Nolan's "Interstellar"

[Smaug's voice]

WB released the latest trailer for it at the Comic Con, and I think the visuals look really cool.

An earlier trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWdZVtXT7E

And the latest one:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/ ... e-20140730


He hasn't given away much on the plot at all, just a small premise...

When a wormhole is discovered, explorers and scientists unite to embark on a voyage through it, transcending the limits of human space travel.Among the travelers is a widowed engineer (McConaughey) who has to decide to leave behind his two children to join the voyage to another galaxy with the goal of saving humanity.

... which I find intriguing, as a fan of classic sci fi.

[Passdagas the Brown]

This looks excellent, and it's impossible to be apathetic about Nolan's next film.

[yovargas]

I'm quite looking forward to this. Nolan hasn't made a bad movie yet and he's made a handful of amazing ones, IMO. I know a lot of people think he's over-rated which I get but I think he does what he does really damn well and this looks like something right up his alley.

[Passdagas the Brown]

However it turns out dramatically, I love the naturalistic aesthetic of the cinematography. Some people accuse Nolan of being too gritty, and too dark. But I find that his films are often shot through with just enough light and wonder to be inspiring.

[Smaug's voice]

I am not very keen on McConaughey as the lead though. I feel he plays the same character in most of the films I have seen.
And I just get too distracted by his accent.

[kzer_za]

However it turns out dramatically, I love the naturalistic aesthetic of the cinematography. Some people accuse Nolan of being too gritty, and too dark. But I find that his films are often shot through with just enough light and wonder to be inspiring.

It's more than just the aesthetics...something about Nolan's movies just leaves me kind of cold. Besides Michael Caine being his usual self, they seem to lack humanity and an emotional connection.

Still, I do have to give him credit for Memento. The Prestige is great, my favorite of his (maybe the coldness works here because it's about people who sell their souls to obsession?). The Batman movies are good and definitely better than most superhero movies, but are they great? I lean toward no. Batman Begins is probably the overall best of the three, though I do need to rewatch The Dark Knight and see how it holds up. Inception is kind of fun, but doesn't live up to the hype or even close. Haven't seen Insomnia or Following.

I still think he's an above-average director, but not as good as some say. But I'll still probably see this.

[Primula Baggins]

I have mixed feelings about Nolan, but full-on science fiction involving interstellar travel and exploration? I'll be there.

And it's got characters in it, which is always nice.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I'm not a Nolan fanboy, per se. He can be hit or miss. But I do think he's one of the better mainstream, very popular directors around (and far better than, say, PJ or Spielberg, IMO).

But I agree with SV about McConaughey. The guy irritates me to no end, though he has shown some range in recent films like Mud, and the TV show True Detective. I just don't like his dumb smugness.

[kzer_za]

Better than Spielberg? Maybe more consistent, but anyone as prolific as Spielberg will have some duds. But I think Spielberg at his best is miles ahead of Nolan. I'd easily take Jaws or Raiders over any Nolan movie, and those aren't the only ones.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I should say better than "new Spielberg." Which I suppose means anything after his Jaws and Raiders years! Though I did think Schindler's List was reasonably good.

I feel the same way about Scorcese, generally speaking. Once most of a director's life has been spent making movies, their experiences aren't as grounded in reality anymore, IMO, and so they make films that are less and less compelling (and more and more consistent with Hollywood standards).

[Beutlin]

But I agree with SV about McConaughey. The guy irritates me to no end, though he has shown some range in recent films like Mud, and the TV show True Detective). I just don't like his dumb smugness.

That is precisely why I like the dude. Alright, alright, alright…

[yovargas]

I used to hate McConaughey until True Detective. He was amazing in that role.

[Smaug's voice]

Better than Spielberg? Maybe more consistent, but anyone as prolific as Spielberg will have some duds. But I think Spielberg at his best is miles ahead of Nolan. I'd easily take Jaws or Raiders over any Nolan movie, and those aren't the only ones.

I never got the love for Raiders.
I like it and it is a fun movie, but not anywhere near the "classic" status people usually give it.
That said I love many of Spielberg's films, and some I don't.
Jaws, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and Lincoln being some. Oh, and being a Tintin fan since I was three, I loved the Tintin film!

Haven't seen a lot of Nolan either, but I loved two of the Batman films and both of them definitely are the best superhero-films as of yet, for me.

[Passdagas the Brown]

But I agree with SV about McConaughey. The guy irritates me to no end, though he has shown some range in recent films like Mud, and the TV show True Detective). I just don't like his dumb smugness.

That is precisely why I like the dude. Alright, alright, alright…

So extraordinarily obnoxious!

[Smaug's voice]

But I agree with SV about McConaughey. The guy irritates me to no end, though he has shown some range in recent films like Mud, and the TV show True Detective). I just don't like his dumb smugness.

That is precisely why I like the dude. Alright, alright, alright…

So extraordinarily obnoxious!

Gotta acknowledge though, what the dude is saying is practically correct.

[Smaug's voice]

I'm probably going this Sunday.
The critical consensus is colder than expected, I think. But the audience score at RT is encouraging!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Plus you'll probably get to see the new BotFA trailer on the big screen!

[River]

Since we're talking about McConaughey, I thought I'd post this here. NSFW. The secret to professional success in Hollywood made me laugh so hard I almost fell off my chair.

[yovargas]

I just got back from it and....it was pretty bad. Pretty darn bad. Overlong, poorly paced, poorly conceived, occasionally maudlin, and most damningly, just plain old trite. It's a move that has pretensions of being high-minded and high-concept but is ultimately thimble deep. A surprising disappointment.

[Passdagas the Brown]

That's the sense I'm getting from the reviews, even the positive ones. Very disappointing. I expected much better from Nolan.

Though I'll judge for myself when I actually see it, my expectations are now appropriately low.