Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked
Summary
TLDRThe video script is a comprehensive review and ranking of Christopher Nolan's filmography, offering both praise and critique. It discusses Nolan's unique approach to storytelling, particularly his use of nonlinear narratives and complex themes. The reviewer shares personal anecdotes and opinions on each film, highlighting 'The Dark Knight' as a standout for its cultural impact and Heath Ledger's iconic performance as the Joker. The script also humorously 'puts Nolan on trial' for confusing storytelling, before commending his ability to engage general audiences with intelligent films. It concludes with a nod to the special limited edition DVD of 'Memento,' which is praised for its creative packaging and menus.
Takeaways
- ð¬ The video discusses the ranking of Christopher Nolan's films, highlighting the director's unique approach to storytelling and his ability to blend blockbuster appeal with artistic integrity.
- ð 'Tenet' is criticized for its confusing nonlinear narrative and lack of engaging character development, marking it as one of Nolan's more pedestrian films according to the speaker.
- 𥶠The reviewer expresses disappointment with 'The Dark Knight Rises,' particularly with the handling of the villain Bane and the film's twist regarding Talia al Ghul.
- ð¥ Praise is given to 'Inception' for its mind-bending premise and strong execution, despite some underdeveloped supporting characters.
- ð§ââïž 'The Prestige' is commended for its intense rivalry between magicians and effective use of nonlinear storytelling to surprise the audience.
- ð 'Interstellar' is noted for its emotional core and stunning visuals, although the reviewer has mixed feelings about certain narrative choices.
- âïž 'Oppenheimer' is recognized as a significant work in Nolan's filmography, with a powerful performance by Cillian Murphy, but is considered slightly overlong.
- ðµïžââïž 'Memento' is celebrated for its innovative reverse chronological storytelling and its impact on the viewer, despite the protagonist's tragic circumstances.
- ð The Joker's portrayal in 'The Dark Knight' is hailed as an iconic performance by Heath Ledger, with the film itself being a landmark in comic book cinema.
- 𧵠The video also humorously 'takes to court' Christopher Nolan for his nonlinear storytelling, only to pardon him later, showing the reviewer's appreciation for his work.
- ðŠ A special mention is made of the limited edition DVD release of 'Memento,' which is praised for its creative packaging and unique menu design.
Q & A
What is the main criticism of Christopher Nolan's film 'Tenet' as presented in the script?
-The main criticism of 'Tenet' is that its central concept of time moving backwards for certain objects and people is not as engaging as Nolan intended. The protagonist is considered unengaging, and the film lacks a well-defined personal storyline, making it a frustratingly mediocre and not well-thought-out film.
What is the opinion on the character development in 'The Dark Knight Rises'?
-The opinion is that 'The Dark Knight Rises' suffers from poor character development, particularly with the villain Bane, who is not seen as a serious threat. Additionally, the twist villain reveal with Talia al Ghul is considered unsatisfactory and the motivations of the characters are not well-explained.
How does the speaker feel about war movies in general?
-The speaker has a personal preference against war movies, finding most of them to be cinematic white noise that doesn't offer much beyond the message that 'war is hell'. However, exceptions like 'Saving Private Ryan' and '1917' are noted for their strong character focus and unique filmmaking techniques.
What is the unique aspect of 'Memento' that the speaker appreciates?
-The speaker appreciates the unique narrative structure of 'Memento', where the scenes play in reverse order. This structure, despite initially seeming to remove suspense, is praised for its ability to keep the audience engaged and guessing throughout the film.
What is the speaker's opinion on 'Inception'?
-The speaker views 'Inception' as a mind-boggling film with a stellar execution in direction and editing. However, upon rewatching as an adult, the speaker finds some supporting characters to be half-baked and unmemorable, and feels that the film could have been more concise.
How does the speaker describe the film 'Interstellar'?
-The speaker describes 'Interstellar' as a visually stunning film with an emotionally driven story that focuses on the relationship between a father and his daughter. It is praised for its powerful visuals and score, although some narrative elements, such as the character of Dr. Mann, are seen as flaws.
What is the criticism of the character portrayal in 'Oppenheimer'?
-The criticism is that the character portrayal in 'Oppenheimer' is not consistent with the historical figure's significance. The speaker finds the omission of a hat in one scene as a minor issue, but the main concern is the overall depiction of Einstein, which is seen as not aligning with the audience's expectations.
What is the significance of the limited edition DVD release of 'Memento'?
-The limited edition DVD release of 'Memento' is significant due to its unique packaging, designed to look like a case file, and its innovative disc menus. The speaker highly recommends this version for those wanting to own 'Memento' physically, considering it one of the best DVD releases of the film.
What is the speaker's final verdict on 'The Dark Knight'?
-The speaker's final verdict on 'The Dark Knight' is that it is their favorite live-action comic book movie and their favorite Christopher Nolan movie. Despite some criticisms, such as Batman's voice and the use of mass surveillance, the film is praised for its engaging narrative, strong performances, and iconic portrayal of the Joker.
What is the overall view on Christopher Nolan's work presented in the script?
-The overall view is that Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker who manages to create intelligent films that appeal to general audiences. While not all of his movies are considered deeply philosophical, they are seen as gateways to deeper cinematic experiences and are appreciated for their thought-provoking nature.
What is the speaker's opinion on the use of nonlinear storytelling in 'Oppenheimer'?
-The speaker initially criticizes the use of nonlinear storytelling in 'Oppenheimer', accusing Nolan of wasting the audience's goodwill with confusing time progression. However, the speaker later praises Nolan's storytelling as brilliant, indicating a change of heart and appreciation for the method used.
Outlines
ð¬ Christopher Nolan's Courtroom Skit
The video begins with a humorous courtroom skit accusing Christopher Nolan of misusing nonlinear storytelling and wasting the audience's goodwill. The skit humorously sentences Nolan to 'director jail,' but then playfully absolves him, acknowledging his past successful use of nonlinear narrative.
ðœïž Nolan's Flops: 'Tenet' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'
The video discusses two of Christopher Nolan's less successful films, 'Tenet' and 'The Dark Knight Rises.' Criticisms include 'Tenet's' confusing plot and lack of engaging characters, as well as 'The Dark Knight Rises' having a weak villain and an unsatisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
ð¢ War Movies and 'Dunkirk'
The speaker expresses a personal aversion to war movies, including 'Dunkirk,' despite acknowledging its technical excellence and strong score. The discussion highlights the lack of emotional investment in the characters and the personal preference for other genres.
ð¥ 'Momento' and the Beginnings of Nolan's Career
The video talks about 'Momento,' an early Christopher Nolan film, praising its unique nonlinear narrative and its impact on the director's career. It also discusses 'Insomnia,' a film that Nolan directed but did not write, noting differences in storytelling style.
ðŠ 'Batman Begins' and Its Underrated Status
The speaker argues that 'Batman Begins' is an underrated film within Nolan's filmography, overshadowed by 'The Dark Knight.' The paragraph appreciates the film's origin story, character development, and the serious tone it brought to the Batman franchise.
ð¡ 'Inception' and Its Mind-Bending Narrative
The video praises 'Inception' for its complex and original premise, calling it a heist movie on steroids. It discusses the film's intricate plot, emotional depth, and the iconic score by Hans Zimmer, while also pointing out some underdeveloped supporting characters.
ð© The Prestige of Magic and Rivalry
The speaker reviews 'The Prestige,' highlighting the intense rivalry between the two lead magicians and the film's effective use of nonlinear storytelling. The discussion touches on the film's surprises and the escalating stakes throughout the narrative.
