Watched Oppenheimer last night. Typical Nolan film in that isn't just a simple, linear story about the man and his team who built the bomb. There isn't much kaboom for a start.
It is very good, especially the last 3rd but then I'm a bit of a sucker for legal/procedural drama which that part focuses on. The cast is impressive but Murphy really is excellent in the lead role.
I always mean to contribute to this thread more, open up, go to write then forget and weeks pass that the film is barely "recent". However, I'll jump to the (slight) defence of my boy Wes.
Asteroid City - 6.5/10
Typical Wes Anderson cinematography, styling and casting ensemble. If you're a fan, or seen more than one Wes Anderson film then you'll know what to expect.
Two stories to tell, the in film play (Asteroid City) and the writer. For me, would have preferred to see the film solely as "Asteroid City" and cut out the behind the scenes stuff as it just seemed to be a chance to comment on arty farty *art house cinema types, not sure if it was a self awareness joke, dig at them or a finger pointing "yeah what" at the people who aren't fans of that, but found myself just wanting to carry on with what was happening in the actual play. It's almost like Wes Anderson wrote a sci-fi film, felt dirty so then threw that in to balance it out.
Really enjoyed it and personally it sits above The French Dispatch in terms of his recent outings but still not hitting the highs of Anderson films of old.
*Wes Anderson fanboyism aside, I saw the film in probably the smallest cinema I've ever been too, sandwiched between a bar and a travel agent, 4 screens max and could only seat about 35 people in the showing I went too, couldn't even get popcorn as it had to be saved for the family film. This probably helped with taking the film in as it was right at home being shown there!
Little Miss Idle, whose judgment I trust, said this of Oppenheimer: Oppenheimer probably a very good 2 hour/2.15 film. Sadly it was 3 hours long. Some of it was excellent and it’s probably my favourite Nolan film but that’s a low bar. Barbie was 'less intellectual but better made.' I'm going to the pictures next week now the ashes series is dead, but I'll only be seeing one of them
I love the MI films. A lot. I worship at the church of Cruise (the man, not his own church). I love him as a filmmaker. And I don't just mean the stunts, which are great fun, but the man knows how to bring other filmmakers together and get them top produce high-quality stuff.
The way the MI films are crafted, particularly the scripts, really appeals to me. Ever since Brad Bird took on the fourth film I think Cruise, and latterly McQuarrie, have figured out an approach that makes them the best action movies of their time.
To me, Fallout is in the top ten all time great action movies, and while Dead Reckoning is in the same vein, it's a little baggier than its predecessor. There's once chase scene that went on for so long that I couldn't remember how it started.
Still, I loved it. I love the tension they're capable of creating. I love the way scenes are written and then subverted. I can see those little twists coming a mile off now as they're very much on brand for the series, but they're just as satisfying as ever.
I think this film suffers a little bit by being a part 1 of 2, and when viewed with the sequel I would imagine it'll be a lot stronger. I've read that people have issues with the way the female sidekick has been introduced, and I can't defend that. There is a rotation of characters in this film that I think is odd.
Saw Oppenheimer last night, thought it was very good and the length didn't bother me felt engrossed all the way through.
Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, no complaints about his performance but personally kept getting side tracked by Tommy from Peaky Blinders, not his fault either.
The question I was left with, is the world a safer place because of Oppenheimer or not? I'm inclined to think not, and while it may seem unlikely that anyone would do the unthinkable, I don't think I can say 100% it will never happen:(
I'm thinking of ordering, American Prometheus, anyone read it?
First trip to the cinema for me today for several years as I can now manage to walk in and get up the stairs with crutches. I’d forgotten about popcorn!!!! Saw Oppenheimer. Enjoyed it and a stellar cast did the business, especially Murphy and Downey Jr. If I’m being critical it was over long although not unwatchably so. Less “action” than I expected as it is primarily a procedural drama than an action movie (don’t expect to see Hiroshima or Nagasaki get kaboomed). The sound effects are quite jarring as per Nolan’s habit and add well to the visuals. Thought provoking of course but no more so than I expected. Would I recommend it? Subject to the above provisos, yes. Would I go see it again? No.
Saw Oppenheimer,(Also watched The Trial Of Oppenheimer on i player) Thought the film was a great. Captured the time really well, and the dilemma a thinking person would have when a terrible weapon was created. Murphy must odds on for a Oscar.
Just a little a side, the theatre i was in (VUE Eltham) had a lot of youngsters in it,however when the film started about 1/3 of them suddenly jumped up and left. Apparently they thought they were going to see Barbie.
