1986 - Inception

It would appear that I'm on a Christopher Nolan kick at the current moment.  This is another film that plays with a lot of slight of hand - which is something that Nolan does in a lot of his films.  The imagination inside of this film is super exciting - dreamscapes are a fun playground to be within, and this one is done on a epic proportion.  It's got a super strong cast that are having fun playing within this playground.  Few films have set pieces on this scale, but the best part is that they aren't just mindless action, but they all contribute to a really complex and unique narrative.  This is easily one of the more heady thrillers ever made and just another in a line of proof that Christopher Nolan is one of our most exciting filmmakers - whether he's dealing with an original concept of his own or adapting someone elses - he knows how to keep an audience excited.  If you haven't seen this, dig in!

1985 - The Prestige

My son has become quite interested in magic, and we were watching some David Blaine stuff on the weekend and it made me desperate to re-watch this.  I love the idea of magicians - part con-arts, part showman - it's a very exciting and thrilling thing.  This film features a fantastic cast set amongst this tragic story of greed and pride.  I love the way that Nolan weaves the story in and around - he's playing a beautiful magic trick on you of his own.
If you like films that make you think and keep you guessing, this is easily one of the best.  Top notch entertainment with a lot more going on beneath the surface.  A must see :)

1755 - The Dark Knight

I'm in the midst of putting together the final pieces of my geek-office and so I thought I'd throw this on in the background while I worked.  This is not a background kind of film.  It's the kind of film that just absolutely consumes you and draws you in, in no small part to the man in the photo above.  There isn't much here that I can say about Heath's performance in this film that hasn't been said already.  It's truly magnificent and it's the large reason why this film is the strongest of the Nolan-Batman trilogy. 
The plotting of the story in this one is quite masterful.  The theme of chaos and order, what's fair and what just happens because the world can be a shitty place.  It doesn't feel like the stuff of comic books so much as it feels like the stuff of real life.
I can't wait till one day down the line when I can sit down and marathon this entire trilogy.  Probably won't be until my kid(s) are old enough to watch. 
If you haven't seen it, it's your loss.  Not only is it one of the best comic book films of all time - it's just a great goddamn movie as well.

1754 - The Dark Knight Rises

I'm on this a few days late (was shooting this weekend!).  I think I expected that the world, in general, was bound to be disappointed by this film in some way.  The love for The Dark Knight was so wonderfully grand that to surmount it would be near impossible.  And so, honestly, it's almost unfair to even try and compare the two.  But then you get guys like Harry Knowles rip it to shreds because he doesn't believe that the film got what Batman was all about.  Well godforbid that someone decides to shake things up in a decades old character…
I have to say that it's a feat in and of itself to make a nearly-three-hour film feel like it moved along at a non-stop pace.  I never found myself bored or lacking enjoyment.  I was glued and enjoying it the entire time.  Bale has never really been the reason for me to enjoy this series - nothing against him by any means, he's just not one of those actors that really does anything for me one way or another (although I quite like him in The Prestige).  Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt all shine like the top of the Christler building here and give us characters and story to care about.  Given how complicated the plot is I was impressed that each of the characters had a pretty decent arc.  One thing that was quite interesting was hot little 'Batman' there actually was.  I'm not going to get into specifics at all here because the film has just come out and I want you to enjoy it yourselves.  I will say that it's a very satisfying conclusion to a pretty damn fine trilogy.  Nolan has done what may in time be considered his masterwork, and if it is, there's no shame in it whatsoever.  I look forward to a time where I can sit back and marathon the entire series.

1458 - Following

This film has been sitting on my shelf for, literally, years. That's part of the problem with being a movie geek - you amass an ass load of films and there is always a certain percentage that you haven't seen. I'm doing my best to get through that percentage :)
This film centers around a guy who "wants to be a writer". He has a habit of following people around just for kicks - as an excuse to study human behavior - until one day when he's caught following someone and leads down a criminal path that he did not expect.
It's amazing to see how far Christopher Nolan has come in a little over a decade (somewhere in the middle of the film there is a door with the Bat signal on it. Foreshadowing anyone?). This is an impressive film to begin with, but when you consider the budget it really is a well made film and as much as anything it's the writing that makes it special. "Take someone away from someone and they'll realize what they've got". Having been broken into, I can understand Nolan's fascination with this story idea.
Like most of Nolan's films this one has the kind of ending that makes you want to re-watch and reexamine the film you just saw - which is a big plus I think for it. It's a bit late and I'm a bit tired so a reviewing at some point would be a grand idea.
A nice little film, made for next to nothing, that properly announces an important filmmaker to the masses. Thank goodness they listened!