ð 'Interstellar': Nolan's Emotion-Driven Space Epic
The video describes 'Interstellar' as a standout in Nolan's filmography for its focus on emotion and human connection. It praises the film's visuals, score, and the central relationship between the protagonist and his daughter, despite some narrative flaws.
ð 'Oppenheimer': Nolan's Most Significant Work
The speaker discusses 'Oppenheimer,' considering it one of Nolan's most significant films due to its historical subject matter and complex narrative structure. The paragraph praises the film's direction, acting, and the way it handles heavy themes.
ð 'Memento': A Masterpiece of Nonlinear Storytelling
The video concludes with 'Memento,' a film known for its reverse chronological order. It is celebrated for its suspenseful storytelling, strong performances, and the unique way it reflects the protagonist's condition through its structure.
ð The Dark Knight: An Iconic and Influential Film
The video ranks 'The Dark Knight' as the number one film, discussing its impact on popular culture, the effectiveness of its themes, and Heath Ledger's iconic performance as the Joker. It also touches on the film's minor flaws, such as Batman's voice and the use of mass surveillance.
ð€£ A Skit on Nolan's Nonlinear Storytelling
The video ends with a comedic skit accusing Nolan of confusing the audience with his nonlinear storytelling, only to reveal that it was a playful misunderstanding, emphasizing the audience's appreciation for Nolan's unique approach to filmmaking.
ðŠ 'Memento' Limited Edition DVD Release
The speaker discusses the special limited edition DVD of 'Memento,' praising its creative packaging and unique menu design. The video includes a recommendation for the DVD as a must-have for fans of the film.
Mindmap
Keywords
ð¡Nonlinear storytelling
ð¡Christopher Nolan
ð¡The Dark Knight
ð¡Inception
ð¡Interstellar
ð¡Memento
ð¡Heist movie
ð¡Oppenheimer
ð¡Cinematic white noise
ð¡Silly Hats
ð¡Limited Edition DVD
Highlights
The video concludes with a humorous court scenario accusing Christopher Nolan of wasting the audience's goodwill with confusing nonlinear storytelling.
Nolan is praised as a filmmaker who strikes a balance between blockbuster and prestigious cinema, achieving both commercial success and critical acclaim.
The speaker ranks Nolan's films, with 'Tenet' placed at the bottom for its frustratingly mediocre plot and lack of engaging characters.
The Dark Knight Rises is critiqued for its contrived plot and weak villain, despite some good elements.
Dunkirk is described as a well-made film that the speaker personally doesn't enjoy due to a lack of connection with the characters and the war genre.
Momento is highlighted as a film that successfully uses nonlinear storytelling to create suspense and engagement despite revealing the outcome early on.
Interstellar is commended for its emotional core and visual poetry, although the speaker has mixed feelings about certain characters and the film's length.
Oppenheimer is discussed as a significant film in Nolan's career, with a powerful performance by Cillian Murphy.
The Dark Knight is celebrated as an iconic and influential movie that manages to engage audiences with its relentless pacing and thematic depth.
Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is hailed as one of the most iconic performances of the 21st century.
The special limited edition DVD of Momento is praised for its creative packaging and unique menu design.
The video includes a skit about Bane and Batman, humorously discussing the use of Squarespace for business.
Inception is noted for its mind-bending premise and complex narrative structure that keeps the audience engaged throughout.
The Prestige is recognized for its intense rivalry between magicians and effective use of nonlinear storytelling to surprise the viewer.
Nolan's ability to create films that are both thought-provoking and commercially successful is emphasized.
The video ends with a playful 'trial' accusing Nolan of confusing storytelling, followed by a mock exoneration praising his storytelling genius.
Transcripts
so to conclude this video it's time to
take you to court Mr Nolan you stand
here accused of not only theft but
wasting away the audience's Goodwill
with aspects of your confusing nonlinear
time progression how do you
plead not talking huh that makes sense
since you're just a PNG of his head very
well until you can atone for your
transgressions I sentence you to
director jail you shall never work again
due to the consequences of your previous
film's failure take him
away you watching closely wait did that
disembodied PNG head just
speak ooh a map to treasure everybody
wait here while I go pursue this a few
inches later all right let's see what I
can
find huh it can't be that madman what
has he
done fun for shaper Alys is provided by
Squarespace the sponsor of today's video
it's the all-in-one platform for
entrepreneurs to create beautiful
websites engage with their audience and
sell anything from products to content
to time so let's talk about Academy
Award winner Christopher Nolan god it
feels good to say that Nolan is a
filmmaker I've respected for quite a
while because he's basically the perfect
midpoint between a blockbuster filmmaker
and a prestigious filmmaker he's one of
the most widely respected and popular
directors across General audiences I
don't think your average Joe Schmo in
the street knows the names of too many
directors but if you ask them who's the
guy that made the Dark Knight Inception
or Oppenheimer they'll probably know
that it was Christopher Nolan and the
cool thing about him is that not only
are his movies popular but in my opinion
most of them really have the substance
to justify their insane Commercial
Success he proved to the world that
superheroes could be taken somewhat
seriously
he crafted some truly mind-bending and
creative stories that got audiences
thinking far more than your average
Blockbuster would and now he's finally
achieved the recognition he's deserved
for so long from the academy now is as
good a time as any to rank all of his
films throughout the course of watching
his entire back catalog I honestly
became an even bigger fan of his than I
already was the way he plays with time
and nonlinearity in his stories is so
engaging while not everything about his
film making style works for me the parts
that do work wonders but on the other
hand he has made a couple stinkers in my
opinion so if you're a mega fan of his I
hope you'll bear with me because it
won't be long at all before we get to
the really great stuff with that said
why don't we jump on into it disappoint
in The Game of Life all right let's cut
the [Â __Â ] you know exactly what the
bottom slot is tenet is not good I
hesitate to say it's an awful movie even
though I would certainly not argue with
anyone who thinks that way I just think
it's a frustratingly mediocre and not
wellth thought out film it central
conceit of time moving backwards for
certain objects and certain people just
isn't nearly as engaging of a hook as
Nolan thinks it is it feels like this
movie is trying to capture a similar
Vibe as Inception telling this thrilling
story and utilizing a unique sci-fi
twist to enhance the tension but not
only is the Sci-Fi Concept in Inception
way easier to understand but the stakes
are more well defined and the central
character has an engaging person Al
story line nobody in tenant has an
engaging personal story line of any kind
the closest thing would be Elizabeth the
Becky's character caring about her son
but she's just kind of a standard abused
damsel for most of the film the
protagonist I'm sorry I should probably
use his actual name the protagonist is
an entirely unengaging character who I
never felt had much stake in anything
going on I like John David Washington's
performance and while we're at it Robert
patson is also good in this movie but
these characters don't really have
traits to latch on to they're just
vessels to get from one action scene or
expository conversation about how the
time travel [Â __Â ] Works to the next it
makes for a really boring movie The
Action is kind of cool and the
performances all work but I had no
investment in anything going on an issue
that was compounded as the film trudged
along to its rather underwhelming climax
I should also say that this movie is not
nearly as clever as it thinks it is one
of Christopher Nolan's best attributes
as a Storyteller is how he uses
nonlinear storytelling for cool dramatic
reveals as we'll see when we talk about
the good movies on this list but when
your entire film is built around the
concept of nonlinear time progression
well yeah I pretty much immediately
guessed that the two guys the
protagonist and Rob Pat were fighting
were themselves I immediately guessed
that the lady Elizabeth de Becky saw
jumping off the boat was herself
literally anything else would have been
more shocking and subversive in general
while I can admire how ambitious this
movie was in theory in execution I think
it might be Christopher Nolan's most
