christopher nolan

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Chick 1 says:

I think I’m in love…with Christopher Nolan.  Dense plotlines, complex characters, nuanced performances; those are the way to win this girl’s heart!  And Nolan delivers.  At one point I wondered if I were watching the perfect movie.  The answer is no; it’s not the perfect movie.  But it is fricking fantastic!

Not that this love will interfere with my slightly inappropriate crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There was one point during the movie that I wanted to literally lick his face. (Is that too much information?)  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 115 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday!: Deconstruction

Chick 1 says:

I have a friend who is an engineer.  When he was a child, he took apart a telephone just to see how it worked.  That is a great example of what the Deconstruction trope is all about.  We take apart a trope, a character, a genre, or even a series to see what makes it tick.  Or what would happen if we did…this?  

Deconstruction is an idea that is used in many disciplines besides storytelling but the goal is the same; to gain a better understanding of something by disassembling it. One of the most popular types of narrative Deconstruction is to ask what would happen to this trope, character or plot device if the rules of Real Life applied to it.  As Deconstruction often, not always, comes across as darker it can sometimes be interpreted as an attack on whatever is being deconstructed.   But it can give us a better understanding of how things work and an even bigger appreciation for tropes, characters, and stories we already love.  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Tropes 108 Comments

Review: The Prestige

Chick 1 says: theprestige

I saw this when it first came out in 2006, one of two dueling magician movies; the other one being The Illusionist.  It stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as competing magicians themselves in Victorian London and is directed by Christopher Nolan, post-Batman Begins. Saw it again recently so it’s time for a review.

What I Liked:

Christopher Nolan is as Christopher Nolan does.  (Sorry, Forrest)  And this story has all the marks of this great director: non-chronological narrative, story within a story…within a story (wasn’t there a Simpsons episode like that?), and complex themes.  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2000s 1,137 Comments

Review: Inception

Chick 1 says: inception

This has been one of my most anticipated movies of this year (and that includes Iron Man 2).  The first trailer was so intriguing, and considering director Christopher Nolan’s ability to beautifully weave intricate plots with complex themes, when the big marketing push started a few weeks ago, I purposely avoided the new footage so I wouldn’t figure anything out.  I’m glad I did but turns out, it didn’t matter. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 56 Comments

Randomness: Interview with Hans Zimmer

Chick 1 says:hans-zimmer

Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers and I know I’m not alone in that feeling.  He’s an incredibly prolific and varied writer.  From Twister & Driving Miss Daisy to The Lion King & Prince of Egypt to Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean, his work is really amazing.  Gladiator & Pirates are two of my favorites of his and I tend to associate him with big epic scores.  But his work is not as easily identified as John Williams or James Horner (whom I can sometimes identify by a single chord).  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Randomness 821 Comments

I Can’t Wait: Two New Full Fledged Trailers

Chick 1 says:alice2

We’ve finally move from teasers to trailers for two of my most anticipated features of the New Year. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 1,135 Comments

Trailer Trash: Inception & The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Chick 1 say:leonardo_dicaprio

A couple of new fascinating trailers.  Enjoy!

Inception: Leonardo Dicaprio in a Christopher Nolan movie?  Yes please!  Throw in Joseph Gordon-Levitt?!  I may wet myself.  This physics-bending teaser brings to mind The Matrix but I trust director Nolan to be more original than that.  Have a peak. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Trailer Trash 158 Comments