A director who recognizes no boundaries in a movie and isn’t afraid to grip an audience at the edge of their seat, Christopher Nolan is a powerful and arguably one of the most creative forces in the world of Hollywood.

His success is undeniable and his movies unforgettable as most recently shown through the Best Picture Oscar nomination “Inception” was honored. Yet, shockingly, it wasn’t partnered with a Best Director nomination. Despite it all, Nolan is still going strong.

His movies are known to boggle the mind and leave it reeling days after seeing it. His 2000 film “Memento,” a thriller about a man with amnesia trying to make sense of a murder, was given the following statement by William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “(Nolan) not only makes ‘Memento’ work as a non-linear puzzle film, but as a tense, atmospheric thriller.” Again he dived into the psychological world with “Insomnia,” starring a tortured Al Pacino trying to stop the murderous and mad Robin Williams. Then “The Prestige” came out in 2006, starring two magicians, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, who begin a twisted rivalry that ends with horrific results. The movie is most noted for its plot twist and the need to watch it over and over again to catch on to hidden details.

If the public is oddly unfamiliar with any of these films, they most definitely know of Nolan’s involvement in the new Batman films. Christian Bale plays the caped crusader, introduced in 2005 in “Batman Begins” and later again in 2008 in “The Dark Knight.” Along with him are other big stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Heath Ledger played the Joker in “The Dark Knight” earning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Both films were praised world –wide for their more realistic tones and deep story lines as opposed to previous “Batman” films.

Nolan’s most recent triumph has been the creation of “Inception.” A film once again dealing with the inner working of the mind that leaves audience’s baffled, “Inception” explores the possibility of entering people’s minds through their dreams and stealing (or planting) ideas in them. Leonardo DiCaprio, along with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page, take on the task of entering the mind of a business man and inserting the idea of destroying his father’s company. Justin Chang of Variety quoted the film to be, “applying a vivid sense of procedural detail to a fiendishly intricate yarn set in the labyrinth of the unconscious mind, the writer-director has devised a heist thriller for surrealists, a Jungian’s “Rififi,” that challenges viewers to sift through multiple layers of (un)reality.”    

“Inception” garnered an immense amount of nominations along with several wins. Of the most popular, it had been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. The Academy Award nominees had just been recently announced and the movie was honored with nods for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and most prestigious, Best Picture. The shock though, was the lack of a Best Director nomination.

Usually when a film is nominated for Best Picture it earns a Best Director nomination as well. So what happened? Since the Academy never really discloses why and why not certain nominations were made, no one will really know for sure. There have been speculations streaming all over and an out-roar by dedicated fans, but neither a reason nor a more altered decision will be made. Nolan has never been honored with the certain nomination despite the great financial and critical success his films earn and the other awards they are nominated for.

Is it going to keep Nolan down? Of course not; he is arguably one of the most celebrated directors at present time. His next projects are already sending waves of excitement through the entertainment world. This past year it was announced that Nolan, along with David Goyer, would be remaking another classic superhero, “Superman.”

“It’s very exciting; we have a fantastic story and we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right.” Nolan commented to the Los Angeles Times. It seems a taboo comes with the name “Superman” as no one seems to be able to touch or even match the classic films that had starred Christopher Reeve. However, with Nolan on board critics seem to be optimistic.

Then there’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” It is the third and final installment in his “Batman” franchise. The original cast from the previous films return along with newcomers Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film has been shrouded in mystery for months with fans anxiously waiting for even the smallest scrap of information.

Ideas like who the new villain is, will the Joker return, and more importantly, who would be the new female lead.

Jan. 19th the news came that Anne Hathaway had beat out other A-list actresses for the role of Selina Kyle whose alter ego is Catwoman. Tom Hardy will star as Bane, a juiced up super-strong villain who had once broken Batman’s back in the comics. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s involvement had been a most recent breakthrough and his role has yet to be confirmed. It had been speculated that he would be perfect for the role of the Riddler but the idea of said villain in the film had been rejected by Nolan himself.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is promising to be the greatest “Batman” film yet, and that’s really saying something. With Nolan as director though, it is sure to make a bang.