In Nolan We Hopefully Trust Again: "Interstellar" Teaser Trailer

It feels like the time when Christopher Nolan was not a source of geek contention is further into the past than it probably is in actuality. Even the months before The Dark Knight Rises were belligerent as geeks engaged in a suddenly more vocal debate between those who deemed the gritty realism of the Dark Knight Trilogy to be either appropriate for the source material or detrimental to the superhero genre. 

Following the divisive response to The Dark Knight Rises, that at the very least was underwhelming compared to the films predecessor, Christopher Nolan became an increasingly contentious figure. Supporting Nolan, even  while admitting any shortcomings, meant one was a delusional and biased fanboy. Conversely, criticizing Nolan was met with vile and even violent reactions. Such was and arguably still is the atmosphere around the internet whenever Nolan's name is brought up.

I do not feel a need to defend or explain myself when it comes to my adoration of Christopher Nolan, but to set the record straight: I absolutely adore The Dark Knight, I love Inception in spite of my criticisms towards the first act of the film, and I find The Dark Knight Rises to be highly entertaining despite unfortunately being Nolan's weakest film. (albeit for reasons no worse than most common blockbusters *goughTheAvengerscough*).

Whatever kind of Nolan fan that makes me, even I was beginning to criticize the filmmaker and found myself yearning for the enthusiasm I once had for him to return. While Man of Steel was a box office success, it was hardly the juggernaut Warner Bros. had been hyping it up to be to say nothing of the mixed-at-best critical reception. Assigning blame between Snyder, Nolan and Goyer for the underwhelming response towards the film seems to remain a unresolved issue among nerds (I personally feel all three individuals were the wrong choice considering the source material). For some time I have been waiting for a new Christopher Nolan film to reinvigorate my support for the director. If the teaser for the 2014 film titled Interstellar is to be believed, I may just get my wish granted.

The Best of 2012 Films

Better late than never? Here are my picks for the best in film of 2012!

Retro DVD/Blu-Ray Update Week #30

DVD Update #28 "Legacy"
Date Posted: November 22, 2011
Summary: New DVD & Blu-Ray Collection Update. Check out my DVD & Blu-Ray collection update featuring the Jurassic Park Limited Edition Blu-Ray Trilogy Box Set. Mini Review included.

Steven Spielberg and Robopocalypse: The Film Apocalypse?

After delivering War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin to audiences in 2011, Steven Spielberg will tackle the best-selling book “Team of Rivals” and bring the story of President Abraham Lincoln and the road to the end of the Civil War to the sliver screen.  Looking to projects beyond the film titled Lincoln, Spielberg briefly discussed his follow up film titled Robopocalypse, based on the New York Times best selling science fiction book by Daniel H. Wilson of the same name, with Time Out.
                                                          

Spielberg offers some hints about what audiences can expect from the film, from the obvious premise of a global war between man and machine, and compares the upcoming film to another science fiction film directed by Spielberg himself-Minority Report. Now as a huge Spielberg fan who considers Minority Report to one his best films and an underrated one amongst cinema in general, I can’t help but be intrigued by the film despite the novel on which it’s based having strongly divided reviews and the title being admittedly ridiculous. However this comment from Spielberg himself on the films plot and themes stood out amongst everything else he had to say on the project:

“It’s about the consequences of creating technologies which make our lives easier, and what happens when that technology becomes smarter than we are. It’s not the newest theme, it’s been done throughout science fiction, but it’s a theme that becomes more relevant every year.”

What really caught my attention with his comments wasn’t the films premise, which was to be expected given the nature of the source material, but his input on exploring a theme that has been tackled numerous times in film before. Nowadays there are too many pretentious film goers who stick their noses up at any mainstream film-unless it was produced for less than one million dollars and distributed only into a number of theaters that you can count on both hands-for using a story, theme, style or even one single type of sequence that has been used before…ironically while losing their minds over films such as The Tree of Life for reminding them of the works of Stanley Kubrick.

Superhero films are the biggest victims of this over simplified method of judging films these days, however in the eyes of the “intelligent film goer” any film that doesn’t completely turn the conventions of film making on their head, or at the very least draw inspiration from the least common styles of film making, isn’t worthy of being referred to as “cinema”.  

The comments by Spielberg about Robopocalypse’s theme and how it’s not exactly the most fresh of ideas out there helped me fuel more arguments against these sort of “film fans”. Now this isn’t me fanboying over Spielberg or making it seem as though he’s come across some ingenious, undiscovered argument in favour of mainstream film. This also isn’t a premature review of the film stating its brilliance. Given the fact that the project hasn’t even gone into production yet, I’m well aware that the film could be a disaster. It’s simply an observation I’ve made about his statement that helped me realize a point I hadn’t considered all the much before.

The idea that plots and themes would be reused isn’t anything new considering many classic tales have been passed on through generations for ages. However the notion that they can continue to grow more relevant as humanity continues to grow and, in some cases, fails to heed the warnings of these stories is something to consider when criticizing a film for failing to completely reinvent the wheel.  For example, given the nature of our history, could themes of man’s evil towards his fellow man not be one that can only continue to evolve and have new examples with which to explore these ideas? It’s an interesting notion that not only does time warrant the reuse of familiar ideas, but it can also make them ever more significant and offer new methods in which to express these ideas. This to any sane person is a stronger way to judge films: How something is explored, not solely what is being explored.

Source: Time Out                                   

Top 10 Best Steven Spielberg Films

For decades Steven Spielberg has given audiences unforgettable cinematic experiences, making him one of the greatest filmmakers in history in the eyes of many. He has terrified and entertained us with films such as Jaws, E.T The Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. He's forced audiences to reflect on our history and witness true human drama with films such as The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and War Horse. Even with some massive missteps along his career, more often than not Spielberg has managed to deliver some of the best film and movie magic has to offer while stunning us, forcing us to think, and touching our hearts.

Do classics and masterpieces such as Raider's of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, or Saving Private Ryan make this list? What about recent films such as The Adventure of Tintin or Munich? Perhaps some underrated films such as Minority Report or Catch Me If You Can make the cut? Could some overlooked/unpopular films such as The Sugarland Express, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Terminal and War of the Worlds miraculously appear on the list?

Find out here!