THE DANMAN CAN

Undoubtedly grand spectacle filmmaking, but I have the same problems with The Odyssey (2026) that I do with most of  Christopher Nolan 's movies, which is that the editing is oftentimes atrocious and the action is sloppy. Here, too, his out-of-sync style feels like it's designed to draw audiences back for revisits to make more money than as a fitting narrative device.  That being said, this picture is easier to understand and follow on the first viewing than much of his prior work (by virtue of the fact that the source material is so well known and that no great attempt was made to be faithful to the Greek origins; usually I'm not too bothered by anachronisms, but they were egregious here). Thankfully, most of the dialogue can be made out as well (unlike 2020's  Tenet   [ review ]) . The look and feel of The Odyssey is very much in line with  Denis Villeneuve 's Dune  films, which I'm not in love with either.  Overall, entertaining enough and worth se...

1.    Killers Of The Flower Moon   **** ( review ) 2.    Beau Is Afraid   **** ( review ) 3.    The Holdovers  **** ( review ) 4.    Poor Things   ***1/2 ( review ) 5.    Evil Dead Rise   ***1/2 ( review ) 6.    Asteroid City   ***1/2 7.    Infinity Pool   ***1/2 ( review ) 8.    Oppenheimer   ***1/2 ( review ) 9.    Smoking Causes Coughing  (2022) ***1/2 10.  Dream Scenario   ***1/2 ( review ) 11. The Iron Claw  ***1/2 12. May December ***1/2 13. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny   *** 14.  The Killer   *** ( review ) 15.  Thanksgiving   *** ( review ) 16. Saltburn  *** 17. Napoleon *** 18. Master Gardener (2022) *** 19. Talk To Me (2022) *** 20. Suitable Flesh   *** Biggest Disappointments Kids Vs. Aliens (2022) **1/2 The Exorcist: Believer **1/2 ( review ) When Evil Lurks   **1/2 Barbie ...

Having watched the excellent 1981 documentary The Day After Trinity the night before, it was neat to see the portrayals of the real-life people in  Christopher Nolan 's Oppenheimer   (2023) . The film takes a while to find its stride and suffers from the same whacky, incomprehensible editing choices that Nolan has been making for most of his career, but I found it overall entertaining and immersive. Christopher Nolan Feature Films Ranked

Christopher Nolan 's Insomnia (2002) is one of the few remakes that, despite not straying far in plot and events, carves its own path and stands (just about) toe to toe with its predecessor. I'm happy to report that it's held up very well.  Erik Skjoldbjærg 's 1997 original is a slightly better film but Nolan's has the benefit of two excellent lead performances by Al Pacino and Robin Williams , in some of the best work of their careers (and they've both had illustrious ones). While Skjoldbjærg's is the more nihilistic and cold of the two films, Nolan's has a warmth and humanity that isn't always present in his work (or isn't always handled as well as it is here).  Jonathan Demme  was originally attached to direct this film (with Harrison Ford  set to star in the Pacino role). This could have been interesting and it's easy to see why he was attracted to the material— Insomnia is very much a spiritual successor to  The Silence Of The Lambs ...

Tenet (2020) is another Christopher Nolan  feature that's heavy on exceptional filmmaking from a technical standpoint but disappointing from a character standpoint. Nolan made his version of a James Bond film here—infusing the spy action film with lots of complicated science fiction. Its closest cousin in Nolan's oeuvre would be Inception (2010), but even that film had a little more "emotion" to it. I really was impressed by the logistics of undertaking a film such as this and it definitely demands a second viewing due to quick exposition dumps in between long action scenes. Too often though (here and in his other work), Nolan is too precious in his need to be clever and innovative and his stories/characters suffer for it. I think that's why my two favorite films of his remain  The Prestige  (2006) [ review ] and Memento (2000)—they both have gimmicks (as so many of Nolan's films do), but they have characters I care about and feel less like purely technica...