1380 - Inception

This is the kind of film that makes you remember what it was like to watch films as a kid, where anything was possible and the world was a magical place. We've gotten to a place in cinema where, if you can think it, you can make it happen. And Nolan is one of the great minds of cinema. Lesser filmmakers would have made this film to do "cool shit" in the dream sequences, but in this film anytime Nolan does something like that there's always a reason that's motivated by story, character, or emotion. And damnit does it ever work.

For a film with as many complex layers as this, I found it quite easy to following and entertaining as well. The nerd in me liked the science and the idea, the filmmaker in me loved the execution, and the romantic in me was connected to the characters and their struggle.

I don't want to say any more in fear of ruining anything. But this, this is a fantastic film and you owe it to yourself to see it - in the theatre if you can.

1095 - The Dark Knight

It's been a long time since I saw a film twice in the theaters, but this one is worth it. It really is a great film, and is even better on the second viewing, even when you know all the turns it's going to take, it's still a great ride. There are a lot of elements working for this film, but the key is the Joker, and he's perfect. From how he almost appears out of thin air to 'cause chaos, and does he ever. The beauty of this film is how as each side tries to keep a step ahead they each keep under or over estimating the other. Scene by scene, beat by beat, this film is a near masterpiece. Give it a couple of years and we'll see how it stands up. But as far as I'm concerned this is probably one of, if not the movie of the year.

1083 - The Dark Knight

The hype machine for this film was absolutely incredible. Over the whole thing is the air of melancholy with Heath's death, but it almost works for it, which I'm sure the Warner Bros brass are happy with. And just as a warning THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS POST. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN FREEWILL!!!

I like Nolan's world for Batman. I think it's great and real and gritty, and I do worry that you can only take it so far before you run out of villains that you can realistically bring into this world. Was Heath great? He sure was. But no better than Aaron Eckhardt, who I'm sure won't get the praise that Ledger does, and understandably so. The most ironic part is that the character that survives won't be available for the sequel unless they recast, in which case, all the best luck to the fanboy hates to whatever unlucky soles steps into those big feet. There's this beautiful moment at the end of this film where Joker pontificates on why neither he or Batman can or will kill the other. He blames Batman's moral code for the reason he can't kill the Joker, and the Joker simply just tells him that he's too much fun, and that "We'll probably do this for forever." A sad sad moment that pulls you back to reality.

There was a great improvement in this film on dialogue and some wonderfully surprising story beats. Love that they killed the damsel in distress, but honestly, I never had a problem with the Katie Holmes casting, and I'll admit that the moment would have been that much more emotional if it was a character I'd seen over two films. The re-casting kills it a bit, and no fault to Maggie - I love her dearly, perhaps she's just a better actress than they needed.

Was it fun? Yeah! Did it give me everything I wanted. Sure! Perhaps more. It was a long film, feeling probably longer than it did. Can't complain that there wasn't enough Joker, just a bit sad that his counter-part can't make it around for the next installment.

Great ending, can't wait to see where they take it.

1082 - Batman Begins

Watched this to gear up for the newest installment "The Dark Knight". Emily (the wife) hasn't seen it so I tried to make her watch it, but she fell asleep. It's not surprising. The film is a tad slow considering that it's a superhero film. But then again part of it's charm is the epic treatment that it's been given. The only problem with that is that the epic scope doesn't match a lot of the cheesy dialogue that comes and goes with the picture, never quite fitting. Great origin story, I remember being really blown away after the first viewing -- this one, not so much. Still liked it, and still made me jazzed for the next one.