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Home Archives for christopher nolan

November 10, 2014 By iluvcinema 3 Comments

Interstellar (2014, dir. Christopher Nolan)

The “Dust Bowl” has gone global. Mankind is on the brink of extinction. Underground NASA scientists have devised a Plan A and a Plan B ….

… that is where I will start with Christopher Nolan’s latest feature Interstellar.

insterstellar

 

I was having a hard time deciding where to start with this review and finally settled on just listing my overall impressions; they are in no real order assigned, just thoughts/observations off the top of my head (see the bold):

The least Nolan of Nolan films – sure it had its twisty, not to be so predictable moments, but there were a few unsatisfying trappings (ending is all I will say, for example) that left me feeling a bit meh at times. This also leads me to another point …

… while it is cool to allow your audience to interpret stuff for themselves … – sometimes it is nice to give the viewers a wink and a nod in a particular direction.  Yes I know that this is not stock and trade with Christopher Nolan’s oeuvre (keep ’em guessing), but in what I have observed and subsequently read about others’ reaction to the film, my conclusion is such – Houston we may have a problem. In my opinion, part of the mixed response may have something to do with the fact that there is no general consensus/conclusion for folks to hold fast to and discuss post screening. I for one found myself post-screening not really having much to say. Maybe that is me processing the details, maybe it was indifference. A couple of days out of the experience, and I am still not sure.

Nuttin’ like the love of family – the core relationship between father and daughter drives the narrative; the nature of which comes full circle with some level of satisfaction.

Buckle your seats, ladies and gents, you are in for a long one – a nearly three-hour running time means that like it or not, you are in it for the long haul.

Let me consult my science book –while I do like the chatter of relativity, wormholes, event horizons and such, sometimes the talk was hard to keep up with. My read? Maybe just a bit too clever (inaccessible) for its own good at times.

A little bit o’ this, a little bit o’ that –most films borrow from others, that is a well established fact that I think we can all agree with. Here in Interstellar you will find a lot of cinematic “shout-outs” to feast on. A couple of standouts for me – the healthy helping of Contact with a bit of 2001/2010 heaped on for good measure.

Some of these cats is unlike the other – hate dragging the observations to this level, but a lot of what makes a film is the cast and your ability to connect with the principals character. On more than one occasion, I felt a bit indifferent/impatient with whatever emotional turmoil a character was going through …

… that said (a slight contradiction), I generally liked the performances – but really, how could you go wrong with so many top-shelf talent at your disposal?

The view is lovely from where I am seated – No, I did not see it in 70mm/IMAX or whatever, but rather in the comfy confines of a reclining movie theater seat, which was well enough. The scale of the film is astonishing, remarkable and beautiful. I really did feel like I was in outer space traveling across space (and time, perhaps?). Especially in the moments where our explorers were traveling to parts unknown, the emotional and visual tension lined up very well.

 

So what does this all mean? Am I recommending Interstellar or nah? Well, if I am to be quite honest, I am not 100% sure where I stand. I mean I am glad that I saw it in the cinema, but I am sure not everyone would derive the same degree of pleasure from seeing it as I did. This is definitely one that I put in the category of a toss-up.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: christopher nolan, interstellae movie, interstellar

June 18, 2013 By iluvcinema 3 Comments

My Thoughts on “Man of Steel”

So, I am not a master of properly putting my ‘reviews’ (I use the term advisedly) into prose form; the write ups usually turn into a muddle of random thoughts and ramblings about a given cinematic experience. I say this as a means of forewarning you that this post, my ‘review’ of Man of Steel will probably meet this threshold.

Immediately after the screening I attended yesterday and going into today, there are an overabundance of thoughts, feelings and words, plenty of words circling my brain as I search for a way to coherently describe all that I feel about Man of Steel. Without further ado, I am going to jump right into it. Again bear with me as this is not going to have the most logical of flows.

MAN OF STEEL

So Much Story, So Little Time

There were a lot of things going on in this film and maybe they could have pared it down a bit, but who I am to judge? It feels like a case of one (or many) set pieces too many. I particularly felt that the “battle royale” between Superman and his nemeses dragged on a bit.

But it is likely that I am over critiquing this aspect because as we all know Nolan and Goyer are masters at creating cinematic puzzles. We are barely at the assembly stage – with Man of Steel the puzzle box has been opened and all the pieces dumped on the table. How it all comes together is something that we will have the pleasure of watching over the next several years.

 

Symbolism Everywhere

Tying into what I mentioned above, between the allusions to immigration, Jesus Christ, eugenics and fate/destiny (to name a few), my senses were on symbolism overload. Just wanted to put that out there.

