So let's get started, and what better way to kick off a movie blog page than with an analysis of my great respect for two directors from the U.K....wait, what? Yep, my first order of business is to dole out my carefully calculated man-love for both Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright.
If anyone has no idea who I'm talking about, at least one of those names should ring a bell.
Christopher Nolan is the highly-acclaimed director of the two Batman reboots, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Before taking on the caped crusader, Nolan had already established himself in the psychological thriller realm with 2001's Memento and 2006's The Prestige. I'd imagine that, given the heart attack-inducing popularity of Dark Knight, enough people have IMDB'd the flick and at least accidentally stumbled across his name.
As far as Edgar Wright is concerned, if you don't know who he is, you likely know his movies. He's helmed the cult hit Shaun of the Dead, as well arguably 2007's best comedy, Hot Fuzz. If you're a male between the ages of 16 and 25 (oh shit! I just dropped a demographic on yo ass!), or you spend any considerable amount of time watching Comedy Central, you've likely seen Shaun of the Dead.
Let's start with Señor Wright, because I'm sure everyone (including yours truly) has read about everything related to the BadDude ad nauseam anyway. So why this praising of Edgar Wright? Why am I posting about him in the same vein as an Oscar nominee? I offer you the simplest of answers: the dude knows his shit. What I mean by that is slightly more than "he's a good director," for me, knowing your shit means that you are conscious of your influences, and also that you make it an effort to create a true experience for the viewer. For the purposes of this analysis, let's consider Shaun and Hot Fuzz. The former is a comedy homage (don't call it a spoof) of classic zombie movies, most notably those of George A. Romero. I'm not going to spend time nitpicking, but just head over to imdb.com and look at how many references to other zombie movies are stockpiled in this movie. These references are of a different breed than most. All too often, comedic movies make references to material in the form of a sophomoric blending of pop culture references slapped onto a background similar to a recent movie (sorry, Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, etc.). What Wright does, however, is pick a genre of film that he has great respect and admiration for, and actually CRAFT A COHERENT PLOTLINE that fits into the vein of the films he's calling out to. Shaun and HF have their own unique stories, stories that aren't simply derivative of the rest of the genre. As a contrast, Meet The Spartans is nothing more than another vehicle for more fart jokes and Britney gags.
Now, I'm definitely not the first person to point this stuff out about Edgar Wright, but it seems to me that a lot of people are glossing over the fact that the dude can fucking direct! Whether it be his use of intense quick cuts of uninteresting action (I never thought I'd declare that a sequence in which a drunk man takes a piss in the toilet as "cool" but Mr. Wright, you make me do strange things), or the fact that he really understands dynamic camera movement and angles, the guy has done his homework, and crafted a style that simultaneously does something new while calling upon the best of his predecessors. One of the best parts about his style is the way he transitions between scenes, along with the way he makes a lot of his cuts. He's got a real handle on the use of whip pans and crash zooms, and whenever he makes some tricky transition, it never seems like he's just doing it because it looks cool. One example: check out Hot Fuzz, and more specifically the end of the scene where Sgt. Angel gets the boot from the London Bobbys. Aside from the great arrangement of that scene, pay attention to how he transitions from that scene to the crime investigation. Yes, it's just a flash bulb transition, but he adds extra flair to it by setting up Angel in a portrait-esque frame, then flashing to a tight shot of someone taking a photo at the crime scene. Yeah, I know that's subtle, but I'm a fucking dork, if you haven't noticed by now. Little stuff like that is what can make or break a movie, it's all about having the audience feel absorbed, and Mr. Wright, you've got that down.
Okay, on to Christopher Nolan. This will probably be a bit more brief (you're welcome), but I just wanted to point out some stuff. First of all, he's an unbelievable writer. Anyone who's at all interested in screenwriting should take the time to analyze one of his scripts. He's one of those filmmakers that makes a flick that you watch multiple times not just because you're entertained, but because you know there's some shit you missed on the first go-round that warrants a second look. Remember the first time you saw Fight Club? And you thought about popping that DVD right back in, hitting play, and seeing how early on it was made clear that (spoiler! Shield your eyes if you've lived under a rock for the past 10 years!) Tyler Durden was just an alter ego? Yeah, he makes flicks like that. If you haven't seen Memento, and I mean this in all seriousness, it is imperative that you either rent, buy, or pirate(well, maybe not pirate) the shit out of that movie right now!
As a director and as a writer, Nolan inserts little nuggets of foreshadowing into his films with such precision that he can manage to turn a superhero movie into a psychological thriller. The most recent example that comes to mind is the recent buzz over the next villain in the Batman saga. Nolan's made such a reputation for himself as a cerebral and intricate filmmaker that he's got people analyzing each and every scene, hoping to pull out the one subtle hint at the next baddie for the franchise. I seriously would not be surprised if I were to overhear someone speculating that the next villain in the series was going to be Iron Man (yes, Iron Man) because the new Batsuit in this film has an iron-reinforced bi-weave. Christopher Nolan's that good: he's now got the world convinced that in each scene, he's fucking with you. My hat's off to you, Mr. Nolan, because as of now, I'm convinced that the next villain is going to be the Black Mask, because why else would a random bank manager in the first scene A) be played by William Fichtner of Prison Break, who commands the screen too much for a 5 minute role, and B) exclaim something along the lines of "do you know who you're stealing from?" and not being killed by the joker? That's just me though, congrats Christopher Nolan, you're officially in my head.
Phew, that was a monster of a post. Thank you to anyone who sat through all that rambling. Hopefully you'll come back for more
-Jog on!
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