Ms AA and I saw Barbie last night. Both thought it was one of the worst films we’d ever seen. Very little humour, worthy political points laid on with a trowel, a complete waste of talent and money.
I had no intention of seeing Barbie, but I saw one great review after another, and began to wonder if it would be an unexpected treasure like the Lego Movie. Reading on here has dumped me back in the "not going' camp.my youngest wants to see Elemental and Oppenheimer, so I'll try and fit them in, and she's off to see Barbie with her mates next week. Job done
Have seen two movies so far while in Dubrovnik… Mission Impossible 15-20 shorter edit would have enhanced it imho, as at 3 hours felt a bit long for a Part One of a movie. That said, stunts, action, story and acting was really good 8/10 and looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Barbie - different story. My 18 year old daughter loved it, the rest of us left scratching our heads as to how this movie has received so many positive reviews. Was too long at 2 hours and while I thought the first 10-15 minutes was ok by way of set up, I just thought any fizz went flat quickly and the story was basic and weaker than it could have been. 5/10 at most…!
My annual 'Am I living in a parallel universe?' cinema experience comes around, I thought Oppenheimer was really bad. Such muddled storytelling, no room for character development, horrible pacing made it feel like a trailer cut, some weirdly cartoonish characters, so much exposition dialogue and it's not as visually interesting as most of his films, aside from two very well done and powerful scenes. Cillian gives a very fine performance and no shade on the very talented supporting cast who I think are under-served (especially Flo Pugh and Emily Blunt.)
My annual 'Am I living in a parallel universe?' cinema experience comes around, I thought Oppenheimer was really bad. Such muddled storytelling, no room for character development, horrible pacing made it feel like a trailer cut, some weirdly cartoonish characters, so much exposition dialogue and it's not as visually interesting as most of his films, aside from two very well done and powerful scenes. Cillian gives a very fine performance and no shade on the very talented supporting cast who I think are under-served (especially Flo Pugh and Emily Blunt.)
lol it'd be great for him to have one film without any exposition at all in it. Dunkirk was probably the least egregious.
Must admit I watched Oppenheimer, was expecting a bit more from a great potential story, and cast, but hyped up too much and didn’t deliver imo, thought it was more a film for the luvvies, will probably win loads of awards.
Have read a few reviews saying it’s better 2nd time round, maybe I’m missing something in it.
Thought MI7 was garbage. Set Piece - TC staring into the middle distance looking unconvincingly mournful - Set piece - TC doing a stunt where the director (or TC) want you to know it’s TC doing a stunt. Drivel. And the whole two part thing only adds to the pomposity. Liked MI 4,5 and 6.
My annual 'Am I living in a parallel universe?' cinema experience comes around, I thought Oppenheimer was really bad. Such muddled storytelling, no room for character development, horrible pacing made it feel like a trailer cut, some weirdly cartoonish characters, so much exposition dialogue and it's not as visually interesting as most of his films, aside from two very well done and powerful scenes. Cillian gives a very fine performance and no shade on the very talented supporting cast who I think are under-served (especially Flo Pugh and Emily Blunt.)
I felt the same about his two Dark Knight films and perhaps also The Prestige. I'm a Nolan fan but always feel he's a great director who can make very very entertaining commercial films but they lack the depths, meaningfulness and precise look and analysis into life and people that some other directors' films have*. Watching a film of his can be a fascinating experience but except Inception (and maybe Insomnia too but I watched that one many years ago and I can't be sure) I've never had a feeling "I can SO relate to xxx" or "I'm deeply touched" for the characters or stories told in his films.
I have yet to watch this one (luckily it will be released here albeit with a month delay). Maybe it will change my impression a little bit. (Maybe not reading your review.😂)
*I've only recently realised my very top 1 favourite director is Martin Scorsese. I started to watch foreign films since I was very young so it took me almost 30 years to know what films I really admire. There's a sharp distinction between his work and Nolan's despite I like them both. Probably not fair to compare the two as they basically do different genres and are not of the same generation. But I can understand your complaints about Oppenheimer.
I think you've hit the nail on the head in that Nolan is really great with technical filmmaking and set pieces (kind of like James Cameron) but isn't really a good character director in the way that Scorsese certainly is. I think Oppenheimer really needed someone who can pull off character and narrative on a big scale. In the hands of a Scorsese or a Spielberg I think it would have been a more engaging film. But the reviews are great from both critics and audience, and my specialism in film is mainly watching unwatchable disasterpieces (https://letterboxd.com/thisisdrew/list/the-most-controversial-films-on-letterboxd/) so I would urge anyone to go and see it and make up their own minds. I'm certainly glad that it (and Barbie) have done so well at the box office.
