Nolan's ‘The Prestige,’ ‘Inception’ entertain, leave you guessing

THE PRESTIGE 

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

With his highly successful “Batman” trilogy coming to a close next week, many people might associate director Christopher Nolan solely to comic book superhero films.

But that’s far from accurate.

Nolan is an incredibly talented filmmaker whose has helmed several well-made, thought-provoking movies that show he has more depth than many people might otherwise think.

Nolan first grabbed the attention with “Memento,” his off-beat thriller story about a man with short-term memory loss. Nolan told the story backward, starting from the end and wrapping up at the beginning.

But the two films I want to highlight came immediately after he finished his first and second “Batman” films.

Overlooked and underrated: Spielberg’s ‘Empire of the Sun’

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)

Before “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” director Steven Spielberg tackled a lavish, complicated and personal World War II film that wound up tanking at the box office and attracting few fans.

I was among the many people who trashed “Empire of the Sun,” dismissing the 1987 film as a waste of talented actors and a rare failure from a great film maker. The 2½-hour film was stiff, hard-headed and drab. And I hated it.

Man, was I wrong.

I caught the film on Home Box Office a year later. And this time, I had a distinctly different reaction. That night in my apartment, I found “Empire of the Sun” a fascinating, touching and boldly moving experience. This is one of Spielberg’s unsung greats.

I rarely change my mind about films, certainly not as drastic a swing as I did with “Empire of the Sun.”