 

The Darkness and the Light

From the outset, the lasting impression from Man of Steel was the weightiness of the material. This most certainly was not the Superman tale of my youth.  At times I was worried that the gravity with which the material was presented would was going to really drag the movie down. One especially dark turn took place during a shocking, unexpected denouement, at least by Superman standards. Yet in the end I felt there were enough moments of levity to balance this out.

 

Getting to Know You

This is a theme that you will notice I stick with throughout this post but I think that it is worth mentioning that Man of Steel, if nothing else focused heavily on character development. Of course at the center of it is Clark Kent/ Kal El/ Superman and his struggle for identity, understanding who he is and his purpose. The search easily parallels that struggle we all face in our own lives, but it clearly takes on a different tone in a universe where Krypton and Metropolis exist. One aspect of the character and relationship development that did not work for me as well was the relationship between Clark and Lois Lane. After some long thought on this subject I have come up with the following theory – that story-wise, the relationship is such because the filmmakers were attempting to solve the age-old “inside joke” concerning people’s knowledge/ignorance of our superhero’s true identity.

MOS-08233C

 

Which Leads Me to the Acting …

In particular, I think that Cavill did a very good job in his portrayal; he was able to convey someone who was both foreign and still in touch with an earthly humanity (a stranger in a strange land).

Bye, bye camp villain – Michael Shannon is so menacing as a screen presence; I found myself equally exhilarated and frightened his portrayal as General Zod.

I do not know what it is about the Lois Lane character, but it seems as equally difficult to cast as Superman himself. You need someone who can hold their own with the Man of Steel as a believably spunky, rebel of a reporter. Amy Adams does not knock it out of the park but hers is such an affable screen presence that I can go with it.

Equal props to Russell Crowe and a sagacious Kevin Costner as Clark’s / Kal’s two dads – very good performances, gentlemen. Heck, solid performances all around. I suspect that in future installments a couple of characters (looking to you Perry White) will be a little more fleshed out.

MAN OF STEEL

 

But I Feel for Those Folks Who Were Less Than Enthusiastic About MoS, Too

I can totally empathize with the detractors and those who were a bit disappointed by the film. I do not think there is any denying that this is a very well made film. But what it boils down to in my opinion, is expectation. As I have chronicled on this blog since the first teasers for this film were released, my anticipation for the film has gone from zero to a moderate level of excitement. Even with that growing eagerness to see the film, my expectations were still managed so that in the end, I think I could be no less that satisfied with what I would eventually see. I know that for many fans of Superman and the overall comic genre, a lot was riding on this film to deliver in a way that some other superhero predecessors have done. As I have learned, the game of expectation comes is high stakes for the moviegoer. Go back almost 12 months to the day to see what I mean.

Another mark against the film that I have heard or read about is that many people were looking for a little more balance in the portrayal of Clark and his alter ego. My response to that is:  Man of Steel is CLEARLY the opening act in a three part story, so there is no need to introduce all aspects of the character(s) just yet. Think of this first installment as Superman 101. In other words, do not fret dear viewer, let’s just wait and see what is to come. On a side note: one does not have to be a complete dork to be a mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper; trust me, it can work.

 

In the End …

I could go on, but I won’t. Let me finish by saying the more I think about Man of Steel, the more I like it and what its creators were setting out to accomplish. It was an ambitious exercise to set about doing – taking a well loved set of characters and altering their universe in a way that may not be to everyone’s liking. Yes, there are pieces of the story and its delivery that work better than others, but in the end I can do nothing but recommend you see this film and judge for yourself.

 

 

Have you seen it? What do you think? Hit the comments section below.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: amy adams, christopher nolan, henry cavill, man of steel, michael shannon, russell crowe, superman, zack snyder

December 12, 2012 By iluvcinema 6 Comments

What Do You Think? (Man of Steel Trailer)

Echoing the words at the end of this trailer for the Christopher Nolan – produced / Zack Snyder directed Man of Steel – what do YOU think?

ILC’s take: Every effort is to make the viewer feel like this is going to be EPIC. My question is does it really have to be so epic? I fully appreciate an earnest treatment of the DC Comic, but the overall sense I get from this (well-made) trailer is that it borders on being too earnest. Of course we do not need to wait too much longer to see the end product – the film is scheduled for released on June 14, 2013.
(On a side note, Cavill does make quite a fetching Kal-El/Superman/Clark Kent).
Share your sentiments about the trailer below.

Filed Under: Coming Soon, Trailer Tagged With: christopher nolan, man of steel, superman, zack snyder

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