Director Profile
Christopher Nolan
By Orin
BROTHERS in Hollywood generally do not fail to live up to expectations. Maybe it's in the blood because they almost always develop a certain style of their own which delights the fans. We have the Coen brothers, of course, with movies like 'The Big Lebowski' and 'No Country for Old men' under their names; we have the Wachowski brothers, creators of the Matrix trilogy and then we have the Nolan brothers who have made movies like The Prestige and revived the Batman series. But if asked which individual among all these people, have the greatest amount of talent, critics fingers would certainly find Christopher Nolan.
Because when you think of engaging, imaginative thriller movies, with bona fide psychological value, you just cannot ignore him. His works have gone far beyond the standards of typical no-brainer thrillers to become works of art. As a filmmaker, Nolan has achieved nearly every possible honour (well, except an Oscar. But this surely is on the way). He has made movies that have been considered true classics of the genre (Memento), revived the Batman series and also enjoyed enormous success at the box-office (The Dark Knight).
Born in January 30, 1971, Nolan started moviemaking at an early age like many future filmmakers. At the age of 7, he started filming with his father's super 8mm but he started showing his talent in college, where he made many shorts including 'Tarantella', 'Larceny' and 'Doodlebug'. He debuted as a film director with Following (1998) and later released Insomnia. Although his earlier works aren't as well known to everyone as his later ones they still have his magic touch.
With the fame he earned from Insomnia he took a huge leap forward and released his second film, Memento (2000), a fascinating movie about a former insurance adjuster suffering from anterograde amnesia, a condition that prevents him from forming new memories. This psychological thriller earned him rave reviews and is considered to be one of the bests of its kind.
In 2006, Nolan rediscovered his indie roots and made the movie The Prestige (starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale) a mystery thriller about two 19th century magicians engaged in rivalry to discover the other's trade secrets. This also didn't fail to dazzle the fans and excelled in showmanship.
But perhaps the biggest effect he had on the movie industry was his regeneration of the Batman series in 2005. While the series was deep in humiliation, he came forward and preached to Warner Bros. passionately to give him a chance to revive the series. When he was given the chance, he cast Bale as Bruce Wayne, the orphaned millionaire and went for a darker, edgier feel that directed the series to a completely new path into becoming one of the most successful franchise renewals of all time. Financially, yes, it was a triumph, but only because it created new fandom, received praise from critics and for the fact that it was more inclined to the original than any other franchises.
Then came 2008 and The Dark Knight, the hype around this film has only been seconded by Avatar in 2009 and Inception in 2010. The movie did exceed expectations with stunning visuals and Heath Ledger performing his best as the iconic Gotham villain The Joker which earned him a truly deserved posthumous Oscar.
Now in 2010, Nolan teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page in his newest blockbuster (even though the term 'blockbuster' diminishes its brilliance) Inception. Released July 16th, it's already topping charts worldwide and the reviews it has been getting secures its place among his top works. Apparently it's so good and mind altering that you have to watch it at least twice to get the whole idea. That's how awesome it is.
Christopher Nolan has defied traditional storytelling in the movies because his movies lack a linear narrative presentation giving the feel that chronology is not the most important thing. He also has recurring stars in his films; stars like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman have worked with him in many of his projects.
Many consider him to be the Stanley Kubrick of our generation because of the resemblance in their works, and Nolan also considers Kubrick to be his idol. But he does what even Kubrick didn't use to do. He writes all his scripts.
That pretty much sums it up; not only is this guy a gem as a moviemaker, but he does best what others in his generation can only poorly attempt. The greatest part of all this is that Chris Nolan is only 39 and the way he is been getting better over the years, we can assume that the best is yet to come from him. Yay us!
MONUMENTAL failure with the previous two albums, and now he claims he's back.