pedestrian film to date hidden behind
all the pseudo cleverness is an
incredibly standard story with
undercooked characters that I have no
desire to ever watch again the only time
any bit of dialogue in this film made me
perk up was when they mentioned
Oppenheimer cuz that made me say oh [Â __Â ]
I could be watching that movie instead
don't watch tennet you are not missing
out on anything I should take
Christopher Nolan to court for wasting
away the audience his Goodwill with his
confusing nonlinear time progression but
I'm not going to do that he's made good
movies with nonlinear progression before
I'll talk about them soon but first we
got to cover his other biggest failure
you're a big guy so I grew up watching
Chris duckman's reviews and I remember
he had a certain term called Phantom
menacing where you're anticipating a
movie more than anything you're just so
hyped for it and then you see it and it
wasn't that good but you just try and
convince yourself that it was so you
don't have to submit to the overwhelming
disappointment to this day I've only
done this Phantom menacing technique
with one film and that is The Dark
Knight Rises I was 14 and coming off the
insane four-year Dark Knight hype a
movie that amazing just had to have an
even better followup right so I saw it
with my family opening weekend and uh
yeah it was fantastic why do you ask it
made sense it wasn't horribly stupid and
contrived Nolan's a Visionary damn it
yeah as much as I didn't want to admit
it there is too much working against
this movie for me to call it good and to
be fair there are a lot of good elements
it's not awful but as the years went on
its problems became more and more
apparent to me I mean a lot of online
reviewers pointed them out for me as
well but enough of all this that's a
cute opinion did a YouTuber give it to
you stuff I'm My Own YouTuber and it's
been since I've seen this film so I went
into it with an open mind free of anyone
else's opinion influencing me except
cosm not Marcus since his video just
came out and damn it made some good
points but whatever I still have my own
reasons for disliking this film and
let's get into
it uh just as a reminder this is an
official disclaimer that you can enjoy
this film and my takes on it or just
from my perspective and you should not
decide to dislike it based on anyone
else's takes unless you thoroughly think
their take through and decide that you
agree with it based on your own
standards for judging films uh back to
the video I think the biggest problem
with this film is that I just never felt
threatened by Bane his plan to enact
martial law in Gotham before blowing it
up 5 months later with a nuclear bomb is
just really roundabout and stupid but at
least he has an intimidating presence
for you oh no oh dear look I can live
with Batman's ridiculous voice but like
who thought this was intimidating The
Fire Rises I'm sorry that is the
goofiest [Â __Â ] he's not an awful villain
or anything he has some effective
moments of physical violence and to his
credit he does bring the city to its
knees adding some Stakes to the final
film of this trilogy but it really is so
hard to take him seriously and I think
this problem is especially compounded by
The Twist villain reveal yes this movie
came out one year before Frozen and it
kind of has an equally bad twist villain
as Hans calligan and bellweather
something was in the water during this
era I'm telling you as soon as Talia a
character we barely know anything about
is revealed to be the true Mastermind
behind this plot the main villain we've
been building up for 2 and 1/2 hours is
kind of just disposed of within the
narrative he's completely subservient to
her whims and then after like a minute
Catwoman just shows up and shoots him
that was the death scene of the main
villain of this movie he's just picked
off like he was any old henchman oh well
at least talas will be better oh truth
be told I can't even begin to understand
her motivation for wanting to destroy
Gotham oh I hated my father but then you
killed him Batman and I was like hey you
know what he made some good points
actually actually let me adopt his
entire ideology and destroy this city
with a nuclear bomb by the way am I
stupid or is the bomb not far enough
away from the city when it detonates
like would this cause radiation damage
or something come on Nolan you made
Oppenheimer 11 years after this movie
you should know this I also hate how the
movie has a really good setup with Bane
finding Jim Gordon speech unmasking the
true nature of Harvey Dent and then it
just doesn't show the impact of that
Bane is like aha Gotham your peace is
predicated on lies Harvey s was evil and
[Â __Â ] and then we don't see any citizens
reaction to this news I mean I guess
they do have bigger things to worry
about but given how much this movie
presents dense reputation as this
shining Beacon of Hope for the city that
completely wiped out organized crime
somehow surely they would be a little
horrifying to know that it was all a lie
the speech does at least serve as Bane's
justification for freeing all the
criminals imprisoned without parole
under the dent act but I hate when
movies do this with their villains it's
like hey wait a minute these people went
8 years without parole we don't really
know what their crimes were but surely
some of them deserve parole hearings
right keeping all of them permanently
locked up in the name of Harvey Den's
fake reputation is really messed up and
Bane has a point that this is an
injustice but he also kills people and
he's going to blow up the city with a
bomb so who cares what his thoughts on
prison reform are beat him up Batman
speaking of which I just think it's
really funny how little Batman there is
in this movie he's in about 30 minutes
of the 2H hour and 44-minute run time
but to be fair this is because he spent
the past 8 years moping about Rachel's
death 8 years my guy and EDI remind you
that the last time he lost people really
close to him he channeled that rage into
becoming a crime fighting vigilante but
to be fair again apparently there's been
no major crime in the last 8 years so I
guess it's fine so 45 minutes into this
movie we finally get our first glimpse
of Batman and it's very underwhelming
there really isn't a single action scene
in this film that lives up to the
previous two which sucks cuz some good
action probably could have helped make
up for how childish and simplistic the
plot is every available cop in the
sewers every single one you sent
thousands of them down there and never
once considered that this could be a
trap all right I'm sure you've probably
heard every critique known to man about
this movie and we got a lot of actually
good movies to cover in this vid so let
me wrap up with some stuff I like cuz
this really isn't the worst movie in the
world uh I liked Killian Murphy being a
silly little judge I like when Batman
Catwoman team up for fights wish we got
more of those everyone's performances
are good and I like Joseph Gordon Levitz
especially when he goes to Wayne Manor
to appeal to Bruce I like the stuff in
the prison hole and Bruce finding his
resolve to get out of there the football
scene was cool in spite of his goofy
voice ban has some pretty cool lines
like this one and Gotham is ashes then
you have my permission to die but when
Batman brings that back in the final
battle tell me where the trigger is then
you have my permission to die that's the
rawest line in the entire movie maybe
even the entire Trilogy um I swear there
were other things I like just let me
think um I I like that the plot ties
back to Batman Begins in some admittedly
really stupid ways but it's cool at the
very least that the conclusion to the
trilogy didn't ignore the largely
overshadowed first chapter um it's
watchable it's aggressively long and
drawn out and not particularly well
paced but most scenes in a vacuum are
pretty solid as long as you don't think
about the logistics of the lot and all
the stupid [Â __Â ] I don't know that's all
I got it's really disappointing that
Nolan didn't stick The Landing with this
trilogy but fortunately I don't think it
undervalues the previous two films at
all you can just end the story on a dark
note with a dark knight you kind of
don't need this one in order to get
closure but to be totally fair once the
stupid plot is resolved I do kind of
like the epilogue this movie gives to
Bruce Wayne as long as you ignore the
logistics of nobody in the entire world
being able to recognize this famous
billionaire you see what I mean when I
say it's hard to like this movie We're
going to wa so I feel like this is going
to be my only real hot take of this
video and I'm going to make it even
hotter I don't like Dunkirk at all to
the point where I'd honestly call it my
least favorite Christopher Nolan film
you know how in some of my rankings I
designate that a movie is my favorite
even if it doesn't rank first place cuz
there are some movies that I just think
are critically better Dunkirk is the