The Prestige  (2006) is my favorite Christopher Nolan film, edging out Memento  (2000) by just a hair. When I made my Top 10 Films Of 2006 list, The Prestige topped it. Upon a reassessment, I'd place both The Proposition and The New World (2005) (released wide in the States in January 2006) above it. But I still love Nolan's rival magicians movie. I appreciate Nolan as a filmmaker but I've never been head over heels for him. This film and Memento  are the closest I come to "fanboying" over him. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman both give very charismatic and engaging performances. Rebecca Hall isn't given enough screen time, in my opinion, but she's very good when she is on screen. As to  Scarlett Johansson , neither her acting nor her role are anything special, which is fine, as her character is the attractive assistant—intentionally designed to distract the audience. The Prestige  holds up well on revisits, even if I did deduct a 1/2 star from m...

Dunkirk  (2017) definitely plays better in a theater (preferably IMAX) with as large a screen possible and with a loud, high quality surround system, but it's still effective on Blu-ray (I don't have 4K yet) at home. I did detract a half star from my original rating though because while Dunkirk  is a  thrilling, tense, and rousing achievement, impeccably shot and designed, the lack of character development hurts it in the long run—a film that perhaps doesn't warrant multiple viewings.

1.   Blade Runner 2049   ****1/2 ( Review , Review 3 ) 2.   Lady Bird  ****1/2 ( Take 2 Review ) 3.   The Shape Of Water  ****1/2 ( Review ) 4.   Paterson   (2016) ****1/2 ( Review ) 5.   I Am Not Your Negro  (2016) ****1/2 6.   Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  **** ( Review ,  Review 3 ) 7.   Lucky **** ( Review ) 8.   Logan Lucky **** ( Review ) 9.   Baby Driver  **** ( Review ) 10. Get Out  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 11. David Bowie: The Last Five Years   **** 12. It  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 13. Dunkirk  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 14. Logan **** 15. It Comes At Night  **** ( Take 2 Review ) 16. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer  **** ( Review ) 17. Kedi  (2016) **** ( Review ) 18. Phantom Thread  ***1/2 ( Review ) 19.  Star Wars: The Last Jedi  ***1/2 ( Review ) 20. Brawl In Cell Block 99  ...

A thrilling, tense, and rousing cinematic experience, and a film worth seeing in IMAX.

Whew. What a lofty film. And what a love/hate relationship I have with it after my first viewing. First let me get it out of the way that I think Christopher Nolan  is a "good" filmmaker. I happen to love Memento   (2000)   and  The Prestige  (2006)—both excellent films. I think  Insomnia  (2002)   and Inception  (2010) are "very good" films. In the case of Insomnia , the original film is better, but Nolan's version benefits from some great lead performances. I happen to think his Batman films are overrated and actually don't hold up all that well on repeat viewings. What I admire about Nolan is his willingness to take chances and craft interesting and beautiful-looking films that can equally entertain and frustrate. I'll always go see his films because he's definitely not a "boring" filmmaker. Now on to Interstellar   (2014)... *SPOILERS* Essentially it's a modern version of Armageddon  (1998). It even ...

1.   Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010) ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.   The Master ****1/2 ( Review ) 3.   Cloud Atlas ****1/2 4.   Samsara (2011) ***** ( Review ) 5.   Looper **** 6.    Argo  **** 7.     Moonrise Kingdom  **** 8.    Lincoln  ***1/2 9.   Skyfall **** 10. Excision **** 11.  Frankenweenie  ***1/2 ( Take 2 Review ) 12.  Side By Side  **** ( Review ) 13.  God Bless America  (2011) **** 14.  The Avengers  **** 15. Cosmopolis  ***1/2 ( Take 2 Review ) 16. Haywire (2011) ***1/2 ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 17. The Dark Knight Rises ***1/2 18. Father's Day (2011) ***1/2 ( Review ) 19. Lawless ***1/2 20. The Woman In Black ***1/2 ( Review ) Honorable Mentions 1.   Django Unchained *** ( Take 2 Review ) 2.    The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey  ***1/2 3.   Savages ***1/2 4...

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