1. Cold Wind Blows The opening song's not one of the best, but the little jab at Mariah (Carey) takes care of whatever's missing in the rest of the lyrics. 3.5/5
2. Talkin' to Myself Cool beat, and a song that lets Eminem's audience tune into his mind as he undergoes rehab, relapse, and recovery. An apology to fans was in order, and duly given. Sincerity is not something you hear in this guy's voice everyday, and the bridge is just plain neat. 4.5/5
3. On Fire Ouch for the critics. This one seems to be a follow-up of Track 2, but lacks the emotion and lyrics to go with the aggressive flow. Without doubt the weakest record of the album. 2/5
4. Won't Back Down (ft. Pink) Pink sounds out of place and out of her league. Eminem doesn't. Make sure you watch out for when the track goes silent it ain't a glitch. 4/5
5. W.T.P. (White Trash Party) What can I say, it's funny. Touches a couple corners with a few lines, but as expected of this guy, it is smooth. 3.5/5
6. Going Through Changes This one describes the darkness he entered and fought through from the night he overdosed. It's also kind of a homage to his daughters. Again no kidding sincerity rings throughout the track. 4/5
7. Not Afraid He takes a shot at his own record (Relapse), and again apologises to his fans for not living up to expectations. Good follow-up. 3.5/5
8. Seduction This one has a sweet slow beat and displays the tight leash Eminem keeps on his lyrics. Excellent wording, but the vaguely awkward tone brings it down. 4/5
9. No Love (ft. Lil Wayne) The touch on Haddaway's famous 'What Is Love' coupled with Lil Wayne ends up creating a 5/5 track. Awesome duet for the hook, clever bars, potshot at Kanye (West) and Eminem randomly dissing people. What else do you need?
10. Space Bound If you feel an urge to replay the last one, don't be surprised. Listening to this before Track 9 is a good idea, even if it's meant to be a follow-up with a similar theme and a sweet bridge. 4/5
11. Cinderella Man More disappointment at Relapse, heavy beat, okay track. 3.5/5
12. 25 to Life Alright, the sob-stories are getting a bit old. On its own, not that bad. 2.5/5
13. So Bad The bars are perfect for the dense beat. Dr. Dre totally saved the album. Good chorus, too. 4/5
14. Almost Famous The album's back in play. Catchy yet almost mediocre hook, and Eminem's in an aggressive mood again. Lyrical excellence plus a hard beat. Bordering on marvelous. 4.5/5
15. Love The Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna) A tad too sentimental, yet not even slightly less violent. Rihanna and her broken heart can't begin to take away Eminem's offensive tone. 4/5
16. You're Never Over Finally, a homage to Proof it had to come sooner or later. The lyrical assault further emphasises the grief associated with the death of a close friend, and there couldn't have been a better way to end the album. 5/5
17. Here We Go (Hidden Track) Figure it out yourself. No rating.
Outrageous, vulgar, homophobic lyrics, crass character, and hostile to an extreme. Back? Not entirely. But he's definitely on the right path, and this time you can lie back and relax, 'coz the only direction left for Eminem to go, is up.
Web 2.0
By Orin
THE year 1988 was truly a great year for procrastinators. Before that people would do some other things that would take up important time before that chemistry midterm but, well, now we have the power of the all consuming interwebs! Since we spend hours there already, why not put off our work for a little longer and check out a few more sites?
1. rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com: 1001 rules for my unborn son is exactly what it says it is. Walker Lamond set this website up and made a set of rules that for his unborn child to follow, before he becomes old and thus, uncool. It is unique and a great site to visit. A lot of people contribute and there are nearly 500 rules for the kid. It's not just that the kid will have a lot to live up to, but it really has a lot of life's lessons that are the small things that build up character. Might seem a bit inclined to 1950's, but if websites could have souls, this definitely has one.
2. theoatmeal.com: What in life you've always wanted to know that no one else thought was worth it? Things like 'How to tell if you're cat is planning on killing you', 'why bacon is better than true love' or 'why dating a unicorn should rule' are made of pure awesomeness. A win.
3. lamebook.com: Facebook is over and done with. It's no longer the networking site for the selected few. Well, we all know that. Why is it over? Because now they have quizzes like 'What kind of rancid meat are you?' and people take those things and post the answers on your wall and you end up 'liking' them. However, that also means that there are a lot of crazy attention freaks who have the most outrageous things uploaded. This site holds the funniest and lamest things ever done in facebook for the facebook-addict in you.
4. The dream prince: Did you know our country has royalty? No? Then you pitiful creature shall make yourself worthy of living by basking in the glory of Dr. Moosa the prince of princes. Our Dr.Lovelove must learn self-glorification from this guy, since he has a PhD in it. The dream prince writes with diamond studded Mont-blancs costing him a quarter of a million dollars. But that doesn't matter because money is nothing to him (since he's a billionaire arms dealer). Prince Moosa also bathes in rosewater, wears diamond- encrusted shoes and doesn't like to talk about the offer of £5 million he once made to Tony Blair.
His family is the true royalty of Bangladesh and we should hang ourselves for not knowing more about him.
For more of his amazing-ness, visit princemoosa.com
