Friends at Dusk: A Christopher Nolan Filmography Podcast

Oppenheimer is an Academy Award-winning film! Christopher Nolan and co. took home seven Oscars on Sunday night, including Best Picture and Best Director, and Jake and Marshall are here to recap it all. Plus, we talk about what else we liked in the ceremony, and where we think Nolan will go next now that he has an Oscar.

Happy Oscars Sunday! Jake and Marshall are back with more in-depth predictions on how Oppenheimer will fare tonight, as well as some predictions on what should win, what they hope will win, and some memories from Oscars ceremonies past. Will Christopher Nolan finally win his own golden statue? Fill out those ballots and get ready for the red carpet, and we’ll see you after the Academy Awards to see how well our predictions held up.

Today we’re joined by a very special guest. Tom Shone, the author of The Nolan Variations himself, talked to us for a bit to promote the upcoming paperback version of his book about the films of Christopher Nolan, now with a new chapter on Oppenheimer.

We talked to Shone about writing that new chapter, Oppenheimer’s Oscars chances, what it was like working with Nolan, and more!

We’re back for another bonus episode! On Tuesday morning, Oppenheimer got 13 nominations for the 96th Academy Awards. Jake and Marshall are here to talk about their predictions for the film as well as some other general Oscars talk. We’ll be back soon once the ceremony is closer!

We’re back! It’s a holiday miracle. On this episode, Jake and Marshall are talking all about the most anticipated physical media release of the year: Oppenheimer on 4K Blu-ray.

The title quickly sold out at multiple outlets, but we each managed to get a copy so we could take a gander at all those sweet, sweet bonus features. Topics covered this episode include the importance of physical media (always), Spotify Wrapped stats from our listeners, and our favorite bonus features on the Blu-ray.

(Audio quality note: Due to a recording issue there is a faint, intermittent echo on Marshall’s track.)

The finale, the ending, the cut to black — whatever you call it, this is it! (For now.)

In this wrapup episode, Jake and Marshall look back on their yearlong journey through Christopher Nolan’s films and influences. Topics include the newly published Oppenheimer script, alternate names for the podcast, what's next, and of course, the guys’ (latest) official Nolan rankings.

Thank you so much for joining us, and we'll see you at the beginning, friends.

One episode wasn’t enough. Now that Barbenheimer Fever has gripped the nation, Jake and Marshall discuss their theatrical experience seeing Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day in Austin, and delve deeper into the themes of Oppenheimer.

We did it! We made it to Oppenheimer. Here’s a quick episode on Jake and Marshall’s immediate thoughts about Christopher Nolan’s latest film, from the score to the editing to the performances and how well Nolan adapts Bird & Sherwin’s American Prometheus. More thoughts to come later!

It’s almost time! This is our last episode until Oppenheimer premieres in wide release. As such, we prepared as much as we can by reading American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s exhaustive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

We also watched The Day After Trinity, the 1981 documentary that chronicles the events of the Los Alamos test and acts as a kind of CliffsNotes on American Prometheus.

So join us for this freewheeling episode, and get ready for July 21.

All we have for you is a word: Podcast.

That’s right, it’s Tenet time. This week, Jake and Marshall take a look at Christopher Nolan’s most recent film to date, a Dudes Rock tale of time travel wrapped up in a James Bond plot.

Also discussed: How Tenet’s release schedule changed the film industry as we know it, how Tenet acts as a bridge from Dunkirk to Oppenheimer, and how Tenet is the Most Nolan Film to ever exist — at least, that is, until Oppenheimer comes out next week.

Cold War espionage and spycraft is the name of the game on today’s episode. Jake and Marshall take a look at how much Christopher Nolan drew on influences like Alfred Hitchcock and John le Carré for Tenet, Nolan’s version of a James Bond film.

Here you’ll find a look at Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and how it led to the Bond film franchise, as well as a close reading of the ins and outs of the spy trade in le Carré’s novel The Night Manager.

Grab your headphones and have a listen. Or, in the spirit of Tenet, maybe you’ve already listened, and you just don’t know it.

“All we did was survive.”

“That’s enough.”

This week on the pod, Jake and Marshall discuss all things Dunkirk: The script, the score, the spectacle, and the smaller moments that feel like spectacle. They also look at how this film succeeds at balancing its tone where Ryan’s Daughter fails. Come along for an episode about Nolan’s most contradictory film yet.

Summer’s coming, so we thought we’d celebrate with a trip to the beach. But this is a Christopher Nolan podcast, so this beach trip involves real-life stories of the men who evacuated Dunkirk in 1940 and tales of adultery amid Irish and British tensions. Join Jake and Marshall as they get ready to watch Dunkirk by discussing two of its key influences: David Lean’s film Ryan’s Daughter and Joshua Levine’s oral history book Forgotten Voices of Dunkirk.

Christopher Nolan’s longest film to date is also the one considered to be his most emotional. Interstellar is a space-travel epic that combines all of the director’s themes: Time, guilt, foils, multiple narratives, maximalism, and minimalism. It’s also the Nolan film that Jake and Marshall are the most emotional about. So S.T.A.Y. right there and listen to them chat about love, time, and space.

It’s an emergency episode! Join Marshall and Jake as they talk about the latest trailer for Oppenheimer.

Topics covered from this new glimpse of the film: American patriotism, Matt Damon’s penchant for hamminess, Cillian Murphy’s eyes, ticking countdowns, huge cast lists, and more. Join us as we overanalyze this footage as we get closer and closer to Oppenheimer’s release date.