exact opposite for me critically it does
not have the same level of flaws as
tenet or The Dark Knight Rises but I
personally enjoyed watching those two
more solely because as I've stated
numerous times I just cannot stand war
movies it's a personal preference thing
I cannot overcome there are exceptions
like Saving Private Ryan obviously plus
1917 was cool mainly because of the
single shot gimmick and I could get
invested in the two characters it chose
to focus on but most of the time these
types of films are cinematic white noise
to me that don't say anything other than
war is hell Dunkirk was actually the
movie that made me realize I don't like
War films back when I watched it for the
2017 Oscar season I thought maybe it
would click with me on rewatch and like
I guess I have some compliments the Han
Zimmer score in this is really
exceptional and heightens the dread and
urgency extremely well the
cinematography is gorgeous particularly
in the flying scenes I like the stuff on
the little boat with the Banshees of in
a sharing kid and The BFG and it becomes
especially more grippy when kellian
Murphy comes aboard and we see him
grapple with his PTSD it's an extreme
well-made movie it's hard to argue
against that but it is just not my thing
and I could not get invested in most of
what was going on again it is possible
for me to enjoy a war film but with
those two examples I listed Saving
Private Ryan and 1917 the reasons I got
so into them was because I cared about
the characters and because the craft of
the film was so strong the former had
the most gripping War sequence ever put
on film and the latter had the cool
single shot thing going on Dunkirk is a
well-directed movie but I couldn't latch
on to any of the characters outside of
some mild investment in what was going
on on the boat I don't want to dismiss
what is obviously a very well-made movie
for what it is it's just the fact that
it does not appeal to me and that's
totally fine you can always make your
own list where Dunkirk ranks near the
top if you're a fan of war movies I
think you will get something out of this
it is good by the war movie standard its
low ranking on here is simply due to my
own personal preference I cannot stress
that enough Christopher Nolan did a good
job with this movie I would just
personally sooner rewatch any of his
other films before this yes even tenant
because then I can at least laugh at the
funny I ordered my hot sauce an hour ago
ly Christopher you don't order hot sauce
you [Â __Â ] [Â __Â ] why are you following
me following is the first feature film
Nolan ever directed and yeah you can
kind of tell it has a lot of his
Hallmarks like a prominent use of the
score to drive emotions in scenes and a
lot of events being shown in a nonlinear
fashion to make certain reveals hit
harder but it doesn't nearly have the
same filmmaking finesse as a lot of his
future movies the story is pretty
interesting but both that and the
characters aren't nearly as fleshed out
as they could be considering the film is
only 69 minutes this is more of a proof
of concept that he's on to something
with some of these film making
techniques and storytelling Styles it's
impressive for a movie filmed on a Sho
string budget that only made use of
natural lights since he couldn't afford
any professional lighting equipment but
I think I admire its production more
more than I actually enjoy it as a film
it's got an interesting story like I
said and some bits of engaging dialogue
but overall it's just kind of okay cool
piece of History to trace an insanely
impressive career from not much else it
feels like somebody wants to S me
something I told you he was on to us I
need some sleep the first thing that
really struck me as fascinating about
insomnia was when the opening credits
informed me that Christopher Nolan did
not write this film I didn't actually
know there were any movies where this
was the case so I paused the film to
look it up and yeah this is the only
film Christopher Nolan directed but
didn't write and watching it you can
definitely tell because the story is
told in chronological order and there's
a woman with agency and plot relevance
who doesn't die it's pretty fascinating
seeing him tackle someone else's script
and for the first hour or so I was
really gripped by it Al paccino plays a
cop investigating a murder and it's all
pretty straightforward until the twist
comes third 30 minutes in I won't say
what it is but man I didn't see it
coming and my mind started racing
thinking of where this movie was going
to go was the first 30 minutes just kind
of a red herring and this is what the
real focus of the film is well no they
kind of combine the two plot lines and
you know it's not bad it's pretty
interesting on paper but I felt like the
execution left a lot to be desired to be
frank this isn't Nolan's best work
directing wise hell I think it's even a
step behind his previous film momento I
really like how this is set in Alaska
during a time where the Sun never goes
down a perfect visual metaphor for Al
Pacino's insomnia but I feel like there
could have been more creative
directorial ways to show that he's
losing his mind from lack of sleep we
only start to get that in the last 15
minutes of the movie when they could
have spiced up a lot more of the second
half I also cannot stand the way this is
edited like the action in Chase
sequences just have so many Quick Cuts
and it just kind of feels disorienting
and unprofessional and my last major
issue is the fact that while I really
like the performances of Pacino and
Hillary Swank I'm sorry I just can't
take Robin Williams seriously as the
killer I mean it's Robin Williams I'm
all for actors playing against type and
surprising you with what they can do
with a performance but nothing about
this one surprised me I was never
intimidated by him I just kept thinking
oh hey that's Robin Williams he talks in
a funny way I just could not picture him
doing the murder he described I'm sorry
I don't know if that's just a me problem
and I'm sure he did plenty of other
great dramatic roles but this just did
not work for me and it kind of hand
hampered a lot of the second half of the
film with that said the first half
before they meet is pretty airtight and
engaging well aside from the quick
editing but that becomes more prevalent
in the second half overall I'd say the
pros and cons balance this movie out to
be pretty great actually it's very un
Nolan in a lot of ways and it's probably
one of his least talked about films but
I think it's very underrated it's got a
really intriguing story and two out of
three Great lead performances so yeah
I'd very much recommend it yeah
bman I feel like a lot of people just
don't really know what to do with Batman
Begins nowadays I mean it's kind of just
known as the precursor to The Dark
Knight because that movie has hardcore
overshadowed everything about this one
hell The Dark Knight Rises has hardcore
overshadowed it as well for the wrong
reasons mostly it just feels like
whenever people talk about the Dark
Knight trilogy as a whole the discussion
almost always centers on the last two
there's not a whole lot to say about
about the first one and I have to admit
I subscribed to this way of thinking for
a while there you see growing up I loved
Arkham City I played it on the Wii U cuz
I didn't own a non- Nintendo system till
I was like 20 this game was simply the
coolest [Â __Â ] and I watched YouTube
playthroughs of the game that preceded
it Arkham Asylum just to get an idea of
what the story was before I jumped into
the Masterpiece sequel everyone was
obsessing over finally though once I
grew up and stopped being a Nintendo
baby and got a PlayStation like a real
man I figured what the hell let's
actually play Arkham Asylum now and I
just couldn't get into it it was just a
weaker Arkham City my entire playthrough
I kept thinking why am I not just
playing Arkham City now that's the
downside with really good sequels
sometimes they're just so good that they
completely overshadow their predecessor
and don't give you a reason to revisit
it and that's exactly how I felt about
Batman Begins throughout pretty much my
entire life I saw it as a kid in the
midst of The Dark Night C sweeping the
nation but I never felt any real desire
to rewatch it because like the Dark
Knight is just this but better why do I
need to go back to it so with all that
said finally revisiting it all these
years later I think this movie is
incredibly slept on yeah obviously can't
call it one of Nolan's all-time best
since the Dark Knight exists but I think
because of that movie Batman Begins is
one of Nolan's most underrated works
it's just a cool solid as hell origin
story that adapts nearly everything
about Batman to the real world you got
to remember this was pretty much the
first holy serious film adaptation of
Batman to ever exist well I say wholly
serious but there's still a lot of
pretty silly moments in this I guess
what I mean is that this is the first
one that's trying to be serious it's
trying to take place in reality it's
