Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)

**Ezee E** · 03-09-2013, 08:12 PM

From directing a Match Cut Best Picture winner to Most Boring Living Director in just a few years.

**Raiders** · 03-09-2013, 08:24 PM

Quoting Ezee E (view post)

directing a Match Cut Best Picture winner

I will not be held accountable for that.

**Watashi** · 03-09-2013, 08:42 PM

I've enjoyed all of Nolan's non-Bat films. I say more thought-provoking sci-fi. Less franchise fan servicing.

**Qrazy** · 03-10-2013, 12:43 AM

At least Nolan won't fuck the ending in the ass as Spielberg would be sure to do.

**megladon8** · 03-10-2013, 03:18 AM

Comparing Christopher Nolan to Kevin Smith?

**Dead & Messed Up** · 03-10-2013, 03:25 AM

There is no opinion so widespread that it cannot be countered with a dismissal treated like a truism.

**EyesWideOpen** · 03-10-2013, 03:33 AM

Quoting Ezee E (view post)

From directing a Match Cut Best Picture winner to Most Boring Living Director in just a few years.

Match Cut is a fickle mistress.

**Izzy Black** · 03-10-2013, 11:47 AM

Quoting Qrazy (view post)

At least Nolan won't fuck the ending in the ass as Spielberg would be sure to do.

Huh? Does Spielberg do this a lot or something?

**Skitch** · 03-10-2013, 11:51 AM

Quoting megladon8 (view post)

Comparing Christopher Nolan to Kevin Smith?

Don't get hooked.

**Dukefrukem** · 03-10-2013, 03:34 PM

Quoting Israfel the Black (view post)

Huh? Does Spielberg do this a lot or something?

AI

**Raiders** · 03-10-2013, 03:38 PM

Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)

AI

Nonsense.

I find the claim of poor endings from Spielberg drastically overstated. I even like the ending to WotW.

**Dukefrukem** · 03-10-2013, 04:11 PM

Ah yes. WotW too. Awful.

I'd also argue Minority Report, Crystal Skull and Jurassic Park all have very sloppy, anti-climactic endings.

**megladon8** · 03-10-2013, 04:12 PM

A.I.'s ending is one of the best things about it.

If there's one ending Spielberg botched it's Lincoln. So tired of Hollywood killing off the main character in a desperate attempt to tug the heartstrings.

**Ezee E** · 03-10-2013, 05:04 PM

Quoting megladon8 (view post)

A.I.'s ending is one of the best things about it.

Eek. No way.

Minority Report even struggles with its ending a little. The Terminal might be his best 2000's ending.

**Qrazy** · 03-10-2013, 05:12 PM

Quoting Israfel the Black (view post)

Huh? Does Spielberg do this a lot or something?

Yes, I would say the majority of his contemporary work.

Schindler's List (Could have done more speech and the rocks on the grave)
Amistad (tear jerking stupidity)
Saving Private Ryan (morph to the old guy's face)
AI (don't mind it conceptually but structurally the pacing is off)
Minority Report (neat little ribbon of a happy ending on a film that doesn't flow in that direction, don't buy that it was a dream sequence)
The Terminal (the ending is so, so awful)
War of the Worlds (for starters don't have the son run off towards mass slaughter and then secondly don't have him return at the end)
Tintin (over the top, ridiculous set piece)
Lincoln (overstays it's welcome)

For the record I like most of these films to varying degrees (The Terminal aside), but they all lose points with me for their endings.

**Qrazy** · 03-10-2013, 05:13 PM

Quoting Ezee E (view post)

Eek. No way.

The Terminal might be his best 2000's ending.

[

Show Spoiler

]

**Ezee E** · 03-10-2013, 05:22 PM

Quoting Qrazy (view post)

[

Show Spoiler

]

Oh shit. Fair enough there. I was thinking the concept of getting to the jazz bar. But yeah...

