Prestige Author Blasts Christopher Nolan's 'Boring And Pretentious' Batman Films

[scanry]

Christopher Priest, author of ‘The Prestige’ - the novel which formed the basis of Christopher Nolan’s fifth feature film - has criticised the filmmaker’s subsequent Batman movies as “boring and pretentious,” and “just embarrassing.”

In an interview with Skript.fr, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ZUVdrQZGs#t=28) the seasoned novelist admits to meeting Nolan only once: “I’ve only ever had one meeting with him, when the film was finished. Because I wasn’t very interested in him.

"We all have different points of view on the world. To the world he’s this great, innovative filmmaker; to me, he was a kid who wanted to get into Hollywood."

Even so, Priest ultimately chose the young Nolan over Sam Mendes to direct the film adaptation of his 1995 novel about arch-rival stage magicians (ultimately portrayed by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman), even though at the time Mendes had just swept the board at the Oscars with ‘American Beauty.’

Impressed by Nolan’s debut ‘Following,’ Priest says, “I’ve always believed in supporting young talent.

Mendes was made, he was okay. But Nolan, I thought, ‘he’s good, let’s give him a chance.’ But of course, I don’t think he [Nolan] knows that.”

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Nolan went on to make ‘The Prestige’ in 2006, between ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight.’ Priest was pleased, calling it “probably his best film, with ‘Memento.’” But that’s where the praise ends.

"Of the films he’s made, those two are supreme. I don’t like his other work, I think it’s shallow and badly written. I’ve got kids who like superheroes, and they think the ‘Batman’ films are boring and pretentious.

They like things like ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Iron Man’ because they’re fun.

"It’s a wrong move to take a superhero and give it psychological realism. There is no psychological realism.

He’s a bodybuilder who jumps off buildings."

Priest continues, “I’m sorry, I feel really strongly about this, and I think the proof is in the audiences. I’ve been to the movie house and seen things like ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight,’ and the audience – they’re mostly kids, they’re restless, they don’t watch the film, they talk to each other, they start texting and doing Twitter, they change seats, go to the toilet, kiss their girlfriends.

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"And every now and then the guy jumps off the building on a rope, and they watch it and go ‘woo!’ Then they lose interest. To me, that’s a real, major lack of judgement in Nolan, to go for superhero films.

"What he’s trying to be is a kind of modern Kubrick, and I think he’d be better off being a modern Hitchcock; a maker of well-made films like ‘Memento’ and ‘The Prestige.’ These blockbusters are just embarrassing, I think. I haven’t seen the new one [‘Interstellar’] yet."

https://uk.yahoo.com/movies/the-prestige-author-blasts-christopher-nolans-103709516984.html

[scanry]

Loved Nolan's Batman, but Priest has a lot of valid points tbh. Chris Nolan over-engineered the reboot. I'm glad he did it though.

[scanry]

Why Hollywood Loves ‘Interstellar’ Director Christopher Nolan

For the coming sci-fi epic, the filmmaker was left alone

For a big-ticket movie, the science-fiction epic “Interstellar” is highly unusual. It cost a hefty $165 million budget to make, but is also wholly original—that is, not based on a comic book, TV show, or young-adult novel. Amid much hoopla, it opens across the country on Nov. 7, after two days of special showings in 250 theaters.

The last time a studio made a movie that cost so much and wasn’t part of a “franchise” was 2010’s “Inception.” Like “Interstellar,” it was directed by Christopher Nolan, one of the very few directors to whom Hollywood issues a virtual carte blanche—along with extreme veneration.

http://i2.cdnds.net/14/21/618x411/movies-interstellar-christopher-nolan.jpg

Director Christopher Nolan enjoys unheard-of clout in Hollywood. As his film 'Interstellar' debuts, WSJ's Ben Fritz looks at the Nolan mystique with Tanya Rivero. Photo: Paramount/Everett Collection


Mr. Nolan’s ability to combine box-office success with artistic ambition has given him an extraordinary amount of clout in the industry. Studios pay him as much as they do elite stars. Warner Bros. provides him with all the benefits of a studio deal with no strings attached. They indulge his personal passions—his love for traditional celluloid over digital technology, his fondness for IMAX big screens, his penchant for extreme secrecy. And they leave him alone, letting him go away and make his movies with little interference.

For a director to wield such power flies in the face of the current movie-business model, built upon superheroes, cartoon characters and wizards cycled in and out of multiplexes. Increasingly, studios occupy the driver’s seat on these massively expensive “event” films: Directors are hired hands. In recent decades, few besides Steven Spielberg and James Cameron (http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/James-Cameron/5701) have been entrusted with near-total control.

Mr. Nolan, 44 years old, is known for his well-regarded trio of “Batman” movies, which together grossed $2.5 billion at the global box office. Even though his latest picture has little prospect of spawning sequels, toys and theme-park attractions, everyone wants to work with him. “Interstellar” is being promoted with all the hype of the latest “Fast & Furious” or “X-Men,” from the immersive website created with Google to a surprise, debut appearance by Mr. Nolan at the Comic Con pop-culture convention, where the crowd of 6,000 went wild.

“Interstellar” is far from a slam dunk. The film, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway (http://topics.wsj.com/person/H/Anne-Hathaway/6366), clocks in at nearly three hours, mixes emotional drama with complex science and high-minded philosophy, and has far less fast-paced action than “Inception” or the director’s Batman movies. Surveys indicate pre-release audience interest is similar to that of “Inception,” although some early reviews have been less than enthusiastic.

Critical response aside, the box-office numbers don’t need to be record-breaking for Mr. Nolan to continue his reign. Hollywood is still a business where the people who wear suits are eager to be associated with the most respected artists. While he hasn’t won an Academy Award, the director is revered by fanboys and cineastes alike. His rejection of many modern trends—he doesn’t shoot with digital cameras, own a cellphone or have an email address—only adds to the mystique.