saying hey here's how Batman would work
in a serious setting and I think it
really pays off they take their time
building up every aspect of him from his
initial origin to him using his fear of
bats against his enemy to every Gadget
he's known for it makes for such a
cathartic feeling when we finally see
him all suited up an hour in I also
think the story is pretty strong and I
love the way all the pieces for the
final battle are strong across the
film's entire runtime Bruce getting
trained by Ral ghoul and then denying
him his chance to destroy Gotham is
seemingly wrapped up in the First Act
but surprise he's the big bad
orchestrating everything in the third
act it's a good twist that works because
we set him up already he's absent from
for a lot of the film but we don't need
to establish his villainous Persona out
of nowhere at the end we get it we know
him already I love when movies have good
twist villains it makes me feel alive
this movie also has a lot more quips and
silly moments than I remember and you
know what I like that it doesn't take
itself as seriously as our public
perception of The Dark Knight trilogy
would suggest this one is occasionally
Goofy and I think it mostly works and
doesn't destroy the realistic tone I
actually really like Katie Holmes as
Rachel in this out I know maybe this is
weird to say but she's just kind of
adorable in this role like it doesn't
feel like she fits this non-nonsense da
role very much but that's so endearing I
just really like it speaking of adorable
and endearing characters oh Killian
Murphy I'm so sorry I mispronounced your
name in my Oppenheimer review I will
never atone for this I love this guy as
scarecrow he's just a silly goofy man
look at his face he's a Goofy Goober and
I love him oh my God Michael Kane is
fantastic as Alfred Morgan Freeman is
Morgan Freeman enough said I think and
Christian Bale as really compelling as
Bruce Wayne in this I had trouble taking
him seriously whenever he wore a suit
because it's literally just Patrick
baitman I'm sorry that's all I see but I
really liked his desire to bring Justice
to Gotham and his struggle to become a
symbol for the city I also like how
Batman feels inexperienced in this hell
he doesn't even have a consistent voice
half the time and that kind of makes
sense he hasn't perfected the Persona
yet overall I think this is a really
great film though not a perfect one much
like like insomnia I think the editing
is just not very good and it makes a lot
of the fight scenes incoherent I also
think the entire chase scene with the
police was pretty pointless like why
wouldn't Batman just bring the antidote
with him in the car instead of just
leaving it at home is he stupid but
overall I think the film is wonderful a
good ass time one with a very different
story and set of goals than the Dark
Knight and as a result I don't think it
deserves to be in its shadow it's an
amazing origin story for the character
and an important stepping stone for 's
career I think it deserves more credit
as its own great film rather than just
being the one he made before the Dark
Knight it's great I really like it
moving on okay we're halfway through
time for a goofy skit that transitions
into the sponsorship portion Batman it's
me Bane curse you Bane you're garbage
that kills for money that is where you
are wrong Batman I run a reputable
Chiropractic business for money and do
you know what I used to make a website
it for my business let me guess
Squarespace aha that is where you are
wrong Batman I use Square oh yeah
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domain I'm not in a dream it's in a
dream it's in a dream right if the Dark
Knight is the movie that made Nolan a
superstar filmmaker Inception is the
movie that cemented him as a legend
everyone from average movie goers to
ciles was talking about this movie when
it came out it's awesome mindboggling
premise Stellar execution in both its
direction and editing an instantly
iconic score that resulted in countless
memes about the Han
Zimmer it was Nolan's first film to be
nominated for best picture and while it
didn't win that's perfectly
understandable since it had a ton of
competition Black Swan True Grit Toy
Story 3 The Social Network it was a
pretty stack lineup to say the least huh
all these movies lost too I wonder who
the actual winner was the King speech
who well whatever even though the
academy deemed Inception to be not as
good as a boring stuffy completely
forgotten movie from the director who
would go on to make cats 2019 I think
Inception is pretty neat and that's all
that matters I almost don't really know
what to say about it cuz like everyone's
talked about it in incredible detail and
its best attribute is pretty obvious
it's just a really cool premise which is
maybe a little similar to Satoshi Khan's
paika but uh let's not worry about that
speaking of this movie being incredibly
similar to a Japanese work Inception is
about infiltrating people's subconscious
in order to steal things and change
their minds while also coming across
cognitive versions of people that person
knows in the real world H suspicious I'm
on to you Atlas you hack frauds you owe
Christopher Nolan an apology anyway yeah
I love heist movies and this is a heist
movie on Aderall each layer added makes
the story way more enticing to follow
and it's really a mark of some
tremendous editing that the story is
even possible to follow with all this
going on good job Lee Smith you edited
the movie real good the story is also
great at introducing new Stakes like out
of all the guys to get shot in the first
layer it had to be the one Leo needs to
make a phone call and get him back to
the United States Oppenheimer just had
to have super secret mental training to
defend his subcon conscious the Feats
these guys have to accomplish to make
the plan work get increasingly more and
more insane as the film goes on and it
just leaves you on the edge of your sea
I also think the story with Leo and his
wife is really compelling and a solid
emotional hook in the midst of all this
craziness however the movie isn't
exactly as perfect as I remember it
being when I was 13 I kind of find a lot
of the supporting characters in this to
be a bit Half Baked and unmemorable like
Tom Hardy's character is kind of funny
but not really I think Elliot Pig's
character is a good anchor for Leo's
emotional Journey but not really much of
a character outside of that Leo and
Killian Murphy's characters are the only
ones I feel like I really learn much
about and like is the lack of character
for the team in a heist movie really
that big a deal no not really we spend a
lot of time with them so I do wish they
were more distinct I also think we
really take our time to get to the heist
which is fair we got to explain the
whole concept of incepting and whatnot
but there's still a lot in the first
hour that feels like it doesn't need to
be here like the whole chase scene in
mumbasa kind of felt like a studio
mandated action sequence since we can't
let the audience get bored but once the
heist does get going it's pretty
incredible and I ultimately can't
complain about that much else it's not
among my all-time favorite Nolan works
anymore but it's still like a 9 out of
10 this dude's filmography is stacked oh
and since so much of the discussion
surrounding this movie involves its
ambiguous ending without spoiling
anything I'm going to give my take on it
yeah I think the top falls over I mean
like think why wouldn't it but why did
Nolan cut the scene before showing that
is it totir up discussion among the
general populace about the ambiguity of
this film's conclusion now see I think
it was because he ran out of film to
make the movie cuz he spent it all on
the special effects so he so so there
was no more film to show the top falling
over but hey that's just this is the
magic trick huh illusion Michael I never
got around to checking it out until now
but I was always very interested in the
prestige all I knew was that it centered
around an intense rivalry between two
magicians and like that just sounds
really fun after watching it yes I can
confirm this is a very fun movie hate to
sound like a broken record but once
again the nonlinear storytelling works
wonders in terms of feeding you
information and allowing Nolan to wow
you with the trick later on this isn't a
spoiler cuz it's the beginning of the
movie but we start out with Christian
Bale drowning huge Jackman before we
flash all the way back to show how their
Feud escalated to this point but having
just seen momento I knew this couldn't
be it there was absolutely more to this
that Nolan wasn't telling me so I
remained invested the whole time as I
tried to piece out clues in order to
figure out what trick Hugh Jackman would
eventually pull and how he was going to
do it and the answer was pretty wacky it
wasn't what I was expecting but that's
cool even if it has no basis in reality
the movie makes you believe it could
happen Happ within this reality on top
of that the opening establishes that
