Top 5 Chris Nolan films to die for.

With his mind bending non linear narratives, brilliant imagery and extraordinary storytelling, Christopher Nolan is one of the most visionary and influential directors of the 21st century. His films are a genre in themselves, "The Nolan genre" and are captivating and exciting. With his obsession of shooting on IMAX film stock for the greatest picture quality and his non linear and complex story telling abilities, Nolan has won the hearts of millions of movie goers around the world. Going away from the traditional way of narrative films, Nolan found his own voice in the complex world of science and suspense. Starting with his 1997, 2 minute fantasy short Doodlebug, Nolan has till date created 10 feature films in his career with the 11th (TENET) on it's way.

Must Watch :

Doodlebug (1997) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy0geiP6csY

Out of his 10 features yet, these are the 5 films that one must watch in his/her lifetime. Starting off with the first, we have :

• The Prestige (2006) : This 2006 thriller is one of the best works of Nolan till date. With amazing production design, cinematography and casting, this film is a true gem of Nolan's career. This film received two Academy awards, one for best Production design and one for Best cinematography in the year 2007.

Synopsis : Two fellow magicians, after a certain tragedy battle for greatness. This rivalry brings them fame but with terrible consequences.

Cast : Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale , Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine

Also Watch :

The Prestige trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijXruSzfGEc

Rating : 4.5/5

• The Dark Knight (2008) : "Why so serious?" , this line quoted by one of the greatest antagonists of all time, The Joker played by Heath Ledger(R.I.P) is a milestone in Nolan's career. Nolan's approach to make a superhero movie into a cinematic masterpiece is a success. With beautiful dialogues and character dynamics between the protagonist and antagonist, Nolan created a new benchmark in the world of cinema. The mind numbing performance by the late Heath Ledger made this film a cult classic and got him the Academy Award for Best Supporting actor. This was the first time, an antagonist won an Academy Award.

Synopsis : After the rise of criminal activities in the city of Gotham, Dent and Gordon start an assault on the mob crime rings. This is when the mob hires a psychopathic anarchist The Joker, who wants to bring all the heroes down to his level.

Cast : Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Garry Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy

Also Watch :

The Dark Knight Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXeTwQWrcwY

Rating : 4.6/5

• Inception (2010) : If you think Interstellar blown your mind away, then brace yourself for the ultimate Chris Nolan mind f***. With the amazing concept and imagery, Nolan takes the audience on a roller coaster ride. Trust me, you'll blown away with this film. Just one question remains, What just happened? Well, it is a film of it's own kind. This film blew Nolan up into the directorial charts and gave him eternal fame. With it's insane and complexity, Inception bagged 3 Academy Awards (Best cinematography, Best VFX and Best sound mixing) in the year 2011.

Synopsis : Cobb (DiCaprio) steals information by entering the dreams of his targets. He is wanted for his alleged role in his wife's murder and his only chance of redemption is to perform the impossible, an inception.

Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Also Watch :

Inception trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoHD9XEInc0

Rating : 4.4/5

• Interstellar (2014) : You knew this was on the list. This Nolan film, screws with your mind and touches the heart at the same time. With an exceptional concept, Interstellar is the first film that is based on the Theory of Relativity proposed by Albert Einstein. Well, that's not it. Is it? This film is way deeper than just a Sci-Fi marvel. This is a story of love. A feeling that us humans can't comprehend. A story of a father and his love for his daughter. With it's heavenly imagery (quite literally), astounding music and mind bending scientific concepts, Interstellar is a true marvel of Nolan. It bagged the Academy Award for Best VFX in the year 2015.

Synopsis : When frequent dust storms and infertility is rendering Earth inhabitable, Professor Brand (Michael Caine) is devising plans to save the human race. For that he has to send a team of astronauts lead by former NASA pilot, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to find a world habitable for the flourishing of the human race.

Cast : Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Timothee Chalamet, Mackenzie Foy, Casey Affleck

Also Watch :

Interstellar Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWdZVtXT7E

Rating : 4.5/5

• Memento (2000) : You must be thinking, why is this out of the sequence? Well, let's say I'm inspired by Nolan. What will happen if your story starts at the end and you watch a movie backwards? If you're into this idea, this is the film for you. This is not the first film that uses reverse chronology, but it was my first. It's written beautifully and even though you know what happens what happens in the end, you don't know where it all started. Strange isn't it?

Synopsis : Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator, suffers from anterograde amnesia and uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife, which is the last thing he remembers.

Cast : Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Jr., Stephen Tobolowsky

Also Watch :

Memento trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0

Narrative progression analysis of Memento : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYScJZWhaHA

Rating : 4.2/5

To be honest, all the films Nolan has made are incredible. His 11th feature TENET is releasing worldwide on 17th July 2020. It has something crazy going on in it too. As always, Chris Nolan always delivers with his extraordinary storytelling, beautiful images and music (THANK YOU HANS ZIMMER) in his films. He is a visionary that world needs and deserves.

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FUN FACT : The interrogation scene in The Dark Knight is Nolan's favorite in the film. In this scene, Heath Ledger insisted Bale to beat him up in real, to provide realism to the scene. So, every hit and thump you see in the scene is real.

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- Siddharth Padhee

Everything-Film

04-06-2020