masterpiece, and rightfully so. The amount of skill needed as a filmmaker to properly create and maneuver around in this story is quite high, and Nolan is definitely at that level.

5. Batman Begins (2005) - "Gotham isn't beyond saving."


I was a bit unsure of what to think going into the midnight screening of Batman Begins, but by the time the lights came up there was no doubt in my mind: they picked the right people for the job. Nolan ditched the camp that surrounded the earlier Batman films and went for something much more gritty and more realistic. (No nipple suits here.) As a fan of the Burton films and the TV show "Batman: The Animated Series," I was quite pleased with what Batman Begins did with my favorite superhero. It took Bruce Wayne and made him more human, more relatable; he wasn't simply a do-gooder. The film delved into his past and showed why he needed to become Batman, and it also managed to reveal why Gotham City needed Batman. There's one scene where Christian Bale, dressed as Batman, perches on top of a building, watching over Gotham City. It is one of the most iconic Batman images, and that moment encapsulates everything good about Nolan's reinvention of the series - Nolan stayed loyal to fans expecting certain things from Batman but still made it his own, a version of Batman that had never been seen before on the big screen. (Wally Pfister's cinematography didn't exactly hurt that scene either.)

6. Insomnia (2002) - "Small things, remember?"


Insomnia is actually the first Nolan film I saw. Needless to say, I was a bit underwhelmed and a bit puzzled when I heard he would be taking over the Batman franchise. The fact that this is the most disappointing of Nolan's films and it's still not entirely horrible is a testament to his talent and his increasing reputation as a modern master of filmmaking.

I still need to get around to seeing Nolan's feature directorial debut, Following. I realize I was a bit slight with some of these descriptions, but it's at least in part due to the fact that I think Nolan's films speak for themselves and I didn't want to give too much away about any of them.

My "Type"

I made a list of my 200 favorite movies a couple of weeks ago. It's something that will constantly be evolving, so I imagine I'll write about this particular list quite a few times on here. This time around, I've found myself in the mood to talk about the "type" or genre of film that I tend to like, because I don't know that it can be wholly classified.

I enjoy classic films and foreign films, but I tend to dislike using those terms as genre labels, as a "classic" films or a "foreign" film could be a drama, a comedy, a romance, an action film, a Western or any other genre. I like coming-of-age films, screwball comedies from the 1930s and '40s, film noir and musicals, but none of those four genres are really the dominant type on the list. Sure there are a few from each genre on there, but I would say that a lot of the films - perhaps the majority - are somewhat unclassifiable by the traditional genre standards. These films that dominate my list tend to cross genres and focus on relationships. I guess because that's what I've always found to be most compelling when I'm watching movies. I think all of the movies in my top 10 (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Philadelphia Story, The Royal Tenenbaums, Annie Hall, Amelie, Harold and Maude, Reality Bites, Stranger Than Fiction, Once and I'm Not There) could easily fall into that "type," although The Philadelphia Story could fall into the screwball comedy genre and Once is often referred to as a musical. I suppose Harold and Maude and Reality Bites could also fall into the coming-of-age genre, but really, at their core, they are just films about relationships. I suppose I should point out that when I use the word "relationships," I'm not just referring to ones of a romantic or sexual nature - I also include friendships, family relationships and human beings relating to each other in general through that one word.

In looking back over the entire list of 200, I suppose there's only a handful of films that would be stretching it as far as saying they fall into my "type." At their cores, I suppose most films are about relationships, but I think the ones I've deemed as favorites go a step or two further in delving into both character studies and how human beings relate to each other. Quite obviously, that's what I find most compelling when I take the time to watch a movie.

Lee Unkrich and the Men of Pixar

Lee Unkrich's Films, Ranked (The link goes to the simple version of the list on The Auteurs/MUBI.)

I really love Pixar - mostly because they make films for kids and grown-ups (mostly grown-ups who yearn to be kids again). They really do a great job of blending stories that appeal to children and still manage to bring depth for older viewers. I've decided to go with Unkrich as my first in-depth look at a Pixar director as I just attended the midnight screening of Toy Story 3.

1. Toy Story 2 (1999) AND 2. Toy Story 3 (2010) - "I think it's time you learned the true meaning of playtime."


I've really grown up with the Toy Story films. I was 9 when the first one came out, 13 when the second came out and I'm now 24 as the third film hits theaters. The way the films flawlessly blend the family, action-adventure, drama, comedy and coming-of-age genres makes them resonate whether you're watching them when you're 14 or 40. The introduction of Jessie in Toy Story 2 made me love the film even more - to have a female heroine join ranks with Woody and Buzz seemed pretty awesome to me. Toy Story 3 further develops the following of Andy and his toys without feeling overwrought or unnecessary. It tackles the whole idea of attempting to hold onto your childhood for as long as possible - the last third of the film contains perhaps some of the best moments in the series (no spoilers), and I'm not afraid to admit that a tear or two came to my eyes.

3. Finding Nemo (2003) - "Just keep swimming."


Finding Nemo, to me, combined the fairy tale aspects of talking animals with the heart of what I've previously described as Pixar's genre-crossing, for-all-audiences way of filmmaking. You root for the characters just as you would in a live-action film, even if it's filled with talking animals or talking toys. To me, that's the best aspect of Pixar films in general, they get you feeling compassion for and rooting for the lead characters just as if they were human beings. They bring humanity, in the form of emotions and mannerisms, to typical animated characters - animals, robots, toys, etc.

4. Monsters, Inc. (2001) - "And who will we be scaring today?"


Pixar even brought some humanity to the monsters hiding under the bed. They took the ordinary, somewhat mundane routines of human beings going to work and adapted them to the world of the monsters. Monsters, Inc. may not be my most favorite Pixar film, but that by no means makes it a horrible movie. It's not that I didn't like it - it's just I seemed to enjoy some of the other films more. The relationship that Sulley develops with Boo makes for quite a good movie.

The Other Men of Pixar's Lists: Brad Bird, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

As a bonus, I've made up my list of Pixar films, ranked (I only included the feature-length films):

1. Wall-E (2008)
2. Toy Story (1995)
3. Toy Story 2 (1999)
4. Up (2009)
5. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Toy Story 3 (2010)
7. Ratatouille (2007)
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
10. A Bug's Life (1998)
11. Cars (2006)