Everyone has their director they love.

Some love Burton, Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, Tarantino,

Luhrmann. Whether you like them or not, they have all impacted cinema today, and continue to
make impacts. Burton dominates teen and dark culture, and loves him a good remake. Spielberg
tries to be a family-like-socially-aware-shnook (i dont like him that much but he is good). The
Coens hold the high esteemed drama movies. Luhrmann has his new art films that always do
something new. Tarantino has own crazy action style (Tarantino rocks, on the other hand).
Yet none of them, not a single one, can say they have the impact on movies today than Christopher
Nolan, which is awful, and a blessing at the same time.


\
Ok, look at the posters for the movies above. There is this interesting thing about Batman culturally.
Basically, whoever holds the Batman franchise, holds the pop culture wand for the rest of their
career. Adam West somehow is still culturally relevant, he held the wand in the 60s. In the 70s and
80s, Frank Miller held the wand with his books. His name is still powerful in writing today. Burton
held it, and even though he has made about 3 good films in 1997, he is STILL culturally relevant.
The only one who never totally handled the wand well, was Joel Schumacher. He made the late 90s
Batman. YET HE still is relevant, as he directs episodes of House of Cards (fucking real.)
Now, back to the posters. They have some similarities, sure, but basically Nolan made it darker,
didnt he? He just made it a dark franchise, which was something Batman had been before, and had
been for years. But when he made it darker, things changed.
The reason this worked is because of the times he made the movie in. In 2005, there was a lot of
shit going on. Iraq War, 9/11 aftermath, Katrina, BUSH. Social anxiety was huge, and Batman being
dark was like a symbol for the people. The villian who was the Scarecrow, spread fear, and anxiety,
quite literally. Sounds like the Bush administration? Or Al Queda.? Perhaps. Hollywood is beginning
to be Nolanfied.


We all saw this movie, it destroyed box offices and DVD sales. Is the movie really really good?
Absolutely. But it has simply destroyed movies since, because every movie wants to be THIS movie,
especially in the genre. Hold on that.
The Joker is the only villian in any franchise I can think of that gets booked ahead of the hero. You
never see James Bond taking a backseat to Blowfeld. Harry will never take a backseat to He-Who-
Must-Not-Be-Named. So this was the perfect villain for Nolan to Nolanfy. So why did this movie
epitomize Nolan. What does epitomize a Nolan movie, here is the equation.
To get the payoff Nolan wants, he makes all characters motives vague. And what a better character
to have with vague motives than the Joker?
All characters can ONLY speak in exposition. Move the plot forward? How dare you, move the plot
backward, and when you move it backward, you move it forward (he thinks).
There has to be explosions, and when the explostion occurs, no one sees it. Because Baddass.
There has to be an entirely contrived (or solid) way to get pyschology in the movie, and when the
pyschology is there, we have to ignore it, until the ABSOLUTE last second.
They have to be dark, even in times of brightness.
Anyway, this movie had all of those things. From that, Nolan made Superman (kinda), Inception, and
the new Batman. All those movies feature what happened in Dark Knight. And Hollywood loved it.
Now, news movies try to be like Nolan. Look at Avengers, the new Iron Man 3, Noah. They have this
strange gritty feel that isnt completely needed. They want to be Nolanfied. Factor in the Batman
wand, and Nolan rules the Earth.
I could go on for longer, but i am losing my own thoughts because I have so much to say, but want
to cut it down and I am getting lost. My point is, Nolan and his image of movies are what defines
modern cinema. He does great things, but now those things are cliche because he is so copied.
Nolan holds the director belt. Except for James Cameron FUCK, okay, next time I talk about
James Cameron.
(Also, ever seen The Prestige? Check it out, its amazing. He directed it, its his best movie, no one
ever saw).