OPPENHEIMER Went with my youngest daughter last night. She came along on the back of the trailer which I had a feeling probably wasn't to representative of the film. It turned out I was right, but she loved it anyway and so did I. Downpoints, certainly include that when there were quite a lot of new locations, especially at the start, some labels to let you know where ther action was taking place would have been a help (and to be honest, there were that many characters that labelling the people in the style of a playstation video game would have made things clearer). I didn't find it overlong - it was well paced and though the tendency to jump back and forth on the timeline made it tough to begin with, it settled down as you grew into the story. I was happy enough that the film didn't include stock film of the bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, or the consequences - nice touch. So overall very impressed - one of the best films I've seen this year, and I hope it gets some Oscars (Cillian Murphy for starters). I won't need to see it again for a while, though I'm looking forward to watching it in English next time.
Mission impossible 7. No positive words except to say got me out and did a friend a favour seeing this. What an utter insult to the cinema going public.
I enjoyed both Oppenheimer and Barbie. The thing with recent Nolan films is imo you have to absorb them in the same way you take in music. Get in tune with the rhythm and let it into your subconscious. I know that sounds pretentious. They are hard for me to get into if i just skim the surface of the visuals.
I know some men have issues with Barbie but for me it had important messages about society conditioning both men and women to conform to stereotypes, and it was fun.
I enjoyed Oppenheimer despite being mistaken for a silver screener at the cinema bar beforehand. It's an intense film, and a bit of a who's who of actors. Murphy is excellent as is Robert Downey jr. I got deja vu seeing Tom Conti play Einstein - wonder if he's done that before. I did find it slightly heavy going for a while after the Los Alamos section had concluded, but for a three hour film the time passed quickly enough. I think it would benefit from trimming by half an hour though.
I know some men have issues with Barbie but for me it had important messages about society conditioning both men and women to conform to stereotypes, and it was fun.
There are parts of Oppenheimer that feel like the best blockbuster filmmaking of all time. It's such a visceral experience on an IMAX screen with the sound dialled up, and yet it's built on a complex plot that is pretty well delivered, certainly by Nolan's standards of plot-heavy dialogue.
At least until, as IdleHans said, the post-Alamos bit takes over. For much of that hour or so I thought we were in the endgame, and yet if never seemed to end. I was bemused by who was doing what for much of it. When I realised there were a few sort-of twists to be revealed I was more surprised that I was watching that kind of movie than the actual reveals.
I also think - and I remember saying this about Interstellar - there are times when Nolan's crescendo editing turns pretty run-of-the-mill moments into something they're not, or maybe don't quite deserve to be.
It's still a magnificent film and I look forward to watching it again - ironically on a small screen where I can turn the sound down a bit and protect my tinnitus, and maybe press pause to cross-reference wikipedia from time to time!
Comments
It is very good, especially the last 3rd but then I'm a bit of a sucker for legal/procedural drama which that part focuses on. The cast is impressive but Murphy really is excellent in the lead role.
Asteroid City - 6.5/10
Typical Wes Anderson cinematography, styling and casting ensemble. If you're a fan, or seen more than one Wes Anderson film then you'll know what to expect.
Two stories to tell, the in film play (Asteroid City) and the writer. For me, would have preferred to see the film solely as "Asteroid City" and cut out the behind the scenes stuff as it just seemed to be a chance to comment on arty farty *art house cinema types, not sure if it was a self awareness joke, dig at them or a finger pointing "yeah what" at the people who aren't fans of that, but found myself just wanting to carry on with what was happening in the actual play.
It's almost like Wes Anderson wrote a sci-fi film, felt dirty so then threw that in to balance it out.
Really enjoyed it and personally it sits above The French Dispatch in terms of his recent outings but still not hitting the highs of Anderson films of old.
*Wes Anderson fanboyism aside, I saw the film in probably the smallest cinema I've ever been too, sandwiched between a bar and a travel agent, 4 screens max and could only seat about 35 people in the showing I went too, couldn't even get popcorn as it had to be saved for the family film. This probably helped with taking the film in as it was right at home being shown there!
Barbie was 'less intellectual but better made.'
I'm going to the pictures next week now the ashes series is dead, but I'll only be seeing one of them
I swerve NC films as apart from Face Off I can’t really stand him.
But I loved this. Such a piss take. Great fun!
I love the MI films. A lot. I worship at the church of Cruise (the man, not his own church). I love him as a filmmaker. And I don't just mean the stunts, which are great fun, but the man knows how to bring other filmmakers together and get them top produce high-quality stuff.