Christian Bale has a daughter with no
one to look after her immediately making
you wonder where her mother is and
watching the scenes with that character
in the past you assume Hugh Jackman is
going to make her disappear at some
point based on what happened earlier but
then your expectations are subverted and
with a lot of the knowledge you acquire
in the ending you start to realize damn
Christian Bill's character is really
fued up for not being more open with his
wife about what's going on and Hugh
Jackman's character is really fed up for
well I tell you but I don't want to give
away the trick the entire movie is just
watching these two depraved men become
more and more insane in the pursuit of
their art and the pursuit of ruining the
other it's fairly simple at least by
Nolan standards but man is it riveting
the whole way through I'm very excited
to rewatch this knowing how Christian
Bill's final trick works plus in general
it's just a great time it doesn't quite
hit the same mindblowing Heights as some
of Nolan's most iconic work plus I think
the Scarlet Johansson character is
really underwritten and I would have
loved to see her fall for baale on
screen instead of just telling us she
fell for him wow an underwritten woman
in an Nolan movie I'm shocked but for
the most part a damn fantastic film what
other movie can make the claim that they
have David Bowie playing Nicola Tesla
name a single other movie with David
Bowie as Nicola Tesla or else I will
have hug Jackman show up to your magic
show with a gun and shoot you I can feel
time for one consistent thing across
Christopher Nolan's filmography is the
fact that his movies do not aim to make
you cry now that's totally fine his
specialty is obviously impressing you
with the scope of his visuals and the
elaborate ways he uses the concept of
time to enhance his plots and the
reveals within them but what if I told
you he made a movie that not only
accomplished both of those things but
also managed to tell an absolutely
devastating story about The Power of
Love family and human connection that
transcends the boundaries of time and
space I mean you probably already know
about it right Interstellar is one of
Christopher Nolan's most popular movies
and I've seen a lot of mixed opinions
about it through the years hell my own
opinion on it was pretty mixed I saw it
when I was 16 I thought it was good but
not great and I never checked it out
again until this ranking and I don't
know what it is about this rewatch but I
was kind of floored almost the whole way
through by it it's pretty much the only
Crystal for Nolan film where the
emotional core takes Center Stage he
usually uses the connection to and loss
of a loved one as a jumping off point
for his main character's motivations the
loss of his wife motivates Leonard
Shelby the loss of his life and
inability to see his kids motivates Dom
Cobb the loss of Rachel motivates Bruce
Wayne to just sit at home for 8 years
eight [Â __Â ] Years bro are you serious
who wrote this [Â __Â ] while these
motivations and tragedies are there they
typically aren't the focus of their
films in Interstellar is Nolan's first
truly emotion-driven piece everything
ties back to the relationship between
Coupe and murf separated across time and
space the First Act perfectly
establishes their connection and the
Betrayal murf feels when her father
chooses to leave her in order to try and
secure a future for her oh and also he
has a son I I actually think it's kind
of funny how much less he cares about
seeing his son again but it stings every
single time murf expresses how much her
dad didn't care about her or assumes he
left her on Earth to die there's that
moment towards the middle that just
makes me SOB where Coupe watches the
video logs of his now grown children
unable to communicate with them because
time has literally slipped away from him
and then of course there's the catharsis
of the ending which I guess if you
haven't seen this movie yet I won't go
too deep into but wow is it worth
getting to the powerful elements of the
story of course are only one piece of
the puzzle here this also contains what
are bar nun the best visuals of
Christopher no 's career absolutely
Vivid and breathtaking images of space
the way they Bend and contort in such
beautiful ways I don't think it's a
stretch to call this visual poetry and
they pair so nicely with Han Zimmer's
simultaneously elegance and intense
score I was just in awe during numerous
sequences throughout this film and I so
thoroughly regret that I didn't see this
in IMAX when it came out I don't like to
judge a film by the standards of it
needs to be seen in a theater to get the
full experience ience because like a
film should be good no matter where you
watch it but watching this film at home
I was completely floored by the visuals
so I can only imagine how stunning it
would have been on an IMAX screen for
about an hour and a half there I was
pretty much on board with everything
going on the story the characters the
performances hell Matthew MC gave a
better performance in this movie than
whatever he won the Oscar for the
previous year that should have gone to
Leo and Wolf of Wall Street everything
was pretty much perfect for a while
there but then there's Dr man this
character is where the movie kind of
lost me a bit and I feel like it
wouldn't have as many problems with him
if he was just named anything else this
is kind of The Natural end point of some
of Nolan's UNS subtleties as a filmmaker
having the guy who represents
selfishness and betrayal just be named
man but on top of that he's just kind of
an underwhelming antagonist I mean the
guy is just a complete idiot not
thinking of a better way to dispose of
Coupe trying to dock anyway even though
he doesn't know how he's just kind of a
pathetic roadblock we have to deal with
before we get to the actual climax in
the Tesseract and I just feel like a
scientist and Astronaut like him
wouldn't act this dumb he might have
gone insane from being alone for so long
but he seems pretty normal and well
adjusted very quickly after they wake
him up so I don't know I just don't like
him that much as a character a lot of
folks take issue with the ending in the
Tesseract and like yeah it's not amazing
it kind of takes a pretty big leap in in
terms of believability which I know is a
weird thing to say about a sci-fi movie
but Nolan telling you oh yeah
fifth-dimensional beings from the future
built this thing so Matthew mccon could
explain the mechanics of a black hole
through Morse code in his watch you
really have to trust that these entities
you never see are out there divinely
intervening to make the plot work and I
suppose I can believe that but it
doesn't necessarily feel as natural as
everything else in this film but I will
admit it might be kind of corny but I do
like the fact that love is the
quantifiable thing that allows Coupe to
reach murf I think it kind of ties the
themes of the film together and it's
really sweet I don't know don't judge me
Interstellar isn't going to be
everybody's cup of tea I imagine some
people don't think it's colder sci-fi
elements really mesh well with the
sentimental human story at its Center a
lot of people have compared this film to
2001 of Space Odyssey for obvious
reasons but to me strictly in terms of
tone it makes me think a lot more of AI
or artificial intelligence I can
Overlook its flaws because at the end of
the day the warm and Powerful emotion
present amidst such a cold and Bleak
premise is simply too engaging to ignore
I love Interstellar wholeheartedly and
it took a rewatch to come to that
conclusion to let go of my skepticism
and simply allow myself to be taken in
by a visual Masterwork with a beautiful
story of a father and daughter separated
but not apart working together together
to save Humanity simply fantastic in
every sense of the word but you tell Dr
man he'll never eat lunch on this planet
again my bomb they killed people does
not [Â __Â ] say that and
Oppenheimer okay
yes
yes best picture baby it's honestly not
hard to see why this is the first of
Nolan's films to to be a major Awards
darling it's his first film to be based
on a singular real person one of the
most important people of the 20th
century at that and yet despite the fact
that Nolan has to adhere to history and
not make up something from scratch that
doesn't stop him from employing his
usual non-linear storytelling techniques
to amazing effect this movie simply
would not be as interesting if
everything was told chronologically if
we didn't get that back and forth
between OPI building the bomb and
getting grilled for his communist
sympathies in the present day and like I
alluded to in my initial review this
structure makes for such an engaging
reveal when it turned out stross
organized the entire hearing out of
petty Revenge speaking of reveals
related to the hearing I love how you
spend so much of the three-hour runtime
asking yourself why is he being
subjected to this which transitions into
why is he subjecting himself to this
