Dunkirk (2017) film review

Year: 2017
Running Time: 106 minutes
Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, Cillian Murphy, James D'Arcy, Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, Jack Lowden, Tom Glynn-Carney, Barry Keoghan

Dunkirk will be released in Australia by Roadshow Films on July 20 and in the United States by Warner Bros Pictures on July 21. 

When it comes to his films, Christopher Nolan is no stranger to winning the approval of audience's and critics alike. Yet with Dunkirk, he takes this admiration to a whole new level.

Dunkirk is a major cinematic force with Nolan's masterful storytelling and phenomenal direction. The film is a stunning piece of art that retells a well known piece of history in an unique, intense and enthralling way. While Dunkirk is being hailed as Nolan's finest film to date, it does not need to be grouped together with his past films in order to be considered a stroke of genius.

The events which took place on the beach at Dunkirk are considered to be a miracle. The prospect of a mass evacuation of over 300000 British troops on the French beach during World War II initially seemed impossible due to the lack of resources needed for a rescue. This story has been taught in classrooms all over the world as part of WWII studies and there have been several retellings in popular culture. However, none quite like Dunkirk. 

The film is a tense and intriguing time lapse of three equally important facets of the most important day at Dunkirk- land, sea and air. Dunkirk is not a typical war narrative, as it represents just a snapshot in time and is driven entirely by the theme of survival. For the soldiers waiting on the beach, they were defenceless against the enemy. There was no way of fighting back against the bombers from the ground. The film shows the desperation of the soldiers as they fight for their life and how far people will go to stay alive. It also looks at how survival itself is heroic and is something that is to be celebrated, not scorned.

The inherent nature of films that deal with survival is that they must be suspenseful. Whether the viewer knows who will survive or not is irrelevant. Dunkirk is so intense that it often makes one forget to breathe. The film is just the perfect example of everything coming together to get the most out of it's screenplay. Nolan brings a trio of moments of warfare terror together all at once at regular intervals throughout the film to build tension to the highest level, with the help of Hans Zimmer's brilliant score and phenomenal sound editing. These scenes come with incredible sweeping shots of Dunkirk and astonishing cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema of land, sea and sky.

It is easy to look at the characterization in Dunkirk the way you would at other feature films, in which case it would be exceptionally weak. We come away knowing very little about each of the main characters.This would usually mean we feel no emotional connection towards anybody in the film and do not care whether they survive or not. However, the lack of identity of each of the characters serves a purpose here.

There were 400000 soldiers stranded on the beach at Dunkirk hoping for a miracle that would allow them survive and find their own way home. It didn't matter who these soldiers were at home, while they were at war they were all stripped of their identity and nameless and faceless in the eyes of the enemy. During those final days at Dunkirk, it was all about survival no matter who you were and where you were from. Most of the soldiers cast are physically alike to emphasise this point. Despite the lack of character in the film, there are some wonderful performances with Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy being stand-outs.

Dunkirk is stunning filmmaking. While it is confronting and incredibly intense, it is gratifyingly so thanks to Christopher Nolan's outstanding direction and creative vision.

9/10

Interstellar (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 169 minutes
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Mackenzie Foy, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace

Interstellar opens in Australian cinemas on 6 November and is distributed by Roadshow Films. Opening in the United States and United Kingdom on 7 November.

Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated Interstellar is an incredible thought-provoking, visual event that simultaneously examines the scientific complexity of time relativity in space travel and the emotional depth and strength held by those directly impacted. The film is a visual masterpiece with incredible sound editing and score that support a highly intelligent screenplay that is particularly Nolan-esque. The impressive cast led by Matthew McConaughey give Interstellar the emotional backbone which allows this film to project itself into a class above other sci-fi and futuristic films.

In the future, the human race has come full circle and once again places its importance on what the land can give us rather than on technological advances, but even the land is turning on the human race. It's a world that doesn't sit well with father of two, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), who wants to be out exploring the world and it's skies. His chance comes when he and his daughter, Murphy (Mackenzie Foy) stumble upon NASA's secret headquarters and learn that they have discovered a wormhole near Saturn that leads to another galaxy where there could be another planet suitable for human life. Leaving behind a distraught and angry Murphy, Cooper sets out on the Endurance to search this galaxy for a new home for the human race while fighting against time and the dangers that space and these new worlds present.

