Long Live Christopher Nolan
A Cillian Murphy loving, blockbuster redefining, film director who you should all know....here's 3 of my favorite movies by Christopher Nolan.
Dunkirk
In May 1940, amidst World War II, Germany advanced into France, cornering allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk (a harbor on the North of France). Winston Churchill in a final effort to evacuate soldiers sends civilian ships out to get the men stranded on Dunkirk beach (honestly one of the greatest scenes in the whole movie is when the civilian vessels reach Dunkirk). While the battle of Dunkirk has been seen cinematically on a few occasions, it has never had a full movie dedicated to this intense military operation. Nolan pulls out all the stops in this film, such as sequencing in a Momento style where there is a nonlinear timeline throughout film. The beautiful cinematography and soundtrack truly elevate the storyline. Nolan’s efforts on this film make Dunkirk my all time favorite movie of his, pushing The Dark Knight to the number two spot instantly. Not to mention his amazing casting job, Cillian Murphy taking on yet another Nolan movie perfectly. Saw this movie three times when it came out in cinemas, and have watched it multiple times since it came out for home viewing. Also not to mention Harry Styles makes his acting debut in this.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight holds a special place for me, it’s always been a movie that my family and I watch over and over again without ever getting tired of it. The DC comics Batman story is depicted by Nolan with the introduction of The Joker to Gotham City. Batman has been maintaining the crime scene in Gotham for a long while but now is thrown into chaos when the Joker gets involved. This is Heath Ledger’s last big role before his death (his death coming months before the films release), and arguably one of his best. Immersing himself in the role completely Ledger (a well known method actor) isolated himself and kept a diary as the joker to really understand and encapsulate the disturbing villain. Christian Bale also takes the cake in this movie, his self hatred makes him a clear better Batman than Ben Affleck’s pompous depiction in the newer DC comic Superman and Batman movies.
Inception
Inception is an interesting film because it can be so confusing. Trying to keep up with the film as someone who gets distracted easily proved itself to be quite the challenge. Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief. However Cobb has this ability to enter peoples minds while they are dreaming and he steals secrets from their subconscious. This talent has made him very popular, but it has also been a great burden to him (knowing what is real and what isn’t is a constant problem). The movie centers around one task that Cobb is asked to do, and that is to implant an idea in someones mind (Cillian Murphy being this someone). If he does this task it will be the ultimate thievery for Cobb, however an enemy of Cobb anticipates Cobbs very move during this task and creates difficulty when trying to complete it. This movie kept me on the edge of my seat, it’s story and Nolan cinematic style make this movie a must-watch.