![]() ![]() ![]() The somnambulant mood may be partly intentional, but it’s also wearying. But the movie is also, at times, dreadfully dull. (He has said that in many ways this was the most important stepping-stone in his career, because it allowed him to ease into big-budget filmmaking.) Insomnia is impressive in many regards: Al Pacino is effectively haunted as the lead, and Robin Williams, at the time eagerly trying to shed his image as a cloying funnyman, is appropriately creepy and pathetic as the suspected murderer. This adaptation of the 1997 Norwegian crime thriller - about a troubled cop with a past who, while investigating a murder in small-town Alaska, accidentally kills his partner and then tries to cover up his crime - showed that the director could go from making low-budget indies to successful studio projects. But its technical limitations, combined with Nolan’s own inexperience, make it one of his weaker works. Anybody interested in the director’s films should check this one out. (Also, the lead thief’s name is Cobb, the same as the head thief in Inception). And the irony at the movie’s center - about a man who robs people to make them better appreciate their lives - is pure Nolan. Still, you can see the talent, and there are lots of fascinating elements here that would reemerge later: a nonlinear narrative, manipulative characters, a twist ending, the human psyche represented in material form. It does feel very much like a student effort: ambitious, awkward, bursting with ideas but often downright amateurish. Nolan’s ultra-low-budget 1998 directorial debut was cobbled together while he was working full-time, using available light and cheap film stock. Yes, this is something of a dangerous endeavor, given the fervency with which Nolan’s work is debated - by both his obsessive fans and his quite vocal detractors. So let’s take a look back over his career and figure out which of the director’s films were the masterpieces, and which ones were merely near-masterpieces. As a result, any ranking of his films is bound to wind up with at least a couple of amazing titles near the bottom that’s the kind of problem most directors wish they could have. Hold up! Before you go any further, know this: Christopher Nolan is an exceptional filmmaker who has made many great movies. So where does Oppenheimer actually fit in the director’s filmography? Of course, given the ambitious and obsessive nature with which he tackles all his projects, every Nolan film feels in its moment like the biggest one of his career. The long-awaited (and much-speculated-about) release of Oppenheimer is upon us, and the film seems like a major turning point for Christopher Nolan. This list has been updated with the release of Oppenheimer. As adaptations of his works are arguably more popular than ever, now is the perfect time to adapt one of his lesser-known works.Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos: Newmarket Films, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Warner Bros. ![]() Given the seemingly everlasting status of King's enduring popularity, his stories seem to not go out of style. To mention just a handful of them: The Dark Tower was released in 2017, IT in 2017 and its sequel in 2019, and Gerald's Game in 2017. Some of these adaptations ended up being panned by critics, but many of them have been welcomed and acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. In recent years, there's been a slew of television and movie adaptations of Stephen King works, as well as remakes of older adaptations, like Pet Sematary and Carrie. The movie would certainly be perfect for another famous Stephen King cameo. Insomnia also includes references to Gerald's Game and Pet Sematary. Plus, Ralph has visions of the Dark Tower itself. The Crimson King also directly ties Insomnia to King's Dark Tower series of books, in which he's a key villain. Pennywise, the evil clown from IT, is oft mentioned in the book the Crimson King shares many qualities with Pennywise - like shape-shifting and taking the form(s) of whatever people fear - and even makes references to the events of IT. For one, the book takes place in the infamous fictional town of Derry, Maine. ![]() The book Insomnia has many connections to other King works, so fans of the author's other movie and TV show adaptations would certainly be pleased with those references, if they were to be included in the movie. ![]()
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