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Instead of just doing a movie about dreams, he elaborated on the idea by asking a few more questions: What happens in a dream within a dream? Can you alter the way people think if you mess around in their dream? What would action scenes look like inside a continent-crossing, mind-bending, star-studded extravaganza? The answers… anything, you’ll see, and nothing you anticipated but everything you’ve always wanted. Inception went on to earn eight Oscar nominations, four Oscar wins, and over $800 million worldwide. The only accomplishment left for this Hollywood legend would be to take over the galaxy. Let’s see what happened next…

4) Interstellar (year: 2014, genre: sci-fi/drama, reviews: 71% positive)

After Inception, Nolan completed the Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Another year, another Nolan movie, another 87% positive, another $1 billion Batman. Check, check, check; Nolan rules the world. After Batman retired, Nolan looked up to the sky to a galaxy far, far away. The next questions he asked where: What would happen if Earth was dying in a way humans couldn’t save? Where would we go? What’s past the outer limits of space? What’s on the other side of a wormhole? What about black holes? Well, Nolan answered those questions in ways that confused some critics while blowing away others. In the end, Nolan turned Hollywood’s complete trust and $165 million budget into a $675 million interplanetary hit. Nolan took over the galaxy and the future in one swoop. The only place left to go was back in time...

5) Inglourious Basterds (year: 2009, genre: stupid war movies, reviews: 89% positive)

After 2003’s Kill Bill, I became obsessed with Quentin Tarantino. Like Nolan, Tarantino is one of those rare master writer/directors who tackles a genre, redefines it, gets nominated for Oscars and then moves on to the next genre. Tarantino remains special to me because he was able to take a historical war drama and make me like it. Basterds is clever, funny, a completely original take on World War II and the only good thing to have ever come out of that epicly boring genre. Usually, this is the point where I would get all negative on you and recommend a garbage movie that is a warning for the new featured film. However, historical war movies as a genre is its own deterrent and it’s time the Christopher Nolan circle jerk comes to an end. I haven’t seen Dunkirk yet, so Basterds remains the only war movie I can stomach. Should history repeat itself and Dunkirk shocks me with an entertaining war film, you may find me in the Cult of Nolan by next week. At the very least, you’ll find me giving war films from directors I trust another chance.

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