Dunkirk

World War II is often a go-to source for media both fictional and factual. Sometimes those involved in these projects were also participants of the many battles, other times it's from those who did extensive research. Either way, there's been a barrage of them ever since the fighting's conclusion over seventy years ago.

With Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, he explores what happened after the Battle of France and the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the benches of the titular French commune. Using three perspectives of the events (and using his now-familiar non-linear storytelling), he depicts a non-glorified re-telling of history. But how well does he do it?

Nolan recruited only three of his regular actors (Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine) for Dunkirk, the rest of the cast being made up of established actors and relatively fresh faces. Was this aspect a deliberate decision on Nolan's part? Perhaps, but as his previous films showed, he's more interested in the story rather than those responsible for acting it out. (Okay, The Prestige possibly being the lone exception.)

But Dunkirk isn't only Nolan's shining achievement; many of the technical aspects make the film what it is. The combination of Hans Zimmer's score and Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography make for a claustrophobic pairing. (That's a good thing, mind you.) And like Saving Private Ryan before it, it'll take your breath away.

Dunkirk is probably Nolan's best film to date, showing that there's obviously more to him than star-studded CGI-heavy productions. It's perhaps the most human of his career, and hopefully he'll do more films of a similar nature. (But maybe on a smaller scale.)

My Rating: *****

The Dark Knight Rises

When there's anticipation for a film, the results are either sink or swim. However, if it's in the hands of a trusted director, the results are usually in the "swim" category.

Christopher Nolan is one such director. His past seven films had stirred up an interest from both critics and audiences alike. His newest film The Dark Knight Rises does the same. It's much more dark and brutal than the previous two yet it's just as bewitching.

Like Nolan's previous films, the cast is just to die for. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman reprise their roles and do exceptionally well, Bale and Caine in particular. But it's the new faces that reign supreme. Tom Hardy, though not as menacing as Heath Ledger in the previous film, is a brute force of nature not to be reckoned with. Joseph Gordon-Levitt remains one of the very few people who still has faith in Batman, a risky move especially being in a city that branded him a pariah. Marion Cotillard, like in Inception, radiates in the limited screen time she has. And Anne Hathaway just emulates femme fatale chic.

The Dark Knight Rises contains several scenes that echo events of the recent past. Could Nolan be providing a social commentary amid a a comic book film? It's very likely, but I myself won't go into grand detail about it.

The Dark Knight Rises in the wrong hands could have fallen apart easily, especially with a 165-minute running time. But Nolan knows what he's doing. (Thank God.) Hans Zimmer's score and Wally Pfister's cinematography capture the dark nature of reality excellently in a film that showcases that very thing. Well played, Mr. Nolan.

My Rating: *****

Memento

I have seen all but one of Christopher Nolan's movies and I have yet to be disappointed.

Leonard Shelby is an ex-insurance investigator who is trying to find his wife's killer. The problem, though, is that Leonard suffers from short term memory loss, which he got from trying to prevent his wife's assault.

Is there one movie Nolan has directed where when it's over, you don't go "WTF?" (other entries include The Prestige and Inception) Along with Mulholland Drive, Memento has to be one of the most confusing movies I've seen. Yet at the same time it's brilliant. It's an effective thriller, I can tell you that. But honestly, it's a confusing-as-hell one.

My Rating: *****

Following

Christopher Nolan has recently become the savior from lousy movies. But what was the movie that started his directing career? That would be the 1998 movie Following.

A struggling writer (Jeremy Theobald) starts to follow complete strangers for no particular reason. He starts following Cobb (Alex Haw), a thief who asks him to join him. Problems arise when the writer meets a tempting blonde (Lucy Russell).

It may be only 70 minutes long (that's right, 70 minutes), but Following is an interesting movie. Its story is out of sequence (much like Nolan's next movie, Memento), which gives it its appeal. But I honestly wanted it to be just a little longer. Just a little, like another half hour.

My Rating: ****1/2

Inception

Damn, Nolan. You have yet to disappoint me.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief who is an expert in stealing secrets from a person's subconscious. The job has put a strain on his personal life, but his final job -- where he plants an idea rather than steal it -- may be a redeeming moment.

I got two words to describe Inception: HOLY SHIT. This blew me away. Everything works together perfectly: the acting, the story, the visual effects, the music, EVERYTHING. This beat my expectations by a mile. And the fact I saw it in IMAX (which nearly made my head explode from the sheer epicness) made it more astonishing. The originality of the story saves us from a summer of sequels, remakes and just downright bad movies. And yes, I'm aware a majority of this review makes me sound like a fangirl.

My Rating: *****

The Prestige

Is there one movie Christopher Nolan has directed that doesn't blow your mind? Judging by his filmography of impressive thrillers, the obvious answer is no.

Magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) used to be the best of friends. But after a magic trick gone wrong left Angier's wife Julia (Piper Perabo) dead, they are now bitter rivals. Both become obssessed with triumphing the other, which leads to severe injury and ruined reputations.

Wow, Nolan sure as hell knows how to deliver. How does he not have an Oscar yet? Great performances and stunning effects are plentiful. And also possibly the biggest case of mindfuck ever.

My Rating: ****1/2

Batman Begins

I find this really ironic. I vowed to never watch any movies with a "following". Y'know, "fanboy" movies. And yet as of today I have seen all four Indiana Jones movies, the original Star Wars trilogy, Iron Man and four Batman movies. So much for that promise. In other words, I'm a fangirl.

As a young boy, Bruce Wayne develops a fear of bats and witnesses his parents' murders. Now an adult, Bruce (Christian Bale) has gone through martial arts training under the watchful eye of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Upon returning to Gotham City, he finds it has fallen victim to crime boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) and psychiatrist Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy).

Boy, I can imagine the reactions when Warner Bros. announced they were reviving the Batman franchise. For those that remember, Joel Schumacher's take on the superhero wasn't that...super. And the fact it was going to be directed by a semi-unknown from England? That probably made fans of the Caped Crusader go into hysterics. And chances are they were shut up for good once they saw the movie.

Boy, Batman Begins sure has a helluva cast. I mean, you have Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes (I'll agree she wasn't that good), Liam Neeson and Tom Wilkinson, all in one freakin' awesome movie.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Dark Knight

You were expecting this to come sooner or later, weren't you? Man, this post is going to be hard. Here goes nothing.

Set only a year after what happened in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight focuses on Bruce Wayne AKA Batman (Christian Bale) trying to keep crime under control in Gotham City with the aid of Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The Joker (a creepy-as-hell Heath Ledger), a psychopathic criminal, starts to raise hell in Gotham.

Boy, this had to be interesting for Christopher Nolan. One minute he's an unknown director from England noted for his indie films, next minute he's the director of the biggest freakin' movie of the millenium.

It's a shame that Ledger didn't live to see the success of The Dark Knight. But like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, Ledger is forever immortalized with this movie, along with Brokeback Mountain.

Am I the only person who finds it a little weird ironic that Ledger used the movie A Clockwork Orange as a source for his role? Seems appropriate once you think of it: the lead villians are psychopaths that get kicks out of being violent toward others.

Bale was also good, but like Michael Keaton in the first two Batman movies, he was easily overshadowed by his villainous co-star. One thing that bugged me about Bale's performance (and I assume everyone else agrees with me here) is that voice. Ugh, that was so obnoxious. But the role wasn't bad overall.

Eckhart was also good. The look for Two-Face was downright disturbing but awesome. I mean compared to what Tommy Lee Jones had on his face in Batman Forever, Jones looks like he's wearing cheap Halloween makeup (and I think he is).

My Rating: *****