Round 14

[MK Shrimper]

Round 14 brings us Christopher Nolan (Seany T) taking on Wes Craven (Napster).

Evidence please people!

 

[seany t]

Ok, my choice. Here is the spiel..

LONG VERSION

Nolan first came to the public's attention when he released a superb indie movie called 'Memento'. It's all about a guy with a real condition caused by shock, where you memory is fragged and essentially resets itself every 10 minutes. His condition was caused by seeing his wife killed, and our main character is trying to retrace his steps and find out who did it. Filmed in reverse, the film is unrelentingly inventive and plays with time and our preconceptions. As his blackouts increase, can he be sure he's hunting the right person, or indeed that he even ever had a wife?

After that, he did a great remake called 'Insomnia' of a European film, featuring a Robin Williams portrayal that'll be unrecognisable for fans of his comedy, alongside a taut Al Pacino. But he struck big when he reinvented the Batman franchise, turning one of the world's biggest cash-cows into the adult, gritty drama every comic book fan knew it could be. 'Begins' was amazing, setting the scene and doing most of the hard work tone wise, but 'The Dark Knight' was on another level. Comparable to Hollywood noir epics of the 70's, it gave us 3 or 4 superbly realised main characters, several stunning IMAX chase sequences and a return to the summer blockbuster being both entertaining and pioneering.

He also did a great little film called 'The Prestige', about two warring magicians, and the trailer / script reviews for his new effort suggests that he's unwilling to take the easy path: http://screencrave.com/2009-08-24/christopher-nolans-inception-teaser-trailer/

So then, Nolan; worthy of your vote

SHORT VERSION

 

[Napster]

Wes is the master of the modern horror. He brought us Last House on the Left, banned for many years for being too realistic (with Sean Cunningham), he brought us Shocker (starring Mitch Pileggi), he brought us The Hills Have Eyes, a film about Colchester.

He then went further and created one of the best franchises around- the Freddy Krueger franchise, although he only directed 2, the second of which, New Nightmare, touched against the fourth wall.

He then delivered with Scream, a postmodern, funny, clever twist on the horror movie.

But he's not just good at horror - he also did a musical film, Music of the Heart, which was nominated for 2 Oscars.

Wes has been churning out good quality films for over 20 years, the mark of a true professional. He's not averse to sending himself up as well, in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

 

[Napster]

Nolan, although a decent director, has suffered from the disease of new directors, called pretentiousness. Memento is a film full of cliche-ridden, awkward camera work, and a bloated, confusing plot. Batman Begins is a good film, I admit, but The Dark Knight would not have been as successful, has Heath not carked it - it was, quite frankly, over-produced, silly nonsense.

I get the feeling Nolan is a victim of his own success - go for the blockbuster, or go for the arty-farty film? He can't win. Craven has earnt his success from hard graft, and redefined a genre.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Not a fan of horror I'm afriad, so Memento & The Dark Knight wins.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Dark Night and Prestige brilliant. Do like the old Scream films though so close call but Nolan puts me in the mood for watching.