Nolan's Oppenheimer

[SeanF]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:33 PM, Zorral said:

Japan doesn't like it.  Nor do Native Americans and Mexican Americans of the Southwest.  Wonder why. 

If Barbie is considered overrated, there are problematic, unaddressed issues around this one as well, right?

Barbie and Oppenheimer each released their first product in Japan.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

On 7/25/2023 at 2:02 PM, DireWolfSpirit said:

I think they had to wrestle with  where this would lead the World. We are seeing inklings of such thought with AI presently.

It isn’t genuinely AI.  It is literally a very sophisticated chatbot.  Until it genuinely can be creative (not merely mimicking as it is programmed to mimic) or come up with unanticipated question and go deep on that unanticipated question it’s just mimicking as it as been programmed to mimic.

It has no consciousness, sapience, or genuine sense of self until it can be questioning and creative without prompting.

Edited August 6 by Ser Scot A Ellison

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:28 AM, Darryk said:

I found this film extremely difficult to follow but it had great performances and it was impeccably crafted.

It probably helped being familiar with the history of Physics and of the development of the Atomic Bomb.  The prominence of Teller was interesting to me.

[Corvinus85]

On 8/6/2023 at 4:10 AM, SeanF said:

Barbie and Oppenheimer each released their first product in Japan.

I feel like you forgot something, maybe this emoji 

[Tears of Lys]

On 8/2/2023 at 1:33 AM, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

The comments on the early Soviet bomb program are interesting. 

 

Here I am at 2:45 in the morning watching this.  It's fascinating!  But I gotta get up at 8 tomorrow!

But thank you anyway.  

[DireWolfSpirit]

The dark history "Oppenheimer" leaves out.

Interesting read on colonialized Congo's brutally exploited uranium miners, who in slave like conditions, were forced to meet quotas or have limbs amputated!

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-history-oppenheimer-didnt-show/

Edited August 22 by DireWolfSpirit

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

3 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

The dark history "Oppenheimer" leaves out.

Interesting read on colonialized Congo's brutally exploited uranium miners, who in slave like conditions, were forced to meet quotas or have limbs amputated!

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-history-oppenheimer-didnt-show/

I wouldn’t say it “left it out” as neither Oppenheimer or the Manhattan project had anything to do with procuring the ore. It would be an interesting story to tell though. Maybe a documentary or a dramatic feature of its own.

i actually looked this up a little while ago. When Groves said they’d purchased “1200 tons” of uranium ore, the first thought I had was, “where did it come from?” I can’t remember when but I did look it up and sure enough, Congo. My next thought was, “It’s a virtual certainty that slave labor will as involved in acquiring that ore.”

ETA: actually, Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States, episode 3 is on the bomb. I think the mention that the uranium came from the Belgian Congo. That might be the first place I heard it. 

Edited August 22 by Deadlines? What Deadlines?

[Luzifer's right hand]

On 8/3/2023 at 4:34 PM, Corvinus85 said:

https://www.insider.com/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-cant-hear-dialogue-in-movie-2023-8

I didn't realize that actors have to do nearly double the work for dialogue scenes by recording them again in a sound proof room. 

But that's not the problem with Nolan's movies. It's overlaying the loud, buzzing music over the dialogue!!! I highly doubt that Ludwig Göransson was standing behind the set with his instruments and the orchestra playing while the actors were speaking. I can hear the dialogue in the quieter scenes without an issue.

 

I just watched it the local arthouse cinema and every piece of dialogue was incredible easy to understand.

But I admit that is the only cinema I don't have problems with some of the dialogue Nolan movies.

I have no idea what they do differently.

[Spockydog]

Watching the 1981 BBC drama, Oppenheimer, on iplayer. Really good stuff. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

I actually have partial hearing impairment due to industrial occupation and I also had no problem hearing every bit of the movies dialogue in my areas Marcus Cinema.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

53 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

Watching the 1981 BBC drama, Oppenheimer, on iplayer. Really good stuff. 

Yes it is. You can also find episodes on YouTube. Great stuff. 

[Wilbur]

Today was the first day that my wife and I were able to get tickets to see the film in the iMax theater, a 10.30am showing that had two open seats still showing on the Harkins app as we went in.

Wow, what a film.

Audio and accessibility:  We didn't have any issues with the audio or understanding the dialogue in the theater.  Both of us did some jumping at various points in the film as the boom kicked in at the spots where you would expect, but also in the places in the film where you would not.

Plot:  I have Richard Rhodes' books on my shelf behind me, and I thought that the story that the movie tells hews pretty close to the line of reality throughout.  Some aspects of the story that I expected to see are omitted, while others are emphasized to illustrate the characters' relationships and motivations.  As a result, the story is not told by the numbers, but is creatively framed and more effective as a result.  The focus is on relationships, motivations, and morality, and as such is a real success.  Anyone who thinks authoritarianism is a good idea ought to see this film.