Although Interstellar is reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and last year's Gravity for the obvious reasons, it is unique for what it brings to the group which the two mentioned films belong to. It is certainly a complex scientific film which must be applauded for it's intelligence and the originality of the journey which it's characters embark on. The real enemy of the film is time as the time in space and in distant galaxies can differ greatly from time on Earth. It is an intriguing concept, but also a very frightening one when it is realised how much is missed on Earth after so little time has passed in space.

This is where the emotional core of the film comes from. The characters come to realise that love transcends time and they all fight against time for those they love. While Interstellar is thought-provoking on a scientific level, it is also so on this emotional level. The idea of leaving ones family without the knowledge of whether or not they will return and not knowing whether they will be able to contact them is both unsettling and disturbing as it connects with the audience on such a personal level. It also prompts the audience into wondering what they would do in Cooper's situation. If you had the chance to find a way to save your family but there was no guarantee of ever seeing or hearing from them again, would you do it? When the question is asked, the answer would most probably be yes, but in Interstellar we see how much agony it would be to feel the separation.

At nearly three hours long, Interstellar does well to maintain tension and remain intriguing for this amount of time, yet at times the length is felt. Nolan has really attempted to pack as much action, emotion and information into the film as he possibly can and while this is admirable, there is still the feeling that things are missing as a result of other things being included. At such a running time, it is obvious that Nolan could not include any more in than he already had so there are some holes in the story as a result and hard facts are missing as to how and why things are this way on Earth. There are tinges of disbelief throughout the film and the notion that things may be getting a little too far-fetched, but Interstellar is not a prediction of what is to become of the human race as much as it is a piece of entertainment about the future of the human race.

Interstellar is just brilliant in it's production. Christopher Nolan shot the film using 15/70mm IMAX cameras so it is intended to be watched on such a screen and this is definitely how one will get the most out of the film. Like the film itself, many of the frames are quite complex in an interesting and positive way as there is so much to take in. While there are some glorious landscape shots, it is the CGI employed for the scenes in space which are truly memorable and exquisite. It is a gentle reminder of how beautiful the galaxy is while dangerous. The score by Hans Zimmer is also perfection and adds to the suspense of the film brilliantly. However, some may find the film a little overpowering in it's volume and high speed and erratic camera movements in it's action sequences.

Matthew McConaughey is truly wonderful as Cooper and has an incredible presence on screen. The audience takes to his character in a way which they feel a real emotional connection to him and they care a great deal about what happens to Cooper during the film. While he is a tower of strength for the majority of the film, it is in the moments which the character is at his most vulnerable that are the strongest for McConaughey. It is truly devastating and haunting watching Cooper leave his children and then receiving messages from them while on aboard.

Anne Hathaway does very well as Amelia Brand and her character continually grows on the audience throughout the film. Jessica Chastain is also very good as the adult Murphy, yet Mackenzie Foy who plays the younger version of her character gives an extremely powerful performance for such a young age. Foy and McConaughey work incredibly well as the father and daughter team and one feels the tragedy on a personal level of these two being separated.

Interstellar is a cinematic event that encourages it's audience to use their heart and mind when watching. Although not perfect on every level, it is memorable for the things it does to perfection.

8/10

Inception

Inception
Year: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanbe, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine

In My Own Words
I would have been insanely disappointed if “Inception” had not lived up to my expectations. It’s not often I admit that about a film, or that I even let myself think like that. All I had to do was look at the components that made up this film in order to get excited. The combination of an intriguing storyline, one of the best directors going around at the moment and a stellar cast which includes many an award nominee, what wasn’t there to be excited about?! And....I was not disappointed. “Inception” is pure brilliance. So brilliant that I am afraid my review won’t do it justice. I left the cinema completely speechless and all I could so was hold up 9 fingers to my other half to indicate my rating out of 10.

