James Cameron and Christopher Nolan are two of our favourite Hollywood directors.
In his singular, unfashionable dedications to practical effects, specificity of medium, cinematic exhibition and sophistication in plotting and presentation, over two decades Kit Nolan has emerged as an antidote to the contemporary blockbuster, the last best hope that blockbuster cinema can enthral audiences while advancing the form.
Jim Cameron, the biggest director of the ’90s, has been largely absent from cinemas for 20 years. Cameron’s cinematic style is less adventurous than Nolan’s, but his colossal innovation in special effects and his preternatural synthesis of story, character and spectacle are without parallel – and his accidental heroes remain among the most beloved characters in popular culture.
In an issue of The Evening Glass thankfully nowhere near as austere as the preceding introductory paragraphs, Fletcher is joined by comedy’s Aidan McCaffery for a customarily lengthy chat on these two maestros – and one which made abundantly clear that we need to retrospective these two brilliant filmographies in their entirety, the sooner the better!