Durham Enviro Stars

There is little doubt at this point in time that one of the most brilliant directors in all of the movie industry is Christopher Nolan. If you go through his catalog of movies, it would be an understatement to say that Christopher Nolan is consistent; all of his movies are exceptional. It is truly remarkable how many great movies he has thus far in his career.

This article will discuss what I consider to be Nolan’s greatest films.

The first movie that I will discuss is Memento. When you want to talk about revolutionary and unique films, Memento has to be mentioned in the conversation. Memento is a story about a detective who has no short term memory. Enough said.

Another film that I would certainly include on this list is The Prestige. This is easily one of my favorite films in recent memory. This a story of a rivalry between two obsessive magicians, played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.

Another movie that makes the Cut is Batman Begins. Before this movie, with the exception of Batman Returns, there was no half decent Batman film. Nolan truly revived this franchise from the dead and has created one of the most successful superhero sagas in the process.

It goes without saying that Nolan’s most recent film, Inception is included on this list. Inception was a truly original screenplay, written by none other than Christopher Nolan. This movie redefined my standards of what a science fiction film should be.

The last movie to make the cut is Nolan’s most successful film to date. I am of course talking about The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins. I might be wrong, but at the time I write this article I believe The Dark Knight is one of the five highest grossing films of all time.

Toy Story 3 made it debut to the big screen this summer, racking in over $1,046,340,665 in gross worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. A major accomplishment that has declared Toy Story 3 as the highest gross selling animated film. But before Toy Story 3, the title belonged to Shrek 2 which made it debut in 2004 with $919,838,758 gross worldwide.

However, should there be another animation film who deserved more credit then both Toy Story 3 and Shrek 2 as the highest gross selling animation film? I believe so, and that animation film should be and always should have been Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its theater debut in 1937, which is also declared as the first full feature animation. Originally, in it’s 1937 debut, the film brought in a total domestic gross of $66,596,803. For quick reference, the movie was re-issued four times in the 20th century: 1937, 1983, 1987, and 1993 which made a total of $184,925,486 (unadjusted) life time gross.

However, by using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Calculator and a little math, if we adjust the $66,596,803 for inflation, the amount totals out to be $1,000,596,663 in today’s dollar terms.

Although, Snow White’s $1,000,596,663 adjusted gross is less than Toy Story 3′s $1,046,340,655 gross, the 1937 film was only released domestically. Yep! That means it was only released here in the United States and not worldwide like today’s current movies or animation films.

So this begs the question, if released to other developed countries with theaters in the late 1930′s, how much addition revenue, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would have brought in? Probably much more, in fact I would assume it would have easily out beaten Toy Story 3, considering their figures are nearly equaled now.

Now lets take a different approach to this argument. Toy Story 3 along with Shrek 2 and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs all made most of their revenue from foreign countries rather than here in the United States.

The master of suspense is an excellent study for any future filmmaker, not because of his famed cinematography or his technical achievements but because of his ability to tell a story using images.

The art of visual storytelling is something we seem to lose more and more in today’s entertainment industry. From the first films, it was the visual element that brought the audience together. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words, and yet today’s films have a tendency to cram as many words in as possible.

Hitchcock was a expert at communicating in pictures. In The Lady Vanishes, Miss Froy’s name on the window and the spinning train wheels are perfect examples. The popping flash bulb in Rear Window and the shot of Arbogast falling down the stairs after being attacked by mother in 1960s Psycho are all equally terrifying images.

Hitch (as he was affectionately known by most everyone) began his career in Europe first, and later moved to America with his wife Alma, who he met when she played the part of continuity supervisor on his early projects. Of the films he produced during his European phase, which include The 39 Steps and Jamaica Inn, the most toned example of the coming renaissance he would create was a picture based on Ethel Whites novel, The Wheel Spins.

This film was basically an invention, though the plot was loosely based on the novel, and showcases some of his most intricate emotional work. The picture cuts fast: faster, in fact, than many European films of the day. There is a ton of information available for the viewer to take in here, most notably the great secret on which the wheels of the film spin.

Toy Story 3 made it debut to the big screen this summer, racking in over $1,046,340,665 in gross worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. A major accomplishment that has declared Toy Story 3 as the highest gross selling animated film. But before Toy Story 3, the title belonged to Shrek 2 which made it debut in 2004 with $919,838,758 gross worldwide.

However, should there be another animation film who deserved more credit then both Toy Story 3 and Shrek 2 as the highest gross selling animation film? I believe so, and that animation film should be and always should have been Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its theater debut in 1937, which is also declared as the first full feature animation. Originally, in it’s 1937 debut, the film brought in a total domestic gross of $66,596,803. For quick reference, the movie was re-issued four times in the 20th century: 1937, 1983, 1987, and 1993 which made a total of $184,925,486 (unadjusted) life time gross.

However, by using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Calculator and a little math, if we adjust the $66,596,803 for inflation, the amount totals out to be $1,000,596,663 in today’s dollar terms.

Although, Snow White’s $1,000,596,663 adjusted gross is less than Toy Story 3′s $1,046,340,655 gross, the 1937 film was only released domestically. Yep! That means it was only released here in the United States and not worldwide like today’s current movies or animation films.

So this begs the question, if released to other developed countries with theaters in the late 1930′s, how much addition revenue, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would have brought in? Probably much more, in fact I would assume it would have easily out beaten Toy Story 3, considering their figures are nearly equaled now.

Now lets take a different approach to this argument. Toy Story 3 along with Shrek 2 and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs all made most of their revenue from foreign countries rather than here in the United States.

Windows of opportunity. Windows of revenue. Windows are the ecosystem for how content is monetized. A movie opens in theaters in the US, then Europe, then on airlines & Pay Per View, coupled by a DVD release and first run HBO, second run Starz, 3rd run USA, 4th run NBC and so on and so on. What will the arc of a content launch look like in the future?

When a movie studio sets up a tentpole release of a major motion picture like Robin Hood or Avatar, Hollywood makes a decision. They take a deep, acid-reflux breath & decide should we release this movie in the US and then go global, should we do a worldwide release all at once or should we dump this bomb on 2 screens in NY and LA and send this turd to BlueRay for a long slow ride to the $3.99 bin at Walmart?

There is no bigger fundamental risk to the roll-out of a major motion picture than to miscalculate the lifecycle for its many forms and release schedule within its formats.

Are they releasing Russell Crowe Man in Tights worldwide because they are afraid of the reviews killing the buzz or do they want to snag Crowe for press before he goes on a bender? In any event, the event of unveiling a film is momentous at least momentous in the eyes & red meat of the producers who have sweat out a film’s existence and so every decision they make could mean the difference between boffo @ boxo or doa @arrive…

The interesting thing is that I contend that the days of this choice could be numbered.

Movies and all content live in windows of opportunity. Opportunity to buzz, opportunity to monetize and opportunity for the consumer to consume in dissimilar seats, formats, ratings & devices. Will the future of entertainment be a menu of choices as a movie is released? What if Robin Hood was released in regular theaters at $12, in 3D theaters at $14, at home on pay-per-view at $100 in G/PG/R ratings, on your cars satellite DVD player for $39.95 and on an iPad for 1 stream at $29.95?