Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Christopher Nolan - Will This Director Finally Be Invited to Join the Club?

Christopher Nolan has one very well deserved Oscar nomination. But it's not for directing, it's for his screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan for his 2000 film Memento.

I really believe that Christopher Nolan is one of the most incredible directors out there, and if I know he's the director I know I'm interested, for the combination of style, tone, and excellence in film making. Yet, despite these personal sentiments, Nolan's trophy case is relatively empty. Nolan has yet to receive an Oscar nomination for his directing, nor has any of his films received Oscar nods for best picture.

Nolan's wide-release filmography is limited to this decade but includes:
  • The Prestige (2 Oscar nods: cinematography and art direction)
  • Batman Begins (1 Oscar nod: Cinematography)
  • Insomnia
  • Memento (2 Oscar nods: Best Screenplay, best editing)

Interestingly enough every one of these films, including The Dark Knight (with the exception of Insomnia) is in IMDB.com's top 100 films according to user ratings. The Dark Knight is currently #4 of all time, Memento is #27 of all time, Batman Begins is #97, the Prestige is #81. Can any other director claim this success?

Will Christopher Nolan be invited to join the club in 2008 with The Dark Knight?

Honestly, earlier in the year I would have had a hard time seeing this. In fact, it really seemed like it would just be one big fan boy extravaganza, but with it's incredible box office and significant critical support, it seems like Nolan might have an excellent chance to join the club.

It seems like a Heath Ledger nod is one of the few locks we can expect in 2008. And Nolan pictures as seen above can pick up a technical nomination here and there, and all of that could provide the necessary momentum needed to push The Dark Knight under the best picture spotlight. And if The Dark Knight got in, Nolan certainly would to.

It'd be a unique nod for a superhero genre pic, but Nolan elevates a genre that continues to bring us some of the most entertaining films in recent summers.

It's still a little early to tell what films will get the buzz and what films buzz will "pop" but of movies that have already been widely released, one things for sure...people have embraced the work Nolan has done in The Dark Knight, and with that, he might be invited to join the club.

Other potential "finally" invited directors:
-
Edward Zwick
- David Fincher
- Darren Aronofsky

3 comments:

Loren Eaton said...

The Prestige was one of those rare instances where the film eclipsed the book.

crackers and cheese said...

Hmm, not sure if Dark Knight will get a best picture or direction nomination, but I suppose it's a possibility. Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors. I love his work, and Memento is certainly one of my top 10 films of all time.

elgringo said...

Somehow I see the academy skipping over the superhero movie like they always do. Perhaps Ledger will get the Oscar but Nolan's gonna have to do something else to get one for himself.