once you realize he's just renewing his
security clearance and he doesn't need
to and then a single line in the ending
recontextualizes everything you just
watched did you think that if you let
them T and feather you the world would
forgive you [Â __Â ] man what a perfect way
of reflecting oppenheimer's copy
mechanism with what he's done even after
Truman morally let him off the hook he
can't wash his hands of his involvement
in this atrocity unless the government
publicly disavows him and was it worth
it no man Kitty was right building the
most horrific weapon in the history of
the world is an unforgivable sin and
even though the last scene of this film
takes place before the hearing
chronologically I think in this moment
he knows his actions cannot be undone he
destroyed the world and Einstein is
pissed what an amazing ending and that's
on top of the sheer number of other
amazing scenes in this strauss's
meltdown oppenheimer's hallucinations
The Truman scene Kitty clapping back
against Roger Rob the discussion on
where to drop the bomb and perhaps the
best directed scene in Nolan's entire
career the Trinity test unreal I was
shaking in my seat in the theater during
that [Â __Â ] time and time again you get
the impression that this is the most
significant and important film Nolan has
ever made the subject matter plays a
large role in that but the execution is
what really seals the deal in that
regard the entire film is coded with
intense Quick Cuts to Atomic Concepts
racing through op's brain and Ludwig
Goron's masterful everpresent score that
enhances the dread of every scene it
plays over I also feel as if I haven't
giving Killian Murphy the praise he
deserves for this performance any other
time I've talked about it he's
unbelievable in this perfectly
transitioning from a cocky arrogant
genius during the first half into the
emotional wreck he becomes later on you
simply can't look away from his
performance He commands the screen in
every scene he's in what a truly
exceptional film in so many ways plus
they even let Josh pek be the one to hit
the button for the bomb I'm sorry I'm
not over that how did he get into this
movie I saw someone say that he has
great 1940s face and I agree okay so
you're probably wondering why this movie
doesn't top this list or my best of 2023
list well as amazing as so many moments
of this movie are I am of the opinion
that overall the film is a little too
long I'm not opposed the longness for
example I don't think there's anything
you should cut or trim from killers of
the flower Moon and that's longer than
this but I feel like some stretches of
Oppenheimer could have been trimmed when
they're in the process of building the
bomb itself I didn't think every single
one of those scenes was necessary and
the film Lost me for a little bit until
opy says Hitler's dead and it starts
gripping me once again and on rewatch
while the last hour of the film is
absolutely fantastic it also probably
could have been a last 45 minutes or so
instead after a while you get the idea
with this hearing and there's only so
many ways these guys can ask are you a
communist Oppenheimer are you it's a
little repetitive but to be fair that's
kind of Representative of McCarthyism
just this cyclical NeverEnding Witch
Hunt that only has one outcome well
despite my minor gripes with it I do
think this is an amazing film and
perhaps Christopher Nolan's most
culturally significant work to date
right up there with the Dark Knight
again you can attribute some of that
significance to barbon Heimer one of the
coolest cinematic events I've ever been
alive for but now that that dust is
settled and we've started to judge
Barbie and Oppenheimer on their
individual merits I think the sheer
weights and power of Oppenheimer cannot
be overstated this will be one of
Nolan's most iconic pieces of art for
years to come and I'm so intrigued to
see what he could possibly follow follow
this up
with don't you just love it when you
watch a critically acclaimed and iconic
movie for the first time and then it
just completely lives up to the hype
you've been hearing about it for years
momento is everything I hoped it would
be and more all I knew about it was the
fact that the scenes play in reverse
order ooh that Christopher Nolan he's
such a Scamp when it comes to playing
with time on paper it seems like this
would remove suspense from the story
since you see its outcome in the very
first scene spoilers for the first first
5 minutes of momento he shoots the guy
we know where everything's headed and
yet you can't help but wonder how we got
here and you can't help but suspect
there's something darker underneath the
surface here the movie delivers pieces
of its story with no indication of what
leads to each piece happening a
brilliant reflection of the protagonist
short-term memory loss it also makes for
a story that engaged me the whole way
through since every single scene made me
ask what happened before this I got
another no combining the
non-chronological events with the
chronological story Leonard tells is an
excellent Touch Too it provides
necessary breaks from the reverse plot
line making each of those segments sink
in for a bit and it's also compelling in
its own right I didn't necessarily know
how it tied into everything else going
on but then it all came together in one
of the most truly insane reveals I've
seen in some time I won't dare spoil it
if like me you haven't seen this film
yet and don't know much about it it's
just so strong so consistently gripping
the entire time even before the
mind-blowing ending ties everything
together I really love the performances
of Guy Pierce and guy from The Sopranos
the editing is really strong you know me
I'm a sucker for good editing and aside
from the sheer visceral thrill of
piecing the story together I found
Leonard's inability to cope with his
Affliction so fascinating and tragic his
refusal to do anything else with his new
life is just so f up man it is so hard
to talk about this movie without
spoiling anything but if you've seen it
I think you know what I mean bottom line
is I'm just in all of it its concept its
tone its themes everything just comes
together to make the exceptional
sophomore effort that put Christopher
Nolan on the map watch it it's
[Music]
Peak all right let's cut the [Â __Â ] you
know exactly what number one is it's the
damn dark nights perhaps the single most
iconic and influential movie of the
2000s some of you might be a little too
young to remember this but when this
movie came out the world went nuts it
was everywhere everyone young and old
casual viewer and copile alike was
obsessed with this movie and completely
in awe of how good it was we were
talking about it quoting a ton of the
Joker's dialogue especially why so
serious and I even disly remember
finding a video that takes the Dark
Knight trailer audio and puts Monsters
Inc footage over it let's put a smile on
that
face but someone else made that how did
I react I was 10 when this came out and
I think this was the first great new
film I ever saw that wasn't just an
animated Pixar or DreamWorks movie this
was the first film that made me say wow
now that was a movie I was obsessed with
it you better believe I dressed up as
Batman that Halloween when I got an
assignment in my middle school digital
media class to film a recreation of a
movie scene you better believe I would
film an embarrassing remake of The Joker
pencil scene using random stuffed
animals I had laying around when I
started to get into acting during my
middle school plays I would recite a ton
of the Joker's monologues in this film
just to practice getting into a
character this movie had a hold on me
but when it comes to this list I wasn't
ready to just hand it the number one
spot and call it a day I thought this
and Inception were going to be the top
two based on my childhood feelings that
they were just perfect movies but upon
rewatch with my adult sensibilities I
didn't like Inception quite as much as I
remembered but this movie n man this
earns the number one spot it's kind of
unreal how much almost everything here
holds up from an adult perspective Nolan
made a movie that could feasibly be
someone's favorite film of all time when
they're a child and then have it remain
their favorite film of all time
throughout their entire life that's how
good it is okay I'll be fair though no
movie is perfect and I think the
consistently worst thing about this film
is the [Â __Â ] Christian Bale Batman
voice we know it we love to make fun of
it it's just really bad it kind of works
if you view Batman as just this insane
Menace who beats the [Â __Â ] out of people
but if you ignore the Bruce Wayne
persona it's kind of impossible to
endear yourself to a protagonist who
sounds like this all the time where are
they but the reason I don't think that's
a major issue is because this isn't
really Batman's movie but we'll get to
that in a bit first let me air my other
issue out I don't really like how the
use of mass surveillance in the ends to
