Well, I mean, Nolan -- the real Nolan -- is the guy who made Following, and -- to some extent -- Memento. Every other Nolan film has had some kind of studio interference and shit -- I mean, you can't make some psychological mindfuck with DiCraprio starring, no studio is going to give $200 million dollars and say "Here, make something that only like 5 people will enjoy."
That being said, I was surprised by how clever and intelligent the movie was, even when it kinda turned into a crappy action flick near the end. The movie is a bit too long, and it never quite reaches the heights of its first hour (astounding visuals like the train in the city, the manipulation of reality, and such). Still, Nolan is a studio director, working for the studio system, and the studio ultimately is what approves/gives money to/releases/etc movies, so there has to be some spin on it to make it accessible to all audiences, not just us.
It's a brilliant mainstream film, certainly the best mainstream film of the year next to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (which did seem to cater only to a specific audience, which is why it's one of the biggest flops of all time, despite being insanely clever and brilliant)... but yeah, I definitely agree that it kinda falls apart near the end. But that didn't surprise me -- what surprised was how GREAT most of it was.
As for Stephen King's film adaptations... uhhhh... I guess Shawshank Redemption and the Dead Zone are great. The Shining isn't too bad. Surprised you didn't list any of those, Joe. Most of King film adaptations suck, though, or are just silly. THINNER is entertaining, surprisingly, they change a lot from the book. I think the Green Mile is a terrible film, so ridiculous, and MAUDLIN. How can people praise that film and insult something like (the equally godawful) Patch Adams? Both are "Feel-good" crapfests! I'll tell you one really underrated King movie, GRAVEYARD SHIFT.
I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the world who likes this movie, but indeed I do. Great atmosphere, dark as hell... the whole film is these rednecks cleaning out this sloppy lair of rats and shit... just weird. Weird movie.
If you want to see the absolute worst in King adaptations, check out MANGLER 2
This is truly one of the worst movies ever made, though it's fucking hilarious. Yes, King didn't
really have anything to do with it, just the first Mangler -- which was quite bad too -- but still. Check it out!