Unlike many other movies, “Inception” is able to excel on all levels. Many wonderful films will be wonderful for either the acting or the cinematography, but not often does a film come along which excels in both. “Inception” does. Christopher Nolan has placed everything together perfectly and his knack for selecting his cast members is definitely commendable. Personally, I believe Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard are two of the finest actors alive at the moment. DiCaprio seems to be getting better and better. In high school, I struggled to take DiCaprio seriously for his heart throb status from films such as “Romeo + Juliet” and “Titanic”. Don’t get me wrong, he was good in both and the movies weren’t bad, but it is hard for actors to be taken seriously when their posters are up in everything 14 year olds locker at school. However, “The Aviator”, “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond” each showed how far this man has come and how he is definitely one of the best actors of our time. And Marion Cotillard, she has the ambience on the screen that the stars of the Golden Hollywood age. Her Oscar winning role in “La Vie En Rose” made the world sit up and take notice of this French star and she has shown her quality continuingly since then in glowing roles in “Public Enemies” and “Nine”.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea.” In this quote, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Cobb is speaking about the implantation of ideas in the human mind, although it could well be “Inception” director, Christopher Nolan describing his journey with his new masterpiece. Nolan approached Warner Bros with the idea for “Inception” first back in 2002 without a script, but even without this, both he and Warner Bros knew what they had in their hands. From this idea grew the larger than life and mind-blowing “Inception” which has only just been released now in July 2010. It has well been worth the wait. Nolan could well be one of the best directors of our time. He pushes everything to the limit in this film and every little detail is sewn up tightly and with the greatest care. This film could well be the best of the year.

Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are in the business of extracting information from the minds of others by exploring their subconscious in their dreams. It seems as though they have nearly come to the end of the road, when Cobb, who is still recovering from the death of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard) is approached by Saito (Ken Watanbe) with an offer he can’t refuse. Along with Arthur and the help of architectural genius, Ariadne (Ellen Page) they begin to try and plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy), but little do they know the dark depths they are really exploring of not only Fischer’s mind, but of someone else’s mind that is far more dangerous.

Absolutely everything about “Inception” is amazing. The story is completely original and wonderfully written by Nolan. It is absolutely intriguing and extremely clever, with no stone been left unturned and no questions are left unanswered. Nolan completely captures the dream world and will make you remember things from your dreams that you normally do forget once you have woken up. The whole concept of extracting information from dreams and implanting ideas in people’s dreams is complete genius. The cinematography and special effects are definitely something to write home about and people will leave the cinema talking about their favourite sequences. “Inception” is one of those movies you will have to see at the cinema to get the most out of. The musical score is also perfectly suited to the movie and is able to capture the darkness of the situation at hand.

The acting is superb in “Inception”. The acting and the storyline are what differentiates ‘Inception” from all the other action and sci-fi blockbusters out there. The acting fleshes out the raw human emotion involved in the situations in the films and draws the viewer in even more. The star of the film is DiCaprio and he is back to his high calibre of acting. He draws on his past roles of both the tough talking detective and the sensitive husband and father and combines them both in this role with fantastic results. He is a mystery, but at the same time connects with the audience on many levels. Marion Cotillard is also superb. It is like she plays multiple roles in this film..the loving wife and mother, the unstable wife and mother, the seductress, the evil spirit and the list goes on. She is completely believable and an amazing character who has so much presence and control over the audience every time she appears on the screen. High praise definitely goes to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Cillian Murphy. Each of these actors plays a role completely unlike any other role they have every done and pulls it off perfectly, which is rises another praise for Nolan. He cast these actors and pushes them to their limits in roles which they are not known for . Nolan is a director which actors relate to very well, hence why so many actors he has previously worked with keep re-appearing in his films. Many of his co-stars would have had to have been jealous of Gordon-Levitt however, he is part of some of the most awesome scenes in the movie which would have been a real treat to have taken part in.

“Inception” is not to be missed. This is definitely Nolan’s best film to date and he is worthy of every piece of praise that he receives for it. He could have well been responsible for the best film of the year and one can only hope that the academy remembers him come Oscar season next year. There are many awards he and his cast should win for this masterpiece and there is no reason they shouldn’t be remembered next year, as “Inception” is a film that will not be forgotten.
9.5/10