catch the Joker Goes uncriticizable
an ology you could say that Batman goes
into Exile after this but that's not cuz
of this crime it's cuz he's taking the
fall for dense crimes I'm just not
really sure what Nolan was trying to say
with the effective use of something so
similar to a certain controversial
American political act but I suppose
Oppenheimer is indicative of his
political maturity nowadays so I guess
it's fair to not fixate too much on this
portion of the film okay now to explain
why the Dark Knight is Peak simply put
this film does not let up it's such a
masterful crime Thriller in the sense
that there's no downtime that's not to
say it's all non-stop action and
suspense the characters do get chances
to reflect on what's going on but the
thing is you just never feel safe
watching this movie you never get to
fully catch your breath after any of the
Joker's insane schemes cuz it's never
too long before he's on to the next one
the way the film is structured makes it
consistently engaging throughout its
entire runtime I genuinely will never
understand how some people will claim
that this movie is boring whenever the
Joker isn't on screen like did you just
sleep through most of the movie or what
it's so fascinating seeing people's
response to Relentless terrorism and
watching their ethical boundaries get
pushed further and further watching
Harvey D consistently get propped up as
a status symbol only for this plan to
come crashing down once he gives into
his urge for revenge is intense and
engrossing I love how Nolan can take a
character as inherently silly as Toof
faace and make him work in a realistic
setting by applying compelling
commentary on morality to him I love how
the noble lie Batman chooses to adopt at
the end in order to protect D's
reputation is directly paralleled by
Alfred choosing not to tell him the
truth about Rachel's intentions the
scene where Rachel gets blowed up is so
intense as you see her accept in that
moment that she's going to die even
though Bruce was trying to rescue her
like damn I know I said I really liked
Katie Holmes in this role but like
Maggie Gyllenhaal is just objectively
better I got to admit I love all the
excellent quotes that have reverberated
in pop culture you either die a hero or
live long enough to see yourself become
the villain some men just want to watch
the world burn I think they're pretty
self-explanatory this movie doesn't
exactly have the densest themes or
messages they're pretty simple and yet
insanely effective this was one of the
first times a comic book movie really
felt like it was saying something about
the state of the world and it's so
gripping as a result but with all that
said yeah we got to talk about the star
of the show here I think it's fair to
say that Heath Ledger and as the Joker
is the single most iconic performance of
the 21st century so far something really
shifted with this performance everyone
was just blown away by how thoroughly he
embodied this conniving chaotic clown
and it's honestly on the level where I
look at him and I don't even see a
performance like that's just the Joker
man he completely disappears into the
character and makes him seem like this
Unstoppable force of nature he can't be
reasoned with he just wants to watch the
world bird etc etc I just love the fact
that he has no history in this universe
no former Identity or origin whatsoever
it's like he just spawned into existence
one day to psychologically torment
whoever he feels like the image of him
is effortlessly terrifying and yet he's
just so funny at the same time it's a
very different interpretation of the
Joker than usual but they get his
Essence so right there's really nothing
I can say about this performance that
hasn't already been said like it's the
Joker baby you know just how incredible
and how influential this performance is
and like honestly what else can I really
say about the movie It's stood the test
of time as one of the most beloved and
talked about films in recent memory
sorry if I sound like a normie for
saying Nolan hasn't topped this one but
that's just how I feel he hasn't this is
my favorite live-action comic book movie
and my favorite Christopher Nolan movie
so that's my l list anyway to summarize
Christopher Nolan is pretty cool he
makes awesome movies they're smart and
stuff but also they have a lot of action
and they're epic now but seriously I
really am impressed with how thoroughly
he manages to grip General audiences
everywhere with more intelligent films
than the average Blockbuster a lot of
smart movies with interesting themes
continue to come out but your average
movie goer probably doesn't go see them
so it's nice to have at least one
popular filmmaker who manages to put out
thought-provoking work most of his
movies aren't the deepest thing in the
world but they're a good Gateway for
people to get interested in deeper stuff
while also being pretty excellent films
in their own right I hope Nolan keeps
doing what he's doing and I'm really
excited to see what comes next for him
that's pretty much it thanks for
watching H well a actually there is one
thing that's kind of been nagging at me
for months now you see in oppenheim
we see Einstein at three different
points in time the first point in time
at the beginning but also the ending of
the movie he has a silly hat on it even
blows off in the wind that's cute the
second point in time when Opie first
asks him about those calculations he's
also wearing an even sillier hat nice
but the third time we see him when he
gets out of that one car he's not
wearing a hat guys you don't understand
he can't just not be wearing a hat he he
he's Einstein that's his thing alongside
eal mc² and the time and apple fell on
him and he invented gravity the fact
that Christopher Nolan has the goal to
depict this man without a silly hat in
one of these scenes is just obscene what
is his problem did you steal this hat
off of Einstein's head you [Â __Â ] I bet
you did or maybe this scene was
depicting Einstein before he got into
silly hats in which case how was I
supposed to know that you've gone too
far with your nonlinear storytelling
this time you hack you need to answer
for this crime against Cinema and if no
one else is going to make you do that I
will so to conclude this video it's time
to take you to court Mr Nolan you stand
here accused of not only theft but
wasting away the audience's Goodwill
with aspects of your confusing nonlinear
time progression how do you plead
not talking huh that makes sense since
you're just a PNG of his head very well
until you can atone for your
transgressions I sentence you to
director jail you shall never work again
due to the consequences of your previous
film's failure take him away oh you
watching closely wait did that disembody
PNG head just
speak ooh a map to treasure everybody
wait here while I go pursue this a few
inches later all right let's see what I
can
find huh it can't be that madman what is
he
done he made a bunch of silly hats for
Einstein not giving him one in that
scene was just a Misa oh my God Nolan
you genius I'm sorry I ever doubted your
brilliant method of Storytelling forget
director's Jail from now on you can make
anything you want as your next film go
ahead pitch me
anything you know what that's on me I
should have set some boundaries
um good night TR state
area out everybody so I wanted to
interrupt for a second because I wanted
to talk about something related to
momento doesn't have to do with the
movie itself but it has something to do
with one of its physical releases which
I think has to be one of the coolest
DVDs I've ever seen and I think you all
need to know about it that of course
being the special limited edition first
things first I really want to talk about
how this thing is packaged it's supposed
to look like a case file for ledition
and I think that's just a brilliant way
to design it they went all out with this
and I got to give them props for that
not only just for the packaging it just
gets even better with its discs because
when you put them in you're in for
Something Completely bizarre and unlike
any other DVD for any other film this
might be one of the most strangest but
yet creative DVD menus I've ever seen I
could go on about its menus and how to
guide through them because it is kind of
bit complicated especially for disc 2
but if you are curious there is a oh
good lord 40 7 Minute walkthrough video
of this limited edition and most of it
it has to go with this 2 because that's
where the bonus features kick in if
you're ever wanting to own momento
physically I highly recommend buying
this DVD I think it has to be one of the
best ver of releases of momento ever at
least DVD wise and just one of the best
DVDs ever it's one of the biggest Prime
reason why I love momento and why it
means so much to me and what it's given
to me all right I think I'm done
rambling here I'm going to let James
wrap up this ranking and I'm going to
head off to play Zeno gears Baby Woo
[Music]
[Applause]
oh
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