**max314** · 03-10-2013, 06:48 PM

With Nolan's penchant for shooting damn near everything in medium close-ups, and his idea of imaginative production design peaking with a backdrop of tall buildings, I wonder if Nolan's the guy best placed to direct something that prima facie appears to require a deft visual storyteller at the helm.

Don't get me wrong — Nolan's a fantastic literary director, perfectly poised for heart-pumping, pulpy, twisty thrillers. But "interstellar voyage to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding"? Only if Nolan pulls his socks up in the visual storytelling department. Like, to his ears.

**megladon8** · 03-10-2013, 07:20 PM

I feel like the Nolan movies I've seen are not the same ones you guys have.

**Izzy Black** · 03-10-2013, 07:38 PM

Quoting Qrazy (view post)

Yes, I would say the majority of his contemporary work.

Schindler's List (Could have done more speech and the rocks on the grave)
Amistad (tear jerking stupidity)
Saving Private Ryan (morph to the old guy's face)
AI (don't mind it conceptually but structurally the pacing is off)
Minority Report (neat little ribbon of a happy ending on a film that doesn't flow in that direction, don't buy that it was a dream sequence)
The Terminal (the ending is so, so awful)
War of the Worlds (for starters don't have the son run off towards mass slaughter and then secondly don't have him return at the end)
Tintin (over the top, ridiculous set piece)
Lincoln (overstays it's welcome)

For the record I like most of these films to varying degrees (The Terminal aside), but they all lose points with me for their endings.

I won't deny that some of the endings here are bad, but the idea of Spielberg actually ruining an ending implies that the movie was good up until that point, or that the ending somehow hurt the overall quality of the film. Minority Report was, in my view, bad before the ending. I also thought War of the Worlds, Amistad, and The Terminal were pretty weak quite apart from their endings.

Lincoln, on the other hand, is a nice film, and I thought the ending was fitting and appropriate for its style. Schindler's List is great front to back for me. AI is also great front to back. Munich and Catch Me If You Can are some other nice films where I thought the endings were fine.

It's also worth pointing out that his earlier work contains some great cinematic endings by my lights.

I haven't seen Tintin or Warhorse so I can't comment on those.

**Izzy Black** · 03-10-2013, 07:40 PM

Quoting max314 (view post)

With Nolan's penchant for shooting damn near everything in medium close-ups, and his idea of imaginative production design peaking with a backdrop of tall buildings, I wonder if Nolan's the guy best placed to direct something that prima facie appears to require a deft visual storyteller at the helm.

Don't get me wrong — Nolan's a fantastic literary director, perfectly poised for heart-pumping, pulpy, twisty thrillers. But "interstellar voyage to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding"? Only if Nolan pulls his socks up in the visual storytelling department. Like, to his ears.

Agreed.

**Watashi** · 03-10-2013, 07:50 PM

I can't understand enjoying Lincoln over Minority Report or War of the Worlds.

**Izzy Black** · 03-10-2013, 09:19 PM

It shouldn't be hard seeing how they are very different types of movies.

WoTW is pretty ridiculous to me all across the board. It's so implausible and silly, not to mention shallow in its 9/11 allusions. And if there's any place to complain about a bad Spielberg ending, here's a great one.

I'm a Dick fan, but I think MR had a lot of missed opportunities and I really hated the bleach-bypass.

**Irish** · 03-10-2013, 11:20 PM

Oh. A Spielberg conversation in a Nolan thread. How did this happen?

How did you guys consciously choose to talk about the two dullest moviemakers working in the industry today?

For what it's worth -- and it's probably not worth much, coming from me -- but everything Qrazy and Israfel have said is 100% spot on. (Hehe. Never thought I'd say that.)

**Watashi** · 03-10-2013, 11:26 PM

Quoting Irish (view post)

How did you guys consciously choose to talk about the two dullest moviemakers working in the industry today?

But we aren't talking about David O. Russell...

Thread: Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)

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