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Well, there will always be backlash. Some people just like being out of step with the critical consensus. Or, if you only sort of like a guy, but constantly hear how great he is, it tends to harden your position against his work (which is similar to how I feel about PT Anderson – I don’t HATE his movies, well except Magnolia, I just don’t think they are all that great, and by arguing against his genius, I come off as more PTA as I probably really am in real life).

This might be my stance on Cameron, but I have long used proof on why Cameron generally sucks. There's no proof that Nolan sucks, that's the problem.

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We don’t give free passes. Except to Kurosawa. You say something bad about him, Freaux will hunt you down and gut you like a fish.

True story

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I just think it’s a natural reaction to being told how great a guy is over and over. I happen to agree that Nolan is brilliant and I voted Memento #1, but I can see how someone could just resent his critical AND commercial success. That’s a tough trick to pull.

See I sort of disagree. If someone resents my love of John Carpenter films, I really can't fault them or tell them they are wrong. Carpenter films (sans the Thing) are often hokey, have crazy weird soundtracks, sometimes abysmal acting, etc. There's plenty of "proof" that Carpenter is just normal, and that my enjoyment of his films comes from somewhere else.

On the other hand, Nolan just doesn't make bad films, as even Insomnia, maybe his weakest, is still good to watch.

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And I absolutely agree that Nolan films can be somewhat cold. He’s comparable to Hitchcock in that regard. He is not an “actor’s director”, which is ironic, given that he coaxed such a performance from Heath Ledger.

Agreed. But like I said, with The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Inception he has crafted a nice style that works with his stories.

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Oh, and completely unrelated – I think it’s funny that the backlash against Metallica really picked up steam with St. Anger, which is an album that sounds closer to Kill Em All than anything they have ever done. Of course their recent stuff isn’t as good, they are no longer 25. Rock n roll, particularly punk and heavy metal, is a young man’s medium. I think their late period stuff is good if graded on the Rolling Stones curve.

I should have said that, although I really dislike Incubus now, I still enjoy Metallica. But there is a sharp distinction from the Black album onwards. That's all I meant. And it coincided with their rise in popularity, which may or may not be the cause.

If Nolan went off and started making romantic comedies with the current "hot" hollywood actors, completely changed his style, and sold out ... then yeah people would have the "Nolan isn't that good" argument.

But Inception was a huge risk. Maybe a bigger risk than something like Avatar, which makes it's success that much better.

This post was edited on 8/9/10 at 11:17 am

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Posted by Beastwood

Baton Rouge

Member since Jun 2009

1302 posts

Posted on 8/9/10 at 11:13 am to Baloo

quote:
I think it’s funny that the backlash against Metallica really picked up steam with St. Anger, which is an album that sounds closer to Kill Em All than anything they have ever done. Of course their recent stuff isn’t as good, they are no longer 25. Rock n roll, particularly punk and heavy metal, is a young man’s medium. I think their late period stuff is good if graded on the Rolling Stones curve.

Yeah, I mean it's pretty obvious their 80s/early 90s stuff > their 00s stuff. But it's still good music. Differently stylistically, but good. shite, St. Anger and Death Magnetic are better than anything Nickelback has ever done. Band of the decade

/hijack

This post was edited on 8/9/10 at 11:15 am

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Posted by TigerMyth36

River Ridge

Member since Nov 2005

39746 posts

Posted on 8/9/10 at 11:22 am to Freauxzen

quote:
But Inception was a huge risk. Maybe a bigger risk than something like Avatar, which makes it's success that much better.

I would call Avatar a bigger risk simply because they spent a Kabillion dollars on a shitty script.

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Posted by Geauxldineye

New Orleans, La

Member since Sep 2005

1345 posts

Posted on 8/9/10 at 11:42 am to Baloo

I love Nolan's work and eagerly anticipate his next offerings. I agree with Baloo and Freaux that with all the talk of Inception and his other films recently, some might be tired of the praise. To each their own I guess. I for one love the way that Nolan makes movies. Yes there is a stark coldness to his productions, but that is part of how he creates his films. He is meticulous, and cerebral in a time where most viewers don't like being engaged or being provoked to analyze in movie on the fly. Nolan, with his last two films has afforded himself the ability to have next to zero interference from studios or producers. How many other filmmakers can say that after 7 or 8 films into their career?
The best filmmakers spark healthy debates, make you analyze and pour over scenes, make you pay to watch the same film a few times in the theater to get the things you missed. For all the criticism about the cold and calculating nature that Nolan has, I find that there tends to be a strong connect between the audience and the characters he gives us. He can create a sense of warmth and attachment to his leads in spite of his supposed cold nature. He also gives us beautiful cinematography throughout all of his films, and some very competent all be it top shelf editing and sequencing in most, if not all of his offerings. I think that with Nolan's track record he has a chance to do things in cinema that most don't. To be able to make the films he wants to make, in the manner he wants to make them.

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Posted by Boobie Miles

Knoxville, TN

Member since Jun 2010

305 posts

Posted on 8/9/10 at 12:58 pm to Geauxldineye

One thing I like about Nolan is that his films do not all feel like the same movie. The tone of most of his films are dark for sure, but I think that you can watch one like Inception and another like the Dark Knight and not feel like you watched the same movie.

I think there are two types of backlash, the Will Ferrell make every movie the same and use the same characters in different situations, or the Metallica example Freux used when someone sells out.

As long as Nolan doesn't make too many Batman sequels and can use original ideas I think he will survive a lot of backlash.

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Posted by iwyLSUiwy

I'm your huckleberry

Member since Apr 2008

34642 posts

Posted on 8/9/10 at 2:27 pm to Freauxzen

quote:
I know you like Inucubus Jersey, but damn, I didn't think anything after Make Yourself was anywhere near comparable to said album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E and the early EP's.

A Crow Left of the Murder was a decent album imo. Granted the whole album didnt kill, but 3-4 songs did.

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