1. It Is Possible To Make A "Smart Blockbuster"
Christopher Nolan is an independent filmmaker in a blockbuster filmmaker's body, and he has proven time and again that "popcorn films" can have a brain. Inception could have very easily been a VFX heavy feast for the eyes with nothing to offer on an intellectual level in the hands of a less competent, or quite frankly lazy, director. But in the hands of Christopher Nolan, it was a filmmaking tour-de-force. The poster boy for the statement "it's not the story, it's how you tell it", Nolan has a knack of taking a "simple" story that's been told thousands of times, and brings a fresh take to the story. In reality, the premises of most of his films are very simple but Nolan adds a little wrinkle here and there, and he completely turns it on its head. Inception is a heist film, people stealing from other people. But instead of stealing money or an artifact, they steal ideas; and not only are they stealing ideas, but they are stealing ideas through dreams. Memento is about a man looking for revenge against the man who killed his wife. But he has a mental disorder that he developed during the attack on his wife, which prevents him from making new memories. But on top of that, he puts the audience in Leonard's position and forces us to feel like Leonard by editing the film out of sequence, forcing us to play catch-up and put the pieces together in real time, just as Leonard is. TDK is about a man parading around in a bat suit, chasing another man who wears clown make-up, yet it doesn't come off as ridiculous. The filmmaker Christopher is most comparable to is Steven Spielberg. Now, I want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY saying that Nolan is better than Spielberg, as he is a master of his craft and one of the greatest living director's of all time and arguably the best living American director, only in terms of box office receipts and their penchant for big budget films, they are similar. But with that being said, Spielberg would have never attempted a film like Inception, or The Prestige, or especially Memento. And had he been tabbed to direct the reboot of the Batman franchise instead of Nolan, we would have seen some VERY different films. He is much more conventional and straightforward with his narrative storytelling, whereas Nolan takes more risks. That's not to say either style is wrong as they have both been immensely successful, but some attention should be paid to the risks Nolan is willing to take with his films. He is constantly pushing the boundaries of his stories and searching for fresh ways to tell them. He infuses his big-budget films with high concept ideas that make the films much more of a visceral experience, where you are forced to pay attention rather than just "watch." But what I love most about Nolan is his bullheaded approach to making sure he captures everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, he wants in the film on set. A lot of filmmakers, not just in Hollywood either, use the phrase "we'll add/fix it in post" all too often, so it is a breath of fresh air when you hear about someone who is dead set on capturing everything he wants to use in the film on set. Sadly Christopher Nolan has not gotten the attention and recognition he deserves from the Academy yet, but that does not make his talent or contribution to cinema any less impactful. So we'll wait, because he's the filmmaker Hollywood deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll wait patiently, because he can take it. Because he's too talented to be overlooked forever. He's a trailblazer and an innovator. A visionary.
So there you have it! Do you agree that Christopher Nolan has changed cinema or do you disagree with that notion? Let's here it in the comment section below!