Look, we know Contact isn’t mentioned anywhere in The Nolan Variations, but it’s our podcast, so we do what we want. There’s no way to talk about Interstellar without talking about Contact, the other movie where Matthew McConaughey and a strong female lead (in this case, Jodie Foster) wrestle with questions about faith, love, science, and space. Join us as we talk about the many similarities between Contact and Interstellar, plus a look at “The Library of Babel,” another Jorge Luis Borges short story.

All good things come to an end eventually. Don’t worry, we’re still continuing this podcast, but this episode marks the end of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Join Jake and Marshall as they discuss The Dark Knight Rises and how effective it is as a trilogy-capper, and what this trilogy did for the wave of superhero films that followed.

“I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss.”

The theme of this episode: Revolution. Join Jake and Marshall as they look at Charles Dickens’ historical fiction epic A Tale of Two Cities and Gillo Pontecorvo’s neorealist film The Battle of Algiers and examine how the two are related to each other and how they influenced Christopher Nolan while making the final chapter of his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.

Don’t think about podcasts! This week, Jake, Marshall, and returning guest Jay Wallis dive deep to navigate the various levels of Christopher Nolan’s dream heist epic, Inception. They discuss Hans Zimmer’s landmark score, the meta of the film’s heist crew, how that reveals Nolan’s storytelling ethos, and of course, everyone’s thoughts on that iconic ending.

Grab your totem and join us, won’t you?

Dreams, dreams, and more dreams. This week on the pod, Jake, Marshall, and guest Jay Wallis talk all about three of the biggest dreams and nightmares that inspired Inception: Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Jorge Luis Borges’s short stories “The Secret Miracle” and “The Circular Ruins.” We discuss dream logic, Hitchcock’s influence on Christopher Nolan, Borges’s act of creation, and more.

Note: This episode was recorded before the Oscars telecast, so you’ll also hear some armchair predictions that may (or may not) be accurate.

It’s the episode we’ve all been waiting for! This week, join Jake and Marshall as they discuss all things Dark Knight, one of the most influential superhero films ever made. Just remember: You either die a hero, or you podcast long enough to see yourself become the villain.

And here…we…go!

“Is this guy something, or is he something?”

That’s Al Pacino’s Vincent Hanna talking about Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley in Michael Mann’s Heat. But it’s also Jake and Marshall marveling at Mann’s epic crime caper that helped inspire The Dark Knight. This week on the pod, we look at how Heat and the Long Halloween comics shaped Christopher Nolan’s second Batman film.

Are you listening closely? This week on the pod, Jake and Marshall unpack every timeline in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, see how the movie adaptation compares to Christopher Priest’s novel, and marvel at how well this movie rewards repeat viewings. Plus: More dad jokes!

Bitter feuds, burning rivalries, magic, horror, and a whole lot of running on the beach. This week on the pod, Jake and Marshall go long on two of the biggest influences on The Prestige: Christopher Priest’s novel and the Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire. Are you listening closely?

This is it, the movie that kickstarted the modern obsession with comic book movies. Christopher Nolan took Batman and revamped him for the post-9/11 era. Today on the pod, Jake and Marshall examine the legacy of Batman Begins and see how it ties into the greater Nolan filmography. And remember, you always fear what you don’t understand.

It’s a special holiday episode! The new trailer for Oppenheimer just dropped, and even though Jake and Marshall weren’t able to record a reaction episode together, we still have some thoughts about what we saw in the trailer.

What do y’all think? Let us know!

One righteous man stands above it all, saving a city that neither wants him nor deserves him. That’s right, we’re talking about Frank Serpico. And Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jim Gordon, too. This episode is all about how Sidney Lumet’s 1973 crime drama Serpico and Frank Miller’s 1987 Batman: Year One run influenced Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.

Can’t sleep? Then why not listen to this episode of Friends at Dusk? This week, Jake and Marshall take a look at Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of Insomnia. Is it better than the original? Why is this movie underrated in Nolan’s filmography? And what does all of this have to do with Al Pacino drinking a Dunkaccino? Listen and find out.

“We’re not so different, you and I.”

No, we’re not talking about The Dark Knight just yet, but these two movies we’re discussing clearly made a mark on Christopher Nolan in more ways than one. This week on the pod, Jake and Marshall take a look at Michael Mann’s Manhunter and the original 1997 version of Insomnia and how those films influenced Nolan’s 2002 Insomnia remake.

Duality! Guilt! Crimes! Men making their own prisons! It’s all in this episode of Friends at Dusk.

CW: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault.

Now, where was I? Join your two hosts as they discuss the film that changed Nolan’s career. This episode features Jake and Marshall’s thoughts on Memento, its legacy, and its place in the Christopher Nolan canon. But which “he” is he talking about? “Don’t believe his lies!”

The revolutionary structure and mind-blowing ending of Memento helped create the modern puzzle-box genre as we know it — a genre that Christopher Nolan has become synonymous with. But where did he get the ideas for Memento? This episode delves into the works of Billy Wilder, Jorge Luis Borges, and Nolan’s brother Jonah. Join Jake and Marshall as they look at Double Indemnity, “Funes the Memorious,” and “Memento Mori” as influences on Memento.

We finally made it to the beginning. This week on the pod, Jake and Marshall discuss Christopher Nolan’s first feature film, 1998’s Following. Join us as we discuss film noir, femmes fatales, fractured narratives, and the dangers of leaving your doors unlocked.

CW: This episode contains brief discussion of suicide.

Jake and Marshall discuss all the noir influences that led up to Christopher Nolan’s first feature, Following. We’re talkin’ Out of the Past, we’re talkin’ The Big Sleep, and we’re talkin’ Doodlebug, Nolan’s third short film. Follow along!

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Our first episode! We begin with a discussion of The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan by Tom Shone. We also explain our respective Nolan fandoms, our plans for the rest of the podcast, and more!

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