Dunkirk (no spoilers thread)
Really enjoyed it but not sure if I would go to the point of masterpiece like some reviews have said. As a military history junkie I really liked how different it was from the likes of Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge. Reminded me a lot more of movies like Midway. Not sure what everyone will think of the different timelines but I was a little confused until I realised what the one week, one day, one hour meant. Definitely an interesting way to tell a story.
standout performance from Mark Rylance. Hope he gets some recognition.
Also I'm sure people will hate Harry's styles just as much as the ed shereen stuff but I thought it did great .
Last point. I feel like Nolan makes movies for me. His last 4 movies have all been right in my wheelhouse of interest. Comics, WW2, space, etc. Love him.
standout performance from Mark Rylance. Hope he gets some recognition.
Also I'm sure people will hate Harry's styles just as much as the ed shereen stuff but I thought it did great .
Last point. I feel like Nolan makes movies for me. His last 4 movies have all been right in my wheelhouse of interest. Comics, WW2, space, etc. Love him.
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Just curious, I enjoy his films that just start, and skip all the opening credits/titles-
(Inception/The Dark Knight Trilogy)
I read an interview where Nolan said that he didn't realize how well known Styles was when he cast him. He didn't say that he regretted it, but it kind of felt that way (nothing against the job he did, just the distraction factor).
I'm Canadian, and my grandfather fought in WWII under the British Flag (we didn't become independent until 1967). It's hard to describe the emotional weight that Dunkirk has in our military history, even more so in England proper. It's simultaneously viewed as a massive tragedy and spoken about in hushed tones while also seen as an incredible act of sacrifice and coming together. Within weeks of the evacuation of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain (Germany's massive bombing campaign against the UK) began...the sense of unity that took hold in the wake of Dunkirk played a huge role in steeling the will of the British people ("Stay Calm and Carry On") and gave them the strength to endure it.
Point being, it's a complicated and emotionally confusing moment in history and 70 years later people are still grappling with how they feel about it...don't feel bad that a movie about it left you feeling shook up and feeling like you couldn't fully wrap your head around it - I think that's what the movie set out to do.
PS - Nolan is English, but spent part of his childhood in America and now lives in America.
But as a WW2 history buff, I always wonder when we will have enough distance from the cold war so that we could have similar cinematographic treatments of where the bulk of the European action actually happened, which is the eastern front. Give Christopher Nolan the budget to do a similar treatment of the Battle of Kursk or the fight for the grain elevator in Stalingrad.
Those of us who are hardcore into military history would love it, but the average consumer wants to see the good guys win.
many years ago the movie "A Bridge Too Far" was hated by critics because it pulls no punches, it depicts the failure of Montgomery's plan to cross the Rhine in 1944, the failure of the British to hold Arnhem. It's basically a movie where the poor British 1st Airborne gets their asses handed to them so many US and UK film critics didn't like it and It received no Oscars despite the excellent acting and visual effects. historical accuracy costed the movie awards.
You couldn't make a movie about the invasion of France without showing the many misteps and bad decisions made by the British, French, and low countries leaders, and that will be a raw subject for many viewers.
It would be like if a Canadian director in Vancouver wanted to make a film about Dieppe, good luck getting investors on that project.....
I saw this on Saturday at my small local theater, and it was still a magnificent viewing experience. I've been a big Nolan fan for a while now, but even I was still so pleasantly surprised at how tight this film was. The score too, my goodness. Nolan and Zimmer can do no wrong in my book.