Nolanism:  I have enjoyed the Nolan films I have seen, and this one is a big winner because of its assessment of a complex set of characters and its basis in reality.  The movements in time work really well for me.  This film is three hours long (no previews or ads prior), and only two people got up to wash their hands during the screening.  Granted, the line to the gents was mighty long afterwards!  The sets and filming are lush, very evocative of the real thing, and hold your attention.  This film succeeds in taking me to the period between the wars, to WW2, and to the Eisenhower years.

Performances:  Alden Ehrenreich is great in his role.  RJD is also outstanding - his character's gradual reveal is fantastic.  Murphy does a superlative job in carrying the film.  Emily Blunt is foundational to the movie, and her scene of defending O. in front of the committee is the climax of the movie for me.  I love Gary Oldman, and his work is the weakest (corniest) of the film - everyone else is top notch.  Nolan has all the characters contributing to the mélange of relationships and motivations - no one is in this film just to look good.

Taste and feel:  A fair number of films that purport to be historical are bent out of the shape of reality and fact sufficiently to lose their grip on that reality.  The Imitation Game, for instance, is close to what I have read, but it goes out of bounds often enough to shake my attention from the film and start me wondering why this scene or that scene is included.  Those mental excursions detract from the pleasure of seeing history in film for me.  Oppenheimer didn't do that for me, so I maintained my focus.  But it did force me to think about the people and their actions and relationships and motivations and moralities in new ways because of how the movie worked.  So I thought about the characters and the history, but I didn't doubt the characters or their on-screen actions.  And my wife and I sat in a Korean restaurant and discussed it for 90 minutes afterward, and it was a productive conversation rather than mocking or negative criticism.  My wife has zero prior interest in the subject, but the film and its characters were gripping to her for three hours of viewing and two plates' worth of spicy tofu post-movie discussion.

This is an action adventure film for adults.  Bombs, scientists, spies, explosions, sex, world-altering stakes, relationships, morality - it has it all.

Now that the seats in the iMax may be easier to get, do yourself a favor and go see this film.  Strong recommendation.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

I was reading today that Oppenheimer hasn’t released in China yet. Nolan’s films typically do well there apparently. 

[Week]

Saw this over the weekend and was whelmed. It was a well directed movie and had some great performances. I didn't connect with the story or feel like there was an interesting/clear story arc to tie it all together. The juxtaposition of Straus' confirmation with Oppenheimer's security review was compelling on its face though it heavily leaned on Emily Blunt's and Rami Malek's characters suddenly having purposes.

I'd much rather rewatch any of his other movies (excluding Dunkirk).

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Oppenheimer was a strong contender for Oscar noms (which is what Universal effectively paid for). With Dune 2 shifting to next year, I’d say it’ll be taking home some chrome for sure.

[IlyaP]

3 hours ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Oppenheimer was a strong contender for Oscar noms (which is what Universal effectively paid for). With Dune 2 shifting to next year, I’d say it’ll be taking home some chrome for sure.

And Denis confirmed that he wanted to make Messiah, which makes me ever so happy, as that would complete what Frank (sometimes) referred to as the first part of the Dune series.

[Mladen]

OPPENHEIMER currently at Box Office: $912M

Only second highest grossing drama film in history (behind TITANIC)

The highest grossing biopic of all time (surpassed BOHEMINA RHAPSODY which is at $910M)

The second highest grossing R-rated movie (behind JOKER)

 

This movie is a perfect mix of high profile critics darling and box office success that can do well at Oscars... We'll see.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

2 hours ago, Mladen said:

OPPENHEIMER currently at Box Office: $912M

Only second highest grossing drama film in history (behind TITANIC)

The highest grossing biopic of all time (surpassed BOHEMINA RHAPSODY which is at $910M)

The second highest grossing R-rated movie (behind JOKER)

 

This movie is a perfect mix of high profile critics darling and box office success that can do well at Oscars... We'll see.

Yeah, pretty crazy. The first time in 20 years or something that the 3 highest grossing films world wide have been non sequels. 

Then again, maybe Aquaman or the Marvels can make a morbillion dollars. 

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

3 hours ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Yeah, pretty crazy. The first time in 20 years or something that the 3 highest grossing films world wide have been non sequels. 

Then again, maybe Aquaman or the Marvels can make a morbillion dollars. 

It’s got a lot to do with the fact that chris Nolan is a brand onto himself, a superstar director with name recognition, rather than the strength of the film itself which is also good.

[Mladen]