No Hollywood biography's going to cover all the bases honestly, correctly. Within its constraints, it was pretty good or at least as good as possible. The Big Issues were touched on: the psychopathy of anti-communism, the related witch hunt and a whiff of Edward Teller's abnormal lust for nukes. One even gets a sense (IIRC) of Oppie's contradictions and stuff.
But unrelated yet more important, reality has caught up very close to Roy's riffs:
Also, this--“played by Robert Downey Jr. as a sort of vengeful lanyard”--is almost as good as Anthony Lane’s simile in his review of Waterland, “starring Jeremy Irons as a sad paintbrush.”
Dang. Was hoping I would not need to see this thing. Promoted like a bloated beached whale. Off-putting. Now you make sound mostly a worthwhile couple hours (which I gotta say would be substantially more worthwhileitude than I have been scoring lately).
Thanks Roy. Of course Chris Nolan can’t help but make a beautiful movie. I enjoyed it, and I liked all the performances. I think Cillian Murphy did a very good job, because I believe people operating at that level in any field but particularly in STEM are a little out-of-this-world. I’ve met a couple, not nearly of Oppenheimer’s caliber but very advanced guys, and the best I can describe it is they aren’t fully here with us, part of them is always on that other level.
Robert Downey Jr. must have been happy for any role that isn’t Iron Man. And I don’t always like Matt Damon but I really enjoyed him here. I think he does a better job when he’s playing tight-assed company men than when he’s doing his Affable Dude schtick.
One can sense your blood pressure going down as you write these reviews. You are very good at it and I bet it's a lot better for you then your usual right-wing sewer dive.
Have you seen the 1980 Sam Waterston/PBS Oppenheimer? I have real fond memories of that..
I saw it when it came out, but had forgotten all but the highest level details until reading your review, so I guess my short take on it would be “forgettable.” But it did keep me involved for the long run time, so the slightly longer version would be “entertaining, but forgettable,” which is fine.
As you point out, it was not without deeper meaning and we’ll see but 80 years isn’t much in the context of time. Do you really think Nagasaki will be the last of it? I’m guessing not by a long shot.
Great review Roy. This was a hit all around with my family, from my daughter (25) to my MIL (in her 80s) and I’m not surprised at the massive awards love it’s getting. At this point I think the Academy can just fedex the best picture and best director statuettes to Nolan’s house today, it’s that much of a done deal.
Of course, now that you’ve done Oppy, you have to do its sequel, Godzilla Minus One, which just became the first Oscar-nominated Godzilla movie in the 70-year history of the franchise! (And it’s also really good, not at all what you would expect!)
"we get more biopic gush." Heh heh. I typically stay away from biopics because of all the expository gush. It's like product placement (at least for me): Once you see it, you can't unsee it. I wish I could. I want to enjoy these things like any normie.
Maybe Nolan isn’t so much a storyteller as a presenter. I’ve always been cold on him, anyway - perhaps I like to know what the other party thinks, even when they’re giving me a PowerPoint.
Given how history (not science) proves the atomic bombs were completely unnecessary except to satiate Americans’ racist bloodlust (and still failed at that), as we had cracked Japanese codes long prior and knew the war could end with three little words - “the emperor stays” - it’s all too much to have to listen to hours of arglebargle about This Great Science Man. And for Nolan to pull what feeble punches he has…it’s all too much. And too little. I Am Become Faff, Waster of Time.
"... the important thing isn’t 'can you read music,' but 'can you hear it.'"
Alluding to a finer distinction. Some excel at hearing music then reproducing it; others at imagining it then producing it. Starting not at the level of the work, but with basic elements.
(I haven't seen the movie, and I'm not sure what this has to do with maths.)
Re: compartmentalization of Hiroshima - takes me back to the kerfuffle in 1995 for the 50th anniversary and the shouting about "Pearl Harbor!" and "A million soldiers needed!" and all that there in response to the quiet assertion that the bombing was unnecessary and was done mainly to scare the Soviets. It was particularly disturbing to see the continued hatred for Japan from some quarters even after so long.
(There's an interesting parallel here with the plot in Twilight's Last Gleaming, just sacrificing OTHER people instead of ours.)
Yes! I got strong climate change vibes, especially about the danger of not listening to scientists. “We listened to them then to save the world and mobilized everything on their say-so, but we’re not now!”
Having said that, idea of a Manhattan Project to stop global warming is bandied around on a regular basis.
I love that you always use “enormity” to mean what it actually means.
Pfft.