The way the MI films are crafted, particularly the scripts, really appeals to me. Ever since Brad Bird took on the fourth film I think Cruise, and latterly McQuarrie, have figured out an approach that makes them the best action movies of their time.
To me, Fallout is in the top ten all time great action movies, and while Dead Reckoning is in the same vein, it's a little baggier than its predecessor. There's once chase scene that went on for so long that I couldn't remember how it started.
Still, I loved it. I love the tension they're capable of creating. I love the way scenes are written and then subverted. I can see those little twists coming a mile off now as they're very much on brand for the series, but they're just as satisfying as ever.
I think this film suffers a little bit by being a part 1 of 2, and when viewed with the sequel I would imagine it'll be a lot stronger. I've read that people have issues with the way the female sidekick has been introduced, and I can't defend that. There is a rotation of characters in this film that I think is odd.
But fuck it, it's such good fun I don't care.
8/10
Saw Oppenheimer last night, thought it was very good and the length didn't bother me felt engrossed all the way through.
Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, no complaints about his performance but personally kept getting side tracked by Tommy from Peaky Blinders, not his fault either.
The question I was left with, is the world a safer place because of Oppenheimer or not? I'm inclined to think not, and while it may seem unlikely that anyone would do the unthinkable, I don't think I can say 100% it will never happen:(
I'm thinking of ordering, American Prometheus, anyone read it?
Just a little a side, the theatre i was in (VUE Eltham) had a lot of youngsters in it,however when the film started about 1/3 of them suddenly jumped up and left. Apparently they thought they were going to see Barbie.
Barbie and Elemental.
They loved both of them and that's all that matters. I wouldn't have gone on my own or with my missus, as that would have been weird.
Reading on here has dumped me back in the "not going' camp.my youngest wants to see Elemental and Oppenheimer, so I'll try and fit them in, and she's off to see Barbie with her mates next week.
Job done
Barbie - different story. My 18 year old daughter loved it, the rest of us left scratching our heads as to how this movie has received so many positive reviews. Was too long at 2 hours and while I thought the first 10-15 minutes was ok by way of set up, I just thought any fizz went flat quickly and the story was basic and weaker than it could have been. 5/10 at most…!
Have read a few reviews saying it’s better 2nd time round, maybe I’m missing something in it.
Drivel. And the whole two part thing only adds to the pomposity.
Liked MI 4,5 and 6.
7…meh.
Went with my youngest daughter last night. She came along on the back of the trailer which I had a feeling probably wasn't to representative of the film. It turned out I was right, but she loved it anyway and so did I.
Downpoints, certainly include that when there were quite a lot of new locations, especially at the start, some labels to let you know where ther action was taking place would have been a help (and to be honest, there were that many characters that labelling the people in the style of a playstation video game would have made things clearer). I didn't find it overlong - it was well paced and though the tendency to jump back and forth on the timeline made it tough to begin with, it settled down as you grew into the story. I was happy enough that the film didn't include stock film of the bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, or the consequences - nice touch.
So overall very impressed - one of the best films I've seen this year, and I hope it gets some Oscars (Cillian Murphy for starters). I won't need to see it again for a while, though I'm looking forward to watching it in English next time.
The thing with recent Nolan films is imo you have to absorb them in the same way you take in music. Get in tune with the rhythm and let it into your subconscious. I know that sounds pretentious. They are hard for me to get into if i just skim the surface of the visuals.
I know some men have issues with Barbie but for me it had important messages about society conditioning both men and women to conform to stereotypes, and it was fun.
It's an intense film, and a bit of a who's who of actors. Murphy is excellent as is Robert Downey jr. I got deja vu seeing Tom Conti play Einstein - wonder if he's done that before.
I did find it slightly heavy going for a while after the Los Alamos section had concluded, but for a three hour film the time passed quickly enough. I think it would benefit from trimming by half an hour though.
Legolas, Ginger Spice , and a bit of car driving, what more could a guy ask for.
At least until, as IdleHans said, the post-Alamos bit takes over. For much of that hour or so I thought we were in the endgame, and yet if never seemed to end. I was bemused by who was doing what for much of it. When I realised there were a few sort-of twists to be revealed I was more surprised that I was watching that kind of movie than the actual reveals.
I also think - and I remember saying this about Interstellar - there are times when Nolan's crescendo editing turns pretty run-of-the-mill moments into something they're not, or maybe don't quite deserve to be.
It's still a magnificent film and I look forward to watching it again - ironically on a small screen where I can turn the sound down a bit and protect my tinnitus, and maybe press pause to cross-reference wikipedia from time to time!