At a recent screening of the movie in New York, Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey chose his words carefully as he introduced Mr. Nolan. After comparing the director to Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra, he said: “I am deeply grateful to have worked for Chris on this film.”

Mr. Nolan, through a spokeswoman, declined to be interviewed. Paramount executives wouldn’t comment for this article.

read more http://online.wsj.com/articles/why-hollywood-loves-interstellar-director-christopher-nolan-1414677657

[lefty]

They like things like ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Iron Man’ because they’re fun.

"It’s a wrong move to take a superhero and give it psychological realism. There is no psychological realism.

I love IM and Avengers TBH


But I think the author has never heard of Batman

Batverse is not supposed to be fun; it's dark it's bleek; Wayne is a man scarred for life since his childhood and he deals with fucked up criminals, not with retarded Chitauris

[scanry]

I've never seen a director like Nolan with this much clout and mystic surrounding him in all my years. Pretty remarkable that he's delivered every single time.

[jeebus]

Batverse is not supposed to be fun; it's dark it's bleek; Wayne is a man scarred for life since his childhood and he deals with fucked up criminals, not with retarded Chitauris
:lol it's a comic book for kids, not real life

[leemajors]

I love IM and Avengers TBH


But I think the author has never heard of Batman

Batverse is not supposed to be fun; it's dark it's bleek; Wayne is a man scarred for life since his childhood and he deals with fucked up criminals, not with retarded Chitauris

Adam West says hi.

[lefty]

Adam West says hi.
That was not the real Batman; Batman original comics were serious shit :lol

Then ... comics code authority happened

[djohn2oo8]

:lol it's a comic book for kids, not real life

Then you end up with shit like Chris O'Donnell as Robin :lol

[djohn2oo8]

Nolan's Batman cleaned up the shitstain that the Clooney And Kilmer Batman's left behind. At least Kilmer was decent as Batman, he had the voice for it. Clooney was laughable.

[leemajors]

That was not the real Batman; Batman original comics were serious shit :lol

Then ... comics code authority happened

So now you're the arbiter of what Batman is? :lol Still part of det batverse, just like batman brave and the bold

Best Batman by far is still the animated series w/Conroy.

[lefty]

Best Batman by far is still the animated series w/Conroy.
That's why I like Gotham on Fox

It really has a BTAS feel to it

[leemajors]

That's why I like Gotham on Fox

It really has a BTAS feel to it

Yeah but there was little of the corniness of Gotham in BTAS. I like the campiness in Gotham tho. Bullock is the shit.

[Spurminator]

I agree that there was an air of pretentiousness in the Batman movies, particularly the third one. At times I wondered if Ayn Rand was a cowriter. But they're still the standard-bearer for superhero movies, imo.

[lefty]

Yeah but there was little of the corniness of Gotham in BTAS. I like the campiness in Gotham tho. Bullock is the shit.
Love Bullock tbh

There was a flashback scene with Bullock, and he was pretty much like Gordon, before losing hope

It shows how much Gordon is struggling to not lose hope

[monosylab1k]

Gotham is really good when it's an organized crime drama. It's really bad when it goes into "Mystery Of The Week" mode or tries to hard too make cutesy references to the comics.

[AlexJones]

Inception sucks, but apart from that Nolan has made great films one after another.

[ohmwrecker]

There are elements of Nolan's Batman films that I really like, but there are a lot of things I hate. Christian Bale is not a good Batman/Bruce Wayne. That Batman voice is ridiculous and he always had that dumb look on his face when he was Wayne. Michael Keaton was better. Bale's performance actually has me looking forward to Ben Affleck as Batman. Killing off Harvey Dent before he could legitimately become Two-Face pissed me off. That Batmobile sucked... lots of other things.

That being said, Priest's criticisms seem petty. "It’s a wrong move to take a superhero and give it psychological realism. There is no psychological realism." It kind of depends on which Batman you prefer. There are two ends of the spectrum, the campy, funny 60s TV show Batman, and the Frank Miller graphic novel Batman. No Batman films will ever be as bad as Schumachers' and no one has made the Batman I want to see yet.

[2pac > Kobe]

1 and 3 were boring as fuck tbh

[Aztecfan03]

There are elements of Nolan's Batman films that I really like, but there are a lot of things I hate. Christian Bale is not a good Batman/Bruce Wayne. That Batman voice is ridiculous and he always had that dumb look on his face when he was Wayne. Michael Keaton was better. Bale's performance actually has me looking forward to Ben Affleck as Batman. Killing off Harvey Dent before he could legitimately become Two-Face pissed me off. That Batmobile sucked... lots of other things.

That being said, Priest's criticisms seem petty. "It’s a wrong move to take a superhero and give it psychological realism. There is no psychological realism." It kind of depends on which Batman you prefer. There are two ends of the spectrum, the campy, funny 60s TV show Batman, and the Frank Miller graphic novel Batman. No Batman films will ever be as bad as Schumachers' and no one has made the Batman I want to see yet.

Schumachers' batmans are at least sort of fun(at least when i was a kid). I've always hated burtons' batmans.

[leemajors]

Gotham is really good when it's an organized crime drama. It's really bad when it goes into "Mystery Of The Week" mode or tries to hard too make cutesy references to the comics.

Agreed

[DMC]

The whole idea of batman is stupid other than making money. A man who dresses like a bat is somehow intimidating. I see millions of bats on the regular, never scared by any of them. Oh no, a bat. The lower gruffy voice, the stupid gadgets, all of it is ignorant as fuck. It all comes down to someone having the ability to do things normal humans cannot, and that's why Superman is head and shoulders above all of them, though I like IM and Avengers.