No Hollywood biography's going to cover all the bases honestly, correctly. Within its constraints, it was pretty good or at least as good as possible. The Big Issues were touched on: the psychopathy of anti-communism, the related witch hunt and a whiff of Edward Teller's abnormal lust for nukes. One even gets a sense (IIRC) of Oppie's contradictions and stuff.
But unrelated yet more important, reality has caught up very close to Roy's riffs:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/01/the-white-house-has-its-own-pharmacy-and-boy-was-it-shady-under-trump/
Also, this--“played by Robert Downey Jr. as a sort of vengeful lanyard”--is almost as good as Anthony Lane’s simile in his review of Waterland, “starring Jeremy Irons as a sad paintbrush.”
Dang. Was hoping I would not need to see this thing. Promoted like a bloated beached whale. Off-putting. Now you make sound mostly a worthwhile couple hours (which I gotta say would be substantially more worthwhileitude than I have been scoring lately).
Thanks Roy. Of course Chris Nolan can’t help but make a beautiful movie. I enjoyed it, and I liked all the performances. I think Cillian Murphy did a very good job, because I believe people operating at that level in any field but particularly in STEM are a little out-of-this-world. I’ve met a couple, not nearly of Oppenheimer’s caliber but very advanced guys, and the best I can describe it is they aren’t fully here with us, part of them is always on that other level.
Robert Downey Jr. must have been happy for any role that isn’t Iron Man. And I don’t always like Matt Damon but I really enjoyed him here. I think he does a better job when he’s playing tight-assed company men than when he’s doing his Affable Dude schtick.
One can sense your blood pressure going down as you write these reviews. You are very good at it and I bet it's a lot better for you then your usual right-wing sewer dive.
Have you seen the 1980 Sam Waterston/PBS Oppenheimer? I have real fond memories of that..
I saw it when it came out, but had forgotten all but the highest level details until reading your review, so I guess my short take on it would be “forgettable.” But it did keep me involved for the long run time, so the slightly longer version would be “entertaining, but forgettable,” which is fine.
As you point out, it was not without deeper meaning and we’ll see but 80 years isn’t much in the context of time. Do you really think Nagasaki will be the last of it? I’m guessing not by a long shot.
Bestest
Great review Roy. This was a hit all around with my family, from my daughter (25) to my MIL (in her 80s) and I’m not surprised at the massive awards love it’s getting. At this point I think the Academy can just fedex the best picture and best director statuettes to Nolan’s house today, it’s that much of a done deal.
Of course, now that you’ve done Oppy, you have to do its sequel, Godzilla Minus One, which just became the first Oscar-nominated Godzilla movie in the 70-year history of the franchise! (And it’s also really good, not at all what you would expect!)
"we get more biopic gush." Heh heh. I typically stay away from biopics because of all the expository gush. It's like product placement (at least for me): Once you see it, you can't unsee it. I wish I could. I want to enjoy these things like any normie.
Maybe Nolan isn’t so much a storyteller as a presenter. I’ve always been cold on him, anyway - perhaps I like to know what the other party thinks, even when they’re giving me a PowerPoint.
Given how history (not science) proves the atomic bombs were completely unnecessary except to satiate Americans’ racist bloodlust (and still failed at that), as we had cracked Japanese codes long prior and knew the war could end with three little words - “the emperor stays” - it’s all too much to have to listen to hours of arglebargle about This Great Science Man. And for Nolan to pull what feeble punches he has…it’s all too much. And too little. I Am Become Faff, Waster of Time.
"... the important thing isn’t 'can you read music,' but 'can you hear it.'"
Alluding to a finer distinction. Some excel at hearing music then reproducing it; others at imagining it then producing it. Starting not at the level of the work, but with basic elements.
(I haven't seen the movie, and I'm not sure what this has to do with maths.)
Cleanup on ¶ 8: Lewis Strauss was the AEC guy. Richard was the composer.
Cillian Murphy as the central figure haunted by his own accomplishment reminds me of his role in Peaky Blinders. Which was tops.
Re: compartmentalization of Hiroshima - takes me back to the kerfuffle in 1995 for the 50th anniversary and the shouting about "Pearl Harbor!" and "A million soldiers needed!" and all that there in response to the quiet assertion that the bombing was unnecessary and was done mainly to scare the Soviets. It was particularly disturbing to see the continued hatred for Japan from some quarters even after so long.
(There's an interesting parallel here with the plot in Twilight's Last Gleaming, just sacrificing OTHER people instead of ours.)
Yes! I got strong climate change vibes, especially about the danger of not listening to scientists. “We listened to them then to save the world and mobilized everything on their say-so, but we’re not now!”
Having said that, idea of a Manhattan Project to stop global warming is bandied around on a regular basis.